Success Cases
1. FC Köln: AI Agent Hennes in Fan Service
1. FC Köln uses LoyJoy AI Agent Hennes to serve fans around the clock, on fc.de and in the native app.
Overview of service categories
Hennes covers the club's central service topics: fan shop, tickets, events, members & fans, squad, and stadium experience. Each category with its own icon and quick access.
Answers on match day and team topics
Hennes answers all questions about the FC, from the current squad to the next match, and guides fans straight to the right page.
Lead generation via shop and ticketing
Hennes points fans to relevant shop items and the ticket shop, turning service inquiries into measurable leads.
About 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a traditional Bundesliga club and one of the largest member-based football clubs in Germany. Match days, memberships, ticketing, and merchandising generate an enormous, highly variable inquiry volume. With AI Agent Hennes, named after the club’s iconic billy goat mascot, the FC has fundamentally automated its digital fan service.
Key Project Facts
- 70% less email volume in customer service through the AI agent
- 40% less call volume in the service center
- 24/7 availability for fans, even on match days and during kit releases
- Two channels: web (fc.de) and native app (iPhone and Android)
- Brand-appropriate tone through the Hennes persona
Initial Situation
As a Bundesliga club with a large and loyal fan base, 1. FC Köln faces high inquiry volumes across memberships, ticketing, and merchandising. Fans today expect immediate, reliable answers around the clock, especially on match days or during kit releases.
Internally, traditional service processes were reaching their limits. Complex topic trees, recurring standard questions, and seasonal peaks put the customer service team under heavy load. At the same time, the club’s personal, brand-appropriate communication had to be preserved.
The goal: automate the customer interface with Agentic AI in a structured way, without losing quality or transparency. Website content, internal knowledge sources, and shop information had to be integrated and made usable in a case-closing manner.
The LoyJoy Solution: AI Agent Hennes
Together with LoyJoy, AI Agent “Hennes” was implemented as the central digital touchpoint. He answers fan inquiries in real time and combines free-text with clickable menu options.
Hennes plays four roles in the dialogue:
- Membership advisor on benefits, membership status, and fee questions
- Stadium guide on ticket phases, directions, and stadium rules
- Shopping assistant with direct links to the online shop
- FC expert with brand-appropriate tone and insider knowledge on everything around the club
The AI agent accesses the club’s knowledge base and fc.de content and resolves most inquiries in a case-closing way. For complex matters, he routes requests to human service or the WhatsApp channel.
Native App Integration: Hennes on iPhone and Android
Hennes is no longer available only on fc.de. He is now integrated directly into the 1. FC Köln native app for iPhone and Android. Fans reach him via the service section of the app and use the AI agent for all topics: fan shop, tickets, events, members & fans, squad, and stadium experience.
Results
- 70% less email volume in service thanks to case-closing resolution by the AI agent
- 40% less call volume in the service center
- 24/7 availability without hiring additional staff, even on match days and weekends
- Stronger fan loyalty through brand-appropriate, immediately available answers
- Measurable leads via ticket and shop links inside the dialogue
- Scalable process automation as the foundation for further use cases