How Automation And Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance Employee Journey

Technologies play a significant role in changing the workplace of the 21st century. It's true that today a large majority of companies are inclined to invest in automated systems powered by artificial intelligence. In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), almost everything we do is changing, and our work lives probably aren't an exception. Thus, most of the corporate world is increasingly using artificial intelligence technology to serve clients and employees better. 

Apart from this, COVID-19 has already triggered a permanent shift in the way businesses across every industry view artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. These advanced technologies allow us to work from anywhere and be more productive in an all-digital world. With these technological trends, employees are relieved of tiring repetitive tasks, as automation helps them save time, work more effectively, and enhance productivity. Even though automation is happening more and more, human interaction will always be at the forefront, developing meaningful customer relationships. In the near future, it is evident that even people who are not employed by technology companies will interact more with AI-powered tools on a daily basis. 

Indeed, businesses have reaped a lot benefits from artificial intelligence, such as analyzing data to discover valuable insights, identifying potential business opportunities, reducing costs, improving employee productivity, enhancing business ROI and so on.

This article will explore some of the recent advancements in businesses that are currently at the forefront of the AI revolution, including how they have shaped to improve the employee experience. 

Before we get started, let's first analyze why artificial intelligence and automation are important for today's businesses and how they can help modern workplaces cope with the consequences of pandemics. 

Why Artificial Intelligence is important for today’s businesses?  

Undoubtedly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming society in ways we could never have imagined. Technology has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives, as it provides everything at our fingertips. This includes everything from unlocking your phone to ordering your favorite food online. While artificial intelligence has existed since the 1950s and is an integral part of many computer learning programs and complex decision-making processes, its use has seen a paradigm shift after the pandemic outbreak 

With the implementation of AI-powered automation, even the key decision-making domains have become increasingly removed from human control. In the new normal, we have also witnessed workplace automation, such as virtual assistants, the Internet of Things (IoT), smart chatbots, that have changed the corporate world's function by improving productivity and performance. 

The McKinsey Global Survey on artificial intelligence (AI) found that organizations leverage AI to generate business value and ROI more than ever. The report also states that many companies plan to boost their AI investment in the wake of the ongoing pandemic and the increasing importance of digital technologies in the market. 

Now, it is the perfect time for all businesses to execute AI-based systems to raise the bar high. It is imperative that you shift your focus to positive employee productivity, which aligns with key performance indicators. However, enhancing employee experience is an important goal that you should not neglect in the long run. After all, enhancing employee experience is directly related to employee productivity.

‍Read More: Enhancing Employee Productivity in the Digital Age: A Checklist for HR Managers 

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Artificial Intelligence: Key Benefits of Modern Workspaces  

Today, most organizations seek artificial intelligence to optimize their existing operations rather than radically change their business models. In addition to productivity and efficiency gains, AI is also said to impact enterprise-wide decision-making positively. 

More companies are integrating artificial intelligence into their operations over time to take benefit of them. Here are some of the potential benefits of artificial intelligence in business: 

1. Enhance Efficiency
   
   To increase productivity and efficiency, an organization must improve its performance. Increasing revenues with fewer resources enable them to become more efficient. Artificial intelligence has the potential to help predict the performance of various processes and systems. Businesses may then simulate different scenarios to adjust their operations to enhance their efficiency. Better performance also leads to higher revenue and reduced resource consumption.
   
   
2. Increased customer service
   
   The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing new possibilities to customer experience strategy, design, and development. It has been a while since the internet transformed print professionals into digital leaders. According to Gartner's research, AI and machine learning will streamline 40% of all customer interactions by 2023.
   
   AI-powered tools like chatbots enhance customer, and employee experience by handling their multiple queries at once. Business entities that are faced with long waiting times and have a busy customer service department can make use of this. Chatbots can't handle questions that are too complex, so a live agent can step in and assist. With artificial intelligence, customers' can identify which representative best suits their needs based on their data.
   
   
3. Better monitoring.
   
   With the use of AI, data can be processed in real-time, allowing businesses and other organizations to track and monitor everything instantly. AI is already being deployed to enhance city services and monitor roads, highways, companies and streets using machine learning in many countries. This will make cities more efficient.
   
