A Glossary of Key Keap Features for HR and Recruiting Automation
In the fast-paced world of HR and recruiting, leveraging robust CRM and automation platforms like Keap can be a game-changer. However, maximizing its potential requires a clear understanding of its core features, especially those related to tagging and data management. This glossary is designed to equip HR and recruiting professionals with the precise definitions and practical applications of Keap’s essential functionalities, enabling them to build more efficient, scalable, and error-free automation workflows.
Keap Tag
A Keap Tag is a fundamental organizational tool within the Keap CRM system, acting as a label or keyword assigned to a contact record. Unlike custom fields that store specific data points, tags are primarily used for categorization, segmentation, and triggering automation. For HR and recruiting professionals, tags are invaluable for marking candidate status (e.g., “Applicant – Interview Scheduled,” “Candidate – Rejected”), skill sets (e.g., “Software Engineer – Python,” “Marketing Specialist – SEO”), source of application, or engagement level. By consistently applying tags, recruiters can quickly identify and segment candidates, streamline communication, and initiate targeted hiring campaigns based on specific criteria. Effective tagging is the bedrock of intelligent automation in recruiting.
Tag Automation
Tag Automation refers to the process of using the application or removal of Keap Tags as triggers or actions within automated sequences and campaigns. This capability allows HR and recruiting teams to create dynamic workflows that react to changes in a candidate’s status or attributes. For example, when a candidate is tagged “Interview Scheduled,” an automation can automatically send them an email with interview details, assign a task to the hiring manager, and move them to the next stage in the recruitment pipeline. Conversely, if a candidate is tagged “Offer Accepted,” an automation might remove them from active recruitment campaigns and initiate onboarding sequences. Tag automation reduces manual administrative tasks, ensures timely communication, and maintains data integrity across the recruitment journey.
Contact Record
A Contact Record in Keap is the central repository for all information pertaining to an individual—whether a candidate, client, or referral. This digital file consolidates personal details, contact information, communication history (emails, calls), associated tags, custom field data, and engagement activity. For HR and recruiting, a comprehensive contact record is critical for maintaining a “single source of truth” about each candidate. It allows recruiters to quickly access past interactions, understand a candidate’s journey, and personalize future communications, significantly improving the candidate experience and ensuring no crucial detail is overlooked during the hiring process. Accurate and complete contact records are essential for compliant data management and effective talent acquisition.
Campaign Builder
The Campaign Builder is Keap’s visual interface for designing and implementing complex automation workflows. It allows users to drag-and-drop elements like goals (e.g., tag applied, form submission), sequences (series of actions), and decisions (if/then branching logic) to create a clear, multi-step process. For HR and recruiting teams, the Campaign Builder is indispensable for mapping out entire candidate journeys. From initial application acknowledgements and skill assessment prompts to interview scheduling and post-interview follow-ups, campaigns ensure every candidate receives timely and relevant communication. It helps automate repetitive tasks, provides consistency in candidate engagement, and allows for A/B testing of recruitment messages to optimize response rates and reduce time-to-hire.
Sequence
A Sequence within Keap is a pre-defined series of automated actions that execute over time or upon specific triggers. These actions can include sending emails, assigning tasks, applying or removing tags, updating custom fields, or sending internal notifications. Sequences are foundational elements within larger campaigns. In recruiting, a sequence might be used to nurture passive candidates with relevant content over several weeks, delivering a series of drip emails that share company culture insights, career opportunities, or industry news. Another sequence could manage interview logistics, sending reminders to candidates and hiring managers at timed intervals. Sequences ensure consistent follow-up and engagement without requiring constant manual intervention, freeing recruiters to focus on high-value interactions.
Broadcast
A Broadcast in Keap is a one-time communication sent to a specific segment of your contact list. Unlike emails within a sequence or campaign, which are part of an automated series, broadcasts are ad-hoc messages. For HR and recruiting, broadcasts are ideal for urgent announcements, mass communication about a new job opening, event invitations (e.g., virtual career fairs), or important company updates relevant to a large pool of candidates or past applicants. Recruiters can segment their contact database using tags and custom fields to ensure the broadcast reaches only the most relevant recipients, making it a powerful tool for targeted, timely, and efficient large-scale communication without triggering broader automation sequences.
Custom Fields
Custom Fields are user-defined data fields within a Keap contact record, allowing organizations to store information unique to their business needs beyond the standard default fields. For HR and recruiting, custom fields are incredibly powerful for capturing specific candidate data such as preferred salary range, visa status, specific certifications (e.g., PMP, CPA), portfolio links, or interview availability. These fields enable a granular level of candidate profiling that is essential for effective matching and compliance. When integrated with automation, custom fields can drive dynamic content in emails, facilitate advanced segmentation, and provide critical data points for reporting, ensuring recruiters have all necessary information at their fingertips for informed decision-making.
