Chat with the new and improved Vera

The Staff Service Centre is introducing Vera, the chatbot, as another option to find answers to your common HR, Finance and IT-related questions. We were fortunate to partner with our community to assist us with testing Vera during its development. It would have not been possible to implement it without their contributions. Thank you!

Why are we implementing Vera now?

If you’ve used Vera on other University of Alberta websites, you’ll likely be familiar with its look and feel. While it has been a tool at the university for a few years, it has recently been enhanced with ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence to provide focused, human-like responses based on information that it has been provided. Previously Vera answered questions exclusively based on responses that were created and maintained by individuals. 

In addition to answering IT questions, Vera has been expanded to assist you with your HR and Finance questions as it has been educated on the university’s HR and Finance web pages. 

What can’t the Shared Services Vera chatbot do?  

Vera will continue to learn and improve. Be aware that the chatbot doesn't know individual user details like name or role, so it may provide general answers instead of something specific to your situation. If you pose a question that Vera cannot answer with confidence, you will be directed to contact the Staff Service Centre. Shared Services will continue to monitor low confidence responses to help improve the bot’s knowledge and the user experience.

In cases where personalized support is required, we recommend contacting us via the U of A Service portal or giving us a call via the Staff Service Centre. Dedicated Staff Service Centre advisors and Shared Services teams continue to be available to answer your questions through the U of A Service Portal or by telephone. 

Here are a few tips for chatting with Vera:

• Ask one question at a time, using clear and simple language.
• Provide context to your question to help the chatbot direct you to the most relevant information, such as mentioning your employee type if asking about benefits.
• To help improve responses over time, rate the responses Vera gives you. Click on the “X” on the top right to exit the chat, which will take you to the feedback screen.
• Here’s a question to try: “How do I submit my PER claim?”