An honest assessment for small businesses.
WHAT THEY DO WELL
Answering routine factual questions: opening hours, delivery areas, prices
Available outside your working hours Handling volume you cannot
WHAT THEY DO BADLY
Anything unusual Complaints Questions the customer phrased unexpectedly Recognising when to hand over
THE MOST COMMON FAILURE
A customer with a real problem trapped in a loop with no route to a person.
That converts a minor issue into a lost customer and a public complaint.
WHAT MAKES ONE WORK
Grounded in your actual documentation, not general knowledge An obvious, immediate route to a human Honest about what it cannot help with Tested on the questions customers actually ask
FOR A SMALL BUSINESS
Frequently not worth it. Your advantage is that a person answers.
A well-written FAQ page and a WhatsApp number serve better.
WHEN IT IS WORTH IT
Genuine volume of repetitive identical questions Substantial out-of-hours enquiries
THE TEST BEFORE LAUNCHING
Try to make it fail with real customer questions.
