The 3 key benefits of internal chatbots for housing associations

Recent CM.com research revealed 30% of employees go straight to leadership to access general information. This means 29% of managers lose up to 10 hours a month answering admin questions from employees. In a sector with particular knowledge requirements, internal chatbots can go a long way in empowering the workforce, answering questions from new employees quickly and freeing up time for managers to focus on critical issues facing tenants.

But the want for internal chatbots is still there. Nearly a quarter, 24%, of managers believe an internal chatbot would be helpful during onboarding, and 16% of employees say investing in technology would help their workforce's productivity.

So, what are the benefits of an internal chatbot?

Three key benefits of an internal knowledge base chatbot

1. Onboarding and training

A third, 34% of employees surveyed, believe improvements and updates can be made to the onboarding process, and 34% of managers are involved but need more time to answer questions.

With an internal knowledge base, new hires can get up to speed more quickly and get them to help customers faster. Having knowledge at their fingertips also means that new starters take up less of your other employee’s time, from employee shadowing to valuable line management bandwidth.

Ultimately, it’s the equivalent of an automated ‘how to’ manual for your customer service team. As your team’s experience grows, so does the volume of information in the knowledge base.

Key benefit

New employees are less of a drain on your wider team’s time in the high-churn customer service industry.

2. Knowledge retention

We’ve mentioned high churn already. Turnover rates for customer service agents are consistently between 30% and 45% globally, and the average agent only stays on the job for a year. As team members leave the business, knowledge can be lost. Keeping that information in a central resource means new starters have access to it immediately without having to shadow more experienced team members and means valuable information stays where it belongs.

Key benefit

You keep your hard-earned experience and knowledge even when key team members leave the business.

3. Support

Even experienced members of the team need a helping hand sometimes. Yet, 29% of managers say answering admin questions decreases their productivity. An internal knowledge base helps team members to update their knowledge or fill in gaps without needing to ask management, or even management can utilise the chatbot. After all, nobody can know (or remember) everything.

As new information comes to light, it can be added to your knowledge base and instantly becomes available to your entire team. Now your knowledge base is an expert on everything, and you no longer have pockets of specific expertise strewn around the business.

Key benefit

The knowledge base provides ongoing process updates and keeps team members up-to-speed without taking time out to deliver regular formal training.

How Orbit uses a CM.com internal knowledge base

One of the UK’s leading housing associations, Orbit, uses a CM.com internal knowledge base chatbot to keep its team up-to-speed on customer FAQs and company information. Orbit oversees over 45,000 affordable social rented homes in the Midlands, east and south of England. Their knowledge base solution means they can cope more easily with new starters and ensures consistency in customer service delivery across the business.

Get started with an internal chatbot for your housing association

Internal knowledge base chatbots have enormous potential to streamline internal communication and empower employees and employers. Internal chatbots mean access to administrative information and training when needed for employees, while managers aren’t distracted from completing critical tasks. Contact our team today to discuss how you can implement an internal chatbot.