Zena: AI voice screening that calls every applicant
Zena, Hirin.ai’s AI voice screening agent, phones each applicant, says up front that it is an AI assistant, and runs your first round phone screen in English, Hindi or any of 22+ Indian languages: notice period, CTC, location and your own questions. Every answer is transcribed and scored, missed calls get a WhatsApp follow up, and recruiters start the day with a ranked shortlist.
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What is AI voice screening?
AI voice screening is an automated first round phone screen. Hirin.ai’s voice agent, Zena, calls each applicant, says it is an AI assistant, and asks your screening questions on notice period, CTC, location and must have skills, in English, Hindi or any of 22+ Indian languages. Every answer is transcribed and scored, and recruiters review a ranked shortlist instead of making the calls.
Last updated October 2026Hirin.ai voice screening at a glance
- Agent
- Zena, Hirin.ai’s AI voice screening agent
- Calls
- Many applicants at the same time, not one after another
- Asks
- Notice period, current and expected CTC, location, availability and your own role questions
- Languages
- English, Hindi and 22+ Indian languages
- Missed calls
- A WhatsApp follow up goes out automatically
- Saves
- Recording, transcript, summary and score on the candidate's profile in the AI ATS
- Decides
- Your recruiter. Nobody is rejected by the AI
- Part of
- AI screening, with the WhatsApp recruitment chatbot for candidates who prefer to type
Forty dials a day. Fifteen pick up. Six are interested.
Spent the morning on calls. Half went to voicemail.Recruiter · 1:10 pm
Same five questions, two hundred times a week.TA executive · Pune
He said 30 days on the call. The notes say 60.Hiring manager · Thursday
By the time I called back, she had joined somewhere else.Agency recruiter · 6:40 pm
Build a screening call. Then listen to it.
Tick the questions your call should ask and pick a language. The phone in the middle is the candidate taking the call: it rings, connects and the live captions show every question and answer while the scorecard fills. Sample data.
1 · What should the call ask?
2 · What the recruiter sees
How does AI phone screening work?
- 01 · Trigger
Applicants join the queue
New applicants, or the ones your CV screen shortlists, are queued for a call automatically.
- 02 · Call
The AI calls and introduces itself
It says it is an AI assistant, that the call is recorded, and asks if now is a good time. If not, it offers a callback.
- 03 · Ask
Your questions, every time
Notice period, CTC, location, availability and your role questions, asked the same way to every candidate.
- 04 · Score
Transcript, summary and score
Each answer is transcribed and scored against your criteria the moment the call ends. Missed calls get a WhatsApp message.
- 05 · Shortlist
A recruiter decides
Your recruiter reviews a ranked shortlist. People below the bar stay in your talent pool with the reason noted.
Part of Hirin.ai AI screening.
Voice is one way to run the first round. Candidates who prefer to type get the same questions on WhatsApp, and the answers land on the same profile.
How is AI voice screening different from recruiter calls and IVR?
| What matters | Hirin.ai | Recruiter phone screens | IVR or robocalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls in a day | Many at once, day and evening | 20 to 40 dials | Many, but one way |
| Conversation | Understands spoken answers and follows up | Yes | Press 1 for yes |
| Same questions for everyone | Always | Depends on the day | Yes, but rigid |
| Languages | English, Hindi and 22+ Indian languages | Whatever the recruiter speaks | Recorded prompts only |
| What gets saved | Recording, transcript, summary and score | Notes, if there is time | Key presses |
| Missed calls | WhatsApp follow up | A callback list | Nothing |
| Who decides | Your recruiter, with a ranked list | Your recruiter | Nobody |
Comparing AI voice screening tools?
Guides for agencies weighing AI calling and screening options, and for teams screening high volumes of frontline candidates.
Real teams. Real numbers.
Turning around a new business unit is a race against the calendar. With Hirin.ai, every applicant is screened on WhatsApp or an AI call the same day, and our time to hire came down from 38 days to 22.
A recruitment agency runs 161 mandates on one board
IT, US healthcare, edtech, sales and hospitality clients on one desk, with AI doing the first read.
Read the storyReal estateA real estate developer hires for sites, sales and head office
Site engineers, sales teams and corporate roles on one careers page and one pipeline.
Read the storyNumbers come from each customer's own hiring data or live Hirin.ai careers page. Where a name is withheld, the customer is kept anonymous.
Bring one role. Hear the AI screen a candidate on the call.
A 30 minute call with someone from our team. We'll run a live screening call for a role you're hiring for.
Questions about AI voice screening
How does AI voice screening work?
Hirin.ai calls each applicant, introduces itself as an AI assistant, and asks your first round questions by voice. Answers are transcribed and scored against your criteria, and your recruiter reviews a ranked shortlist instead of making every call. Matangi Industries uses it alongside AI screening; read the Matangi Industries case study. With recruitment automation, the call goes out on its own as soon as a candidate qualifies.
What is Zena AI?
Zena is Hirin.ai’s AI voice screening agent. Zena calls each applicant, says up front that it is an AI assistant, and asks your first round questions, such as notice period, CTC, location and your own role questions, in English, Hindi or any of 22+ Indian languages. Every answer is transcribed and scored, missed calls get a WhatsApp follow up, and recruiters review a ranked shortlist.
Will candidates know they are talking to an AI?
Yes. The call starts by saying it is an AI assistant and that the call is recorded, and asks if it is a good time. Candidates who would rather type can answer the same questions on WhatsApp.
What does the AI ask on a phone screening call?
By default it asks about notice period, current and expected CTC, location and relocation, and interview availability. You add your own questions per role, such as years with a skill or a certification, and every candidate hears the same set. For BFSI hiring, the questions can cover sales experience and preferred branch location.
Which languages does AI voice screening support?
English, Hindi and 22+ Indian languages, including Hinglish, the way candidates across India actually speak. Each call runs in the language you set for the role, or the one the candidate prefers. Voice checks matter most in BPO and KPO hiring, where how a candidate speaks is part of the job.
What happens if the candidate doesn't pick up?
Hirin.ai sends a WhatsApp message so the candidate can reply in chat or ask for a callback at a better time.
How is voice screening different from CV screening and the chatbot?
CV screening reads the resume. Voice screening hears the candidate answer your questions on a call. The recruitment chatbot asks the same questions in a WhatsApp chat. All three are part of AI screening and write to the same profile. Candidates who pass can move straight to an AI skill assessment.
Does a recruiter still decide?
Yes. The AI makes the calls and scores the answers. Your recruiter makes the decision. Candidates below the bar are not deleted: they stay in your talent pool with the reason noted and can be brought back at any time. Shortlisted candidates then book a slot through interview scheduling.
Is AI voice screening secure and consent first?
Every call says it is an AI and that it is recorded before the screen starts. Recordings, transcripts and scores stay in your Hirin.ai account and are used only for hiring. Hirin.ai is built to support India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.