How to set up and use AI Customer Support

AI Customer Support is an assistant on your Annuvell Local profile that answers customers' questions using only the information you have approved. It is available on the Premium plan and above, and you switch it on per business from AI Apps in your dashboard.

What it does

When a customer opens your profile they see Ask [your business name] and can type a question. The assistant:

• answers common questions about what you do and how you work;
• explains the services you have listed;
• gives the opening hours, phone number, email address and website on your listing;
• repeats the booking, cancellation and contact policies you have written;
• points the customer to the next step you have described, such as calling, booking or sending an enquiry;
• when it cannot answer, says so and suggests contacting you or sending an enquiry instead;
• if the AI Lead Assistant is also active, lets the customer ask you to contact them, which becomes an enquiry in your dashboard.

Answers are checked against your approved information before they are shown. If an answer contains a figure (a price, a time, a number) that does not appear in your information, the customer sees this instead: "I cannot confirm that from the approved business information. Please contact the business or send an enquiry."

What information to provide

The assistant can only work with what you give it. Review these, on your listing and in the AI Customer Support configuration under Configure on the app card:

• business name and description;
• the services you offer, one per line;
• products, if customers ask about them;
• the areas you serve;
• opening hours;
• phone, email and the contact method you prefer;
• website address;
• how booking works and whether an appointment is needed;
• indicative pricing, only if you want the assistant to mention prices;
• your cancellation policy;
• your refund or returns policy, where it applies;
• accessibility information;
• parking and directions, if customers ask;
• delivery or collection arrangements;
• frequently asked questions: the FAQs you approve in your AI profile workspace are used, others are not;
• restrictions or exclusions customers should know about;
• contact instructions: what a customer should do to reach a person;
• escalation instructions: when the assistant should stop answering and hand over to you;
• assistant guidance: anything else about how you want questions handled.

Better source information produces better answers. Short, factual sentences work best; the assistant does not need marketing copy.

Information the assistant must not invent

The assistant is built to answer only from your approved information. It must never make up:

• services, products or stock;
• prices, discounts or offers;
• opening hours or availability;
• appointment slots;
• delivery times;
• guarantees or warranties;
• accreditations, licences, insurance or qualifications;
• policies of any kind.

If something is missing from your information, the right outcome is that the assistant says it cannot confirm it and directs the customer to you. If you see it state something you did not provide, remove or correct the source text and tell us through the contact form.

Example questions customers ask

• What services do you offer?
• Are you open on Saturdays?
• How can I book?
• Do you cover my area?
• Do I need an appointment?
• Is there parking?
• What is your cancellation policy?
• How much does a particular service cost?
• Can I speak to someone?

Every one of these is answered from your data. If the answer is not in your data, the customer is told so.

Test before you activate

Use Configure to complete your information, then, before you press Activate, check your profile page as a customer would and ask at least:

1. an opening-hours question;
2. a question about one of your services;
3. a price question;
4. a location or service-area question;
5. a booking question;
6. a question you do not cover, to confirm it says it cannot confirm the answer;
7. a request to speak to a person, to confirm it gives your contact instructions.

Read every answer. If one is wrong or incomplete, fix the source information and ask again. Only activate when you are happy with all of them.

Keeping the assistant accurate

The assistant reads your current information each time it answers, so it is only as up to date as your listing. When anything changes, update it straight away:

• opening hours, including holidays;
• prices, if you disclose them;
• services you add or stop offering;
• phone, email and website;
• policies;
• the areas you serve.

Stale information produces outdated answers. Review your listing whenever your business changes and at least every few months.

What customers experience

Customers see the assistant on your Annuvell Local profile. Each conversation is limited in length, and a customer who needs more is told to contact you. If the assistant is switched off, your profile shows the standard enquiry option instead. Conversations are recorded so that you can see how many took place on the app card.

Security and privacy

• Never ask customers for passwords, and do not encourage them to type card details or other payment information into the chat.
• Do not request highly sensitive information (health, financial or identity details) through the assistant unless the product explicitly supports it; it does not today.
• Customer messages and contact requests follow Annuvell Local's Privacy Policy.
• Keep your profile accurate: it is the only thing the assistant speaks from.

Updating or deactivating

Everything the assistant uses can be changed at any time under Configure; changes apply to the next conversation. To switch the assistant off, press Deactivate on the app card. Your profile returns to the standard enquiry form immediately, and you can activate it again later.