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What Are AI Assistants: An Introduction

Everyone's heard of AI by now, but many people have no idea what conversational AI assistants are.

I build AI assistants to help companies optimize and scale their business, when i first started, I had no idea just how powerful they are, and have since been blown away by what they can do.

Here's an example: I have a client who needed a DBR (database reactivation) campaign, so I set them up with an AI assistant who could handle conversations when leads responded in the campaign

Within the first week of our active campaign, my AI assistant helped book 20 appointments! Even crazier, a majority of the appointments were booked on a Saturday, the assistant booked 15 appointments before noon - completely automated.

I know, I didn't believe it at first either! But it's true, and i'm excited to help more of my clients scale on autopilot.

I'm going to answer 20 frequently asked questions about AI assistants to help you understand what they are, what they can do, and how you can get started building your own.

Let's dive in.

General Questions About AI Assistants

1. What IS an AI assistant?

   An AI assistant is a digital tool that uses artificial intelligence to help businesses automate tasks such as answering questions, setting appointments, and engaging with leads or customers via SMS, email, web chat, and social media.

2. How does an AI assistant work?

   The answer for this could be a blog post on its own, and in time, it will be. For now, I'll say this: An AI assistant uses natural language processing (NLP) and pre-trained workflows to understand and respond to messages. Depending on which tools you're using, they can integrate with communication platforms to streamline interactions. These assistants leverage machine learning (ML) to continuously learn from past interactions, improving their responses over time. They are designed to understand and respond to user inputs through conversational interactions, providing accurate and timely assistance.

They’re set up with a specific knowledge base and prompting to guide it on what to say and how to respond.

I only use Closebot.ai assistants for GoHighLevel, but there are a few options out there. (A lot more coming on this tool)

3. What types of AI assistants are there?

   AI assistants can be categorized based on their functionalities and purposes. There are task-oriented assistants that focus on specific tasks, conversation-oriented assistants that engage in more natural and fluid dialogues, and decision-making assistants that help in making informed decisions. If you want to utilize AI assistants, it's important to understand how to prompt them for each category.

4. What are the benefits of using an AI assistant?

   AI assistants save time through enhanced lead engagement: Instead of needing a team member for all inbound leads on your website, or texting in, an AI assistant can easily handle all of those conversations like a pro, AND do that with multiple leads at once.

   This leads to improved customer satisfaction by providing quick and accurate responses. Also, when you don't need a team member to handle your webchat or leads texting in, you'll save money in overhead. Why take the time and money to hire someone new when you can have a customized AI assistant that can handle questions and objectives like your best employee?

5. What industries can benefit from an AI assistant?

   AI assistants are extremely versatile! I would argue they can benefit every industry, but here are some specific industries: Real estate, healthcare, retail, education, e-commerce, pet solutions.

   Really, any business that has a website, hosts events, or sells goods and services can benefit from an AI assistant.

6. Is an AI assistant the same as a chatbot?

   Not exactly. While both serve communication purposes, an AI assistant is more advanced, capable of understanding context and performing complex tasks like scheduling and follow-ups.

   A chat bot is generally connected to predetermined workflows and messages, while an AI can adjust messages to match the conversation. For example: If a lead asks a chatbot a question, it can only respond with specific responses that might not accurately answer the leads question. An AI assistant can understand what the lead is asking for and provide an accurate answer based on your business information and goals.

Use Cases for AI Assistants

7. Can an AI assistant schedule appointments?

   Yes! Depending on the AI assistant tool, (I use Closebot) it can check availability, book appointments, and. even help the client reschedule if you want! Again, this can all be automated as well!

8. How does an AI assistant handle lead follow-ups?

   If you're using Closebot, it has smart follow ups, which means if the person asks to follow up in a couple days, it will create it's own follow up! Otherwise, you can create follow up workflow and send a message to your AI assistant to follow up with a personalized message.

