In today's digitalized world, many small businesses and developing companies are seeking to streamline HR functions. One of the simplest and most effective ways to support HR functions is by utilizing an HR Chatbot. Chatbots can save an HR team a lot of time, quickly provide answers to employee questions, and answer employee inquiries outside of normal working hours. Chatbots are a great help for HR teams that rely on popular tools like Slack, Gmail, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams.

Let's take a look at what makes an HR Chatbot a smart choice for modern employees.

What is an HR Chatbot?

An HR Chatbot is a virtual assistant designed to support HR functions by handling the workload from simple employee questions and common HR tasks. The chatbot can communicate with employees through messaging platforms and provide instant answers. There is no complicated or unknowable technology needed to assist the employee, the chatbot understands what they are asking and communicates in simple language.

This chatbot can automatically be trained to answer employee questions about a range of topics including leave policy, pay dates, statutory holidays, performance reviews, and the list goes on. It allows employees to get the answers they need before contacting an HR team member.

Why Companies Need AI HR Chatbots

An AI HR chatbot is useful for more than just answering questions that require a simple answer. With the power of artificial intelligence, its functions also learn over time, meaning the more people use it, the more it is able to understand and respond to questions based on previous observations. 

For HR teams, this will lessen the time spent answering the same repetitive questions. This means HR members can focus on more valuable work such as hiring, training or employee engagement initiatives. The employee chatbot resolves the repetitive queries, leaving HR to keep things running in the background.

An Effective Resource for Small Businesses

For many small businesses, there isn't a large HR team. Some may only have HR with just one or two bodies, which is why an HR chatbot can be beneficial as it can act like an extra team member who never sleeps.

Whether it is responding to frequently asked questions or carrying new employees through onboarding steps, the employee chatbot can provide that support. This relieves pressure on HR, as well as the HR departments' meaningful focus to help support the business maintain a positive and healthy culture.

Works Seamlessly in Your Workspace

One of the most useful features of an HR chatbot is its availability in the apps employees already use. Most chatbots, Winslow included, integrate nicely into applications like Slack, Teams, Gmail, and Outlook.

This means employees never have to sign into another system. They can ask their question in Slack or Teams and receive an answer in real time. This seamless experience encourages greater use of the bot, along with a shorter wait time before receiving HR assistance.

Saves Time Every Day

It may sound easy to answer questions like "How many vacation days do I have left?" or "When is the next public holiday?" but it takes time. If 20 people ask the same question in a week, that time adds up. 

With an HR bot, these questions are answered automatically. Employees receive instant answers, and HR saves hours every single week. This is particularly valuable during busy times like payday or during performance reviews. 

Supports Employees Anytime 

An employee chatbot is always on. Even if someone has a question at 9 PM on a Saturday, they can ask the chatbot and get an answer. This has a definite advantage for teams working in different time zones or for remote employees who may not share the same schedule as HR. 

Having access to a chatbot 24/7 allows employees to feel supported and valued, and can lead to an increase in satisfaction and engagement over time.

Makes Onboarding Easier

Onboarding a new hire has many different steps, from sharing all company policies to creating accounts, and supporting a person with numerous questions. An AI HR chatbot can be programmed to guide the new hire through steps one at a time. 

The AI HR chatbot could provide onboarding training documents, walk them through a few forms, and even remind them of onboarding tasks to complete, keeping everything sorted and welcomed from day one. 

Mitigates Human Error

Errors happen when HR teams become overwhelmed with work. Sending the wrong information, forgetting to answer a message, or having miscommunication occurs, but when an AI HR chatbot provides information it follows a pattern, providing the same correct answer every time. AI HR chatbots can pull the most up-to-date information pulled from your HR System, for employees to receive the correct information. 

Cost effective for Growing Teams

For many smaller organizations hiring a human resource team can be unfeasible. 

AI HR chatbots can be programmed once and continue to be more cost effective with as an organization scales. AI HR chatbots don’t take lunch or breaks, or require a desk for a workspace. 

Using a tool like Winslow, organizations can roll out a smart HR chatbot to assist with onboarding and continually grow with their organization's growth.

Focuses on Privacy and Security

HR information is sensitive. This includes items like salaries, personal information and confidential feedback. A strong HR chatbot leverages secure systems to protect this data.

Employees can feel confident knowing their question is handled privately and securely. Some chatbots provide encrypted messaging or only log the information being used. 

Easy to Train and Update

HR policies are prone to change. New holidays are added, leave policies are updated and a strong AI HR chatbot can be easily updated. You don't need a development guru to change the chatbot response. 

With an easy-to-use dashboard, your HR team can easily add questions and answers at any time. This helps provide a useful and up-to-date chatbot all year round.

Creates a Better Employee Experience

When employees receive accurate responses to their questions quickly, the better the work environment. A useful employee chatbot also signals to employees that the company values its people. 

Moreover, it takes away the anxiety associated with waiting for a response or chasing down an HR person for an update, which ultimately helps employees feel supported and connected.

Winslow’s HR Chatbot: A Smart Choice

Winslow has created a simple, modern HR chatbot that fits into your workspace. It plugs into whatever your team is working in, such as Slack, Gmail, Teams, or Outlook instantly. Yes, it integrates seamlessly and can be helping you and your team in minutes.

It is intended to provide solid support to emerging companies who are increasingly improving employee support costs without increasing their HR budget.

Conclusion

An HR bot is no longer a nice to have; it is a smart piece of technology that should be considered by any developing business. HR bots eliminate some HR tasks, reduce stress, and improve employee experience with HR.

For companies working in apps like Slack, Gmail, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams it is simple to get set up with Winifred. If you want a speedy, personable and efficient HR system. An HR bot is the best option.