2021.02.02
Chatbot supports work and health management when working from home
follow®, a cloud-based work management service supporting diverse workstyles
NTT COMWARE CORPORATION (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Satoshi Kurishima; hereinafter NTT COMWARE) will launch its "follow chatbot," a new feature of the cloud-based work management service, "follow®" on February 2. This feature enables users to input information including attendance information, workplace information, details of work, and their health condition using a chat tool.
As diverse ways of working, such as teleworking, staggered working times and flex time that are not constrained by time or place are increasingly being utilized, the health management of employees, appropriate work management, and communications between managers and subordinates have become problems."follow" has provided a series of features such as work management, vacation/leave management, work-hour management, and travel expense management via a web browser through its cloud-based work management service. Now, it begins providing the new "follow chatbot" feature that enables users to input necessary information for work and health management through Microsoft Teams and "elgana." By simply searching for and adding the "follow chatbot" to Microsoft Teams or "elgana," "follow" users are able to easily report attendance information, apply to work from home, and report their health condition, etc. from their chat tool. In addition, if a manager who receives these reports has something to discuss regarding the details of their work or health condition, the manager can contact them via the chat tool, which enables seamless communications.
The "follow chatbot"
To support companies that have problems managing the health of employees and ensuring appropriate work management, etc., we will provide "follow" free of charge to companies that are new customers signing up to use the service from February 2 to March 31.
NTT COMWARE will continue to improve the features of "follow" and also continue to expand its connection with chat tools. It will also improve "follow" and other solutions supporting remote work and contribute to promotion of new workstyles in the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Statement from Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. heartily welcomes NTT COMWARE's "follow chatbot," which will be provided as a supporting application for Microsoft Teams. In the recent business environment that has seen the acceleration of digital transformation, work management services must comply with workstyle reform-related laws and support the ways that people work, regardless of time or place. Now, by expanding the features of "follow," which is to be used with the Microsoft Teams platform, and to be linked with Microsoft 365 in the future, we expect the continued advancement of workstyle reform in many companies, regardless of size. Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. will enhance its alliance with NTT COMWARE and support the continued promotion of workstyle reform using cloud services. |
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Yoshihiro Yamasaki Microsoft 365 Business Group Lead Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. |
| Statement from NTT Business Solutions Inc. In the current business environment that has seen the ways that people's workstyles change rapidly, the business chat program "elgana" enables employees to easily report the attendance and heath conditions through its linkage with "follow." This linkage between "follow" and "elgana" enables NTT Business Solutions Inc. to solve problems faced by many companies and contribute to their workstyle reforms and their adoption of new workstyles in the age of the new normal in cooperation with NTT COMWARE. |
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NTT Business Solutions Inc. Social Innovation Promotion Headquarters Value Creation Department, Executive Manager Hitoshi Maeda |
* "follow" is a registered trademark of NTT COMWARE CORPORATION.
* "elgana" is a service provided by NTT-Neomeit Corporation. There is a patent pending for "elgana." ("elgana"website) https://elgana.jp/
* Microsoft and Microsoft Teams are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
* Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform provided by Microsoft Corporation. It includes business chat, online meetings, file sharing, and other features necessary for remote work and is able to expand its features or be customized by embedding third-party applications.
* "follow chatbot" for Microsoft Teams is provided as a custom application.
*Other company names, product names and service names listed herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
