AI and chatbots are revolutionising self-service. But are you selecting the right technology?
Which expenses can I claim for reimbursement? Can I have a copy of my payslip? How do I apply for leave?
Many organisations want to automate the routine employee questions that their admin staff handle. Many are considering chatbots to provide those self-service channels. The impressive natural language abilities of generative artificial intelligence have inspired imaginative ways to create the best self-service experiences.
Yet, these solutions don’t always work. More than two-thirds of customers have had a negative chatbot experience, according to Verint. Large language model (LLM) AIs do slightly better, but many people still express frustration with those interactions.
Pacey: an example of self-service simplicity
These issues occur when the technology doesn’t align with the self-service requirements. They should use the technologies that provide the best access to their services. Deel Local Payroll’s Pacey is an example of this alignment.
Pacey is a payroll self-service channel that runs through WhatsApp. When a company’s employees want copies of their payslips, put in leave requests, or make other routine requests to payroll staff, they can instead use Pacey on their phone.
Warren van Wyk, co-founder and director of Deel Local Payroll, explains that the idea started because they wanted something better than a system that required a computer.
“We started with a PC-based self-service portal to give access to payroll features for employees. Yet, many industries have blue-collar workers who don’t have access to a PC. A lot of them are on remote sites, so even distributing payslips manually becomes a big task.”
Some companies get around this issue by developing self-service mobile apps. But testing and maintaining such an app created more work, and it requires employees to have a business email for identification. The requirements were clear: a self-service channel that an employee can access on their mobile device without resorting to a bespoke app. The answer ended up being WhatsApp.
“WhatsApp is by far the most used chat application in Africa. Regardless of what type of blue-collar worker you are, you have a smartphone that runs WhatsApp, and you can get the same features of a dedicated app through WhatsApp.”
The answer was to have Pacey offer payroll features on WhatsApp. Employees can access services, download payslips, and make requests for leave or claims. They can verify their identity with their phone number—no email required.
Simplicity leads to diversity
Pacey demonstrates that better self-service channels focus on what people need. While chatbots and language-fluent AI are impressive, are they the right fits? Not always.
They have their roles, though. Van Wyk’s team are developing generative AI solutions that tackle more complex use cases. For example, an employee might have specific questions about their payslip, such as why they are paying more tax. The queries can be straightforward: what is UIF? What is SDL? LLMs and chatbots can be useful to handle personal queries relating to a particular employee or technical questions such as payroll legislation.
“There are most-asked questions that take up a lot of a payroll department’s time. This is where we find that the language models are excellent for self-service. Eventually, you can establish a thread through the different services. You can start with a Pacey that covers routine requests while also giving access through the same client to a chatbot or LLM for more complex enquiries. Eventually, you’ll have several channels that handle different types of tasks and questions, but for the employee, it’s one integrated experience.”
Self-service channels tend to fail when they use one impressive technology to do it all. However, multiple channels working together, each focusing on meeting specific self-service requirements, deliver the best experiences. This approach is the best way to decide which technologies to select.
“Technologies like chatbots and generative AI are amazing,” says Van Wyk. “But keep things simple, focus on your goals, and use the best tools for the task.”
