This is the Trace Id: 33801bcb09eb949ac76cc081e15b281c
6/23/2025

Worten saves 11,000 hours annually with Microsoft Azure OpenAI, revolutionizing information search in stores

Worten storefront

Worten, a major consumer electronics retail chain, faced challenges in accessing and managing internal operational documents stored in SharePoint. This hindered quick searches for critical information in stores, leading to inefficiencies in customer service.

Worten implemented an advanced chatbot developed with Microsoft and EY, using the Azure AI platform, to reduce documentation search times and increase productivity.

Worten's implementation of Microsoft's OpenAI and Azure AI Search technologies reduced documentation search times from minutes to seconds, significantly increasing productivity and enhancing customer service efficiency.

Worten logo

Worten, a major consumer electronics retail chain of the Sonae Group, faced significant challenges in accessing and managing internal operational documents stored in SharePoint. This hindered quick searches for critical information in stores, leading to inefficiencies in customer service. With over 240 physical stores across Portugal, the largest national e-commerce site, and 4,000 employees, Worten needed a solution to streamline their operations and improve customer satisfaction.

The Technological Challenge

Worten's employees had to search through an operations manual with over 1,000 loaded documents to find the information they needed to meet customer needs. The average search time for specific information was around 3.5 minutes, which added to the average customer service time. Considering the high volume of over 75,000 searches conducted annually, this inefficiency corresponded to around 11,000 hours of search time annually. Worten identified an opportunity for improvement and challenged their specialized Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech team to develop a technological solution in collaboration with Microsoft. 

Microsoft Generative AI in Azure at the Core of the Solution

The solution involved implementing an advanced chatbot developed in partnership with EY, using the Azure AI platform. These technologies support the development of the solution by simplifying and accelerating the process while allowing adaptation to the specific needs of customers. The chatbot uses Azure AI Search for the search engine and Azure OpenAI for the conversational component. “Besides Microsoft being our partner, the AI Search and OpenAI services have very high quality within the market offerings,” says David Barros, Data Scientist at Worten. Microsoft and EY provided technical support and assistance to ensure the solution met Worten's requirements.

“Besides Microsoft being our partner, the AI Search and OpenAI services have very high quality within the market offerings.”

David Barros, Data Scientist, Worten

Satisfied Employees, Even More Satisfied Customers

The support chatbot for Worten employees, accessible via a smartphone, can answer any question related to store processes based on the information in the store process manuals. Along with the answer, a specific link to the manual is provided, allowing the employee to obtain a higher level of detail. The reduction in time invested in searching for essential information for efficient customer service is confirmed by the employees themselves. Now that the solution is in Production, the feedback has been very positive, with employees reporting that searching for documentation has become a much simpler process, from minutes to seconds. “Employees report that after the solution was implemented, searching for documentation became a much simpler process, from minutes to seconds. They save a lot of time,” says Eduardo Lucena, Product Owner at Worten.

“Employees report that after the solution was implemented, searching for documentation became a much simpler process, from minutes to seconds. They save a lot of time.”

Eduardo Lucena, Product Owner, Worten

From a Pilot Project to a Solution Across All Stores

The pilot project was tested in two Worten stores, specifically in the remote sales area. Worten is focused on developing the scalability of the project on two main fronts: ensuring the capacity of their servers to support the volume of operations of more than 200 Worten stores and generalizing the solution to apply to any type of documentation inherent to daily operations. The challenge was overcome by Worten, in partnership with Microsoft technology, saving more than 11,000 hours in the search process, which was converted into value on the sales floor, resulting in a higher number of sales at a lower cost.

Conclusion

Worten's implementation of Microsoft's OpenAI and Azure AI Search technologies revolutionized information search in stores, significantly increasing productivity and enhancing customer service efficiency. The collaboration between Worten, Microsoft and EY demonstrates the potential of AI and cloud technologies to transform business operations and deliver measurable benefits.

Discover more details

CUSTOMER
PARTNER
SERVICES AND SUPPORT
Take the next step

Fuel innovation with Microsoft

Talk to an expert about custom solutions

Let us help you create customized solutions and achieve your unique business goals.

Drive results with proven solutions

Achieve more with the products and solutions that helped our customers reach their goals.

Follow Microsoft