Using Generative AI to Provide Real-time, Around-the-clock, HR Support
September 9, 2024
HR teams are responsible for some of the most essential operations of any organization, managing tasks from employee pay, benefits, and training to legal and compliance issues. However, a lot of their time is spent answering repetitive questions about things like leave balances, benefits details, and policy clarifications. This not only increases operational costs but also takes away valuable time that could be spent on more strategic tasks.
That’s where Generative AI (GenAI) comes in. This technology has advanced to the point where it can mimic human expertise in a way that feels natural and intuitive. By training AI on company-specific HR data, you can create AI Experts that handle routine questions instantly, freeing up your HR team to focus on more complex issues.
Revolutionizing Employee Self-Service with Generative AI
HR support within an organization is very similar to the service and support that a company provides to its customers. It just so happens that this interaction takes place internally, rather than externally. Customer support teams have already seen significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, and reliability by implementing AI that provides useful lessons to HR leaders.
Generative AI has shown considerable potential in transforming customer service operations, and these advancements can be directly applied to HR support functions. A 2023 study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that AI, particularly generative AI, could increase productivity in customer service by 30% to 50% when implemented at scale. As organizations continue to integrate AI into their customer service platforms, the technology is expected to manage up to 95% of customer interactions by 2025, significantly reducing the need for human involvement in routine tasks. And, it works. One organization has reported an 18% increase in customer satisfaction since integrating AI into the service experience. This shift has allowed human agents to focus on more complex, high-value issues, leading to substantial efficiency gains and improved overall service quality.
HR leaders can draw from these learnings in customer service to realize similar gains internally when supporting employees. By leveraging AI to automate routine HR tasks, much like it has been used in customer service, organizations can enhance productivity, reduce the time spent on repetitive inquiries, and allow HR professionals to focus on more strategic, complex issues that drive greater value for the organization.
But what exactly does this mean in practice, and how will all of this work? When fully implemented, what does the experience look like for employees, and what can they do? This article answers those questions as we explore how AI Experts can be a valuable application of GenAI technology for HR support.
Introduction to Generative AI Experts
Generative AI (GenAI) technology can revolutionize the way organizations handle HR support by leveraging the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs). These advanced neural network models can understand natural language and generate human-like text, enabling them to replicate the expertise of essentially any professional with the right context and training. By processing vast amounts of data, LLMs can accurately and efficiently manage HR tasks such as answering employee queries about benefits, leave policies, and compliance issues.
A key advantage of LLMs is their ability to be trained on very specific data, allowing them to develop deep subject matter expertise tailored to an organization’s unique needs. This means that LLMs can be trained on a company’s proprietary HR data, policies, and historical interactions. That training then enables the creation of Generative AI Experts that possess not only general knowledge but also an expert-level understanding of the specific context of that knowledge within the organization. This enables MangoApps AI Experts to deliver highly relevant and precise responses, making them an invaluable tool for efficient and effective HR support.
Why Use Generative AI Experts for HR Support?
LLMs are particularly suited for HR support due to their capacity to handle a wide variety of inquiries with precision and consistency. Whether it's questions about benefits, leave policies or compliance issues, AI Experts built on LLMs can deliver immediate, accurate answers. This efficiency reduces the workload on HR teams, allowing them to focus on more complex and strategic tasks.
Quick Introduction to Training AI Experts
Training AI Experts involves feeding them with company-specific HR data, policies, and historical interactions to ensure they possess deep, contextual knowledge relevant to the organization. This process, referred to as Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) allows the AI to understand not just general HR concepts but also the specific nuances and practices unique to the company. By harnessing RAG, MangoApps AI Experts are equipped to provide precise and contextually appropriate responses, effectively mirroring the knowledge and expertise of human HR professionals within the specific organizational environment. This sets the foundation for automating many employee support needs.
In a later section, we provide more detail about training AI Experts with domain-specific HR data. For now, let’s take a more detailed look at HR Support Experts in the context of MangoApps AI Studio.
