What is an internal chatbot?
An internal, or knowledge base, chatbot is designed to interact with employees or users within an organisation. Unlike customer-facing chatbots used for customer support or engagement on external websites or platforms, internal chatbots are intended for use within a company or enterprise.
These chatbots hold a vast amount of internal company information in one place. One of the benefits of an internal chatbot is it can fast-track new employee training and allow new starters to become more effective. The knock-on effect frees more experienced staff to focus on role-focused tasks rather than line management and training.
Internal chatbots are not only for new starters. Experienced colleagues can benefit from the depth of information they provide. One employee can't hold all the information they need to do their job at all times, so an internal knowledge base chatbot is a valuable reference tool.
How does an internal chatbot work?
Internal chatbots are typically integrated into an organisation's internal communication and collaboration tools, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or proprietary intranet platforms. They can work as scripted chatbots, responding with pre-defined answers, or AI chatbots, which leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) to understand and respond to user queries, making interactions with employees more intuitive and user-friendly.
Key use cases of internal or knowledge-base chatbots include:
Employee Support: Internal chatbots can assist employees by answering frequently asked questions about HR policies, benefits, company procedures, and IT-related issues. They can provide quick and consistent responses, reducing the burden on human resources and IT support teams.
Training and Onboarding: Internal chatbots can help onboard new employees by providing information about company culture, training materials, and department-specific guidelines. They can also quiz employees on training content and track their progress.
Information Retrieval: Internal chatbots can retrieve data and information from various internal databases or systems. For example, they can fetch sales reports, inventory levels, or project status updates.
Workflow Assistance: They can guide employees through complex workflows or processes, helping them complete tasks accurately and efficiently. For instance, they can assist with expense reporting or travel booking.
Employee Feedback: Internal chatbots can gather employee feedback through surveys or quick polls, helping organisations make data-driven decisions to improve workplace satisfaction and productivity.
IT Support: Internal chatbots can troubleshoot common IT issues by providing step-by-step instructions for solving problems or by creating IT support tickets.
Remote Work Support: With the rise of remote work, internal chatbots can help remote employees access resources, get assistance, and stay connected with the organisation.
Read how Orbit launched an internal chatbot as an employee learning tool.
What are the benefits of an internal chatbot?
An internal chatbot can offer numerous benefits to an organisation, helping improve efficiency, communication, and employee satisfaction. Here are some of the key benefits of implementing an internal chatbot:
24/7 Availability: Internal chatbots can provide around-the-clock assistance, ensuring employees can access information and support anytime, even outside regular working hours.
Instant Responses: Chatbots can quickly and consistently respond to common queries and tasks, reducing employees' time waiting for assistance or information.
Increased Efficiency: They can automate routine and repetitive tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions or updating contact information, freeing employees to focus on more complex and value-added activities.
Improved Employee Experience: Employees can get answers to their questions or complete tasks quickly, leading to improved job satisfaction and productivity.
Data Insights: Chatbots can collect and analyse data on employee interactions, used to identify trends, areas for improvement, and opportunities for process optimisation.
Integration: They can integrate with existing systems and databases, allowing employees to access and update information seamlessly without switching between multiple applications.
Discover how NI Water launched an internal chatbot to help service agents handle queries.
To start with internal chatbots, you can build them with CM.com’s Conversational AI Cloud. Our team can provide the support you need to streamline internal knowledge.