FINCA Uganda needed a cost-efficient way to deliver consistent, high-quality support while modernising customer experience. The key challenges were:

• Scaling support across rural and low-income segments
• Automating high-volume inquiries to reduce agent load
• Offering services across familiar digital channels
• Maintaining full compliance with national data protection laws

The solution had to support both financial services automation and customer education while preserving the trust and accessibility associated with the FINCA brand.

Proto’s AI customer experience platform was deployed in close collaboration with Eclectics to meet FINCA’s transformation goals. The solution included:

The deployment followed a structured implementation process managed collaboratively by Eclectics and Proto:

• Needs assessment with FINCA Uganda to prioritise use cases such as account opening, balance checks, and customer education
• Content design and flow building using Proto’s no-code interface, enabling FINCA to customise FAQs, product awareness, and support scripts
• Secure API integration with FINCA’s core banking system to allow real-time access to customer account data for services such as balance retrieval and identity verification
• Channel rollout across Messenger, WhatsApp, and webchat, selected based on customer usage data
• Deployment of Proto’s Hosting feature, allowing customer data to be stored in FINCA’s own database while the AI platform operates in the cloud
• Training and onboarding for FINCA’s support team to manage escalations and monitor performance
• Ongoing support from Eclectics for optimisations and local compliance checks

This staged rollout ensured rapid deployment while maintaining service continuity and data integrity.

The solution now supports a full range of financial services automation capabilities tailored to FINCA Uganda’s operations:

• ‍Account and balance services
  Customers can check account balances, retrieve personal details, and verify identity documents – all directly within the messaging channel. These services are integrated via secure API connections to FINCA’s banking system.
• Customer onboarding and verification
  New users are guided through account creation steps, including eligibility checks and documentation. This reduces branch traffic and simplifies onboarding, especially in rural areas.
• User identity verification
  ‍Before sensitive transactions such as balance checks or account updates, customers are asked to verify their identity using one-time codes sent to their registered mobile numbers. This adds a layer of security while maintaining ease of access via chat. For example:

• Financial literacy and service awareness
  FINCA customers receive tips on budgeting, saving, and responsible borrowing. The platform also promotes awareness of available products, helping customers make informed decisions.

• FAQ resolution for high-volume inquiries
  Common questions around loan products, repayment schedules, eligibility, and transaction processes are answered automatically, reducing pressure on the support team.
• Live agent escalation with full chat history
  Complex issues are escalated to live agents through Proto’s unified dashboard. Agents have full visibility into past interactions and customer profiles for contextual support.
• Data compliance through hybrid configuration
  Sensitive customer data is stored directly in FINCA’s internal systems using Proto’s Hosting feature. This ensures compliance with Uganda’s data protection regulations while preserving the scalability of cloud-based services.

Through its partnership with Eclectics and Proto, FINCA Uganda has laid the foundation for a scalable, secure, and customer-centric digital future. By automating key banking services while maintaining human support where it matters, the institution continues to deliver on its mission of inclusive banking for underserved communities. This deployment stands as a model for how AI customer experience can drive financial access and trust in emerging markets.

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.