Deploying a MangoApps AI Expert for HR Support
HR Support Experts, built using AI Studio, represent a significant advancement in managing routine tasks that streamline HR operations to enhance employee experiences. These AI-powered subject matter experts are designed to handle a wide range of HR inquiries, delivering real-time and accurate support that allows HR professionals to focus on more strategic, high-value activities.
In this section, we’ll explore what HR Support Experts are, how they’re created within AI Studio, and how they interact with employees to provide seamless HR support. By understanding these key elements, you’ll see how AI Studio empowers organizations to elevate their HR functions through efficient and accessible AI-driven solutions.
Definition and Purpose of an HR Support Expert
HR Support Experts are advanced AI entities designed to function as subject matter experts (SMEs) within an organization, mirroring the knowledge and contextual understanding that human HR professionals possess. These AI Experts are specifically trained on an organization’s HR data, including policies, procedures, and historical inquiries, enabling them to provide immediate and accurate responses to employee queries.
The primary purpose of HR Support Experts is to handle the repetitive and routine queries that would typically be managed by human HR employees. These queries often involve straightforward information requests, such as questions about benefits, leave policies, or compliance guidelines. By automating these tasks, HR Support Experts significantly reduce the workload on HR teams, allowing human professionals to focus on more complex and strategic initiatives that require human insight and creativity.
What makes HR Support Experts particularly valuable is their ability to deliver consistent and contextually relevant answers. Because they are trained on data that is specific to the organization, they can understand and apply company-specific nuances to their responses. This ensures that employees receive not just generic information but accurate and tailored support that reflects the company’s unique practices and policies.
Moreover, HR Support Experts are available around the clock, providing employees with 24/7 access to reliable HR support. This constant availability improves the employee experience by ensuring that their needs are met quickly, without the delays that might occur when relying solely on human HR staff.
In essence, HR Support Experts serve as an extension of the HR team, handling the bulk of routine inquiries with the same level of expertise and accuracy as a human professional. This not only enhances the efficiency of HR operations but also contributes to higher employee satisfaction by ensuring that their questions are answered promptly and correctly.
Creating HR Support Experts Using AI Studio
The creation of HR Support Experts within AI Studio is designed to be straightforward, even for users without technical expertise. The platform’s no-code interface allows organizations to build these AI Experts by configuring elements, setting parameters, and inputting necessary data—all without the need for coding skills.
Training with Domain-Specific HR Data
To ensure that HR Support Experts provide accurate and relevant responses, they need to be trained on a comprehensive set of company-specific HR data. This training process involves feeding the AI with various types of HR-related information, allowing the AI to develop a deep understanding of the organization’s unique environment.
Types of Data Best Used for HR Support Experts
Creating effective HR Support Experts requires careful consideration of the types of data they need to access and how that data is organized and stored. Here’s a detailed look at the various types of data that are critical for HR Support Experts and how they are integrated into AI Studio to provide reliable and contextually accurate support.
Handling Data from Multiple Sources
In many organizations, the necessary HR data is dispersed across multiple platforms and repositories. MangoApps’ robust integration capabilities allow AI Studio to pull in data from various sources, whether they are structured databases, unstructured document repositories, or cloud-based storage solutions. With that data as the backbone, MangoApps AI Experts ensure that employees receive consistent and accurate information, regardless of where the underlying data is stored.
The seamless integration of these diverse data sources not only enhances an AI Expert’s ability to provide reliable support but also ensures that it can adapt quickly to any changes within the organization, maintaining its relevance and effectiveness over time.
The Importance of Data Management, Security, and Privacy
For the AI Expert to function effectively, the input data must be well-organized and structured. This involves ensuring that documents are properly categorized, indexed, and regularly updated. Clear and logical organization of data enables the LLM to retrieve and process the necessary information quickly, ensuring that responses are both timely and accurate.
By carefully curating and organizing this data, organizations can ensure that their HR Support Experts are equipped to handle a wide range of employee inquiries with precision and consistency, effectively mirroring the expertise of human HR professionals.
However, while organizing and managing data is crucial, it’s equally important to approach AI deployment with a strong emphasis on security and privacy. Enterprises are increasingly concerned about the security of sensitive HR data and the potential risks associated with AI. Therefore, any AI implementation must include robust security measures to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and misuse of information. This includes encrypting data both at rest and in transit, implementing strict access controls, and regularly auditing AI systems for compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.
