What is an AI assistant, and why would a small business need one?

1. When a button menu is no longer enough

A conventional bot follows predefined steps: select a service, leave contact details or receive a reminder. An AI assistant becomes useful when customers ask questions in their own words and combine several requirements in one message.

For example, a guest asks about an evening for six people with food. A useful answer needs information about available visit formats, the kitchen and booking rules. The assistant draws on an approved knowledge base and asks for missing details.

2. Tasks you can delegate

• Answer recurring questions about prices, services and opening hours.
• Clarify dates, event formats, party size and preferences.
• Send a manager contact details and a short conversation summary.
• Notify the responsible employee about an urgent enquiry.
• Operate on the website, VK or Telegram, in the agreed channels.

3. Set clear limits

The knowledge base needs current prices, rules and terms. If information is missing or a customer requests an exception, handing the conversation to an employee is more useful than continuing with assumptions.

Checking availability, creating a booking and updating a CRM require connections to those systems. A conversational interface alone does not provide access to the booking calendar.

4. Prepare the first launch

Gather your price list, service descriptions, rules and examples of real questions. Decide with your team which answers can be given immediately and which situations require a person.

Test unclear questions, expired promotions, discount requests and urgent bookings before launch. Start with a manager-supervised pilot to refine wording and conversation handovers.

5. Evaluate the business value

MAYAK SOFT lists implementation from RUB 100,000 and support from RUB 7,000 per month. The estimate depends on channels, the knowledge base and integrations.

Establish a baseline: enquiry volume, response delays and completed purchases. Compare the pilot against that baseline while accounting for setup and running costs. Additional revenue is not the same as profit.

6. Choose your starting point

A scripted bot may be enough when enquiries are limited and every action is predictable. If customers regularly write open-ended messages, repeat questions and wait for staff, test an assistant in one channel.

Bring several typical conversations to the diagnostic call. They help define the first pilot and the criterion you will use to decide whether to expand it.