   
4. Better product development.
   
   New products are being developed by startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. AI and machine learning contribute to accelerating new product development. A study by “Forbes” found that about 14% of businesses use technology trends like AI and ML to develop new products and are earning more than 30% of their ROI from fully digital products.
   
   Thus, it is proven that AI accelerates the development process and decreases design and commercialization delays, generating a faster return on investment (ROI).
   
   
5. Reduce costs
   
   Every organization strives to reduce its costs. Even a slight reduction in costs can have an enormous impact on the overall profitability of the organization. AI can boost efficiency, streamline processes, and predict scenarios. Organizations can reduce operating costs by taking advantage of these measures and can utilize this money for other projects.
   
   
6. Enhanced quality.
   
   Artificial intelligence is expected to reduce human-caused errors and enhance compliance standards when applied to tasks previously done manually or with traditional automation tools, such as extract, transform, and load. Automated financial reconciliation can substantially reduce costs, time and errors, for example.
   
   
7. Making talent management more effective.
   
   Through AI, businesses streamline their overall HR-related processes like hiring, onboarding, employee training, dealing with workplace biases, and searching for top candidates to increase productivity. The development of speech recognition and other natural language processing tools has made it possible for chatbots to offer personalized assistance to candidates and employees.
   
   

Leverage Automation and AI to Boost Employee’s journey

Nothing can argue against the fact that automation reduces time-consuming tasks, boosts productivity, and accelerates efficiency. Automation introduces many other benefits such as quality, increased consistency, reduced costs, quicker turnaround time and increased operational efficiency. However, artificial intelligence can bring human-like elements to information exchange. In some cases, AI-enabled chatbots can simulate human interaction, send emojis based on moods, or even share stickers. 

However, let's dig deeper and examine how automation and artificial intelligence can enhance the employee's journey. 

1. Transforming Enhance Employee Hiring Processes
   
   Artificial Intelligence and automation can help employers and HR managers to ensure the employees are matched with the right jobs and improve employee morale, productivity, and experience. HR managers can utilize AI and automation to screen the most talented and dedicated candidates. In addition to helping HR agents know which candidates fit the company culture, these technologies provide them with valuable information that helps both companies and employees succeed.
   
   Forbes report says most companies are using the AI-enabled tools to accurately evaluate candidates according to their cognitive and emotional capabilities while explicitly avoiding demographic biases based on their gender, financial status, or race. Apart from this, businesses also use AI-driven interviewing tools to conduct on-demand texts, automate scheduling, and minimize the effects of unconscious bias on the recruitment process. This will help companies avoid the hassles of the hiring process and deliver a great experience to the candidates.
   
   
2. Ensure Smooth Onboarding Experience
   
   According to a study by Glassdoor, a robust onboarding process can boost new hire retention by up to 82% as well as productivity by up to 70%. This clarifies that to succeed in business, your organization must have effective onboarding practices. In today's onboarding programs, technology is widely used to engage learners. This is accomplished by delivering a meaningful and effective learning experience that benefits businesses.
   
   An in-depth onboarding process combined with engaging training methods and AI can make a huge difference. Currently, AI-enabled chatbots are the preferred tool for assisting recruits in settling into roles and becoming familiar with various aspects of their joined organizations. AI-powered chatbots can make onboarding new employees easy because they feel like they're interacting with an HR agent. Their capabilities include engaging in natural conversation due to the Natural Language Processing (NLP) principles, which enables them to understand and process human language effectively.
   
   Artificial intelligence bots play a range of roles, including generating information, setting up employee accounts, collecting data, and taking care of other aspects of the onboarding process. Since there is no human error, these bots are unlikely to make an error in processing and ensure a smooth onboarding experience for the new hires.
   
   Relevant Article: Teamsify your employee onboarding processes and deliver a better employee experience with Rezolve.ai
   
3. Effective Workplace Training
   
   The learning process does not end as soon as you begin working in your role. Through the pandemic, we have already seen how AI is incorporated into most training programs. It is evident that AI and automation have taken over the planet. However, automation does not operate on its own. Often, it requires human control and guidance, and for that, new skills are necessary.
   
   Thus, employee training is essential to ensure employee productivity when working with automated processes and avoid skill gaps as processes become more automated. If you want employee training to be efficient, effective, and enjoyable, you should develop good training programs. Therefore, HR managers need to figure out how to leverage the revolutionary qualities of artificial intelligence to revolutionize traditional instructor-led training.
   