Additionally, privacy considerations should be integral to the design of AI systems. Organizations need to ensure that employee data is handled in a way that respects privacy rights, with clear policies on data usage and retention. By taking a proactive approach to security and privacy, businesses can not only mitigate risks but also build trust with their employees, ensuring that the deployment of AI tools like HR Support Experts is both effective and secure.
Configuring AI Experts Without a Single Line of Code
AI Studio’s no-code platform simplifies the process of creating AI Experts, making it accessible to a wide range of users. The intuitive design enables users to drag and drop elements, set various parameters, and input the required data to configure their AI Expert. This user-friendly approach ensures that businesses can quickly develop and deploy AI solutions tailored to their specific needs.
Key Features:
Drag-and-Drop Interface: Users can easily assemble AI components without writing a single line of code, streamlining the development process.
Configurable Parameters: AI Experts can be fine-tuned to meet specific business requirements by adjusting settings related to their behavior, response styles, and interaction modes.
User-Friendly Design: The platform is designed to be intuitive, ensuring that even non-technical users can create sophisticated AI Experts with minimal training.
How Employees Interact with an HR Support Expert
HR Support Experts are crafted to offer employees a seamless and intuitive experience, ensuring that their questions and needs are addressed quickly and effectively. These AI-powered entities are built to mirror the knowledge and context that human HR professionals bring, allowing employees to interact with them just as they would with a live HR representative.
Whether the Support Expert is answering queries, guiding employees through processes, or providing detailed explanations, HR Support Experts make it easy for employees to get the HR support they need right when they need it. This section delves into how these interactions unfold, showcasing the user-friendly and accessible nature of these AI Experts.
Real-Time, Natural Language Employee Self-Service
One of the most compelling features of HR Support Experts is their ability to interact with employees in real time using natural language. This means that when an employee has a question or needs assistance, they can simply type their query as they would when speaking to a human HR representative. The AI Expert understands the query, processes it instantly, and provides a clear and accurate response.
For example, if an employee asks, “How many vacation days do I have left?” the AI Expert will immediately retrieve this information from the relevant HR database and respond with the exact number of days, along with any pertinent details about how those days can be used. This kind of interaction is not only fast but also feels natural, as the AI Expert is designed to understand and respond in the same conversational tone and style that a human would use.
Without an AI Expert, an employee would typically need to search for this information manually, either by navigating through a company intranet, sifting through HR documents, or contacting the HR department directly. This process can be time-consuming and often frustrating, as it may involve waiting for a human representative to become available or deciphering complex policy documents. The AI Expert streamlines this experience by providing instant, accurate answers, eliminating the need for employees to navigate these cumbersome steps on their own.
Moreover, these interactions aren’t limited to simple Q&A scenarios. HR Support Experts can guide employees through more complex processes, such as submitting a leave request or enrolling in a benefits program. The AI Expert can walk the employee through each step, providing explanations and options along the way, ensuring that the employee understands the process and feels supported throughout.
Accessibility and User-Friendly Interface
The accessibility of HR Support Experts is a crucial aspect of their effectiveness. AI Studio ensures that these AI Experts are easily accessible to all employees, regardless of where they are or what device they are using. The AI Experts can be integrated into various platforms that employees already use daily, such as:
Web Portals
Mango AI Experts are centralized on a company intranet or HR portal, providing a central location where employees can access all HR-related information and support. This ensures that whether an employee is looking for information or needs to complete a task, they have a single, go-to resource.
Mobile Apps
For employees who are frequently on the move, HR Support Experts can be accessed on their smartphone. Whether an employee is traveling, working remotely, or simply away from their desk, they can quickly get the HR support they need from their smartphone or tablet.
Embedded Experiences
AI Experts can be embedded within the flow of work, surfacing the right Expert at the right time to provide in-context support for the task the employee is working on. Reading a file? An AI Expert will appear ready to help analyze, summarize, or recap the file for you. Searching for information? You'll get contextual answers, based on your company data, so that you don't have to click and scroll through multiple documents looking for the answers yourself.
