Updated 7 October 2026
An AI chatbot can help with repetitive questions, but it also creates another service to maintain. Start with the customer problem before choosing the technology.
Fix the information first
List the questions you answer most often. If visitors cannot find your hours, service area, pricing approach or contact details, improve those pages first. A clear FAQ may solve the problem with less cost and less maintenance.
Give the bot a narrow job
A useful first trial might explain published services or direct people to the right page. Keep it away from approving quotes, promising delivery dates or making commitments on your behalf. Generative answers can be wrong even when they sound confident. Make the bot disclose that it is automated and offer an obvious route to a person.
Check privacy and ownership
Before connecting a tool, ask what conversation data it stores, where it goes, how long it is retained and whether it is used to train models. Avoid inviting sensitive information into chat. Review the provider agreement and your privacy notice with the people responsible for your privacy obligations.
Test the awkward questions
Try outdated prices, unsupported services, refund demands, ambiguous wording and instructions that try to make the bot ignore its limits. Test keyboard access and mobile use too. Name the person who will maintain its source information, review failures and turn it off if needed.
Your next move
Run a small trial with a clear baseline: enquiries resolved correctly, time saved, errors and total monthly cost. Keep it only if it makes customer service better. ITG can help you improve the website information that any chat feature depends on.
Further reading: Canadian privacy guidance for generative AI.
About the Author
Tina Kempling, the Lean Green Team Leader at Imagine That with over 35 years of experience in the print industry, newspaper and magazine advertising.
As an industry-certified designer since 1991, Tina knows her stuff when it comes to marketing vision. But what sets her apart is her understanding of advertising and marketing in today’s digital and print market. She can help companies tap into the incredible marketing power in new and creative ways. Ready to take your marketing game to the next level? Give Tina a shout!