Customers expect instant answers; if a price question sent at midnight goes unanswered until morning, that customer will most likely go to a competitor. AI assistants fill that gap.
What can they do?
- Instantly answer frequent questions (prices, opening hours, address, menu)
- Take appointments or reservations
- Collect orders and quote requests
- Route complex requests to the right person
It should be trained on your business’s information
A good assistant doesn’t give generic answers; it talks about your prices, policies and services. An accurate, up-to-date source of information is the most important factor in the assistant’s quality.
When should it hand over to a human?
Complaints, special requests or anything the assistant isn’t sure about should be passed to a member of staff. A customer should never get stuck in a loop.
Its tone should match your brand
A friendly café and a corporate law firm shouldn’t have assistants that speak the same way. The form of address, use of emoji and answer length should be decided from the start.
Measure and improve
Which questions come up most, which conversations get handed to a human, how many requests turn into sales? This data is a valuable resource for improving both the assistant and your services.