9. Can an AI assistant handle database reactivation?

   Yes, it can reach out to inactive contacts through SMS, email, or other platforms to re-engage them.

   Generally, it's best to start with a generic message until a lead responds, when that happens you can trigger the AI assistant which will provide the lead a personalized experience.

10. Can an AI assistant reschedule appointments?

    Absolutely! (In truth, not all AI assistant tools can do this, but the one I'm using can😏) It can check availability, adjust scheduling, and you can set it up to be notified when this happens.

    Although AI assistants can reschedule appointments for a lead, it's important to consider how it will impact your leadflow process. It might make more sense to turn the AI off after it books an appointment so it doesn't interfere with other conversation with the lead. (I'll talk about this more in depth in another post.)

11. Can the AI assistant answer questions from social media messages?

    Yes! I use GoHighLevel which integrates with social media platforms to respond to inquiries and direct conversations as needed.

Technical and Customization Questions About an AI Assistant

12. Can I customize my AI assistant to match my business needs?

    Of course you can! That's literally my entire thing. lol

    AI assistants can be tailored to your industry, branding, and specific workflows.

    I train AI assistants on my clients business, how they respond, and everything it needs to know to provide their leads the best possible experience.

13. What platforms does the AI assistant integrate with?

    Again, it depends on the tool you're using, but generally they integrates with SMS, email, web chat, and social media platforms like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

14. How does the AI assistant learn to respond to specific questions?

    I briefly touched on this above; It is trained using a database of FAQs, specific scenario guides, and business-specific information. Additionally, it leverages conversational context to analyze user interactions over time, improving response accuracy and personalization.

    For example: If you texted back and forth with a lead about a product their interested in but they stopped responding, if you sent them through a DBR campaign with an AI assistant, the AI will understand the context from your previous conversation.

15. Does the AI assistant require coding knowledge to use?

    No, the setup and usage are designed to be user-friendly, with no coding required. Again, i use Closebot.ai if you want to check it out! (I'm telling you, it's changing the game for those using GoHighLevel in 2025 and on)

16. How secure is the AI assistant when handling sensitive data?

    AI assistants comply with data protection regulations and use encryption to ensure data security. It's encrypted as much as your other tools are, but some may not comply with HIPPA laws, it's important to know what rules apply to your industry.

Operational and ROI Questions About AI Assistants

17. How quickly can I see results after implementing an AI assistant?

    Generally, it takes about 2-3 weeks for an AI assistant to be fully built and tested and many businesses see improved engagement and time savings within the first month of deployment.

    If you're just looking to create more personalized experience for leads, that can happen the same day of deployment.

18. Can an AI assistant handle multiple tasks at once?

    Yes, it is designed to multitask and manage several conversations or workflows simultaneously.

    Imagine having a team of 5 getting 20-30 leads come in and instead of potentially losing a majority of them, your AI can have a conversation with every lead simultaneously! That's exactly what an AI assistant will do. *🎤 ↓ (mic drop)

19. Will an AI assistant replace human staff?

    I'll answer this two ways, the most important answer first - No, it complements your team by automating repetitive tasks, allowing staff to focus on high-value activities. There will be times when the system is down and you'll need team members to address clients.

    On the other hand, it can and does replace human staff. Many business hire call centers to handle inbound leads either through calls or on a webchat. An AI assistant can handle those tasks at a fraction of the price of an employee, AND it can handle more than one conversation at the same time... People need to prepare and plan for AI assistants in their business.

20. How do I measure the effectiveness of my AI assistant?

    Of course, it depends on the overall goal of the AI assistant, but you can record metrics like appointments booked, reactivated leads, the amount of conversations happening at the same time, lead conversion rates, and customer satisfaction can help measure its impact.

    What support is available for maintaining my AI assistant?

    If you're building an assistant for yourself or clients, you'll be the main support, alongside the support team of the tool you're using. If you're paying someone, like me to build your AI, you'll submit a support ticket with the issue and i'll be on that shit right away!