PhoneScreen AI
Reference Agent · Free while in beta

Agentic reference checking.

Add a reference’s name and number. An AI agent texts or calls them, asks your questions, and sends back a scored reference.

  • Free while in beta
  • Text or call
  • Up to 10 references
  • 30+ languages
Reference Agent film, 39 seconds, captioned: Nothing tells you more than a reference. Yet almost half don’t check. Give it a name and a number. Reference Agent takes it from there. Some answer by text. A question at a time. Others would rather talk. So it calls them. Either way, every candidate gets the same thorough check. So you hire knowing. And right now, it’s free.

Why it matters

54%

of employers use references to assess non-management hires. The rest make those hires without one.

SHRM Benchmarking, Talent Access · 1,118 organizations · 2021 data

1 in 3

candidates are taken out of the running after a reference check, senior managers report. It changes decisions.

Accountemps survey of 2,800+ senior managers, 2019

Text or call

They answer the way that suits them.

Every reference gets a text first. From there they answer in the thread or take a short call, and you decide which of those to offer.

By text

A question at a time, in the thread

It asks your questions one by one and asks once more when an answer is thin. They reply between other things, in their own words, without booking anything.

By call

About 10 minutes, now or later

If they would rather talk, it calls them, right away or at a time they pick in the next two weeks. Same questions, in the same order.

You decide what to offer

They answer in the thread or take a short call, now or at a time they pick. Every reference is reached by text first.

How it works

Three steps. Only the first is yours.

  1. 01

    Add a name and a number

    Up to 10 references per candidate, from the dashboard or the API. Or have the agent text the candidate and collect them.

  2. 02

    It reaches out and asks

    Every text is written for that conversation, not pulled from a template. Two reminders over four days, then it stops and tells you.

  3. 03

    You get a scored reference

    A rating out of 5, would-hire-again, strengths and concerns in their words, and where references agree.

What comes back

The same thorough check for every candidate.

Text or call, every reference comes back in the same shape, so two candidates can actually be compared.

Maya Brooks

Warehouse shift lead · 2 of 2 references complete

Strong yes

Both describe a dependable lead who covers gaps without being asked and stays calm on hard nights.

They agree onReliable · Covers shifts · Calm under pressure
They differ onWeekend availability
Ask nextCan she work two weekends a month?

Dana Whitfield · Former manager

(312) 555-0147 · English · completed by text

5/5
Would rehireYes
StrengthsNever misses a shift, covers for teammates
ConcernsPrefers day shifts
  • Relationship confirmed
  • Not the candidate’s number
  • Not given by other applicants

Luis Ortega · Former supervisor

(312) 555-0183 · English · completed on a 9-minute call

4/5
  • Scored, not summarized

    A rating out of 5, would-hire-again, and a takeaway for every question you asked.

  • Checked for who replied

    It flags a number that is the candidate’s own, one other applicants also gave, or a relationship that was never confirmed.

  • Read across references

    Where they agree, where they differ, and what to ask before you make the offer.

Run it on your next candidate. It costs nothing.

Reference Agent is free while in beta. Add a name and a number, and the first text goes out right away.

Start free

No card needed.

Questions

What teams ask first

What if a reference never replies?

It sends two reminders over four days, then stops and tells you. If they were part way through by text, what they answered is still scored, and they can pick the thread back up for a week.

Can they answer in another language?

Yes. Set the language per reference and the whole conversation happens in it, in any of 30+ languages. You read the transcript in English.

How do you know the reference is real?

Every completed reference is checked: whether the number is the candidate’s own, whether other applicants in your account gave the same number, and whether the relationship was confirmed. Anything off is raised in the summary.

What does it ask?

Your questions, in your order. If you don’t set any, it uses a standard eight, from how they know the candidate to whether they would hire them again.

Is the call recorded?

Yes. They are told when the call is offered, and the recording sits on the reference’s page next to the transcript and the score.

What does it cost?

Nothing while it’s in beta. No card needed to start.

Sample screen · 3 questions

Interview for Paper Sales Rep at Dunder Mifflin