A Warmer Welcome : Application of a Chatbot as a Facilitator for New Hires Onboarding

Abstract: Despite being explored and constantly improved through the years, onboarding of new hires in corporate organizations has remained a challenge. Many of the issues can be linked to a lack of communication between the organization and the new employee, as well as the common nature of these environments where information is spread across job titles and sources. This thesis discusses the feasibility of implementing a basic chatbot that will allow new hires to ask questions and request varied information at all times, using an interface such as a messaging app. This research explores the way chatbots should be designed in order to be effective, reliable and enjoyable from a user experience perspective. The chatbot was developed using the Chatfuel platform and tested by new employees at a corporate environment. The users were requested to explore the chatbot freely and then asked to answer a survey. The interactions were also recorded and analyzed from in both qualitative and quantitative ways (chat logs and analytics). The study proves that an onboarding chatbot is a useful tool for new hires and can be used as a communication facilitator between the organization and the new hires during the first weeks of employment, and also after that, serving as an information source and a broadcasting method. The chatbot gives the new hires an accessible source of information that helps on the process of getting to speed, and enables a positive experience that increases familiarity in the new workplace.