The right person.
Before you even know you need them.
A proprietary 7-factor algorithm that scores every candidate across ability, rating, travel, verification, response rate, acceptance history, and shift fatigue — in under 200 milliseconds.
6M+
Candidates scored
7
Weighted factors
<200ms
Match latency
89%
Trial-to-hire rate
The ShiftMate Talent Value Chain
One product. Part of a connected talent system.
ShiftMate connects the entire journey — from attracting candidates to assessing potential, training capability, matching talent, placing candidates, and improving performance on the floor.
01
Attract
02
Assess
03
Train
04
Match
05
Place
06
Perform
Matching Engine scores every candidate across 7 weighted factors in under 200ms — surfacing the right person for every shift, ranked by fit, not guesswork.
Next Step
Place matched candidates into open shifts instantly
The problem
Traditional matching is guesswork dressed up as recruitment.
CV-based shortlists ignore location, transport, and real availability
No data on how candidates actually perform once placed
Agency humans can't process thousands of candidates in seconds
No-shows because the match was never accurate to begin with
The outcome
A composite score built from data that actually predicts performance.
Assessment scores, star ratings, and acceptance history — all factored in
Transit-aware travel scoring, not straight-line distance
Progressive radius expansion for hard-to-fill roles
89% trial-to-hire rate because the match was right the first time
The candidate side
From stranger to match-ready in under an hour.
Candidates register via WhatsApp or the web. A guided 5-step journey collects everything the algorithm needs — no CV, no agent, no waiting.
Register in 60 seconds
Candidates join via WhatsApp or the web — name, mobile number, OTP verification. No CV required to get started.
Build their profile
A guided 5-step onboarding collects everything the algorithm needs — skills, experience, location, transport, availability, and work preferences.
Complete the assessment
Candidates complete a psychometric and voice screening — call-centre ready scores in 45 minutes. Results feed directly into the ability score.
SA ID verified
Identity is verified using Rekognition face-match and liveness detection. A verified badge unlocks the full matching pool and adds 12% to the match score.
Enter the matching pool
Profile complete. The algorithm now considers them for every relevant open shift — instantly, silently, at scale.
Proprietary algorithm
Seven factors. One composite score. Zero guesswork.
Weights are live-configurable from our admin console with instant rollback. Every score row stamps the rubric version it was judged under.
Ability
Skill overlap (60%), years of experience (30%), and prior trial performance in the same role (10%). Zero skill coverage with required skills hard-caps the score at 55.
Rating
5-star shift ratings from previous employers. Cold-start prior of 3.9★ for new candidates. Reliability blend with exponential decay — a 45-day half-life means recent performance counts most.
Travel
Transit-aware commute calculation, not straight-line distance. Progressive radius expands from 40 km to 80 km for hard-to-fill roles. Candidates with unreliable geo bypass radius but receive zero travel score.
Verified
SA ID verification status plus profile completeness. Sparse profiles receive a −30% multiplier; complete, verified profiles receive a +10% boost. Completeness spans identity, location, skills, and availability.
Response rate
Historical response rate (60% prior for new candidates) combined with response-speed bonuses: candidates who reply within 2 minutes receive +8 points; within 20 minutes, +2 points.
Fatigue
Prevents over-scheduling. Candidates with 3 or more shifts in the last 72 hours are penalised. Protects worker wellbeing and ensures each placed candidate shows up sharp.
Acceptance rate
How often a candidate accepts shifts they're invited to. Historical acceptance rate (50% prior for new candidates). Low acceptance rates signal availability or commitment issues.
Bonus modifiers
Employer preference
+30Candidate preference
+30Graduate field match
+18Behavioural signal
up to +15Potential band
up to +12Title relevance
up to +8Hard gates: No phone number on a candidate profile returns a score of 0.0001 — they are not surfaced to any employer. Zero skill coverage with required skills hard-caps the score at 55. Household and device diversity caps prevent the same address from dominating a shortlist.
Live product
Every candidate. Every factor. Fully transparent.
Employers see the full breakdown — not just a rank, but exactly why each candidate scored where they did.
Match result
Inbound Sales Agent — Sandton
ShiftMate AI · scored in 140ms
94
match score
Thandi M.
Top 5%Invited
2 min ago
Score breakdown
Ability
×25%88
Skills + experience + prior trials
Rating
×22%95
4.9★ track record, 31 shifts
Travel
×15%97
4.2 km — well inside 40 km radius
Verified
×12%100
SA ID verified + full profile
Response
×10%82
Responds within 8 min on average
Fatigue
×9%100
0 shifts in last 72 hours
Acceptance
×7%91
94% historical acceptance rate
#1 of 10
Ranked position
94
Final score
140ms
Scored in
Scored in
140 ms
Proven at scale
Millions of matches. Hundreds of placements.
6M+
Candidates in the database
10,000+
New candidates monthly
89%
Trial-to-hire conversion
<200ms
Score latency per candidate
From match to hire
The trial shift model. Pay only when it works.
Every match leads to a paid trial shift. If the candidate performs, the employer confirms and pays. If not — nothing owed, credits returned, try again.
Employer posts the shift
Role, location, start time, required skills, and trial rate. The algorithm immediately runs — silently scoring every eligible candidate in the database.
First-time posts go through a quick admin review. Existing employers go live instantly.
Top 10 ranked. Employer chooses.
The employer sees a ranked shortlist of up to 10 candidates — each with a match score, breakdown, skill coverage, and verification status. No guesswork.
Household and device diversity caps prevent the same address from dominating the shortlist.
Invite up to 3. Candidate has 24 hours.
Employer sends invitations to their preferred candidates via WhatsApp. Each candidate has 24 hours to accept. Acceptance locks the shift slot.
Candidates who express interest first receive a response-speed bonus on future matches.
Trial shift. Pay only on success.
The candidate works the shift. Clock-in and clock-out are recorded. If the trial succeeds, the employer confirms and pays. If not — R0 owed, credits returned.
Successful trials can convert to permanent placement at no additional fee.
R0 upfront
No cost to post a shift, no deposit, no commitment until the trial succeeds.
Free permanent hire
Successful trial converts to a permanent hire at no extra placement fee — ever.
Credits if it fails
Failed trials return credits automatically. Rebook a new candidate immediately.
See the algorithm match your roles — live.
We'll run a live match against your open roles and show you the ranked shortlist, score breakdowns, and candidate profiles in real time.