Customer chatbot
Answers common questions, checks order and shipment status, and takes requests and returns on your website, WhatsApp, or Messenger. Complex cases go to a rep with the conversation history.
AI assistants and chatbots
AI Chatbots for Business and AI Assistants for Your Team
Join.To.IT builds chatbots that answer customers and dealers on your website, WhatsApp, or Microsoft Teams, and AI assistants that help your team with documents and internal questions. Both work with your ERP and CRM. We work with mid-size and large companies, start with an audit, and launch a pilot in 2–5 weeks.
- Answers from your data, not generic text
- A pilot on one use case in 2–5 weeks
- A person approves anything that matters
- 01 Request and data audit
- 02 Pilot on one use case
- 03 Rollout to other channels
- 04 Support and tuning
Routine customer questions should not wait for a rep
Sales and support teams answer the same questions every day: is this item in stock, what is this customer’s price, where is the shipment, how do I return something. Each answer means opening the ERP, the CRM, or a carrier’s tracking page. The customer waits, and the rep has no time for requests that actually need a person.
This is where AI is useful in business: the bot pulls data from your systems and answers in seconds, and it hands complex or unusual requests to a person with the full context. Inside the company, an AI assistant finds answers in policies and manuals, reads incoming documents, and drafts emails.
You do not need to build a complex AI platform first. Start with one use case that has a high volume of similar requests, measure the result, and only then add more.
What an AI chatbot or assistant can do for your business
Each use case can be launched on its own. We set the order after the audit, based on request volume and expected effect.
Bot for dealers and field reps
Stock, customer-specific prices, order placement, invoices, and account statements right in chat. Data comes from the ERP in real time.
AI assistant on your internal knowledge base
Answers staff questions from your policies, manuals, and contracts in Slack or Teams and shows which document each answer comes from.
Document and email processing
AI reads incoming invoices, delivery notes, and orders from email or PDF, extracts details and line items, and creates draft records in the ERP for review.
AI agents for business
Agents that do more than answer: they create orders, CRM tasks, and customer emails. A person approves every important action, and every action is logged.
How we work
Each stage ends with a working result, and you decide whether to continue.
- 01
Process audit
We analyze customer and staff requests, group them by topic, and check where the data for answers lives and which of it is sensitive. Usually 1 week.
Outcome A list of use cases with request volumes and data requirements
- 02
Pilot on one process
We launch the bot or assistant on one use case and one channel, first for a subset of users, and check answer accuracy on real conversations. Usually 2–5 weeks.
Outcome A working bot and the measured share of requests resolved without a person
- 03
Rollout
We add use cases, channels, and integrations, set up hand-off to reps, and add reporting. Usually 1–3 months.
Outcome Bots and assistants in every channel you need
- 04
Support
We review conversations the bot handled poorly, update the knowledge base, track AI model costs, and switch to newer models when it pays off. Billed monthly.
Outcome Answers that get more accurate over time
How much it costs
The price depends on the number of use cases and channels, integrations with your systems, and data storage requirements.
| Option | Pilot | One process | End-to-end program |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Audit plus a bot for one use case in one channel, with one integration | A bot or AI assistant for a full process: several use cases, ERP and CRM integration | Bots, assistants, and AI agents for several departments, with support |
| Timeline | 2–5 weeks | 1–3 months | 3–9 months, in phases |
| Good fit when | You want to see how AI handles your actual requests | One type of request takes the most time | AI is part of the company’s development plan |
| Typical budget | $6,000–$15,000 | $15,000–$45,000 | From $45,000 |
These are indicative ranges; you get an exact estimate after the audit. AI model usage depends on request volume and is billed separately. You do not have to automate every request: start with one use case and add more in phases.
Rule-based bot or AI bot?
Not every use case needs AI. Often the best setup combines buttons for routine actions with AI for free-form questions.
| Question | Rule-based bot | AI bot |
|---|---|---|
| How it talks | Buttons and pre-written answers | Understands free-form questions |
| Running cost | Close to zero after launch | Pay per model request |
| Risk of errors | Minimal | Needs guardrails and answer review |
| Good fit for | Order status, bookings, simple requests | Consultations, knowledge base, document processing |
Channels, models, and systems
We choose the model for the task and your data requirements: cloud APIs or a model on your own servers. The final integration list is agreed after the audit.
- Website chat
- WhatsApp Business
- Facebook Messenger
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- OpenAI API
- Claude API
- Azure OpenAI
- Self-hosted models
- NetSuite
- SAP Business One
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Zendesk and Intercom
- Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
- Excel and PDF documents
Example
What a chatbot pilot can look like
This is an illustration, not a specific client case. Take an auto parts distributor serving several hundred repair shops and stores. Every day reps get hundreds of identical questions by phone and WhatsApp: is this part in stock, what is our price, when will it ship, where is the delivery. A reply can take half an hour, and some customers order from a competitor instead.
The pilot is a WhatsApp bot for trade customers. It finds a part by name or part number, shows stock and the customer’s price from the ERP, takes the order, and sends the tracking number. Questions the bot cannot answer with confidence go straight to a rep with the conversation history.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AI chatbot development cost?
A bot for one use case usually costs $6,000–$15,000 and launches in 2–5 weeks. A bot or AI assistant for a full process with ERP and CRM integration is typically $15,000–$45,000. Multi-department solutions start around $45,000. AI model usage is billed separately. We give an exact estimate after the audit.
Where is our data stored, and is it safe to send it to AI?
It depends on the model. Under their business terms, the OpenAI, Anthropic, and Azure OpenAI APIs do not use your data to train models, and EU data residency options are available. For sensitive data, a model can run on your own servers so nothing leaves the company. We send the model only the data it needs, separate access rights, and log every request, which also helps with GDPR obligations.
How can AI help a business?
AI helps most where there is a lot of repetitive text work: answering repeat questions, searching policies, reading invoices and orders from email, drafting replies. It does not replace your ERP or the people who make decisions, but it takes routine work off their plate. Start with one use case where the result is easy to measure.
What is the difference between an AI agent and a chatbot?
A chatbot answers questions. An AI agent can also act: create an order in the ERP, add a task in the CRM, send an email, or update a status. That raises the bar: clear limits on allowed actions, human approval for anything important, and a log of every action. We usually start with a bot and add an agent once the use case is proven.
Can an AI bot make mistakes or invent answers?
It can, so we restrict its sources: the bot answers only from your data and documents, and if the answer is not there, it says so and hands the question to a person. Before launch we test it on real requests, and after launch we regularly review conversations where it got things wrong and fix the knowledge base or rules.
How long does chatbot development take?
The audit takes about a week. A pilot on one use case takes 2–5 weeks, including testing on real requests. A bot for a full process with several use cases and integrations takes 1–3 months. Larger projects with AI agents across departments are split into stages, each delivering a working result.