Chatbots are a service, sometimes using artificial intelligence (AI) that simulate interactive human conversation based on text signals that you can use through the chat interface. They have proven to be very useful in recent years as now most websites have them as a go-to information and FAQ center.
For instance, e-commerce chatbots can answer product questions to give recommendations.
While employing a chatbot in marketing may be simple, many have wondered just how big the value of chatbots in HR is. Traditionally, HR is completely human — it’s in the name as well. So, what is the use of chatbots in HR?
How Chatbots Can Make HR More Human
Chatbots are a technology mainly used in communication. But HR is supposed to communicate on a human level, not through AI.
However, use cases have shown the advantages of chatbots in HR.
“Because communication is so crucial in HR, chatbots can be of great assistance. Chatbots provide a level of comfort and distance — you are aware that you are not chatting with a real human and that whatever you write will likely stay between you and the bot. That’s why users love them so much — they are not shy to ask questions as they would be with a real, eye-rolling human,” says an IT data analyst at 1Day2write and Australia2write, Angelica Yin.
For one, chatbots could help HR with more prompt responding which is important both with candidates and existing teams and employees. What a real human would have to set a time for, chatbot could do in mere moments.
Next, chatbots can help with getting more feedback — for instance, ideas, complaints and so on. All of this is much easier to deliver to a bot than to a human.
And finally, it could help with taking a load of work from HR in terms of questions, scheduling and so on.
To eliminate the risk of sending out wrong answers, a hybrid Agent+AI ® technology can be used, where the bot is trained during the operational process and learns from every new interaction. If the chatbot encounters a question for the first time, the human agent is added to the process and the chatbot can learn from his response.
All in all, HR can definitely benefit from having a chatbot. Here are some ways:
Recruiting
Job interviews are stressful for candidates. Not so much for the gravity of the situation but more for the sheer presence of other humans. Eye-rolling, eyebrow-raising, judging humans. They are afraid of how they will be perceived and that creates a lot of anxiousness for them. These reactions can confuse even the most confident of candidates and cause them to trip over their words and eventually, ruin their chances at that company.
Well, a chatbot is just a friendly, helpful interface that asks questions and doesn’t pose judgement.
Candidates could have interviews at home and then the employers could review their answers based on relevancy to the job position, company culture and so on.
This also takes a huge load off HR’s back because they can just observe and decide who they are going to call back without sitting through hundreds of interviews.
Employer branding
Another useful purpose of chatbots in HR is for employer branding. Using one for your recruitment process can differentiate you on the job market and help you lower your cost per hire while increasing your time to hire.
This way, you can ensure a unified, standardized approach to each candidate and provide consistency of communication and branding which ultimately satisfies candidates.
To answer candidate questions
Candidates often have a ton of questions about the job, the company and many other things that HR is sometimes tired of answering. Chatbots could find another purpose here — answering most frequently asked questions for candidates. They feel more comfortable messaging with a bot than a human and HR can dedicate their time to more important issues.
Collect feedback
“Chatbots can also collect feedback from candidates who drop off during the process of application. Getting good feedback from candidates is essential in improving the candidate’s experience and creating a better employer image on the job market,” says an HR specialist at Writemyx and Britstudent, Beth Chin.
Assistance to teams
Not only are chatbots useful in various stages of recruitment but they are also useful for existing employees. The HR can use a chatbot for scheduling, answering operational questions and many other elements of day-to-day business life.
Chatbots are not only useful but also beneficial to HR departments. They can make candidates more comfortable, happy and take a huge load off HR’s backs — they won’t have to answer any more basic questions. Hopefully, chatbots will soon be a norm in the HR department and operations.
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