Abstract
Chatbot services in South Africa were limited to a few companies like Discovery Health,
Mercedes-Benz South Africa and ABSA. These companies claimed to be the first to adopt the use
of chatbots and also develop chatbots in South Africa. South Africa is one of the countries that
embraces new developments and technological advances and has a growing potential for the
development of AI technologies. Hence, the study focuses on a South African FMCG company
that already makes use of chatbot services within its organisation.
The adoption and use of chatbots within businesses play a role in improving employee experience.
Seemingly, chatbots can interact in the same way human beings do and also provide employees
with an opportunity to interact with computer machines without realising it. There are values and
benefits to the use of a chatbot within an organisation. Hence, the primary goal of this study is to
assess how chatbots could be used internally as a way of improving managers’ experience within
the organisation. Despite the notable opportunities that exist, a chatbot has few shortcomings,
providing an opportunity for growth and improvement in the technological advances within the
organisation.
The study employs a qualitative research methodology and makes use of semi-structured interview
questions to collect data from 12 participants. The study intended to obtain first-hand experience
of chatbot users within an organisation by using self-developed interview questions. Interviews
assisted the study to collect data that provides insight into the views and perceptions of various
managers within the organisation on how the chatbot can be used to improve managers’
experience.
The findings highlighted the common queries that the managers pose to the chatbot which are
mainly related to the People (HR) department. The study further highlighted the services that the
chatbot platform provides to the employees as well as the internal and external factors that
influence the adoption of the chatbot within the organisation. The study went on to gather the
views and perceptions of managers on the use of the chatbot platform as an alternative to human
interaction to ascertain the effectiveness of the chatbot when responding to queries.