We are a firewood company and thinking about using AI receptionist Some of our rural customers really dislike AI, some use it, some just want to save time and have all virtual interactions. How have your customers responded?
With a rural customer base I'd focus on how it's introduced more than whether to use it. What tends to go over better:
- Don't make it the front door during business hours. Let calls ring you first and send only overflow and after-hours to the AI. Most people would rather talk to a bot at 9pm than a voicemail box.
- Have it say up front that it's an automated assistant and a real person will follow up. People get annoyed when they feel tricked, not when they're told.
- Always give an easy out, like 'say representative and we'll call you back personally.'
- Keep it to simple tasks for firewood: name, address, how many cords, delivery or pickup, stacking, preferred date. It shouldn't be negotiating price.
- Call your regulars back yourself. The AI is for catching new orders you'd otherwise miss.
Listen to the first couple weeks of recordings and tune the script to how your customers actually talk. Disclosure: I'm involved with an AI receptionist for trades, if you want to compare notes: https://firstdeploy.ai
