Generative AI has made headlines for the way in which it’s disrupting the company world, but businesses that employ deskless employees may also reap the technology’s advantages as a part of their workforce management (WFM) processes. Based on a recent McKinsey & Company report, generative AI has the potential to automate tedious workplace tasks that absorb as much as 70% of employees’ time, freeing up their availability for more meaningful and fulfilling functions of their jobs.
One significant challenge in WFM is catering to deskless employees. These employees often face high turnover rates and should not have the chance or desire to undergo intensive software training. Enter generative AI. Imagine a world where all workforce management functions and deep expertise around compliance management or corporate policies are accessible through an easy conversation. No menus, no complicated interfaces—just natural dialogue that understands and executes requests. That is revolutionary for the massive swath of frontline hourly employees who typically prefer immediacy and ease.
Generative AI is poised to revolutionize software engagement, heralding a brand new era where WFM becomes seamlessly intuitive for the deskless employee. It’ll provide them with access to powerful WFM functions and tap into deep expertise through easy conversational interactions. By harnessing the ability of natural language processing and intelligent automation, generative AI not only understands but additionally effectively executes user requests.
Let’s explore three key ways generative AI can improve WFM processes.
#1: Personalized, Knowledgeable, and Actionable Virtual Assistant
From Siri to Alexa and beyond, virtual assistants have already got a prolific presence in our each day lives – but generative AI is making them much more powerful and specific of their functions.
When embedded in a WFM solution, an AI-powered virtual assistant can streamline the strategy of sourcing expert information into an easy dialogue of question-and-answer. With access to knowledge bases across the business, the WFM platform itself, and curated third-party sources – reminiscent of .gov web sites for compliance inquiries – a generative AI assistant can immediately procure real-time insights that directly answer user questions. Not only can the virtual assistant source information, but it will possibly also take immediate motion on the data.
Hourly employees, especially those within the service industries, can’t be tethered to a pc or tablet. They usually don’t have the time to learn to navigate complex backend software programs. A personalised, knowledgeable, and actionable generative AI assistant will solve these woes by empowering employees to quickly access the data they need and autonomously act on that information. In doing so, it should boost employees’ skills and increase their engagement with the platform to attain greater productivity.
That said, there are privacy and security risks related to a generative AI assistant. Administrators must be certain that the AI interface delivers contextual information. That way, associates aren’t by chance given manager-only information, and managers aren’t locked out of any sensitive insights that could be critical to their specific role.
As these technologies are in an early stage of development, additionally they carry the potential for erroneous outputs, or ‘hallucinations.’ Solutions that allow for any data to be included in the outcomes set are at most risk. Search for solutions that rigorously curate the information sources allowed to be accessed by the virtual assistant, reminiscent of trusted government sites, including the U.S. Department of Labor, and company handbooks and policy guides.
#2: Facilitating worker actions
It’s not enough for a generative AI assistant to easily disseminate information through the WFM platform; an efficient program must also help employees routinely execute WFM tasks through voice or text commands to drive productivity.
Employees could ask the system what shifts are open this week and routinely claim a shift. Managers would routinely be notified of the change to the schedule. Consultation with a virtual assistant may even turn into indispensable to managers, as this system can provide quick insights into business processes that can enable higher management and decision-making. When managers have fast access to those insights, in addition to really helpful next steps, they’ll be less susceptible to error because they’ll have all of the resources they need at their immediate disposal. This manner, they will higher guide their employees and set the entire business up for fulfillment.
#3: Coaching and training employees
Training recent employees might be one of the crucial rewarding elements of a manager’s job – but it will possibly even be one of the crucial time-consuming. Deskless employees in labor-intensive industries often lack technical expertise and should struggle to learn recent technologies, especially if those technologies are brought in to exchange a system they might have been working with for years.
Generative AI has the potential to further streamline worker learning and development by allowing employees to ask questions and execute actions through easy commands. Managers can get step-by-step guides for performing key WFM tasks like creating schedules or approving punch exceptions. Employees can get guidance on learn how to submit their schedule preferences, change their availability, claim an open shift, request time without work, and plenty of other key tasks. Employees and managers can get tailored answers based on their organization’s worker handbook, labor standards, and training content.
Employees and managers get clear, direct answers, and the system can routinely take motion based on the answers, reducing the chance of error and helping employees to be more productive of their jobs.
Things to think about: Take caution with generative AI
Generative AI has indisputable potential to rework our work processes, nevertheless it also raises concerns about change management. Businesses will need to have buy-in from managers and help them understand that AI is supposed to support them in order that they can do their job effectively: facilitate decision-making, spend more time training and training their teams, and improve the standard of customer interactions.
While some tech leaders have expressed concerns about rapid generative AI development, it’s clear there’s a growing need for most of these technologies, especially in labor-intensive industries like retail and hospitality. As with every recent technology, there will likely be hurdles to leap through when adopting generative AI, but many businesses are already making a foundation by leveraging AI of their workforce management processes. WFM solutions that include multiple AI techniques, reminiscent of machine learning, optimization, and generative AI, can assist businesses transform labor efficiency and worker engagement.