There are only so many hours in a day, and if you work in human resources (HR), you know how quickly they fill up. Time-consuming, manual tasks pile up fast — answering the same questions, tracking down paperwork, and managing time-off requests can eat into your day before you’ve had your second coffee.
One of the biggest culprits? Employee questions and requests. On average, HR professionals spend 10-15 hours managing these every week.
Employee self-service (with automation) helps lighten the load. By giving your team access to the tools and information they need on demand, you can save time, reduce costs, and improve the employee experience.
What is self-service support?
Self-service support is exactly what it sounds like: giving people the tools to solve problems on their own. You’ve probably used it as a customer — like when you check an FAQ page or get help from a chatbot to track a package or process a return.
It works the same way in the workplace. Employees might turn to a self-service HR portal to submit a time-off request, reset a password, or find the latest company policies — all without waiting for someone from HR to respond.
Just like Amazon’s chatbot can handle your return without routing you to a live agent, these systems help employees resolve their own issues without having to loop in HR personnel.
Automation makes all this possible. AI-powered chatbots can work 24/7 to help surface answers from knowledge bases, generate documents, or trigger workflows.
And it pays off: Bain & Company found that companies using generative AI in their HR departments save an average of 15–20% in labor time, reclaiming hours that would otherwise be spent on repetitive tasks.
Want to learn more about how artificial intelligence can support your HR team? Download our free resource: The HR Leader’s Guide: How to Automate Employee Support with AI.
Benefits of an employee self-service portal
An employee self-service portal (ESS portal) can help streamline HR workflows, giving your team more time to focus on high-value work while ensuring employees get the support they need.
Minimize the burden on human resources professionals
When employees can find answers on their own, HR professionals spend less time handling repetitive requests. Instead of fielding FAQs or digging through files for forms, they can focus on strategic initiatives and face-to-face employee engagement.
Reduce support wait time
ESS portals give employees instant access to solutions and resources so they can resolve their own issues quickly — without waiting on support staff to step in. This eases frustrations and delays across the board and keeps workflows running smoothly.
Improve employee productivity
The faster an issue is resolved, the faster your employees can get back to work. With the ability to access information and complete routine tasks on their own, your team can get right back to their to-do list and keep plugging away.
Enhance employee satisfaction
Self-service support gives employees autonomy, improving day-to-day workflows and the overall user experience. When they can solve problems without jumping through hoops, their experience at work improves.
Increase support usage rates
Around-the-clock access means employees can get help whenever they need it — even outside business hours. That convenience drives adoption and engagement, especially when paired with user-friendly mobile apps.
Strengthen enterprise performance
More efficient teams, more satisfied employees, and less time-consuming, tedious work for HR teams — it all adds up. ESS portals improve workplace culture, reduce friction, and help your business operate at its best.
At a glance: The best employee self-service systems for HR
Solution | Ideal Use Case | Top ESS Features | Pricing |
Moveworks | Companies seeking an AI Assistant to automate HR support, streamline IT requests, and reduce help desk workloads | Agentic automation Enterprise search Data-driven analysis Conversational interface Multi-channel support | Contact Moveworks to get a custom quote |
IBM watsonx | Large enterprises leveraging AI for automation, compliance, and complex data-driven decision-making | HR virtual assistants Employee insights Task automation Onboarding Career mobility tools | Contact for a custom quote |
Aisera | Companies looking to enhance IT and HR support with AI-driven conversational self-service | AI-powered service desk Automated notifications AI knowledge base Benefits enrollment | Contact for a custom quote |
Espressive | Organizations that want scalable, AI-powered employee service automation for HR and IT inquiries | AI chatbot Dynamic knowledge management Integrations with leading HR systems Automated ticketing | Contact for a custom quote |
SAP SuccessFactors | Enterprises that need comprehensive HR management, including talent acquisition and workforce planning | Learning and training tools Performance management Career and talent development | SAP Integration Suite starts at $19,000 per year |
Paycom | Mid-sized to large businesses seeking an all-in-one payroll and HR solution with strong compliance features | Expense management Self-onboarding Request time off Performance reviews | Contact for a custom quote |
Zoho People | Small to mid-sized companies looking for an affordable, flexible, cloud-based HR management system | Employee self-service portal Time tracking Performance management Benefits administration | Zoho People starts at $1.25/user/month (billed annually) |
Workvivo | Organizations prioritizing employee engagement and internal communications, especially in remote or hybrid settings | Workplace virtual assistant Omnichannel communications Employee recognition and rewards Internal communications | Typical minimum pricing for a company with 250–2,000 employees starts at $20,000 |
ADP Workforce Now | Businesses needing a scalable payroll, HR, and benefits administration platform with strong compliance tools | Timekeeping and payroll Employee development Benefits enrollment | Contact for a custom quote |
BambooHR | Small to mid-sized businesses that want easy-to-use HR software for hiring, onboarding, and performance management | Employee directory Time tracking and PTO Onboarding Benefits administration Document management | Contact for a custom quote |
Note: Pricing depends on factors like deployment size, features, licensing model, and region. For accurate estimates, always request customized quotes from vendors.
