Moveworks’ Bhavin Shah on Building Success: ‘Understand the Problem from the Customer’s Perspective’

What if the frustrating wait times for IT support could be a thing of the past? In 2016, a group of visionaries—Bhavin Shah, Vaibhav Nivargi, Varun Singh, and Jiang Chen—came together with a bold mission: to tackle the incessant cycle of IT support requests that burdened organizations. Frustrated by the slow and cumbersome nature of traditional IT support, they envisioned a world where artificial intelligence could automate and accelerate employee assistance, eliminating the frustrating wait times for IT specialists. This vision birthed Moveworks.

By leveraging cutting-edge machine learning, Natural Language Understanding (NLU), and advanced conversational AI, the team crafted a system capable of autonomously decoding employee support issues and resolving them in mere seconds—without a single IT specialist needing to lift a finger. Focusing initially on IT support allowed them to dive deep into the problem, leading to astonishing results: 25-35% of support requests were being handled autonomously, slashing wait times from days to mere seconds.

This journey wasn’t without its challenges; the technology they developed was complex and required relentless innovation. Through trial, error, and a commitment to excellence, Moveworks emerged as a game-changer, proving that AI could not just enhance processes but fundamentally transform them. With a mission to create a seamless, efficient workplace, Moveworks set the stage for a future where AI would be an integral partner in the enterprise.

Early Development: Stealth Mode to Breakthrough

The early days were spent in “stealth mode,” meticulously crafting a cutting-edge platform designed to tackle IT challenges. The team was laser-focused on one objective: to preemptively solve IT issues before employees even recognized they needed help. This required developing an AI capable of understanding complex queries, navigating vast data sets, and delivering actionable solutions instantly.

Expansion

By March 2021, Moveworks had broadened its vision to address challenges across various functions, including HR, finance, and facilities management. Whether employees needed help resetting benefits, locating financial reports, or fixing broken equipment, Moveworks was ready to assist. Later that year, the company introduced an internal communications solution to enhance connectivity and information sharing among employees.

In a recent conversation, Bhavin Shah reflected on Moveworks’ journey and future aspirations. “Key milestones include our initial product launch, where we began automating ticket resolutions, and significant partnerships that have accelerated our growth, such as our collaboration with TCS,” he noted. The expansion into HR functionalities marked a crucial step toward providing a comprehensive solution for enterprises.

The Dawn of Conversational AI: 2023

Moveworks reached a pivotal milestone in 2023 with the launch of their Employee Experience Intelligence (EXI) solution and their inaugural Moveworks Live event. With over 3,000 attendees, this gathering was not just a product launch; it was a declaration of their commitment to the future of enterprise AI. The EXI solution allowed organizations to derive actionable insights from employee interactions, turning mundane support tickets into meaningful data that could enhance workplace experiences.

Generative AI Copilot 2.0: February 2024

Moveworks didn’t rest on its laurels. In February 2024, the company introduced the second version of its Generative AI Copilot. This secure conversational interface enabled employees to search for information and perform automations across a multitude of work applications. Powered by leading large language models, including GPT-4 and Moveworks’ proprietary MoveLM, this Copilot became the cornerstone of the platform.

With this innovation, employees could interact with a single AI assistant to access multiple systems, create workflows, and resolve issues instantly—all from their chat window. Integration with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams further solidified the Copilot’s role as an essential productivity booster.

A Vision Beyond IT: The Future of Work

Moveworks is transforming HR operations by automating key tasks within Workday, enhancing both efficiency and employee experience. With its AI-driven copilot, employees can instantly get answers to HR questions and handle tasks like benefits inquiries and PTO checks, freeing HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives. This approach not only accelerates response times but also boosts accuracy and maximizes ROI on existing HR systems. By assessing current processes and implementing automation in phases, organizations can streamline their workflows and create a more agile workplace.

Moveworks envisioned a workplace where AI was not merely a tool, but a trusted partner. Their ambition was to give every employee an AI copilot, seamlessly navigating fragmented systems and complex workflows. Features like “Brief Me,” which summarized lengthy reports or email threads, exemplified this commitment. Even Bhavin Shah, with his demanding schedule of 15 meetings a day, relied on Brief Me to distill essential information quickly.

This tool leverages advanced natural language processing to automatically generate concise summaries of various content types, including emails, reports, and Slack messages. Users can easily request summaries through natural language prompts, receiving tailored outputs that highlight key points and insights. Integrated with the Moveworks Copilot, Brief Me streamlines information retrieval within platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams, saving employees valuable time and enhancing productivity. With multilingual capabilities and customizable summary lengths, Brief Me exemplifies Moveworks’ commitment to empowering employees and simplifying their work processes, ensuring they can quickly access the information they need to make informed decisions.

AI and No-Code Automation

Not content with just enhancing support tickets, Moveworks launched Creator Studio—a no-code platform empowering businesses to build custom AI workflows without requiring advanced technical expertise. Users could easily drag and drop components to create powerful automations, revolutionizing processes across HR, IT, and finance. This innovation was bolstered by their AI Reasoning Engine, which interpreted complex queries and adapted to new situations in real time.

Partnerships, Awards, and Global Impact: 2024

The year 2024 also brought significant recognition for Moveworks. A multi-year partnership with Microsoft integrated their AI platform with the Azure cloud, while their Copilot won the “Best Generative AI Platform” at the AI Breakthrough Awards. Moveworks was not just innovating; they were setting the benchmark for AI-powered enterprise solutions globally.

Their global events, such as Moveworks.global, attracted thousands of business leaders eager to learn from industry giants like Salesforce and Toyota, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and showcasing the transformative power of AI in business.

Moveworks has delivered remarkable results for its customers, transforming their IT support landscapes. At Toyota Motor North America, the platform resolved an impressive 69,874 issues over the past year, achieving a 94% employee satisfaction rate while reducing average resolution time by 62% compared to traditional support channels. Similarly, Mercari leveraged AI-powered self-service to decrease IT ticket volume by 74% and improve their first-contact resolution rate from 45% to 78%, saving an estimated 3,200 hours of IT staff time annually. The Wonderful Company saw 35% of its employees turn to “Wond-E,” their Moveworks-powered AI copilot, as the first point of contact for IT help, achieving a 92% successful resolution rate and slashing average time-to-resolution from 2.4 days to just 4.3 hours.

Looking ahead, Shah emphasized plans to refine machine learning capabilities and explore new markets. “We envision a future where IT support is proactive, anticipating issues before they arise, enabling IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives,” he explained.