The modern workplace is evolving at a rapid pace. Hybrid work environments are becoming the norm, with automation playing a key role in optimizing processes and boosting productivity. Moreover, with millennials forming a sizeable chunk of the workforce, the demand for intuitive, tech-driven tools is stronger than ever. As these changes reshape the landscape, the question arises: How do we maintain smooth operations, keep employees engaged, and empower teams to focus on high-value tasks?
As a tech company constantly looking for ways to automate and optimize processes, we asked ourselves this very question. The result: QB Assistant, a digital co-worker designed to streamline repetitive admin work.
A Digital Coworker That Does It All
QB Assistant is an AI agent designed to simplify everyday office tasks. Seamlessly integrating with workplace platforms, it automates routine processes and delivers instant, accurate employee-related information, reducing the need for manual coordination. From booking seats and scheduling meetings to retrieving project details, the assistant handles it all with ease.
Beyond these core functions, QB Assistant continuously learns and adapts, enhancing its ability to understand employee queries and provide precise responses. Acting as a centralized hub for workplace interactions, it streamlines workflows, minimizes delays, and boosts overall productivity.
Powered by the advanced Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct-Turbo Large Language Model (LLM), the QB Assistant efficiently processes complex requests. With OpenAI embeddings enhancing its ability to retrieve and interpret information, employees experience faster, more intuitive assistance.
Here’s What QB Assistant Can Do:
Handling Employee Queries
No more juggling multiple tabs or switching between browsers to find out how many vacation days are left or what wellness benefits are available! QB Assistant acts as a smart agent, seamlessly pulling data from multiple sources to deliver instant, accurate answers through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). It retrieves real-time details from the QB Databoard via an external API and surfaces key insights from Workplace—QBurst’s internal website—to eliminate the usual search hassle and provide the most relevant, context-rich information, all in one place.
Seat Booking
With employees working in a hybrid model, seat allocation for in-office days became necessary. To avoid confusion and maximize workspace efficiency, we had introduced a seat-booking app for employees. Later, we enhanced the seat booking experience by integrating it with QB Assistant.
Instead of manually checking for desk availability, employees can ask QB Assistant to handle it. Whether they need a quiet spot for focused work or a larger space for team collaboration, the assistant connects with the app, checks availability, and completes the booking in seconds—making the process effortless and efficient.
Check Meeting Room Availability and Booking
Finding an available meeting room for a client call or a team discussion with remote colleagues can often be a frustrating and time-consuming task. Employees have to check multiple calendars, coordinate schedules, and send out invites. Today, QB Assistant handles the task effortlessly.
Instead of personally searching for available rooms, employees can ask the assistant to check availability and book a space. Synced with the Google Calendar API, this smart agent does more than just find a suitable meeting room—it handles the entire scheduling process. It checks availability, resolves conflicts, books the room, and even sends invites to attendees. By managing multiple tasks at once, QB Assistant ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience, allowing employees to focus on their meetings instead of the logistics.
Scanning and Printing Documents
Administrative tasks can eat up a significant portion of the workday. Picture standing by the printer or scanner, waiting for your turn, then waiting again for the printing to finish—such a time drain. But with QB Assistant, that’s a thing of the past. Employees can simply ask the assistant to handle the scan. It prompts them to place the document on the scanner, and from there, the assistant takes care of the rest. Once done, the assistant sends a notification, and a download link, and even emails the scanned document as an attachment. For printouts, all that’s needed is to share the attachment with the assistant, and it will handle the rest.
Integration with Hobo the Robo
At one of our locations, we’ve integrated Hobo, our office robot, with QB Assistant. Hobo assists with tasks like fetching water/tea/coffee or delivering documents between departments. With the smooth integration, Hobo can now take on these small but time-consuming errands, helping employees focus on their work.
Simplifying Employees' Lives
QB Assistant was built to simplify employees' lives, and it has done exactly that. By taking on routine admin tasks, it has transformed our workplace, boosting efficiency and enhancing employee satisfaction.
As the workplace continues to evolve, new challenges will inevitably emerge, from adapting to cutting-edge technologies to meeting the expectations of an increasingly tech-savvy workforce. As we refine and expand QB Assistant, new features and integrations will further strengthen its role as a true digital co-worker—enabling QBurstians to work smarter and more efficiently.
