A chatbot for small business: start with the questions that interrupt your day
Start with the five questions customers ask every day: what you do, where you work, when you are open, how to book and what happens next. An AI chatbot can answer from approved business information and collect an inquiry while you are serving another customer.
A chatbot works best with a clear job. Before connecting every available tool, list the messages your business already receives and the answer you would give in person. The goal is to help a visitor make the next useful decision.
Choose one task to automate first
For a service business, that might be checking the service area and directing a visitor to a quote request. For a real-estate team, it might be collecting the buyer's preferred area and directing them to a showing conversation. For a business that books appointments, it might be explaining how booking works and linking to the correct calendar.
Those are examples, not promises that a bot can make a quote, confirm property availability or guarantee an appointment without an approved source. Give it the facts you have and a handoff for everything else.
Website, Messenger and Instagram serve different entry points
Website visitors often need an answer before buying. Facebook messages may ask about a post or your hours. Instagram DMs can begin with a photo, a listing or a short “how much?” Each connected channel should lead to the same accurate business information and a conversations inbox your team can read.
Chatbot Solutions' core messaging offer covers website chat, Facebook Messenger and Instagram messaging. Each social account still needs to be connected and tested. Read the Instagram chatbot guide if DMs are an important source of inquiries.
AI and manual replies can work together
AI is useful for a question that has several ways of being asked. A saved reply or rule can be enough for a fixed answer, such as directions to the office. A person should handle exceptions, complaints and decisions the bot is not authorised to make.
Do not start by trying to automate every conversation. Review a small set of test questions and check whether the answer is accurate, whether the visitor understands the next step and whether a person can take over.
Measure what matters after launch
Count how many people start a conversation, receive an answer, click the appointment link and reach checkout. A checkout click is not a sale. Confirm paid purchases in the billing system before treating traffic as revenue.
Review the questions people ask. Ten conversations that reveal a confusing price or broken booking link can be more useful than a large page-view count. Fix the problem and repeat the same checks next week.
What should you budget?
The DIY plan is $99.99 per month with a 12-month minimum initial term. Setup is optional and offered separately at checkout. Growth is $297 per month plus a $1,995 implementation fee; Autopilot is $597 per month plus a $4,995 implementation fee. Broader plans include different service and management scopes.
Confirm your AI allowance and limits during onboarding. Voice agents, phone/SMS and email automation are separate from the core messaging package. The pricing guide explains the difference between subscription, implementation and management.
Your first-week checklist
- Write the five common questions and approved answers.
- Choose one action the chatbot should offer.
- Install the website widget and test it on a phone.
- Check human handoff and usage limits.
- Connect one social channel and test it independently.
- Review real questions and improve the source material.
Use the website setup checklist for the installation steps. You can also try the live demo before choosing a plan.