The TextUs alternative that makes the call.
An AI voice agent that phones your applicants and workers, talks it through and logs every answer in your ATS.
Just some of the teams that already put Underheard on the phone.
Calls go out. Answers come back.
Every call,
on the record.
- Outcome
- Qualified, Available, Confirmed
- Needs you, for a recruiter
- Answers
- Licenses, transport, gear, start time
- Written back to your ATS
- Summary and transcript
- A short summary up top
- Every word underneath
Here's why agencies let the agent pick up the phone.
Called the moment they apply.
It rings each new applicant, asks your screening questions and flags who your recruiter should see next.
See screening calls
Call-offs covered before the shift.
A worker rings in sick and the agent takes it, then calls the workers you pick and marks who can step in.
See shift calls
A person signs off every booking.
The agent gets each shift ready to send. Your recruiter reads it over and confirms it from one list.
Who confirms the shiftAgentHi Tasha, this is the AI assistant for Brightline Staffing. You applied for the machine operator job. How long have you run CNC machines?
TashaTwo years, mostly lathes on nights.
AgentThanks, Tasha. I've noted that for Jordan, your recruiter, who will be in touch about next steps.
Set it up in minutes.
Describe the job and your agent is ready in ten minutes. Add your list and it calls at any hour, so your recruiters place faster.
Start freeIt makes the calls.
Applicants hear from the agent the moment they apply. Workers get a call about availability and open shifts.
Answers when workers call.
Workers who call in sick or ask about pay reach the AI Receptionist any hour. Recruiters can jump in.
Live hand-off, summary first.
When a call needs a person, your recruiter joins live after a short spoken summary of what was said.
120+ languages, one call.
Every worker answers in the language they are most at ease in.
Your workers get a call. Your ATS gets the answers.
| underheard. | TextUs | |
|---|---|---|
| Calls your workers for you | Underheard: yes. Calls your workers for you | TextUs: no. |
| Writes every answer back to your ATS | Underheard: yes. Writes every answer back to your ATS | TextUs: yes. |
| Phone-screens applicants for you | Underheard: yes. Phone-screens applicants for you | TextUs: no. |
| Answers workers' questions on its own | Underheard: yes. Answers workers' questions on its own | TextUs: partly. Pre-written keyword replies |
| Follows up when workers don't reply | Underheard: yes. Follows up when workers don't reply | TextUs: yes. |
| Messages workers on WhatsApp | Underheard: yes. Messages workers on WhatsApp | TextUs: yes. |
| Texts your workers | Underheard: yes. Texts your workers | TextUs: yes. |
| Takes call-offs and finds cover | Underheard: yes. Takes call-offs and finds cover | TextUs: no. |
How Underheard and TextUs differ for staffing agencies.
TextUs texting and an AI voice agent
TextUs calls itself text messaging built for staffing and recruiting. Recruiters send and receive texts with candidates, and the message history is logged to the candidate or contact record in the ATS. Underheard puts an AI voice agent on the phone. It rings your applicants and workers itself, talks each one through your questions, texts them or messages them on WhatsApp before and after the call, and leaves a transcript, a recording and the answers on every worker's page.
TextUs keywords and AI phone screening
TextUs Keywords are automated, pre-written replies. They go out when a contact texts back a specific word or set of words, so the worker gets the answer you wrote in advance. Underheard's AI Recruiter calls each new applicant as soon as they apply. It explains the job, answers what they actually ask, works through your screening questions in their own language, then puts scores, skills and certifications into your ATS.
TextUs, Underheard and Bullhorn
TextUs's Bullhorn integration logs every text conversation to the Notes section of Candidate, Contact and Lead records, and it can sync contacts both ways if you turn that on. Underheard fills the record in Bullhorn, Avionté, TempWorks and more with what each call found: screening scores and skills, certifications and custom fields, the call log and notes. It parses the resume too. Your recruiter opens the worker and the whole story is already there.