   With AI-powered microlearning, companies can streamline and improve employee training and development. As a digital tutor, AI can emulate the interaction between a veteran professional and a learner. As a result of AI's natural language processing capabilities, it can engage with your employees in humanlike conversations, relaying relevant pieces of information effectively. By reducing this learning curve, employers can boost employees' work performance and help them reach business goals faster.
   
   
4. Augmented employees
   
   In the case of AI integration today, the term is "augmentation," meaning that the technologies are helping employees to do work more efficiently rather than replacing them. Optimizing interactions and solving queries are important no matter which workplace you are in. In order for the business to be successful, communication between employees, supervisors, management, customers, and other stakeholders must be seamless.
   
   Today, there are a lot of AI-enabled tools that can perform repetitive tasks. Moreover, chatbots and conversational virtual assistants will recognize when employees are having difficulty or spending too much time on particular tasks. They will step in and assist or refer live agents to help if necessary.
   
   
5. Enhancing team collaboration efforts
   
   By using AI, organizations can create teams whose capabilities and behaviors can enhance one another to get to greater heights. A cohesive work environment allows management to identify employees who work well together and drive engagement.
   
   It is possible to effectively achieve teamwork efficiency by creating elaborate team structures and hierarchies that take individual abilities into account and improve one another. By incorporating artificial intelligence technology into team-building exercises, an organization will enhance collaboration and make it more fun.
   
   

Conclusion: Adaptive AI will enable employees to perform better

Artificial intelligence has completely changed the landscape of the corporate world. The integration of automation and AI into business management leads to better operations for a brand while increasing employee satisfaction. By automating routine tasks, newly hired employees will become less mundane, and they will be exposed to work at a level that encourages their creativity, innovation, and communication abilities. 

Although some companies have seen success, many are still struggling to improve employee engagement, boost productivity, and elevate the employee experience. AI has quickly become the next big thing for companies as it enables new collaboration, engagement, and learning opportunities. 

Undoubtedly, AI will continue to become more prevalent in the near future. The time has come to be open to the possibilities and conscious of using AI ethically and fairly. It's essential to have data privacy practices, security measures, and employee consent in place to make sure that employees know -- and consent to -- how data is used. With the proper use of AI, the workplace can be drastically transformed, and everyone can achieve an overall benefit.

‍Find out how Rezolve.ai delivers streamlined employee support to the healthcare industry

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FAQs

What is the employee journey?

An employee journey encompasses the entire lifecycle of an employee within an organization, from recruitment and onboarding to ongoing development, engagement, and offboarding.

How can automation and artificial intelligence (AI) improve the employee journey?

Automation and AI can enhance the employee journey in diverse ways, including: 

1. Streamlining administrative tasks
2. Personalized employee hiring and onboarding experiences
3. Enhanced communication and collaboration
4. Improved employee training and development
5. Intelligent performance management
6. Quick employee support
7. Recognition and rewards
8. AI-powered employee feedback and sentiment analysis
9. Seamless offboarding experiences
10. Data-driven decision-making

Will automation and AI reduce jobs and replace human employees? 

While automation and AI may streamline certain time-consuming tasks, their primary goal is to boost human capabilities and enhance overall work efficiency. In addition to handling repetitive and mundane IT and HR tasks, these technologies allow employees to focus on more creative and complex tasks. AI and automation often create new job roles and opportunities that require critical thinking, problem-solving, and empathy.

How can automation and AI ensure data privacy and security?

Data security and privacy must be given top priority by organizations implementing automation and AI solutions. This requires adopting strong data encryption, access controls, and secure infrastructure. Protecting sensitive employee information also requires adherence to data protection laws, transparent data usage policies, and regular security audits.

What are the possible challenges of implementing automation and AI in the employee journey?

Some potential challenges include:

1. Resistance to change
   Initially, employees may be reluctant to adopt automation and AI because they fear losing their jobs or are unsure of the new technologies. To address these issues, effective change management and communication are essential.
2. Skills gaps
   Employees may need training and upskilling to adapt to new technologies. Organizations should invest in learning and development programs to ensure that employees can use automation and AI tools effectively.
3. Ethical Consideration
   AI systems must be created and applied ethically, without prejudice or discrimination. Organizations should create policies and standards.