More and more businesses are realising the power of AI and how much it can impact the success of their business. But something that many may not have considered is how it can be used to impact the experience that employees have whilst at work, and how it can measure company culture. The capabilities of AI are advancing every day and crossing into every aspect of business, so it makes sense to get your company on board and harnessing its power before your competitors do!
Alex Tebbs, co-founder of unified communications company VIA, shares his insights on a few ways that businesses can use AI to improve the employee experience.
Revolutionise your recruitment drive
Utilising AI-powered assistants in your hiring process can significantly improve the experience that potential job candidates have in the application process. AI can support in the initial stages of hiring by responding promptly to applicants, keeping them informed of any updates to boost their engagement throughout the process. Artificial intelligence has an edge over humans here, as it can use its technology to determine when is the best time to reach out to different candidates, as well as the language and tone to use.
This also helps to cut down the amount of time your current employees need to spend on recruitment, giving them more time to spend on their primary job role. Rather than spending time sending emails and doing hiring admin, instead your manager can dedicate more time to that big project they’re working on. In this way, AI assistants benefit not only your potential future employees, but they also reduce the number of additional duties your current team members would need to take on.
Supercharge your training programs
AI can also be used to revolutionise your training processes. Rather than handing out the same introductory binder to each new hire, consider using AI to deliver your training modules. The machine learning algorithm can predict on an individual basis when the optimum time for your employees to learn is, and which format suits them best based on their previous training successes. In this way, AI can also offer personalised feedback and, in a way, act as a personal mentor to your team members. If the system recognises that someone has trouble with a particular topic or process, it can recommend additional training or repeat exercises to bring those skills up to scratch. It can also deliver these insights to you as a manager so you can have an in-depth understanding of your team’s knowledge and competencies.
Improve collaboration and working relationships
The relationships between employees are crucial for a positive and harmonious working environment. But AI can take that to the next level and deliver insights about which people work best together, and which people should form different components of a team. This kind of data simply isn’t available without artificial intelligence, but it can transform your company’s productivity and operational efficiency.
If you are part of a large or international business, AI can also help to facilitate successful collaboration across teams which may otherwise find it difficult to share information efficiently. Machine learning can predict when is the best time to send data to and from different teams, as well as which formats are most beneficial for easy understanding and processing.
This application of this technology isn’t just limited to employee to employee relationships either. Why not use it to measure the success of your sales team’s interactions with different clients to help you determine who is the best person to put forward as a primary point of contact. Or even who to send to pitch for business from a certain type of company in a certain industry in a certain location. The number of variables involved with analysis is often too many for humans to process efficiently, but AI can offer powerful insights on this and many more aspects of workplace interactions.
Advance personal development
Not only can AI be a game-changing tool when it comes to training, it can also help to identify which team members would benefit from which personal development opportunities. For example, if someone shows an aptitude for communication but struggles with confidence, this can be flagged to their manager who can arrange suitable training opportunities. This person could then go on to be an excellent public speaker and representative for your business, but this can fly under the radar without the insights from AI.
Perhaps you have a team member who you think is nearly ready to take a step up and receive a promotion. AI can help you to identify any aspects of the new role which the employee may not be entirely prepared for, so you can then provide a suitable solution. The machine learning can even advise which format would be best for this, whether it be additional formal training, a shadowing opportunity, or even just a bit more experience. In this way, you can be sure that you’re providing your team with the most appropriate development opportunities for their skill sets, as well as ensuring your business grows in a consistent, sustainable way.
Though AI can seem like a highly advanced and, to some, an unattainable tool for the workplace, it’s one which every company should be investigating to propel their business growth to new heights.
Alex Tebbs is the co-founder of unified communications company, VIA. His entire working life has been spent in telecommunications and he specialises in helping businesses to transform their working practises.