The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Back to feedPost
17 months ago, we launched an AI chatbot for a small business client.
Here's an honest update.
Two months in, the numbers were modest.
80 conversations. 708 messages. 14% conversation-to-lead rate.
Not bad. But most visitors still preferred the contact form.
So we left it running.
We watched how people used it and made improvements. Nothing major.
17 months later:
1,350 conversations. 179 leads. 13.2% conversion rate.
At 16x the volume, the quality held almost exactly.
But there was a real shift around July 2025 that’s worth pointing out.
1. Average chats per month doubled, from 40 to 79.
A clear sign that where conversations are taking place is changing. People are no longer browsing sites in the same way.
They want their questions answered fast, and if you can’t deliver that, you miss out.
2. The chatbot became the #1 lead source on the site
From July 2025 onwards, the chatbot has consistently driven more leads than the forms, and that's held through 2026.
3. The average conversation runs 9 messages deep.
These are not quick FAQ lookups.
Some conversations span materials, pricing, customisation, planning permission and delivery.
These are real pre-sales conversations handled without a team member in the room.
PS: Only 3 thumbs down in 17 months. We'll take that.
@Cian Condon
Great data the July 2025 shift is something we've seen too.
I've also Built an AI sales agent for a client that does exactly this: qualifies visitors through conversation, scores leads in real time, and if the score crosses a threshold, automatically schedules a meeting...
Good work. Yeah as the industry shifts customer behavior does so as well
Yea at 2-3 months in, it might have looked like a wasted effort. But slow and steady people feel more comfortable interacting this way.
Tracking it from the get go was a good standard to implement 👍
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Related posts
Built a system that re-engages your past clients automatically that feels personal.
Not a newsletter. Not a cold email blast.
Every email lands in the original thread. Matches the tone. References the exact inquiry. Reads like a human followed up.
First user: 2,300+ clients re-engaged. 18% reply rate. 26 bookings. 3.8x ROI. First conversion in 72 hours. Zero manual outreach.
The leads were always there. They just needed one more touch point.
Impressive!
Just published a new cinematic wellness campaign for Nutrilensy ✨
This project was focused on creating a calm, modern, and luxury-inspired wellness atmosphere through AI-powered storytelling, cinematic lighting, and minimal visual direction.
I wanted the campaign to feel more emotional and lifestyle-driven rather than traditional advertising.
Would love to hear your thoughts 💭
The "luxury-minimalist" approach is perfect for the wellness niche, it makes the brand feel premium and trustworthy rather than just "salesy." Focusing on emotion over traditional advertising is exactly how high-end brands are winning in 2026.
One quick tip: When you share this...
When we started building Mably, one thing kept frustrating us over and over again.
Client communication was everywhere.
WhatsApp for quick updates.
Slack for discussions.
Email for approvals.
Loom for explanations.
And after a few weeks, both freelancers and clients start losing context.
So while building Mably, we decided every project should have its own built-in chat.
Not because “chat” is a cool feature.
But because projects feel smoother when conversations stay connected to the actual work.
Clients can ask questions right where the task, file, invoice, or deliverable exists.
Freelancers don’t have to scroll through endless messages trying to find one approval from 3 weeks ago.
A lot of Mably is being built this way honestly — not from startup ideas, but from real frustrations we’ve faced while managing freelance projects ourselves for years.
This is just one small part of what we’re building.
You can have a look here if curious: mably.io 👀
We’re also welcoming a few beta testers right now, so if you’d like to try it for free, let me know.
Cool!
Trending
Claude
Claude has entered the design space. How are you using Claude Design?
Contra University
Learn from expert creatives how to earn more using next-gen AI tools.
creativeaiflow
Creative AI workflows are evolving. What tools do you use, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?
portfolioreview
The best portfolios tell a story, not just show a grid. Share yours for feedback.
freelancerlife
Freelancer life is wins, pivots, and everything in between. What’s yours right now?