Although hiring has slowed down amidst the coronavirus crisis, some employers are proactively interviewing and hiring. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, as the social distancing instruction ramped up, companies have shifted to the technology to march hiring. Big tech companies, particularly, will continue to hire at a rapid rate, scooping talent from other companies on standby.
The pandemic does not mean that leaders can relax. It remains important for HR leaders to improve their hiring approach to win the talent market, including in times of crisis. It is also essential to retain employees who contribute well to the company’s growth, managing them to stay and grow together with the company, instead of letting them flee to the competitors. To do so, leaders need to maximise AI chatbot to help build and maintain the talent pipeline.
Be it to retain talented employees for career advancement or external candidates who are prequalified to take an opening, a chatbot provides access to confidential engagement 24/7, easing the work of HR and helping HR to work on the most vital business first.
Based on Phenom’s study, chatbots are transforming the way employers attract, engage, retain, and develop quality talent. By taking on time-consuming tasks, such as sourcing, screening, scheduling, and answering talent’s FAQs, chatbots help HR and recruiting teams get more time back in their day – time which can be spent on more strategic tasks such as building quality relationships with employees. A chatbot could also guide employees through more in-depth questions, resulting in richer feedback.
See also: Allie the Chatbot: The Future of Employee Engagement
In uncertain periods like today, chatbots will help employees, especially remote ones, engage better with their jobs. Chatbots can also help provide updated information regarding employer’s measures in mitigating crisis, allowing employees to stay connected despite working remotely. However, it should be noted that while chatbots could help in these matters, human connection remains in the hand of HR teams.
Providing strong support for the company through non-stop accessible data through a chatbot, HR could use their budget as efficiently as possible. IBM reported that HR spend can shift to higher value and more complex problem solving, without reducing levels of service for workers who have more routine HR queries. That being said, HR savings made in this way can be reinvested in further AI deployment, increasing HR’s ability to solve business challenges, continuously develop strategic skills, create positive work experiences, and provide outstanding decision support for employees.
Employees need professional and personal developments from time to time. Employee development is also one of the biggest reasons employees stay loyal to a company. Therefore, it is essential for HR to proactively and continuously collect feedback from employees. While sending feedback through a piece of paper or email could be effective, chatbots can make the feedback session more interactive. Employees could feel as if they talk to a person by filling a form from an interactive AI algorithm, chatbots. AI can also collect similar answers from employees, allowing HR to focus on what matters the most for employee development.
Read also: Maximising Technology for Employee Health Improvement