1. Moveworks: Supercharge employee HR support with agentic AI
Moveworks uses agentic AI — technology that is able to act autonomously on behalf of users — to simplify and accelerate employee support. From automating routine HR tasks to helping employees find what they need without submitting a ticket, Moveworks helps teams move faster and stay focused.
With Moveworks, you can minimize routine demands on support staff, reduce resolution times, and improve employee efficiency and satisfaction — all while future-proofing your business.
Key features include:
- Agentic automation
- Enterprise search
- Data-driven analysis
- Conversational interface
- Multi-channel support
Pricing: Contact Moveworks for a custom quote.
Learn more about how Moveworks can save you money, time, and headaches.
2. IBM watsonx: Enhance the employee experience with conversational AI
IBM watsonx is a human resources automation platform designed to streamline and simplify HR processes. With AI-powered virtual assistants and automation capabilities, it helps reduce manual work and deliver faster, more personalized support.
Key features include:
- HR virtual assistants
- Employee insights
- Task automation
- Onboarding
- Career mobility tools
Pricing: Contact IBM for a custom quote.
3. Aisera: Increase productivity with personalized notifications
Aisera’s HR copilot delivers proactive, personalized support with minimal human intervention. Its AI agents are designed to handle common HR tasks, helping employees get what they need without waiting on a ticket or email response.
Key features include:
- AI-powered service desk
- Automated notifications
- AI knowledge base
- Benefits enrollment
Pricing: Contact Aisera for a custom quote.
4. Espressive: Support the entire employee lifecycle with AI-powered automation
Espressive’s BaristaGPT is a conversational, agentic AI-based virtual assistant that helps employees get support at each stage of their journey — from onboarding to offboarding.
Key features include:
- AI chatbot
- Dynamic knowledge management
- Integrations with leading HR systems
- Automated ticketing
Pricing: Contact Espressive for a custom quote.
5. SAP SuccessFactors: Enhance employee support with AI-enabled tools
Part of the SAP Business Suite, SAP SuccessFactors HM is a human capital management (HCM) platform that supports employee development and organizational agility. Its AI-driven tools help streamline key HR functions and reduce manual workloads.
Key features include:
- Learning and training tools
- Performance management
- Career and talent development
Pricing: SAP Integration Suite starts at $19,000 per year.
6. Paycom: Empower employees with autonomous control
Paycom’s ESS platform is available via desktop, the App Store, or Google Play. It offers a comprehensive solution for payroll, benefits, training, performance reviews, and internal communications.
Key features include:
- Expense management
- Self-onboarding
- Request time off
- Performance reviews
Pricing: Contact Paycom for a custom quote.
7. Zoho People: Evolve HR alongside business growth with a scalable solution
Zoho People is a flexible, cloud-based HR software designed to support growing businesses. With a user-friendly interface and simple deployment, it helps streamline processes and improve the employee experience.
Key features include:
- Employee self-service portal
- Time tracking
- Performance management
- Benefits administration
Pricing: Zoho People starts at $1.25/user/month (billed annually).
8. Workvivo: Strengthen employee engagement with streamlined communication
Workvivo is a mobile-first employee experience platform that centralizes communication tools and your employee knowledge base into one place. It also integrates with leading HR systems to deliver a more comprehensive solution.
