Export Consultation Matching Support System: Automated Buyer-Company Pairing
KOTRA DX Innovation Lab Project 3 is an AI-based export consultation matching support system. It automates the buyer-company matching process that trade office staff previously handled manually, significantly improving both matching accuracy and speed. By combining text similarity analysis with collaborative filtering algorithms, the system identifies the best fit between buyer demand and the export capabilities of Korean companies. More than 50,000 consultations are matched through this platform each year.
Matching Algorithm: A Three-Stage Automated Connection Model
Export consultation matching follows three stages: text matching, profile matching, and optimized ranking. AI analyzes buyer requests for quotation (RFQs) alongside Korean company product information to generate the most suitable company-buyer combinations automatically.
Technology Stack in Detail
The AI stack behind the matching system is built on three pillars: natural language processing, recommendation systems, and optimization algorithms. Domain-specialized pre-trained models are combined with models fine-tuned on KOTRA consultation data.
| Layer | AI Technology | Role | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Analysis | BERT-based NLP | RFQ-product text similarity | F1 Score 0.87 |
| Profile Matching | Collaborative filtering + content-based | Buyer-company profile suitability | 85% suitability |
| Ranking Optimization | LambdaMART ranking | Ranking optimization based on past success patterns | NDCG@5 0.82 |
| Scheduling | Constraint optimization algorithm | Automatic assignment considering time zones, schedules, and preferences | 95% assignment success |
Integrated Consultation Workflow
The platform does more than deliver a match. It integrates the full consultation workflow from buyer RFQ intake to AI matching, company confirmation, consultation scheduling, consultation delivery, result logging, and follow-up management within a single system.
Export Consultation Matching for Bangladesh
At KOTRA Dhaka, the AI matching system automatically pairs Bangladeshi buyers with Korean companies. As of 2024, the system generated 268 matches involving 134 Korean firms, and 35% of those matches progressed to actual deals. Match success rates are especially high in RMG raw materials, machinery and equipment, and IT hardware. Bengali-language RFQs are also handled through AI translation, reducing the language barrier.