Woof revolutionizes customer service in the pet world with conversational AI
About Woof
Woof's mission is to improve human-animal wellbeing and revolutionize the pet care market through its technology, including a community using artificial intelligence. Today, Woof has thousands of registered users, pets, and shops in over 65 countries.
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact usSupported by Google Cloud, the startup developed its virtual assistant and managed to increase user engagement, improve customer loyalty, and expand its business to the US.
Google Cloud results
- Interaction between the virtual consultant and users on a 24/7 basis
- Possibility to analyze data, which helps the company customize their service based on customer profiles
- KPIs and performance monitored in real time
- Configuration of business-oriented intelligence panels
Generates customized recommendations for customers
Woof provides animals with a voice. Its mission is to improve human-animal wellbeing and revolutionize the pet care market through its technology, including a community that uses artificial intelligence. Today, the company has thousands of registered users, pets, and shops in over 65 countries.
Based in São Paulo, Woof has the largest network of affiliated pet shops in Brazil, connecting 100 million pet owners to more than 7,500 companies in the sector.
Besides the solutions Woof offers, one of its main USPs is Woofer. This virtual canine consultant was based on conversational artificial intelligence (AI), which means it can have its own personality, sense of humor, and understanding of pet behavior and health.
When talking to Woofer, Woof's customers can get tips on the best products, advice, and customized recommendations based on their pet type.
The canine consultant venture involved a lot of research, the input of professionals specialized in IT, genetics, and animal behavior, and the development and improvement of resources, including AI and natural language processing. After assessing several service providers throughout the process, Woof realized that Google Cloud was capable of taking on the project that would bring Woofer to "life."
"We analyzed several cloud providers in detail and we chose Google Cloud as our development partner for Woofer based on its ability to comply with our scalability, functionality, and financial requirements."
—David Jourdain, Cofounder and CTO, WoofAnother driver was the company's participation in Google for Startups Cloud Academy. This is a three-month program in which startups work with cloud specialists and leaders in the AI sector to reach new users, unveil data analysis that can boost sales growth, and leverage machine learning and AI technologies.
A daring journey into the AI universe
During the Cloud Academy, Woof's team started to create a product roadmap and to execute development sprints. Team mentoring sessions provided useful support to align technology requirements and receive guidance and suggestions. With the technical support of Google Cloud professionals, the conversational AI was ready in under 20 days.
"To create Woofer, Google Cloud offered a comprehensive set of AI tools, such as Dialogflow CX, which makes it possible to develop and train advanced chatbots and complex conversation systems. AutoML also proved to be a useful tool for training customized machine learning models."
—David Jourdain, Woof's Cofounder and CTOAnother essential solution was Vertex AI, which makes the management of the entire AI model lifecycle easier, providing advanced model management, training, and implementation resources. The tool made implementing continuous improvements in Woofer easier and more efficient.
Woof also has access to functionalities available in Generative AI App Builder. The solution provided extremely useful insights into how to use Woofer and how it should be "fed" daily with information and knowledge.
The virtual assistant was developed in two stages. First, Woofer's profile and personality were outlined as a unique identity, including establishing appropriate vocabulary, how the chatbot would answer questions about its style and its own temperament, besides interactions in which the virtual dog would recommend products and services for breeds and specific species.
The next step was testing with Vertex AI and Generative AI App Builder, during which it was possible to create instances in which the chatbot was fed a large volume of content, such as complete handouts and books. That is how Woofer became a specialist in the world of pets.
Customer loyalty and brand expansion
As Woofer is an interactive communication channel, it has helped increase customer engagement and loyalty. Conversation with users strengthens rapport, generates more loyalty, and makes room for organic recommendations, coming from customers themselves.
Therefore, the virtual consultant not only improves consumer experience by offering customized suggestions and useful information, but it also brings operational benefits to Woof, becoming a core part of its business success.
Besides supporting the relationship with users, the infrastructure created for Woofer includes other Google Cloud solutions to analyze the data generated with the virtual assistant. BigQuery and Looker Studio are used to configure business-oriented intelligence panels and to monitor KPIs and performance in real time. And Firebase controls authentication through a single login between the startup's apps and the platforms.
"Our virtual canine consultant can interact with customers at any time, resulting in user satisfaction and brand loyalty. An important additional benefit is the data analysis Google Cloud performs based on Woofer's interactions, which helps us understand the market and trends."
—David Jourdain, Cofounder and CTO, WoofBy counting on an expert team that includes vets, geneticists, and specialists in animal behavior, Woof aims to continue consolidating its canine consultant with the tools it needs to become an increasingly agile, expert, and intelligent virtual assistant.
"We added some of the best specialists in the industry to our team, ensuring that the answers Woofer generates are based on the most updated and reliable information on pet health and behavior," explains Marcela Grezes, Cofounder and CMO at Woof.
The startup is now beginning a new phase in the United States with the aim of training local pet companies and pet tutors. The team also intends to create communities that generate their own recommendations about the world of pets.
"In the United States, which is the largest pet market in the world, we intend to turn our AI into a universal tool of human and animal wellbeing. We're going to integrate the best pet resources available locally into Woofer, from pet shops, trainers, pet sitters, and dog walkers to leisure options for tutors and animals - pet-friendly sites, such as cafés, restaurants, parks and the like. In the end, the idea of intelligence is to reflect what the animal would say in every specific situation of its life," explains Caetano Altafin, Woof's CEO and Cofounder.
"We aim to have a ranking to list this data, which will be mapped geographically. This is probably how we'll proceed in our American operating model. And, thanks to Google Cloud's AI updates and developments, this expansion plan could be put into practice," adds David Jourdain.
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact us
About Woof
Woof's mission is to improve human-animal wellbeing and revolutionize the pet care market through its technology, including a community using artificial intelligence. Today, Woof has thousands of registered users, pets, and shops in over 65 countries.