Off-the-shelf chatbots
Pros: fast to install, cheap entry, familiar widget on the site.
Cons: generic answers, no real knowledge of your pricing or process, often disconnected from follow-up and CRM.
Fine for collecting an email. Rarely good for winning a local job where trust and specifics matter.
Custom AI assistants
Built around your services, tone, guardrails and (where needed) live connections to forms, inbox and booking tools.
Pros: answers sound like you, can draft quotes and replies you approve, integrates with workflow.
Cons: higher upfront build, needs a short discovery phase.
How to choose
| Question | Lean off-the-shelf | Lean custom |
|---|---|---|
| Do customers ask detailed questions about your work? | No | Yes |
| Would a wrong answer cost you money? | Unlikely | Yes |
| Is admin repetition eating hours each week? | A little | A lot |
The middle path
Many clients start with a pilot on one workflow (enquiry replies or quote prep), then expand once it proves itself. That is how AI consulting and automation fit together.
TODO: Harrison: add demo widget link when live
Book a call or try the demo assistant on the AI consulting page (coming soon).
More reading
- [Why ChatGPT gives you generic answers](/insights/chatgpt-generic-answers-fix/)
- [What the Bank Quay AI data centre means for Warrington businesses](/insights/bank-quay-ai-data-centre-warrington/)