Pebl expands Alfie to handle HR tasks inside platform

Pebl has expanded its Alfie tool into a workforce agent that completes HR tasks inside its platform. The update marks a shift from answering employee questions to handling requests and approvals directly.

Employees and managers can now carry out tasks such as time-off requests, approvals, reporting, and global employment workflows within the software rather than through separate support channels.

Since launch, Alfie has handled thousands of workforce conversations and helped customers avoid thousands of HR tickets, Pebl said. The company reported an 83.5% support ticket deflection rate.

Customers have also reduced reporting requests by more than 60%, lowered compensation-related inquiries by 42%, and cut time-off tickets by 18%, according to Pebl.

Operational shift

The update comes as HR teams contend with more distributed workforces, multiple software systems, and more complex international hiring rules. Alfie has seen particularly strong uptake among organisations managing cross-border hiring and expansion, Pebl said.

For global hiring and compliance questions, Pebl reported a 98.2% deflection rate. The system helps employers manage country-specific employment requirements without support intervention, according to the company.

"AI in HR has largely been trapped in the chatbot phase," said Françoise Brougher, chief executive officer of Pebl.

"Employees still have to open tickets, wait for answers, switch systems, and manually complete workflows. Alfie changes that by helping teams actually execute work inside a conversation within the platform," Brougher said.

The latest version of Alfie can provide compensation, payroll, and benefits guidance, produce workforce reports, and prompt employees towards next steps, Pebl said. It is also designed for international workforce operations, including hiring and compliance support.

Benefits burden

Pebl's platform data suggests benefits administration remains a major source of employee questions and HR workload. Common requests relate to plan options, coverage, adding dependants, life events, and differences in benefits between countries, according to the company.

That pattern reflects a broader issue for HR teams: routine administrative questions can consume time even when the answers are standard or based on existing policy.

One customer described the tool's effect on handling employment questions.

"In fewer than three minutes, Alfie provided data on burden, probationary periods, severance, and separation scenarios. Previously, this would have taken days or even a week," said Ciara Frenette, benefits manager and HR generalist at Myers-Holum, Inc.

Pebl positions Alfie as distinct from general-purpose AI assistants because it is connected to live employment systems and can surface operational data and workflows in real time. The software is intended not only to respond to queries but also to carry out actions within the same exchange.

Brougher said employers are looking for automation that reduces manual work rather than more tools that generate information.

"Companies don't need another AI tool that creates more information," Brougher said.

"They need AI that reduces workload, removes bottlenecks, and gets the work done. The next phase of enterprise AI will be defined less by conversational interfaces and more by measurable operational outcomes," she said.

The expanded Alfie functions are now available to Pebl customers. The company serves businesses hiring and managing workers in more than 185 countries.