Policy management involves the creation, implementation, and enforcement of policies and procedures that govern an organization's operations. This process is essential for ensuring compliance with regulations and standards, and for fostering a consistent and efficient work environment.

However, many policy management software systems currently available on the market lack certain essential features that can make the policy management process smoother and more efficient, especially in a post-Covid world. 

This guide explores three such features that your policy management system is missing and why they are critical for ensuring a streamlined policy management process.

1. Smart Search
2. Integration with Communication Platforms like Slack, Teams, and Google Workspace
3. Chatbot to Instantly Answer Policy Questions

#1. Smart Search

One of the biggest challenges in managing policies is being able to locate relevant policies quickly and easily. This is where a smart policy search feature can provide real value to the organization. 

A smart policy search function should be able to understand the context and intent of the search query, and provide relevant results in a matter of seconds. This feature can greatly improve the speed and efficiency of finding the right policy, saving time and effort for the employees who are conducting the searches as well as the policy managers who would otherwise have to answer these policy-related questions.

For example, let's say an employee needs to know the company's policy on remote work. By using the smart search function, they can quickly search for "remote work policy" and receive a list of relevant results. More importantly, the search function should also understand related keywords and concepts, so even if the employee searches for "working from home", or “WFH”, they will still receive the remote work policy.

This kind of feature can also increase the accuracy of policy search results and ensure that employees are accessing the most up-to-date information. With a smart search function, the employee can be confident that they are accessing the most recent version of the policy, instead of relying on outdated information or potentially incorrect policies. 

#2: Integration with Communication Platforms like Slack, Teams, and Google Workspace

Due to the rapid adoption of team communication platforms, all policy management systems should be integrated with software like Slack, Teams, and Google Workspace. Integrating policy management with these platforms makes it easier for employees to access policies and stay informed of any updates or changes.

For instance, imagine that a new policy has been published that affects all employees. The policy management system can send a notification through Slack, Teams, or Google Workspace to all employees, informing them of the new policy and providing a link to view it. This eliminates the need for policy managers to send individual emails to each employee and ensures that everyone is aware of the new policy in a timely manner while promoting transparency and accountability.

Moreover, integration with these communication platforms also allows for more collaboration and discussion between employees, policy managers, and other stakeholders. If an employee has a suggestion regarding a particular policy, they can send a message directly to the policy manager through Slack, Teams, or Google Workspace. This not only saves time, but also promotes a more open and collaborative environment.

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#3: Chatbot to Instantly Answer Policy Questions

The final feature that is often missing from policy management software systems is a chatbot. Chatbots can greatly improve the accessibility of policies, as employees can quickly and easily ask questions about policies through a chat interface. The chatbot can use natural language processing (NLP) to understand the employee's question and provide a relevant answer.

For example, an employee might have a question about the company's conflict of interest disclosure policy. Instead of searching through multiple policies, they can simply ask the chatbot - often times integrated into the organization's team communication platform like Slack, Teams, Google Workspace, and others - which can provide an immediate answer. Questions can be framed to the chatbot in their natural language form such as, “do I have to disclose that my brother recently accepted a job with one of our vendors?”. This makes it easier for employees to find the information they need, and reduces the workload of policy managers who would otherwise need to respond to individual questions.

Additionally, chatbot analytics can provide insights on which policies are being searched the most, which can help policy managers understand what policies are most relevant to employees, and prioritize updating and improving those policies.

It's important to note that if your current policy management software does not have a built-in chatbot, you can still benefit from this feature by integrating a third-party chatbot into your system. Most policy management software systems are designed to be flexible and can accommodate the integration of different tools and technologies, including chatbots.

Closing Thoughts

Policy management software systems play a critical role in ensuring that organizations run smoothly, efficiently, and compliantly. However, many systems currently available on the market are missing key features that can greatly improve the policy management process. 

Smart search, integration with communication platforms like Slack, Teams, and Google Workspace, and a chatbot to instantly answer policy questions are three such features that are missing. These features can improve the speed and accuracy of finding the right policy, promote transparency and accountability, and increase the accessibility of policies.

Implementing or integrating these features in your policy management software system will help streamline the policy management process and ensure that your organization is able to meet its goals and objectives. Whether you are a small or large organization, these features will help you achieve compliance with regulations and standards, foster a consistent work environment, and improve the overall efficiency of your organization.