AI for HR – 7 ways AI chatbots help automate your HR processes
What is an HR Chatbot?
An AI-powered HR chatbot is a digital assistant that helps with human resources-related tasks. It uses artificial intelligence to understand and chat with employees, answering questions about company policies, vacation balances, and more. The chatbot automates routine tasks like requesting time off, updating your profile, and replying to common questions so that your entire workforce can focus on bigger tasks. The chatbot makes employees feel more autonomous by offering quick, personalized help and can be used on different chat platforms, such as Slack and Teams, for easy and instant access.
What types of HR functions can an HR chatbot automate?
Answering handbook and policy queries
The chatbot acts as a virtual HR assistant, providing instant answers to questions about company policies and guidelines. Whether it's about health benefits, code of conduct, or compliance rules, employees can receive accurate, up-to-date information tailored to their role and location without flipping through the entire handbook.
Submitting timesheets
Employees are reminded and guided step-by-step through the timesheet submission process. The chatbot helps them to enter working hours, apply important notes, reducing human errors, and ensuring accurate records in the HRIS. It also makes it easier for the employee to fetch their timesheet when needed.
Requesting and approving time off
An HR chatbot can simplify the leave request process by allowing employees to specify their preferred dates and reasons for time off - without having to log in to the HR platform. It then submits these requests for managerial approval, notifying managers for prompt approval or rejection while automatically updating the calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Answering employee reviews on time
Performance reviews provide clear feedback and set expectations, aligning individual goals with organizational objectives. They recognize achievements, identify improvement areas, and support career development. Reviews can also facilitate communication, and help boost talent management, fostering continuous improvement and engagement.
Ensuring performance reviews are completed on time and that employees fully understand and can access the feedback process is a common challenge in most organizations. An AI-driven HR chatbot helps by sending reminders to employees and managers about when reviews are due. This keeps everyone on track and makes sure reviews are done properly and on time.
Get HR metrics on demand
HR professionals and leaders can get real-time insights from the chatbot by requesting specific HR metrics, like employee turnover rates, absence metrics, or diversity data. The chatbot fetches and presents the data clearly, enabling quick decision-making and identifying trends or issues that need attention.
Checking and editing profiles
Employees can quickly access and update their own personal information, such as emergency contacts or banking details, through the chatbot. This ensures that their records in the HRIS are accurate and up-to-date, facilitating smoother administrative processes. HR professionals and managers have the capability to swiftly access and update other employees' profiles, including details such as salary, employment type, or role.
Keeping everyone up-to-date with important happenings
It's important to keep everyone informed about team members' availability and new hires in remote or hybrid work settings. An AI-driven HR chatbot can automate these communications, ensuring that all team members are aware of who is taking the day off, who has called in sick, or when a new colleague starts. This automated notification system saves time by eliminating the need for manual updates across different teams. It improves coordination by providing real-time updates directly through platforms, like Slack and Teams, that everyone already uses.
This not only keeps the workflow smooth but also creates a sense of community and inclusion as team members are immediately informed about new hires or team updates, helping to integrate them into the team more quickly.
Benefits of AI powered chatbots in HR
Reduce the administrative workload for HR
AI-driven chatbots handle a large volume of repetitive questions about policies, benefits, and handbook details. This frees up HR professionals from spending significant time on routine tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives like talent development and employee engagement.
Employees have had mixed reactions to HR self-service in the past. But GenAI offers more conversational workflows and tailored information—just the sort of delivery that could boost adoption as more employees prefer GenAI’s ease of use in addressing their needs. - Boston Consulting Group
Advancements in AI are not just changing the way HR functions operate, they are also lifting productivity and shifting the role of HR within organizations. According to recent insights from Boston Consulting Group, implementing generative AI in HR processes can boost productivity by as much as 30%. This significant increase is primarily due to AI's ability to automate routine tasks, allowing HR professionals to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day operations.
Automated and simplified workflows
By automating processes like timesheet submissions, leave approvals, and profile data updates, chatbots streamline administrative workflows within the HRIS. This reduces processing times, minimizes errors, and ensures seamless data flow, ultimately improving operational efficiency.
Better employee experiences
HR chatbots deliver instant and personalized answers 24/7, greatly improving the employee experience. Whether it’s checking your vacation balance or urgent questions about company policies, having fast access to information boosts employees' trust in and satisfaction with HR services.
Recent research from AlexisHR's community reveals that over 36% of surveyed participants feel that using too many systems is one of the biggest distractions at work. A virtual HR assistant in platforms like Slack and Teams can reduce the number of tools employees need to learn and use. This makes work simpler and more efficient, as employees can get the information and support they need in one place. By integrating HR functions into familiar platforms, companies can improve productivity and create a smoother work experience.
Improved data accuracy and compliance
An easier process for managing employee data helps keep records accurate and ensures compliance with internal policies. This keeps data up-to-date and reduces the risk of unreliable reports. By streamlining data management, companies can better track employee information, leading to improved decision-making and efficiency.
Actionable HR Insights
The ability to ask for HR metrics “on the fly” gives HR professionals and managers quick access to valuable insights. This real-time data on absence trends, engagement, turnover rates, and more, helps them identify potential issues or opportunities, enabling data-driven decisions that align with the overall organizational goals.
How to Choose the Right HR Chatbot for Your Organization?
Choosing the right HR chatbot for your organization involves considering several key factors to ensure that it aligns with your operational needs and enhances employee experiences. Here are some important aspects to consider:
Accessibility
Select a chatbot that integrates seamlessly with the platforms your employees already use daily, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. This integration minimizes the learning curve and reduces the number of tools your employees need to manage, making their interactions more streamlined and efficient.
Security and GDPR compliance
Security is always important, especially when dealing with personal data. Ensure the HR chatbot is GDPR compliant, particularly if it will serve as an extension of your Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Opt for a chatbot solution that adheres to the same strict data protection standards as your HRIS, where privacy settings and access controls are already established to comply with GDPR.
Multilingual chatbots
Choose a chatbot that can understand and communicate in multiple languages. This feature is particularly important in multinational companies where employees may prefer or better understand different languages. A multilingual chatbot ensures that all employees can access HR support in their preferred language, improving both inclusivity and communication.
By ensuring that your HR chatbot can support multiple languages, you improve the accessibility and effectiveness of your HR services, making it easier for all employees to engage with HR processes and feel supported in their native languages. This not only boosts employee satisfaction but also supports global collaboration and unity within the company.
Summary
In conclusion, AI-powered HR chatbots are changing the way human resources work by handling routine tasks. This allows HR professionals to focus on more strategic projects that help the organization grow. It's important to choose a chatbot that fits well with current systems, is secure, and can handle multiple languages for diverse teams. These chatbots can make HR tasks faster and more accurate, leading to happier and more engaged employees. This change highlights the growing role of HR in improving the workplace. By adopting these technologies, HR departments show the whole organization how AI can create a more strategic and innovative business environment.
Get in contact to learn more about AlexisHR and our AI chatbots in Slack and Teams!
