Case Study
How STR Group builds stronger recruitment conversations with AI roleplay
STR Group brought its recruitment expertise into Ambr AI: tailored scenarios, its own competency framework, and a safe place to practise the calls that matter.
Background
STR Group helps organisations solve their workforce and project challenges across high-tech facilities, life sciences, engineering and technology, marine and automation. Its consultants need to understand technical markets, build candidate relationships and turn client conversations into well-qualified opportunities.
With an award-winning Training Academy already at the heart of its development approach, STR wanted to make practical conversation training available on demand. That mattered to both consultants early in their careers and those with longevity, where every client and candidate call is a chance to learn and a chance to lose out on an opportunity. Ambr AI gave the Learning and Development team a way to turn the group's own expertise into practice, from core recruitment skills to complex consultancy sales.
What sets Ambr AI apart
Scenarios built around STR's business.
The team developed custom roleplays for its specialist consultancies and real call types, including candidate pre-screens, client discovery, lead generation, terms negotiation and project-based solutions. Consultants rehearse conversations grounded in the markets and services they actually work with.
Feedback against STR's own standards.
STR supplied competency frameworks for each call type, with beginner, intermediate and advanced expectations. Ambr AI turns these into structured feedback, helping learners see what they demonstrated and what to work on next.
Practice without the commercial pressure.
Consultants can try unfamiliar questions, test a different approach, and learn from feedback before speaking to a real client or candidate. STR and Ambr work together to refine scenario detail and feedback as the programme develops.
How STR Group is using Ambr AI
STR is putting recruitment conversations at the centre of the learning experience, supported by guided learning journeys and tailored feedback. Practice covers two connected areas:
Candidate conversations:
pre-screening, gathering market intelligence, presenting offers and managing counter-offers. Learners report probing more deeply and revisiting candidates' reasons for moving.
Commercial conversations:
client discovery, lead generation, retainer pitches, terms negotiation and multi-hire or project solutions. Consultants use feedback to sharpen qualification, explore longer-term hiring needs and strengthen their approach to follow-ups.
Some consultants also create personal scenarios around upcoming calls, making Ambr AI a practical warm-up as well as a training tool. One participant explained:
“I use it as a warm-up before speaking to clients so I feel more confident, and I make scenarios based on what kind of call I may be having.”
Where it delivers value: from trainees to team leaders
One of the strongest outcomes from STR's use of Ambr AI is its ability to support consultants throughout their careers. New starters and graduates gain valuable practice in handling candidate and client conversations before they encounter them in live situations, helping them build confidence and competence faster. Managers and team leaders can see the impact in the quality of conversations that follow.
As an extension of STR's Training Academy, Ambr AI gives early-career consultants a safe environment to develop core skills between formal training sessions. More experienced consultants use the platform to refine their approach to high-value or infrequent conversations, from project and solution sales to retainer pitches and stakeholder management. Senior leaders also leverage it to prepare for coaching, performance and development discussions, making it a valuable tool for continuous learning at every level of the business.
The results
average agreement that practice increased confidence
average rating for actionable feedback
of surveyed consultants had applied techniques to real conversations or planned to
In learners’ own words
“One of my improvement points from conversations within Ambr AI is my commercial awareness. In a recent conversation with a new client, I was able to better understand future hiring plans rather than only immediate, and better qualify hiring needs over a 6-month period instead of the next 1-2 months.”
“It takes away the pressure of going into conversations blind. It allows you to learn without potentially costing you a client or candidate if you make a mistake.”
“Practising conversations and getting real feedback; these are conversations you have day-in day-out but without constructive feedback it’s hard to get better. Ambr AI allows for faster improvement in conversations.”
“The Ambr calls are very realistic. I see more confidence and stronger calls from my team when they’ve used Ambr AI.”
“Over the last few years, the way people learn has changed immensely. We recognised that our employees wanted shorter, more flexible learning opportunities that they could immediately apply in their day-to-day roles. Ambr AI has helped us create a culture of learning in the flow of work, giving our trainees the confidence to practise key sales conversations in a safe environment while enabling our experienced consultants to take greater ownership of their personal development. The platform has transformed learning from something people attend into something they actively engage with every day.”
STR Group now has a practice environment shaped around its own people, specialist markets and standards; one that grows with the business as new scenarios are added and new consultants join. The foundation is simple: every consultant can rehearse the next conversation that counts before it happens.
For Your Organization
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