How Reward360's Tech Team Got Back 10–15 Hours a Week for Their Senior Engineering Manager
Rewards360 used Koyo's AI Interviewer to reduce manual Java screening rounds, save engineering bandwidth, and move faster on tech hiring.
90%
Fewer Manual R1 Interviews
7
Positions Closed in 3 Months
4.6★
Candidate Experience Rating
Overview
Reward360 (R360 Group) is a loyalty and rewards platform company based in Bengaluru, founded in 2005. They build and run the rewards infrastructure behind some of India's biggest banks — most notably HDFC Bank's SmartBuy portal, along with platforms for ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Standard Chartered, and American Express. Over 1,000 retail partnerships. Nearly two decades in the game.
The Challenge
Daily Interview Drain: Senior Engineering Manager taking 1–2 R1 interviews every day, losing 10–15 hours/week
Zero Pre-Filtering: Every candidate got a 60–90 min slot — qualified or not
Productivity Hit: Bad interviews didn't just waste the hour — they killed focus for the rest of the day
Team-Wide Problem: Other engineering managers facing the same R1 overload across Java hiring
KalyanSenior Engineering Manager"I was taking one to two interviews every single day. When the candidate wasn't good, that hour was just gone — and so was my focus for the next hour."
The Solution
01
Kalyan shared his R1 question bank — Java, OOPs, LLD/HLD, DSA
02
Koyo built a custom AI interview matching Reward360's exact technical bar
03
Candidates take the AI interview on their own time — no scheduling needed
04
AI filters 10–20 candidates down to 1–2 who actually clear the bar
05
Kalyan reviews detailed reports and only interviews pre-vetted candidates
06
Report integrated into ATS — now a permanent column in their hiring workflow
The Results
90%
Fewer Manual R1 Interviews
From 1–2 daily interviews to reviewing reports
7
Positions Closed in 3 Months
Across Java engineering roles
4.6★
Candidate Experience Rating
Candidates rated the AI interview 4.6/5
KalyanSenior Engineering Manager"I used to block two hours every day just for interviews. Now I read a report, and in five minutes I know if this person is worth my time. The AI asks exactly what I would ask. The report became our cheat sheet. We walk into the final round already knowing where to push. We ask follow-ups based on what the AI surfaced — it's a much sharper conversation now."
AnitaTA Lead, Reward360"We piloted this because we saw how much time our engineering managers were losing. Three months and seven hires later, other teams are asking how to get on board. The cost math is simple. One hour of an engineering manager's time versus an AI interview that does the same job. We're not even comparing anymore."
How it works
How did you set things up?
Kalyan gave us the question bank he uses for Java R1s — OOPs, design patterns, LLD/HLD scenarios, DSA in Java. Koyo turned that into a custom AI interview that mirrors his actual round. Candidates get a link, they show up when they're ready, and the AI runs the interview.
When did you realize this actually works?
After the first batch of 10–20 candidates. Kalyan looked at who passed the AI round — 1 or 2 out of the whole batch — and realized those were exactly the people he'd want to talk to. The 17–18 he didn't have to meet? That was the win.
What surprised you?
That the report became part of the workflow. Reward360's ATS now has a column for the AI interview report. It's not a separate tool anymore — it's just how they hire. Other engineering managers saw the results and started adopting it for their own roles.
Advice for someone evaluating an AI interviewer?
Give it your actual questions. Not some generic template — your questions, your bar. That's what makes the difference. When the AI interviews the way you would, you trust the results. And once you trust the results, you stop doing R1s yourself.