The “Great Resignation” is belting back-office support teams. SHRM research shows 52% have had to take on more responsibilities and 30% report struggling just to get all work done.  Don’t work harder. Work smarter.  Per Kore.ai, Conversational AI + RPA can reduce HR support workloads by 50% and reduce cost per inquiry by 98%.

Conversational AI should not be confused with “rules-based” chatbots encountered on many websites and phone trees.    New Conversational AI tools (such as Kore.ai) use Artificial Intelligence powered chatbots that leverage NLU (natural language understanding) and machine learning to have immersive conversational interactions.  Not only can Conversational AI bots converse, they understand the intent, tone, and sentiment of the user and respond accordingly. 

To further illustrate, here is an example comparing these two conversational tools:

Sample Rules-Based Chatbot Interaction

• How can I help you? Type “Order Status,” “Shipping Policy,” or “Return Request”.
  • Where’s my refund?
• I am sorry, I don’t understand. Please type “Order Status,” “Shipping Policy,” or “Return Request.”
  • I don’t need that. I need to know when I am getting my money back.

Sample Conversational AI Interaction

• How can I help you today?
  • Where’s my refund?
• Let me pull that up for you.
• Your refund is currently being processed. It should refund back to your original payment type in the next three days.
  • Thanks!

Combining Conversational AI with Robotic Process Automation (bots built to extract and update conversation data in your internal systems), a back-office can typically automate 80% of routine inquiries currently handled by phone call and email. 

As the internal support area most impacted by high question volume, progressive HR teams are now utilizing Conversational AI / RPA in the following areas to dramatically improve efficiencies and performance:

Recruiting & Onboarding

• Recruiting and job search
• Candidate pre-boarding checklist
• New hire onboarding checklist
• Automated reminders & follow-ups

Offboarding

• Exit processing
• Separation checklist automation

Time Off Management

• Time off balance status
• Time off requests
• Time off approval

HR FAQs

• Company policies & procedures
• Benefits & compensation FAQs
• Company services and assistance

Compensation

• View salary & compensation
• View/download paystub
• View/change deductions
• View balances

Timesheet

• Submit timesheet
• Review/approve timesheet

Benefits Management

• Insurance enrollments assistance
• Retirement benefit view and updates
• Benefit coverages

As you can easily see, RPA-enabled virtual assistants can provide substantial efficiency gains for your taxed back-office support team.  While at the same time increasing overall customer fulfillment (an MIT study found 80% of organizations utilizing Conversational AI reported measurable improvements in satisfaction and delivery).

Contact us today to learn more about about leveraging Conversational AI / RPA solutions to remove mundane and repetitive support inquiries from your team, empowering your HR staff to focus more on what matters most: the experience and success of your candidates and employees.