Lead Scoring
Lead Scoring in Keap is a system that assigns points to contacts based on their engagement and demographic information, providing a quantitative measure of their potential value or readiness. While traditionally used for sales leads, this concept is highly adaptable for HR and recruiting as “Candidate Scoring.” Points can be assigned for actions like opening job emails, visiting career pages, having specific skills (derived from tags or custom fields), or interacting with recruitment content. A higher score indicates a more engaged or better-fit candidate, allowing recruiters to prioritize their efforts and focus on those most likely to accept an offer. This proactive approach ensures high-potential candidates are engaged promptly, reducing time-to-hire and optimizing recruiter efficiency.
Segmentation
Segmentation is the process of dividing a large group of contacts into smaller, more manageable groups based on shared characteristics, behaviors, or preferences. In Keap, segmentation is primarily achieved through the strategic use of tags, custom fields, and engagement history. For HR and recruiting, effective segmentation is crucial for personalizing communication and tailoring recruitment strategies. Examples include segmenting candidates by industry expertise, geographic location, years of experience, application status, or desired job type. This allows recruiters to send highly relevant job alerts, targeted email campaigns, or specific follow-ups, significantly increasing engagement rates and improving the overall candidate experience by ensuring they receive information pertinent to their profile.
Webhooks
Webhooks are automated messages sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs, essentially providing real-time data flow between systems. In the context of Keap, a webhook can be triggered when a tag is applied, a form is submitted, or a contact’s status changes. For HR and recruiting, webhooks are vital for integrating Keap with external HRIS, applicant tracking systems (ATS), assessment platforms, or custom dashboards. For instance, a webhook could send candidate data to an ATS when they reach a certain stage in Keap, or notify a recruitment team in Slack about a high-priority application. This seamless data exchange ensures all systems are synchronized, reduces manual data entry, and facilitates robust, cross-platform automation.
API (Application Programming Interface)
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and interact with each other. Keap provides a robust API that enables developers and integration platforms to programmatically access, modify, and retrieve data from the Keap system. For HR and recruiting, the Keap API is the backbone for custom integrations that go beyond standard webhooks. It allows for advanced data synchronization with proprietary HR systems, bulk data operations, or the development of custom dashboards that pull detailed candidate information. While requiring technical expertise, the API offers unparalleled flexibility for creating highly customized and powerful automation solutions, ensuring Keap can serve as a central hub in a complex HR tech stack.
Data Hygiene
Data Hygiene refers to the process of ensuring that data within your Keap CRM is clean, accurate, consistent, and up-to-date. This includes removing duplicate records, correcting errors, updating outdated information, and standardizing data formats. For HR and recruiting, good data hygiene is paramount for several reasons: it prevents sending redundant communications, ensures compliance with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), improves the accuracy of reporting and analytics, and maintains the credibility of your candidate database. Regular data cleaning, often automated through Keap features or third-party tools, ensures that your recruitment efforts are based on reliable information, leading to more effective outreach and better hiring outcomes.
Integration (e.g., Make.com/Zapier)
Integration refers to connecting Keap with other software applications to automate workflows and synchronize data across multiple platforms. Tools like Make.com (formerly Integromat) and Zapier are popular no-code/low-code integration platforms that act as bridges between Keap and hundreds of other apps (e.g., LinkedIn, Calendly, assessment tools, HRIS). For HR and recruiting, these integrations are transformative. They can automate tasks like: pulling new applicants from a job board into Keap, syncing interview schedules with Google Calendar, sending personalized assessment links, or updating candidate statuses in an ATS based on actions in Keap. Such integrations eliminate manual data entry, reduce human error, and create a truly interconnected and efficient recruitment ecosystem.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, refers to a system and strategy used to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. While Keap is often known for its sales and marketing CRM, for HR and recruiting, it functions as a “Candidate Relationship Management” platform. It helps organizations manage candidate data, track communication, automate engagement, and nurture relationships with potential hires from initial contact through onboarding and beyond. A robust CRM like Keap centralizes all candidate-related activities, providing a holistic view of each individual, fostering long-term talent pipelines, and enabling recruiters to build stronger, more personalized connections that lead to better hires and reduced churn.
Reporting and Analytics
Reporting and Analytics in Keap refer to the tools and features that allow users to track, measure, and analyze the performance of their campaigns, pipelines, and overall contact engagement. For HR and recruiting, this functionality is critical for evaluating the effectiveness of recruitment strategies. Recruiters can generate reports on campaign open rates, click-through rates, tag application trends, candidate progression through stages, and even the source of applications. By analyzing this data, teams can identify bottlenecks in their hiring process, optimize their communication strategies, understand which channels yield the best candidates, and make data-driven decisions to continuously improve their talent acquisition efforts and demonstrate ROI to leadership.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Automated Keap Backups: Your Shield Against Data Loss and Dynamic Tag Disasters
