VISIONS Magazine (October 2026 Edition)

Customer Service Goes into Hyperdrive: Agro Amazônia Puts AI to Work

Working with Zenvia and Meta, the Sumitomo Corporation Group company has transformed its WhatsApp support service, cutting response times and giving employees more time to tackle complex customer needs.

A farmer needs information about a product. An employee needs help resolving a technical problem. Both turn to WhatsApp, but getting an answer once meant navigating automated menus and waiting for someone to search a company database.

Agro Amazônia, one of Brazil’s agricultural supplies distributors, decided to change that experience. This Sumitomo Corporation Group Company worked with Zenvia and Meta to introduce an AI-powered WhatsApp service that has cut average response times from 15 to 45 minutes to approximately three seconds. The service now operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving customers and employees access to support beyond regular business hours.

Replacing the Old Menu

Agro Amazônia’s previous system relied on predefined menus, keyword-based routing and manual searches across corporate systems. As demand grew, the company needed a different approach.

“We aimed to make our support services faster and more efficient while keeping pace with growing demand from our employees and customers,” said Roberto Motta, President and Chief Executive Officer of Agro Amazônia. “Artificial intelligence emerged as an opportunity to transform WhatsApp into a service platform integrated with our internal processes and systems, expanding our support capabilities and strengthening our relationships with agricultural producers.”

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, owns some of the world’s most widely used social media and messaging platforms, including WhatsApp. Zenvia, a Latin American customer experience and communications technology company founded in 2003, helps businesses manage customer service, sales and marketing through its Zenvia Customer Cloud platform, which connects channels such as WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram and email.

pictured above: "The Black Forum Experience 2026 Forum at the Meta Office in Sao Paolo, where panelists discussing the Agro Amazônia, Zenvia and WhatsApp collaboration"

Agro Amazônia, recently named by TIME Magazine as one of Brazil’s Best Employers of 2026, brought the two companies’ technologies together when it joined a global pilot of Meta Business Agent, working with Zenvia to develop a system tailored to its operations. Zenvia provided the platform and technical expertise, while Agro Amazônia’s team established the business requirements, integrated the technology with its corporate systems, and tested its performance. The companies also worked to ensure that customers could move smoothly from automated assistance to an employee when a request requires more specialized attention.

“The project evolved from a support model based on predefined menus and rules to a solution in which artificial intelligence can interpret requests, retrieve information, support operational processes, and identify commercial opportunities,” said Koji Iwanami, SC Brazil’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. “One of the main lessons learned was that technology alone is not enough. Reliable information, system integration, and a smooth transition to human support are essential for the solution to function effectively.”

More Conversations, Less Waiting

Customers can now explore Agro Amazônia’s product portfolio, request information and access services connected to corporate systems directly through WhatsApp. The system also helps identify and qualify prospective customers.

When someone needs specialized assistance, the technology transfers the conversation to an employee along with its history. The employee can continue the exchange without asking the customer to repeat the details.

The August 2026 results show how extensively customers and employees have used the service. Weekly conversation volume increased 242% without expanding the support team, while transfers to human agents fell 93%.

During the first two weeks, the system handled more than 1,400 complex technical conversations. Meta also reported that the technology qualified 47 high-value sales leads during that period, shortening a process that previously took three days to one completed almost immediately. These figures reflect changes in both the volume and nature of the work reaching Agro Amazônia’s support staff.

“We now use artificial intelligence to handle repetitive requests and queries that can be resolved automatically using information from our corporate systems,” said Adriano Araujo, Finance & ESG Director. “This allows our employees to focus on more complex situations that require analysis, experience, and decision-making. We do not see artificial intelligence as a replacement for people, but as a tool that supports our work.”

pictured above: Members of the Agro Amazônia team

Technology Meets Agricultural Expertise

Sumitomo Corporation acquired full ownership of Agro Amazônia in 2018 and has supported its expansion in Brazil’s agricultural market. The company’s acquisition of Nativa extended its reach into southeastern Brazil, adding agricultural products, technical expertise and new customer relationships. Agro Amazônia also plays a role in SCOA’s partnership with Grupo Papalotla, announced in 2025, which aims to expand access to improved pasture seeds for livestock producers.

Following its expansion in agricultural distribution, Agro Amazônia is exploring how technology can improve other areas of its business. Meta’s recognition of the WhatsApp initiative has encouraged the company to build on its early results, with plans to strengthen system integration, monitor service quality and explore AI applications in credit analysis and corporate risk management.

“We see this initiative as part of a broader digital transformation focused on simplifying processes, improving operational efficiency, and continuously enhancing the user experience,” Iwanami said. “For us, innovation does not simply mean adopting new technologies. It means solving everyday business challenges with appropriate security, governance, and tangible results.”