Ramco Systems creates 34 bots related to HR-functions and aviation industry

PUNE: Even as most companies are experimenting on how bots can be employed to make their customer interface easier, Ramco Systems is focusing on the lucrative enterprise side of these applications that can be used to run automated and repetitive tasks.

The Chennai-based company has created 22 bots related to human resources-related functions and another dozen for the aviation industry. Bots are becoming increasingly popular with consumer-facing companies, which use them for basic customer-service functions.

"We’ve seen a rapid proliferation of chat bots and started working on finding applications on the enterprise side six months ago," Ramco Systems chief executive Virender Aggarwal told ET. The company provides enterprise software primarily to the HR, aviation and logistics industries.

The HR bots are already being used by Ramco Systems internally as well as by some clients. The aviation bots were developed in line with the requirements from Air France, at Ramco Systems’ Singapore MRO Aviation Lab set up in collaboration with the French airline, KLM and the Singapore Economic Development Board. The HR bots are being integrated with the existing software platform that the company sells.

The bots work like most consumer interface chat bots, responding to queries and helping in tasks like checking your leave status and calendar before applying for leave, as well as giving you packing tips based on the predicted weather before you leave for the holiday.

"It’s a very conversational chat-based application and we are testing voice bots as well," said Aggarwal.
We are moving into a world where people will want to ask questions to navigate through things and anything that is mundane and repetitive can be replaced by bots,” said Aggarwal. At the same time, there is enough intelligence built into them which enables them to offer suggestions and learn based on past experiences, which can be valuable, especially in any kind of advisory role.

On the aviation side, the bots have been created as per the initial needs expressed by Air France and are currently being tested by the airline. So the bot might suggest to a mechanic working on some repairs that in the past other people have used a particular tool in that situation. Or it could pull out a video showing him exactly how to carry out the replacement or suggest what parts need to be replaced and even order them from the nearest warehouse. For companies, this can lead to a direct increase in productivity and efficiency, with systems and processes running more smoothly.