ViniPortugal, one of the most prestigious entities promoting Portuguese wines, is constantly modernizing its service and improving the experience of users who visit its website (www.viniportugal.pt/pt/). In this context, ViniPortugal obtained support from LBC for the development of an intelligent virtual agent, which it called UVA.
Challenge – modernization
ViniPortugal was faced with the challenge of increasing the quality of customer interaction and being able to manage a high volume of online interactions without overloading its human resources. It was necessary to create an autonomous digital tool that would respond fluidly and accurately to user queries. To this end, LBC’s artificial intelligence (AI) competence center developed a customized virtual agent for ViniPortugal from its AI vertical solution, which is an accelerator for the development of customized virtual agents.
Development – user-centered methodology
To this end, LBC followed a phased methodology. The first step was a detailed analysis of the user-oriented communication objectives. Then, the content of ViniPortugal was identified and a data strategy was defined. The third step was the construction of a “brain” where all the necessary data was loaded. This database allowed the virtual agent to provide accurate and contextualized responses, without hallucinations. The virtual agent was then designed to understand and respond accurately, simulating a natural interaction, using advanced natural language processing technologies. As a final step, before launch, the intelligent virtual agent was subjected to rigorous testing to ensure its performance. Interaction with real questions allowed the agent to be adjusted to respond in the most appropriate way to different scenarios.
The goal was to create an engaging, accessible and hassle-free experience to facilitate navigation for any user, regardless of their level of digital literacy. A distinctive feature of the intelligent virtual agent is its ability to respond in more than 20 languages, which is extremely advantageous for ViniPortugal, as it promotes Portuguese wines internationally.
A testimony
“The response was very quick and efficient. Whenever small problems were detected, they were promptly resolved. We are completely satisfied with the professionalism of the project manager and team,” said Frederico Falcão, president of ViniPortugal.
A virtual agent that transforms the experience
The implementation of the UVA intelligent virtual agent has brought clear and measurable benefits. Since its launch in October 2024, the agent has been used extensively by ViniPortugal website visitors, with over 500 interactions processed in the first two weeks. Its ability to provide fast and accurate responses has significantly improved the interaction experience, while freeing up internal resources within the organization.
In addition to its efficiency, the agent stood out for its scalability. UVA was designed to handle a large volume of interactions without loss of quality, which makes it a sustainable solution for the future, as traffic and complexity of issues increase.
Another relevant aspect is its adaptation to natural language. Thanks to the technologies applied, the agent can interpret nuances and respond in a contextualized way, which brings digital interaction closer to the experience that users would have when speaking to a human collaborator, but with the ability to respond immediately to all information.