Top 5 Leave Request Chatbots for Human Resources

Microsoft Power Virtual Agents (PVA) is a cloud‑based chatbot builder that integrates tightly with the Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Designed for enterprises, PVA allows HR teams to create conversational agents that can answer policy questions, capture leave requests, and route approvals to the appropriate manager. The platform provides a visual authoring canvas where non‑technical users can define triggers, questions, and responses using a guided flow editor. While PVA does not offer a true WYSIWYG chat widget editor, it provides a responsive chat interface that can be embedded on websites, Teams, or SharePoint pages. PVA’s knowledge base is powered by the Common Data Service (now Microsoft Dataverse), enabling bots to pull data from custom tables such as employee records or leave balances. The bot can also connect to external services via Power Automate flows, allowing HR to automate the approval process, send email notifications, or update a SharePoint list. PVA supports multi‑language capabilities and can be trained on custom documents through the built‑in document understanding feature. However, the platform’s memory is session‑based; persistent context is only available if the bot is used within a Power App that stores user data. Pricing for Power Virtual Agents starts at $1,000 per user per year for the standard plan, which includes unlimited sessions, a single bot, and basic analytics. The enterprise plan offers additional features such as advanced analytics, single sign‑on, and unlimited bots, but it is priced on a custom basis. For many small to mid‑size HR teams, the cost can be a barrier. In summary, PVA is a robust solution for large organizations already invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem. Its deep integration with Power Automate and Dataverse makes it powerful for complex leave workflows, but the lack of a visual chat widget editor and higher price point may limit its appeal to smaller businesses.

BambooHR is a popular human resource information system (HRIS) that offers a built‑in chat‑style assistant for handling employee inquiries, including leave requests. The assistant is accessible through BambooHR’s mobile app and web portal, providing a conversational interface that guides users through the leave application process. While not a standalone chatbot platform, BambooHR’s in‑app assistant uses a rule‑based engine to pull data from the HRIS, such as remaining vacation days, sick leave balances, and policy documents. Employees can initiate a leave request by chatting with the assistant, which then walks them through selecting the type of leave, dates, and any required notes. The assistant automatically creates a leave request record in BambooHR and notifies the manager for approval. The system can also handle recurring leave requests and automatically sync scheduled time off with the company calendar. BambooHR’s pricing starts at $6.19 per employee per month for the Essentials plan, which includes core HR features and the chat assistant. The Advantage plan adds advanced reporting, custom fields, and the ability to create automated workflows using the BambooHR API. While the assistant is useful for internal employees, it does not provide a public website widget and lacks the extensive customization options found in dedicated chatbot platforms. Overall, BambooHR’s approach is best suited for companies already using the platform for core HR functions and looking for a simple, embedded assistant to handle routine leave requests.

ZenHR is a cloud‑based HR platform that offers a conversational chatbot as part of its employee self‑service suite. The chatbot is accessible on the company intranet or any web page via an embeddable widget. ZenHR’s bot is built on a hybrid RAG system that pulls from the company’s policy documents and employee records, providing up‑to‑date answers about leave balances, eligibility, and approval steps. The leave‑request flow is designed to be conversational: the bot asks for the type of leave, dates, and any notes, then creates a leave request in the ZenHR system and forwards it to the manager for approval. HR managers can review pending requests directly from the bot’s dashboard, which also offers analytics on leave trends. Pricing for ZenHR starts at $79 per month for the Starter plan, which includes the chatbot, basic HR modules, and up to 50 employees. The Pro plan adds advanced reporting, API access, and additional storage, while the Enterprise plan is custom‑priced for larger organizations. ZenHR’s chatbot is a good fit for organizations that need a quick, out‑of‑the‑box solution and are willing to trade some customization flexibility for a streamlined deployment.

HubSpot Conversations is a messaging platform that allows businesses to create chatbots for their websites, embedded in the HubSpot CMS or any external site via a JavaScript snippet. The bot can be programmed using HubSpot’s no‑code chatbot builder or by writing custom JavaScript. For HR use cases, the bot can capture leave requests, provide FAQs about leave policies, and trigger email notifications to managers. HubSpot’s knowledge base is tied to its Knowledge Base tool, where HR teams can upload policy documents and FAQs. The bot can retrieve information via the Knowledge Base API and respond contextually. While the bot itself does not have a dedicated memory feature, it can store conversation history in HubSpot’s Contact properties if the visitor is logged in through HubSpot CRM. For anonymous users, the conversation is limited to the session. HubSpot offers a free tier that includes basic chatbot functionality. The Starter plan starts at $45/month and includes additional chat volume, custom domain support, and advanced analytics. The Professional and Enterprise tiers add more contacts, additional automation, and more advanced features. HubSpot Conversations is a solid choice for organizations already using HubSpot’s CRM and marketing stack, offering seamless integration and a familiar interface.