- A website chat helper answers common questions from your own wording, any time of day, and passes anything it cannot answer to you as an enquiry.
- AI can draft replies to emails and enquiries in your tone. For anything involving money, complaints or judgement, a person checks the draft before it goes.
- Answers can be given in the language the customer wrote in, such as Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi or te reo Māori, using answers you approved in English.
- Everything is built in your own accounts. Data is handled under the Privacy Act 2020 and never used to train anyone's AI model.
Why customers want a quick answer
Most enquiries arrive when you are busy: on a job, with a client, or after hours. The questions are usually simple. Are you open on Saturday? Do you come to Albany? Roughly what does it cost? How do I book?
When nobody answers for a day, many people simply ask the next business on the list. A quick, accurate answer keeps them with you, and it does not have to mean you are glued to your phone.
Two ways we help
A chat helper on your website
A small "Ask us" button sits on every page. Visitors type a question and get an answer straight away, written from your own approved wording: your services, areas, opening hours, policies and how to book. Common questions can be offered as one-tap buttons.
When the question is outside what you have approved, the chat says so and offers the next step instead: book a call, leave a message or ring you. Messages arrive in your inbox like any other enquiry, with the visitor's question attached.
AI-drafted replies in your inbox
For emails and form enquiries, AI can read the message, pick out what the person is asking and draft a reply in your tone, using your price guide and policies. You read it, change anything you like, and send. Routine replies, such as booking confirmations, can go straight out once you are happy with how they work.
Answers in your customers' languages
Auckland customers speak many languages. A visitor who writes in Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi or te reo Māori can get an answer in that language, built from the answers you approved in English. Our own chat helper on this site works this way, so you can try it before deciding.
What a chat helper usually answers
- Opening hours, location and the areas you cover
- What you do and what you do not do
- Rough prices or how pricing works
- How booking works, and a link to book
- Payment options, cancellations and refunds
- What to bring, how long it takes, and what happens next
You can see every question visitors asked, including the ones it could not answer, so you know which answers to add next. Over a few weeks it covers most of what customers actually ask.
Where a person should stay in charge
Some messages need judgement: a complaint, a quote for an unusual job, anything to do with money owed or health details. We set these up so the draft waits for a person to check it. You decide which replies go straight out and which wait for you.
Built on the tools you already use
Email replies work inside Microsoft 365 (Outlook) or Google Workspace (Gmail). Enquiries can be recorded in a Google Sheet, an Excel file or your client list, and booking links point to the system you already use. You keep the accounts and the logins.
Your data and privacy
Questions and messages can include personal information. They are handled under the Privacy Act 2020, data we store for you is hosted in New Zealand or Australia, and it is never used to train anyone's AI model. Our guide to the Privacy Act 2020 and automation sets out what to check before you start.
How it works
- Free session. We look at the questions you get most and where they arrive: website, email, phone or social media.
- Your answers. We write the answers together, in your words, and agree what should always come to a person.
- Build and test. Usually one to two weeks. We test it on real questions before it goes live.
- Improve. Fixes and tweaks are free for the first 30 days, while we add answers for the questions people actually ask.
Want to see it working first? Ask the chat helper on this page anything about our services. For the bigger picture, read our guide to AI customer replies for small business, or look at everything we automate.
Common questions
What is the difference between a chatbot and AI replies?
A chatbot sits on your website and answers visitors straight away, like the Ambs Bot on this site. AI replies work in your email inbox: when an enquiry arrives, a draft answer is ready for you to check and send. Many businesses start with one and add the other later.
Will the chatbot make things up?
It answers from the wording you approve, such as your services, prices, areas and policies. When a question is outside that, it says so and offers to take a message or book a call, rather than guessing.
Can it answer in other languages?
Yes. Auckland customers write in many languages. Answers you approve in English can be given in the customer's language, and you can see every question that was asked.
What does it cost?
It depends on what the chat needs to know and where replies need to go, so we do not publish a price list. After the free session you get a written plan, and the scope and price are agreed in writing before any work starts.
Do I need a new website?
Usually not. A chat helper can be added to most websites. If your site is hard to change or slow, we will tell you honestly in the free session and show you the options.