Key features include:
- Workplace virtual assistant
- Omnichannel communications
- Employee recognition and rewards
- Internal communications
Pricing: Workvivo starts at $20,000 for companies with 250–2,000 employees.
9. ADP Workforce Now: Optimize HR workflows, from talent acquisition to payroll
ADP Workforce Now is a flexible, all-in-one HR platform built to scale with your business. With in-house implementation and responsive support, switching systems is straightforward.
Key features include:
- Timekeeping and payroll
- Employee development
- Benefits enrollment
Pricing: Contact ADP Workforce Now for a custom quote.
10. BambooHR: Streamline HR management for growing businesses
BambooHR offers a simple, centralized platform for all things HR. Known for its ease of use, it also includes an ESS system to help employees manage their own information and tasks.
Key features include:
- Employee directory
- Time tracking and PTO
- Onboarding
- Benefits administration
- Document management
Pricing: Contact BambooHR for a custom quote.
How to choose self-service HR software
With so many ESS features and portals on the market, how do you know which is right for your organization? These key considerations can help you make an informed decision.
Identify goals and support needs
An HR self-service solution is most effective when it solves your critical issues. So start by identifying the areas where your employees need the most support.
Use feedback, performance reviews, or key performance indicators (KPIs) to surface common challenges employees face, then check your top priorities against different solutions’ features to see which ones’ offerings align with your needs.
Prioritize a user-friendly experience
A clear, intuitive interface is key to employee adoption and long-term success. Look for an ESS portal that can easily integrate with existing tools and workflows. Consider solid search functionality, well-organized layouts, and easy access to essentials like pay stubs, benefits information, HR policies, and employee information.
Ideally, you would want a solution that uses natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding (NLU) to communicate with employees using normal, everyday language.
Check for essential features
A strong self-service solution should offer features like:
- An AI-driven chatbot or virtual assistant
- Onboarding for new hires
- Omnichannel access
- Enterprise search
- Integrations with leading HR systems
- PTO management and leave requests
- Benefits administration
- Employee development tools
Assess integration capabilities
To maximize efficiency, your ESS software should integrate seamlessly with existing tools and workflows. This supports smooth data flow and reduces administrative burden. For example, Moveworks integrates with Jira, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and many other platforms your employees already use to complete HR-related tasks.
Consider customization and scalability
Your HR system should grow with you. Look for platforms with customization options for employee profiles, user permissions, dashboard branding, workflows, approvals, performance management, payroll and benefits setup, and reporting.
Customizable tools are more likely to scale easily with your business, adapting to new processes, structures, and priorities as your company evolves.
Evaluate security and compliance
Strong data security and compliance aren’t optional. HR systems handle sensitive employee data, so your platform needs to meet strict privacy requirements.
This includes general data privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as regulations around employment and recordkeeping, payroll and tax reporting, anti-discrimination, and electronic signature consent.
Look for agentic advanced functionality
Top-tier self-service platforms go beyond simple automation, offering agentic AI functionality that enables smarter, more autonomous support.
Modern HR platforms powered by agentic AI don’t just automate workflows. When AI is ‘agentic’, that means it can adapt, understand context, and take actions to independently complete goals. The result? You’re able to deliver the right support at the right time for a smoother employee experience and a more productive organization.
For HR staff, that means more powerful capabilities across learning and development, performance management, onboarding, and more — all without adding to the workload.
Improve the employee experience by empowering them with self-service
When employees have the tools to help themselves, everyone is able to benefit. Self-service HR systems help to reduce support delays, lighten the load on your HR team, and give employees the autonomy to resolve issues on their own — faster and with less friction.
Moveworks takes a holistic approach to employee self-service software, using advanced agentic AI.
- Moveworks helps to make workplace support intuitive, intelligent, and instant. Instead of relying on tickets, forms, or long wait times,
- Employees get real-time help in the systems they already use
- Moveworks can work seamlessly across applications and integrations, supporting even in highly regulated industries.
With agentic AI working tirelessly behind the scenes, your employees can self-service and stay productive, your HR team stays focused, and your business keeps moving.
Ready to see it in action? Get a free, personalized demo to explore how Moveworks can help you reimagine employee support.
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