DTI automates citizen queries across 6 functional groups

The Department of Trade and Industry previously handled phone and email queries manually through their contact centre, serving six functional groups with different specialisations.

However, different roles and regulations across each functional group made it difficult for admin teams to ensure each query was forwarded to the correct group. Additionally, the volume of queries increased wait times for citizens seeking help, particularly since live agents were only available during business hours. Limited hours also made it more difficult for foreign investors seeking assistance, particularly if they were not in the same time zone.

The department sought to innovate with automated responses to FAQs, in order to improve the citizen experience across departments and shorten first response times.

Proto worked closely with the DTI to find the most efficient way to train the chatbot across all functional groups. They needed a solution that could allow each functional group to maintain their own chatbot, while the department handling contact center & knowledge management could access data for all the bots deployed in the DTI.

Proto’s team worked with the DTI to ensure stakeholders understood how the Proto AICX Platform could achieve this, and worked closely with key stakeholders to develop FAQs for each functional group. The chatbot, TIA (Trade and Industry Assistant), was trained with various frequently asked questions from the organisation's database, covering topics such as business registration, consumer complaints, and e-commerce adoption.

Proto's solution for the Department of Trade and Industry included a chatbot, TIA, which automates responses to queries across the DTI's six functional groups. It provides 24/7 service to citizens across the Philippines as well as to foreign stakeholders, answering questions in local languages including Cebuano and Tagalog.

Citizens now receive answers to FAQs in seconds, with superior intent classification for local languages including Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, and Kapampangan. If the chatbot doesn’t have the correct answer for a question, it will suggest the correct channel for citizen queries so they can contact the responsible group.

Beyond helping citizens, the Proto platform collects query data to help the team understand what topics citizens are most concerned with, what issues they faced, and which functional group received the most questions. The Department of Trade and Industry will then be able to use this data to improve citizen services – for example, optimising the citizen experience on their website.

The DTI team will continuously improve the chatbot with a channel for consumer complaints, and more platforms such as Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp, and Twitter. They will also continue to customise service across the 6 functional groups.

TIA is also helping the organisation achieve its No Wrong Door policy, by automatically forwarding citizen requests to the correct department. Finally, Proto's platform allows the Department of Trade and Industry to analyse citizen queries to continually improve citizen engagement.

Proto is the leading generative AICX platform for local languages. Its inclusive text and voice AI assistants excel at usecases for customer experience, consumer protection, employee experience, and indoor navigation. The Proto AICX Platform is powered by large language models and the proprietary ProtoAI engine for high accuracy in underserved languages. Proto deployments feature enterprise-grade security and capabilities such as on-premise hosting, customised analytics, and a 24/7 prompt engineering service. Headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, Proto is a global team operating across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.