Simple and Intuitive Design
The design of these interfaces is focused on simplicity and ease of use. Employees don’t need to navigate complex menus or systems; they simply type their query, and the AI Expert provides the answer. The user interface is intuitive, ensuring that even employees who may not be tech-savvy can easily interact with the AI Expert. Additionally, the AI is capable of handling follow-up questions or clarifications, making the interaction feel more conversational and dynamic.
The combination of real-time, natural language communication and accessible, user-friendly interfaces makes HR Support Experts a powerful tool for enhancing employee experience. By providing quick, accurate support in a way that feels natural and intuitive, these AI Experts help streamline HR operations and ensure that employees always have the assistance they need at their fingertips.
How HR Support Experts Transform the Employee Experience
HR Support Experts are underpinned by generative AI technology that is designed to manage a wide array of HR tasks, from answering employee queries to assisting with complex processes like performance management and compliance. By automating these tasks, they not only streamline HR operations but also significantly enhance the employee experience by providing quick, accurate, and personalized support.
These AI Experts are particularly effective in handling routine and repetitive inquiries, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Top HR Support Expert Use Cases
Here’s a closer look at some specific scenarios where these HR-specific AI Experts can make a significant impact.
Benefits and Compensation Inquiries
Employees often have questions about their benefits packages, such as health insurance options, retirement plans, or bonuses. Traditionally, obtaining this information might involve reading through complex documents or waiting for an HR representative to provide details. With an HR Support Expert, employees can simply ask their questions directly, and the AI will immediately provide a personalized response based on the most current data.
For example, if an employee wants to know how their health insurance plan covers a particular treatment, the AI Expert can instantly retrieve and present the relevant information. From there the employee can interact and ask clarifying questions until they’re satisfied with the knowledge. All of this will take place in real time.
Leave and Attendance Management
Managing leave requests and attendance can be a time-consuming process for both employees and HR teams. Without an AI Expert, employees might have to fill out forms, email HR, or search for policy documents to understand their leave balances or request time off.
An HR Support Expert simplifies this by allowing employees to check their leave balances and submit requests directly through a chat interface. The AI can even guide them through the approval process, ensuring that everything is handled correctly and efficiently.
Onboarding and Training Support
Starting a new job often comes with a flood of questions, as new employees navigate through unfamiliar policies, processes, and systems. Traditionally, new hires would need to save up their questions for scheduled check-ins or wait for responses from busy HR teams. This delay can hinder their onboarding experience, leaving them feeling uncertain or overwhelmed.
HR Support Experts revolutionize this process by being readily available to answer questions as they arise, in real-time. New employees can ask about anything from how to fill out a specific form to understanding their benefits package or company policies. The AI Expert provides immediate, accurate responses, allowing new hires to move forward with confidence and clarity.
Compliance and Policy Clarifications
Understanding and adhering to company policies and compliance requirements is essential but often confusing for employees. Without an AI Expert, employees might need to search through lengthy policy documents or consult with HR to clarify specific rules or regulations.
HR Support Experts make this process straightforward by providing instant answers to policy-related questions. Whether it’s clarifying a dress code policy or understanding the steps required for compliance with a new regulation, the AI Expert delivers accurate information quickly, reducing the burden on HR staff.
Ready to Transform HR Operations with AI?
HR Support Experts provide significant value by enhancing both the efficiency of HR operations and overall employee satisfaction. These AI-driven tools streamline processes, ensuring employees receive consistent, accurate information quickly, which frees up HR teams to focus on more strategic tasks. The use of AI Studio to create and customize these Experts offers unique advantages, including scalability, seamless integration, and robust security features. By leveraging AI Studio, businesses can empower their HR departments with tailored solutions that meet their specific needs, driving greater productivity and engagement across the organization.
Get in touch to see how AI Studio can help you build and customize HR Support Experts tailored to your company’s unique needs. Your HR team will feel more empowered than ever to enhance employee satisfaction and ensure consistency across your organization. Start your journey with AI Studio today and unlock the full potential of AI-driven HR support.