Submit a request using ZenEmployee Conversations

This article provides an overview of ZenEmployee Conversations for employees and explains how to submit a workplace request using Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email. If your company is using Conversations, then the information will be relevant to most employees, as it is likely that everyone will need to submit several workplace queries and requests throughout their employee lifecycle.

Overview of Conversations

What can I use Conversations for?

Conversations is a workplace requests tool from ZenEmployee. You can use Conversations to send a request to teams at your company that deal with internal employee requests, such as HR, Finance, Workplace, Office IT, and so on.

You can send requests using the communication channel that your company has chosen to integrate with Conversations—this will be either Slack or Microsoft Teams. You can also send requests using email, which is enabled by default.

Tips
▶ In Conversations, the members of your internal service teams who receive and manage requests are called experts. Employees who send requests are called requesters.
▶ You can use rich text formatting when writing your request in Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email. This includes bold, italics, strikethrough, bulleted and numbered lists, inline links, and emojis. The formatting you use will be reflected in Conversations and ensures that your message retains its tone and meaning.

Benefits

Conversations allows you to:

• Send work-based queries quickly and easily.
• Communicate using the channels that you are most familiar with.
• Receive automated answers instantly or choose to contact an expert. 
• Direct your request to the most relevant team.
• Track the progress of your request.
• Receive replies in one place.

Language settings

The language of the Conversations chatbot in Slack and Microsoft Teams is based on your personal language preferences in ZenEmployee (you can define your language preferences in ZenEmployee via your Personal Settings). For example, if you are using Slack in English but ZenEmployee in German, the chatbot will reply in German.

Supported formats

ZenEmployee Conversations supports all data formats.
If a reporter experiences issues when sending specific file types via Outlook, this is not an issue with Conversations, but with Outlook.

Communication channels

Slack

There are three ways to send a request via Slack:

1. Through the Conversations app
2. Through a channel that has been linked to Conversations
3. By creating a request from an existing message 

1. The Conversations app

Tip
In Slack, if you don't see the Conversations app in the Apps section of the left-hand sidebar, click on the plus icon, search for ZenEmployee Conversations, and add it. 

This option is best if you want to send a private request. The conversation will be between you and the expert(s) assigned to the request. To send a request using the Conversations app, follow these steps:

1. Open your Slack workspace, navigate to Apps at the bottom of the left sidebar, and click on ZenEmployee Conversations.
2. Type your request into the message bar and click enter.
3. An automated dialog will appear. Select the relevant team using the drop-down menu. Note that you must select a team in order for your request to be sent.
4. Click on Send request.

After you submit your request, a new thread will be created in Slack. This is where you can add additional information and also where you will receive responses relating to your request. You can access the thread by navigating to Apps at the bottom of the left sidebar and clicking ZenEmployee Conversations.

2. A public channel that has been linked to Conversations

Notes
▶︎ Requests sent through public channels are visible to other members of that channel. We do not recommend sending private or sensitive requests through a public channel.
▶︎ The expert can decide if they want to send a public reply to the channel or privately to the requester. If they send it privately, then the requester will receive the answer to their request in their own Conversations app.

If your internal service teams have linked certain Slack channels with Conversations, then you can send requests through these associated channels. For example, your Office IT team might have a channel called # office-it-requests that they have linked with Conversations. The advantage of this method is that the associated channels have the correct team pre-selected when you submit your request.

To send a request through a public channel, follow these steps:

1. Tag the app @ZenEmployee Conversations and enter your request.
2. An automated dialog will appear with the suggested team pre-selected. You also have the option to edit the details of the request or select a different team. Note that you must select a team in order for your request to be sent.
3. Click Send request.

A confirmation will appear within the public thread but you will receive the answer to your request within your own Conversations app. 3. Create a request from an existing message

Tip
By default, you can create a request from an existing message in any channel in Slack. The channel does not need to be linked with Conversations.

You can create a request from an existing message within a Slack channel, or add the message to an existing request. This can be a message that you posted in the channel yourself, or one that was posted by another colleague. 

To create a request from an existing message, click the three-dots icon to the right of the message and select Create request.

A confirmation will appear within the public thread but you will receive the answer to your request within your own Conversations app. 

Microsoft Teams

There are two ways to create requests using Microsoft Teams:

1. Through the Conversations app
2. Through a public channel that has been linked with Conversations

1. The Conversations app

Note
Microsoft Teams does not offer threads. Once the request is successfully submitted, the request card provides a comment field.

This option is best if you want to send a private request. The conversation will be between you and the expert(s) assigned to the request. To send a request using the Conversations app, follow these steps:

1. In Microsoft Teams, navigate to the three-dots icon in the left sidebar and click the ZenEmployee Conversations app.
2. In the Chat window, type your message. This initiates your request.
3. Tip: If the app is pinned, click Chat > ZenEmployee Conversations.
4. In the request card that appears, click Select an option and choose the relevant team from the drop-down menu.
5. Click Submit.

After you have sent your request, the card will update to display the team, assignee, and status of your request. You can also do the following:

• Click Add comment to add additional details to your request or send a reply.
• Click View on web to open the history of the request and view its progress.

2. A public channel that has been linked to Conversations

Notes
▶︎ This option is available only if your company has set up a Global (Org-wide default) policy for it.
▶︎ Requests sent through public channels are visible to other members of that channel. We do not recommend sending private or sensitive requests through a public channel.

To send a request through a public channel, follow these steps:

1. In the relevant channel, click New conversation.
2. Tag the app @ZenEmployee Conversations and enter your message. A popup will appear asking you to provide more information.
3. Navigate to either the ZenEmployee Conversations app or the Chat window.
4. In the request card, click Select an option and choose the relevant team from the drop-down menu.
5. Click Submit.

After you have sent your request, the card will update to display the team, assignee, and status of your request. You can also do the following:

• Click Add comment to add additional details to your request or send a reply.
• Click View on web to open the history of the request and view its progress.

Email

Notes
▶︎ Each team at your company that uses Conversations will have a unique email address with the format of <team>@<company>.c.ZenEmployee.de, for example: [e-mail].
▶︎ However, if your company is already using an existing email address for employees to reach out to, then they may have set up email forwarding, in which case you can use the existing email address.

You can send a request through email using the relevant team’s unique email address.

After you have sent the request, you will receive an automated confirmation email—all replies will appear within this thread. The confirmation email also contains a link that allows you to view the history of the request and track its progress. Users without a ZenEmployee account can't access Conversations tickets linked in emails or Slack. They can only send and receive messages through email or Slack.

AI-Powered Answers

If your organization is using the AI-Powered Answers feature, and if your question is one that is asked frequently, then you may receive an automated answer to your request. You will receive up to three suggested answers via our AI-powered chatbot, within the channel that you used to send the request (Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email). This feature saves you time by providing you with instant answers without the need to involve an expert.

You can choose to:

• Accept the suggestion by clicking the This solves it. button
• Reject the suggestion by clicking the Nothing is relevant button or the I need help from an expert button. By clicking the second option, a request will be created as normal and assigned to an expert.

Tip
It's important to click the relevant button. This trains the algorithm to provide better suggestions and a better experience for requesters.