Coronavirus has changed the world of work forever and more teams are now working remotely, with many of the larger London firms already saying they are in no rush to get staff back in the office. This presents organisations with the challenge of how they keep connected with their workforce and ensure they are delivering engaging experiences to keep them motivated during this monumental shift in working practices.
In traditional physical workplace environments, it is easy and common for employees to ask questions and get the information they need in face to face interactions, but when working from home and especially in these uncertain times this becomes more difficult and time consuming – especially when the limitations of shared support desks and remote employee interactions are considered. Employees are then forced to either navigate complex systems such as HR or Sales platforms or even worse are reluctant to ask the questions in the first place – leading to misinformation and inhibiting productivity. Therefore, providing employees with the ability to effectively ‘self-serve’ when and wherever they are is becoming a top priority for CIOs and technology leaders.
Conversational AI and chatbots are nothing new and form part of broader Digital Transformation initiatives being explored by CIOs, however, they have typically been deployed in front end processes to automate the processing of live customer communications enabling improvements to customer service. This approach has proven to be extremely beneficial for online retailers and service providers following changes in consumer purchasing habits and the surge in communications during national lockdowns. However, Conversational AI could also be deployed within back end operations, particularly within the HR function to enable employees to find the information they require and automate tasks without having to navigate complex systems and burdening People Teams with a multitude of repetitive emails. Types of communications HR Teams typically receive include, but are not limited to annual leave requests, payroll updates, policy information and even meeting room booking and timesheet updates.
Additionally, People Teams already under enormous pressure due to the changes in working practices, they need to focus on dealing with complex issues such as mental health, advising on new policies to support their workforce, whilst still providing strategic insight and initiatives to ensure the future success of their organisations. Through automating employee HR requests and communications with a Conversational AI Assistant, HR teams are freed up to focus on these essential activities.
Not only do these platforms automate the repetitive and tedious admin work from HR Teams and employees, they enable organisations to communicate more effectively and consistently across their remote workforce and through any channel (voice or digital). For many organisations and HR Teams, this also means being able to provide consistent and tailored real time support across multiple time zones. This will be essential in ensuring that employees are informed and compliant, but also connected regardless of their location, ensuring that they are productive, happy and motivated.
In conclusion, whilst the future is uncertain and we may never go back to the old way of working, what is clear is that technology and Conversational AI could offer organisations a solution to help adjust to the new world and ensuring a successful future.
If you’d like to find out more about how Conversational AI can support your HR Team and to start your 30 day free trial, get in touch today.