Digital assistants simplify work experiences for employees by using multiple information sources to intelligently answer questions and perform tasks. This is similar to how Alexa and search engines like Google help users with requests.

The foundation of a digital assistant’s power is its ability to intelligently organize data and information from your business systems and put it into the appropriate context for each employee to help them throughout their day.

By integrating with commonly used business application across IT, HR, expense management, ERP, and others, some of most common actions a digital assistant can perform are:

Promote relevant information

A digital assistant helps employees focus on what needs their attention. This can be everything from company announcements and news to system notifications, reminders, and contextual insights like job-specific or location-specific updates that may be valuable.

Streamline workflows and approvals

A digital assistant simplifies workflow-driven processes and task completion, including approvals like expenses, procurement, timesheets, HCM, and more. It alerts employees to tasks needing their attention and enables them to take action right from the digital assistant without having to log into the business system.

Make information easier to find

A digital assistant can be programmed to provide employees with personalized answers to common questions. They can also help find information across the enterprise, anything from HR- to IT-related questions, delivering one-stop search functionality across the organization.

Perform actions on behalf of employees

Digital assistants can be programmed to process routine tasks on behalf of employees, such as submitting leave requests or submitting and tracking service-desk tickets.

Centralize information into a single experience available across multiple channels

A digital assistant’s power is the ability to provide a single, connected experience for the tasks and information employees need most, delivered in the most appropriate channel for their needs. Digital assistants can be available where employees need them most, including:

• Persistent toolbars that integrate with existing employee-facing platforms, such as an intranet or employee portal

• Mobile apps that give employees anywhere/anytime access

• Integrated with today’s more commonly used collaboration platforms, such as Microsoft Teams

Digital Assistants, also known as an enterprise copilot, virtual assistant, or AI assistant, use various technologies to understand, process, and respond to human language, performing various functions such as automating tasks, providing relevant information, and answering questions.

The best assistants designed for the digital workplace are not single-use assistants tied to a specific use case, such as transcribing meetings or writing code. Instead, they are designed to enhance productivity, improve communication, and streamline workflows for employees across a range of use cases within an organization. Here's a look at over 50 AI Assistant use cases for work.