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AI agents explained

What a customer inquiry agent does

Every business has an inbox full of the same questions: do you deliver here, do you do this kind of job, when can someone come out. A customer inquiry agent reads each message, answers what your own information already covers, asks for whatever is missing, and puts the inquiries worth your time in front of the right person.

Step through an example

Each example business is fictional. Step through what arrives, what the agent does and where a person takes over.

Example: Online furniture store · Austin

  1. Website contact formExample
    • Name: Dana Whitfield
    • Phone: (512) 555-0143
    • Sent: 03/11/2026, 9:42 PM
    • Message: Does the Linden 3-seat sofa come in olive, and can you deliver to 78704 before 03/21? Also, do you take old couches away?

    Step 1 of 5

    Reads the message and finds three separate questions: the color, the delivery date and taking the old sofa away. It looks each one up in your product catalog and delivery calendar.

    Agent does this

  2. Your store informationExample
    • Linden 3-seat sofa · Olive: 4 in stock
    • Next delivery slot for 78704: 03/18/2026
    • White-glove delivery: $149.00
    • Haul-away of old furniture: $75.00 add-on at checkout

    Step 2 of 5

    Replies the same evening: olive is in stock, the earliest delivery is March 18, and haul-away can be added at checkout. Every answer comes from your own catalog and delivery rules, not from guesswork.

    Agent does this

  3. EmailExample
    • From: Dana Whitfield
    • Sent: 03/12/2026, 7:15 AM
    • Great! If I order two sofas and the matching armchair, can you do a better price? It's for a rental property and I may need more pieces later.

    Step 3 of 5

    Spots a request it isn't allowed to answer on its own: a discount on a bigger order. It tells Dana someone from the team will reply today, then passes the conversation to your sales lead.

    Asks a person

  4. New lead in your CRMExample
    • Lead: Dana Whitfield · (512) 555-0143
    • Interested in: 2 × Linden sofa (Olive), 1 × Linden armchair
    • Cart: $4,387.00 · Est. sales tax (8.25%): $361.93
    • Delivery: Austin, TX 78704 · wanted by 03/21/2026
    • Note: buying for a rental property, may order more

    Step 4 of 5

    Creates the lead with everything Dana has said so far, so nobody has to scroll back through the thread or ask her the same questions twice.

    Agent does this

  5. Waiting for your sales leadExample
    • Conversation with Dana Whitfield · 4 messages
    • Asks for: a better price on 2 sofas and 1 armchair
    • Suggested reply: offer free white-glove delivery and haul-away, hold the olive stock for 48 hours
    • Send as is · Edit · Reply yourself

    Step 5 of 5

    Your sales lead sees the whole conversation, the cart and a suggested reply. They decide what to offer, change the wording if they want, and send it. Pricing stays a person's decision.

    A person decides

Example: Building contractor · Leeds

  1. Website enquiry formExample
    • Name: Priya Shah
    • Phone: 07700 900417
    • Postcode: LS8 2QT
    • Received: 14/04/2026, 20:06
    • Message: We're after a rear single-storey extension on a 1930s semi, about 4m deep. Is this something you do, and what's the wait like?

    Step 1 of 5

    Checks the inquiry against the work you take on: rear extensions, inside your area, a size you normally build. It's a good fit, so it replies that evening and asks for the rough width and whether there are drawings yet.

    Agent does this

  2. WhatsAppExample
    • Priya Shah · 21:34
    • Thanks for getting back so quickly! It's roughly 4m x 6m. No architect yet. Do we need planning permission for that?

    Step 2 of 5

    Answers from your own notes: on a semi-detached house, a rear extension deeper than 3 metres usually needs prior approval or full planning permission, and your team confirms which at the survey. Then it asks what your estimator always asks: rough budget and preferred start.

    Agent does this

  3. WhatsAppExample
    • Priya Shah · 21:51
    • Budget is around £60k and we'd love to start in the summer. Could someone pop round this Saturday?

    Step 3 of 5

    Budget and timing fit your rules, but you don't normally do Saturday visits. Instead of saying no, it asks your site manager whether to make an exception or offer a weekday.

    Asks a person

  4. Calendar bookingExample
    • Site visit · Priya Shah
    • Tue 21/04/2026, 08:30–09:30
    • LS8 2QT · rear single-storey extension
    • Attending: Mark (site manager)

    Step 4 of 5

    Mark replies "weekday only", so the agent offers Priya two weekday slots, books the one she picks into his calendar, and sends her a confirmation listing what to have ready for the visit.

