Could Chat bots be the next Human Resource Assistant?

Over the past year, Chat Bots have been taking over the conversation for innovative ways brands can connect with their customers on Instant Messaging Applications. So far we have seen bots do it all, from restaurant reservations, flight bookings and also playing the part of a medical assistant. Each interaction with the bot enables quicker and faster response times. With the general attention span of the world reducing, chat bots can be a great alternative for customers that are unable to wait for information.

In the recent times, companies have been trying to explore chat bots as a tool for Human Resources. It is  of importance how human resource departments can communicate effectively with their employees providing them necessary information ranging from holidays, CPF or pension. Usually, employees are required to set up long meetings with their HR to receive this information and a lot can be lost in communication.But we are entering the chat bot revolution where chat bots can prove to be highly effective in these situations and can provide the necessary information to the employee instantaneously. A quick message to the bot asking for your pending holidays could provide you an instant reply minimizing the turn-around time for the HR to respond. Companies like Axa have already taken the step in deploying chat bots in their human resource strategy.

It can be quite ironic to have machine learning assist a field that thrives on human learning and feedback however, it is interesting to see how successful bots can perform and automate certain daily tasks in an organization.

Recently, it was revealed that McCann Japan hired a Creative Director who is also a robot by automating this role in the organization. It is however, not in interest of an organization to automate the Human Resources that largely depends on human interaction and experiences.

Experts believe that as the technology of Bots improves every day due to constant research, eventually a bot could help sift through multiple resumes using machine learning to find prospective employees for the organization.

5 Things to Consider Before Developing a Chat Bot for Your Business

As we roll into the era of conversational user interfaces, bots have taken the world by the storm.  There is no doubt that the use of bots will help the brand establish a quicker and ready solution for users that are having a conversation with the bot.

The messages transmitted are uniform across the board which helps eliminate the human-bias that a user may have regarding the company.

However, as businesses across the globe are considering whether they should invest in creating a bot, here are 5 things to consider before your business makes its decision.

  1. Set a Clear Strategy:

It is important for your business to set a clear expectation of what the bot is set to provide. Are you facing issues with the amount of queries coming your way? The organization must have a clear idea of the role of the bot in this interaction so it can add considerable value to the process. A good example is using a bot to make quick hotel reservations for a local restaurant.

  1. Analyze the Interaction

Some businesses may not be open to chat bots as yet. Understand which process of your business absolutely needs human intelligence and intervention. A chat bot is not a replacement to a human interaction but just a means to add a digital spin to the process to make it more efficient.

  1. Connect with Chat Bot Marketers

Once you have made the decision to create a bot, it is important to do it right. You do not want your bot to crash unexpectedly in the midst of an important interaction. Many marketing organizations can guide you through the process of creating a bot and the costs associated with it. You can do a run down of the opportunity cost of this decision and whether it can add value to the current processes.

  1. Plan the Voice of your Bot

Think of the bot as the person who is a spokesperson of your organization. Your bot must adopt the same personality traits as your organization and give the users an idea and history about your brand and what it stands for. A bot need not behave like a robot but a means for the business to tell their brand stories through it in a seamless interaction.

  1. Listen to your Customers

Feedback is one of the most important things to consider before you make the decision to develop your Bot. Understand from your customers as to what part of their interaction with the business poses a challenge. This can help you plan the role of the bot in solving these concerns for customers.