Call-offs and automated shift filling
TextUs's staffing blog lays out the texting routine. A worker texts in an absence, you acknowledge it and start contacting a replacement, then coordinators look over the replies and choose the best match. With Underheard, the AI Receptionist takes the call-off. Search & Match finds the best-matched workers for the order and calls them to confirm who is free. Your recruiter sees every yes in one list and approves the booking.
Texts going unanswered? Hand the calls to Underheard.
Give it a list and it rings every name, then logs what each person said.
Old candidates, back on the phone.
It calls the people who went quiet, asks if they are looking and writes every answer back.
Wake up your bench
Text or WhatsApp, before and after the call.
A message before the call, a follow-up after, and the whole thread on the worker's page.
See a worker's page
Answers land where you work.
Your ATS, CRM, sheet or chat tool, plus webhooks and an API for the rest.
Ask about your systemQuestions agencies ask about TextUs.
What does TextUs do?
TextUs is a texting platform for recruiting and sales teams. Recruiters write and answer messages from one inbox, and every conversation is logged to the ATS. Underheard's AI voice agent places the calls for you. It screens new applicants, offers open shifts to your workers, follows up by text and WhatsApp and fills your ATS with what each person said, so your recruiters start from answers instead of an inbox.
How much does TextUs cost?
TextUs sells two plans, Pro and Enterprise, priced by the volume of messages you send rather than by seat, and Enterprise is quoted by its sales team. Underheard is priced by calls, starting at $1,000 a month, and an agent is ready to call in 10 minutes.
What do TextUs reviews say?
Reviewers in staffing and recruiting mostly describe TextUs as the way their recruiters text candidates and employees. If your recruiters spend their day dialing instead, Underheard's AI voice agent makes those calls for them. It screens applicants, checks who is free and offers open shifts, then writes what each person said into your ATS, so every recruiter starts the day with the calls already done.
Does TextUs work with Bullhorn?
Yes. TextUs has a native Bullhorn integration, run through its Chrome extension, so recruiters can send and receive texts from within Bullhorn. TextUs also powers Bullhorn Messaging, Bullhorn's own texting service. Underheard's agent calls the worker and writes the answers to that worker's record in Bullhorn, Avionté, TempWorks and more.
Who are TextUs's competitors?
TextUs sits with the texting tools staffing teams use, and its own blog compares it with Sense. For a staffing agency that wants its calls made, the TextUs alternative is Underheard. Its AI voice agent phones applicants to screen them and rings workers about open shifts. Setting up an Underheard agent takes 10 minutes, and you can have the whole agency live in 4 days.
What is the difference between TextUs and Sense?
TextUs is a texting platform. Its own blog says it puts more weight on candidate texting and two-way conversations, and calls Sense a talent engagement platform. Sense's pages put Sense Messaging next to a Voice AI that prequalifies candidates. Underheard's agent works the phone: it screens applicants, offers open shifts, takes call-offs and follows up by text and WhatsApp, with every answer in the ATS you already run.
Do candidates mind getting a call from an AI recruiter?
Most don't. Bullhorn's GRID Talent Trends 2026 found 92% of candidates rate AI voice interviews as good or better. Underheard's agent talks with each worker in their own language, from more than 120, and answers their questions about the job on the spot. When a conversation needs a person, it puts your recruiter on the line live, after a short spoken summary of what was said.
Will AI replace recruiters at staffing agencies?
No. The agent makes the repeat calls and your recruiters keep the decisions. It handles the screening calls, the availability checks and the open-shift offers, and your recruiter approves each booking. Bullhorn's 2025 research found firms using AI are 2x more likely to grow revenue. Underheard puts that to work on the phone, with your recruiters in charge.
Let the agent make tomorrow's calls.
Book a demoTextUs details from textus.com and TextUs's help center, checked 4 November 2026.
By Navid Mani, co-founder and CEO of Underheard. Updated 4 November 2026.