    Agent does this

  5. Lead summary for the site visitExample
    • Priya Shah · 07700 900417 · LS8 2QT
    • Job: rear single-storey extension, approx. 4m × 6m, 1930s semi
    • Budget: around £60,000 · Start: summer 2026
    • Planning: prior approval or full planning likely · no drawings yet
    • Site visit: Tue 21/04/2026, 08:30

    Step 5 of 5

    Mark gets one clear summary before the visit instead of a long message thread. From here it's his job: the survey, the price and the relationship are all handled by a person.

    A person decides

Example: Property agency · Brisbane

  1. Rental listing enquiryExample
    • From: Liam Nguyen
    • Mobile: 0491 570 156
    • Re: Merthyr Rd unit, New Farm · A$650 per week
    • Received: 12/05/2026, 6:12 pm
    • Hi, is this unit still available? Are pets OK, I have a small dog. When's the next inspection?

    Step 1 of 5

    Checks the listing: still available, with an open inspection on Saturday. The landlord's notes say pets are considered on application, so it explains how to include the dog in his application rather than promising anything.

    Agent does this

  2. WhatsAppExample
    • Liam Nguyen · 6:40 pm
    • Saturday at 10 works. Can I apply before I see it? I'm moving up from Sydney and can't get there before the weekend.

    Step 2 of 5

    Registers Liam for Saturday's 10:00 inspection, sends him the application link your agency uses, and notes that he's relocating from interstate.

    Agent does this

  3. WhatsAppExample
    • Liam Nguyen · 7:05 pm
    • Also, the ad says $650/wk. Would the owner take $600 if I sign for 12 months?

    Step 3 of 5

    Rent is the owner's decision, never the agent's. It tells Liam his offer will go to the property manager, and passes it on with the conversation attached.

    Asks a person

  4. Inspection registerExample
    • Open inspection · Merthyr Rd unit, New Farm
    • Sat 16/05/2026 · 10:00–10:15
    • Registered: 7 groups
    • Liam Nguyen · 0491 570 156 · relocating from Sydney · small dog · offering A$600/wk for 12 months

    Step 4 of 5

    Keeps the inspection register up to date with each person's key details, so whoever runs the inspection knows who's coming and what they've already asked.

    Agent does this

  5. Needs your decisionExample
    • Rent offer · Merthyr Rd unit, New Farm
    • Listed: A$650 per week · Offered: A$600 per week, 12-month lease
    • Applicant: Liam Nguyen · pet request: small dog
    • Take to owner · Decline · Reply yourself

    Step 5 of 5

    The property manager sees the offer and the pet request side by side, then decides whether to put them to the owner. The agent never negotiates rent or approves pets.

    A person decides

What it connects to

The kinds of tool it works in. Which ones depends on what your business already uses.
  • Website forms and live chat
  • Email inboxes
  • WhatsApp and SMS
  • Your CRM or lead list
  • Calendars and booking tools
  • Your product, price or listing information

Where a person stays in charge

Options you choose when the agent is built, not fixed rules.
  • You can choose to approve every reply before it's sent, at first or for good.
  • You can set the topics it answers on its own, such as opening hours, stock, delivery and availability, and send everything else to a person.
  • You can have it hand over straight away when a customer is upset, mentions a complaint or asks for a person.
  • You can keep discounts, rent, refunds and anything else you choose as decisions only your team makes.

What we'd need from you to build one

  • A few weeks of real inquiries, so we can see what customers actually ask and how your team answers.
  • The information it should answer from: FAQs, price lists, product or listing details, and the areas you cover.
  • Where inquiries arrive today, such as a website form, an inbox or WhatsApp, and where leads should end up.
  • Who on your team takes over, and how they'd like to be told.

Other jobs an agent can do

See how we build it and what it costs · All AI agents explained

Common questions

Will customers know they're talking to an AI?

They should, and we recommend saying so. You choose the wording, for example signing replies as your team's assistant, and you can make sure customers can always ask for a person.

What if it doesn't know the answer?

You can have it say so rather than guess. If your own information doesn't cover the question, it can tell the customer someone will get back to them and pass the conversation to your team.

Can it reply outside business hours?

Yes, if you want it to. You can let it answer routine questions in the evening and hold anything that needs a person until the morning.

Is this just a website chatbot?

No. A chatbot answers questions in one chat window. This agent also takes the actions you allow, like booking a visit or creating a lead, and it works across your inbox and messaging too.

Could a customer inquiry agent help your business?

Walk us through how this work is handled today and we'll tell you honestly whether an agent is worth building for it.