The most commonly heard complaint was clear: “I can’t find what I’m looking for.” For an organization that aims to help people daily with reliable and up-to-date information, this was an important signal. When renewing the website, VluchtelingenWerk decided not only to look at form and navigation but also at a fundamentally different way of searching.

From Search Engine to Conversation

The existing website search function ran on SOLR. Technically reliable, but difficult to steer in practice. Important pages often did not appear at the top, and those who searched for donating did not see the correct information. 

For the marketing and communication team, optimizing the search function felt like working in a black box: there was little grip on the results. When renewing the website, they decided to approach it differently. Instead of making small improvements, they chose a clear change of direction: if they were to innovate, then do it well, with the help of AI. 

With vragen.ai, all content was re-indexed, not just on titles and keywords, but on the entire content. Visitors now ask a question and receive a direct appropriate answer, instead of a list of links. The initial reactions are positive. Especially users who notice the search function has changed experience the difference. Due to the soft launch, not everyone knows about the new function yet, but those who do use the new search function immediately see the added value. 

Managing Expectations is Essential

A single word makes it difficult to determine which source is relevant. The more context someone provides, the better and more targeted the answer is. This contains an important lesson for organizations that want to work with AI: technology alone is not enough. It is equally important to engage users and explain what the tool is, what it can do, and how it is best used.

At VluchtelingenWerk, this is now made clearer at the starting point of the search function, with the invitation to ask a question and get a direct answer. This way, visitors are helped to get the most out of the tool. At the same time, this is an important part of responsible AI use: ensuring clear expectations, transparency about the operation, and room for nuance.

Answers with Nuance, Tested by Content Experts

VluchtelingenWerk works with sensitive and social issues, where accuracy and factual correctness are essential. The use of AI therefore required trust and thorough testing. It was consciously tested with the policy team: content experts who critically assess formulations, tone, and nuance. They asked varied and sometimes challenging questions to properly evaluate the functioning of the AI. 

The outcome was surprisingly positive. The answers remained factual, nuanced, and clearly in line with the organization's tone of voice. Where nuance was needed, the AI remained cautious and not assertive. 

Interestingly, content that is less appealing from a communication perspective, such as positions on complex situations, now serves as valuable sources. When someone asks: “What does VluchtelingenWerk think about this?”, the AI brings forward the correct stances. Existing content thus gains more meaning and is better utilized.

Recommendations with AI

Besides answering questions, VluchtelingenWerk also uses vragen.ai to display targeted recommendations under pages. Previously set up manually, the model now analyzes the content and meaning of a page and automatically links relevant content to it. These recommendations are generated in real-time and can vary based on the page's context. At the same time, there remains room for human control. With a human-in-the-loop, the editorial team can manually fix recommendations when necessary. This way, the balance between smart automation and content management is maintained.

Implementation Without Major Overhaul

The technical implementation was realized through an integration with Drupal. Via an API, all different content types, including metadata, were linked to the knowledge base. The existing article structure proved to be a strong and reliable foundation for this. During indexing, the content's extent also became clear. Although clean-up rounds had taken place earlier, it still involved a large amount of information. With the use of AI, this content richness is no longer seen as an obstacle but rather better utilized.

The launch of the renewed website went relatively quickly. The focus was primarily on the new navigation and the important pages. Vragen.ai was tested less extensively in advance than might be usual, but it soon became apparent that the basics were good. The actual optimization only started after the launch, based on the questions users actually asked.

From Answer to Action

The next step in the development is already set. Where AI now mainly provides good and complete answers, it must also help in the future to determine the right follow-up step for the visitor. Think of clear call-to-actions: when someone asks questions about donating, the AI can recognize this signal and direct them to the appropriate page. Additionally, the length of answers is being considered. In some cases, a more concise answer can help encourage visitors to click through and read the source page further.

A Step Towards Modernization

Within larger organizations, innovation can be daunting, and this is certainly true for AI. By starting with a concrete application on the website, the team shows that AI does not have to be abstract or threatening but can instead practically support. 

The marketing and communication team of VluchtelingenWerk takes the lead in this. With their content knowledge and the room to experiment, they take the first step, which also generates enthusiasm within the rest of the organization.

According to product owner Robin, letting go of the traditional search engine may take some getting used to. “It may sound scary to let AI take over your search function. But what comes out now, you cannot manually organize at this scale. This is a different way of working. Conversational and ultimately much more pleasant for the user.”

Learning from Questions

An unexpected added value of the new search function is that the organization can learn from the questions visitors ask. By analyzing questions in clusters, it immediately becomes visible what visitors are concerned with, which themes are alive, and where information is still lacking or not clear enough. The search function not only helps visitors find answers faster but also provides VluchtelingenWerk with valuable insights to further improve content and services.

Looking Ahead

VluchtelingenWerk views this development as a first step. The focus is now on further refining the answers so that they fully align with the organization's wishes and values. 

Afterward, there is room to broaden the use of AI, in more places within the organization and with clear communication about this new way of searching. The greater future vision of VluchtelingenWerk? A situation where people no longer consciously visit a website, but ask a question and from there, are directly helped. By investing now in quality content, a clear structure, and responsible use of AI, VluchtelingenWerk works step by step towards that future, with an eye for nuance and for the people who need this information.