{"id":2184,"date":"2022-07-08T21:34:44","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T01:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog2wrkdev.wpenginepowered.com\/internal-chatbots\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T08:18:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:18:32","slug":"internal-chatbots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/internal-chatbots\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Internal Chatbots and How You Can Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve engaged with one on an ecommerce site when you had specific questions about your order; maybe you\u2019ve interacted with another on a SaaS brand\u2019s website to learn more about their platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use cases like these offer clear benefits to organizations, customers, and prospects. They allow clients and prospects to get their questions answered quickly and comprehensively; and they allow businesses to scale their customer support and sales efforts successfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While external chatbots are clearly invaluable, internal chatbots are just as\u2014if not more\u2014important. We\u2019ll share why that is by breaking down powerful examples, many of which we use here at Workato. But to get us started, let\u2019s align on the definition of an internal chatbot.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n

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Bring any automation to Slack or Microsoft Teams with Workbot<\/h4>\r\n

Learn how Workbot can fundamentally transform your processes by scheduling a demo with one of our automation experts.<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t Schedule a demo<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\r\n\t\t <\/div>\r\n\n\n\n

What is an internal chatbot?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An internal chatbot, or an internal bot, is a type of chatbot that organizations only use with employees.<\/strong> They\u2019re easily customizable and allow employees to access the data and functionality from their applications within their business communications platform (e.g.\u00a0Slack<\/a>). They are trained to respond to the organization’s specific needs and can be used for tasks like answering questions related to the company’s policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two types of internal chatbots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Rule-Based Chatbots<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rule-based chatbots work on pre-defined rules and follow a specific set of instructions when it comes to answering questions. Since they are usually less complex and are unable to handle nuanced queries, they’re only suitable for a few tasks. This is why they’re often used for answering common questions or filling out simple forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. AI-Powered Chatbots<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the name suggests, AI-powered chatbots use AI and NLP (Natural Language Processing) to understand and respond to complex queries. They can learn and adapt over time. And since they can be trained to understand the organization’s needs, they can be used for tasks like employee training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em>An overview on chatbot automation<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Use Internal Chatbots For?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To help bring this definition to life, let\u2019s walk through a few use cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer Employees\u2019 Questions in Near Real-Time <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As employees look to perform specific tasks for the first time, or for the first time in a while, they may need some help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of relying on colleagues for assistance, or forcing employees to comb through your internal knowledge base\/intranet, you can use a customized internal chatbot to answer their questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em>A guide to using service desk chatbots<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onboard Employees More Seamlessly <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With many new hires\u00a0still working remotely<\/a>, it\u2019s critical that they identify and join the channels in your business comms platform that suit their needs and interests, quickly. This is where internal chatbots can help; they can connect new employees to relevant channels and team members, ensuring a smooth transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, by providing support around the clock, answering their questions, and guiding them through the onboarding tasks, they can help streamline the whole onboarding process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em>7 HR chatbots that can elevate the employee experience<\/em><\/a> <\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provision Applications Quickly <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your organization\u2019s tech stack will inevitably evolve; moreover, the number of employees who need to access\u2014or who should no longer access\u2014a given application is likely to grow over time. These factors help explain why it\u2019s critical that an organization finds a scalable way to perform application provisioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can automate this provisioning with a chatbot, setting it up to grant or revoke access based on the role changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em>How an integrated LMS can benefit your employees<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foster a Safe and Productive Work Space <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your office managers are like ours, they\u2019ll want employees to come into the office on the days that suit them best. At the same time, your office managers will want to ensure that anyone who does come in is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internal chatbots can help manage office scheduling, allowing employees to work from office on their preferred days. Similarly, they can verify the status of employees’ vaccination to ensure a safe work space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em>How IT chatbots can empower your employees to perform their best work<\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage Employee Referrals <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Employee referrals often lead to better hires<\/a> for your organization, as measured by retention, quality of work, among other factors. With an internal chatbot, you can streamline the referral process, making it easy for employees to recommend candidates and track referrals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Internal Chatbot Examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies from different industries now use chatbots to help streamline operations and improve employee productivity. Here are some real-world examples of internal chatbots from Workato. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Knowledge Bot<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge Bot can serve as the single source of truth for your company and can keep the company’s vital information at employees’ fingertips. Here’s how it works: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Once an employee has a question, they can access Knowledge Bot through their business communications platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Knowledge Bot displays a modal (pop-up) where the employee can explain what they need help with and select the category that\u2019s associated with their query (from a preset list). <\/p>\n\n\n

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3. Once the employee clicks \u201cApply Filters\u201d, the bot leverages natural language processing (NLP) to look for and identify the articles in your knowledge base that match the submitted filters most closely. In near real-time, the bot presents links to several articles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The employee can click through to any one of these articles to find the answer they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Welcome Bot<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Welcome Bot can help new hires right from their very first day. You can use it to message the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n