Summary

FAQs

• What's the difference between AI agents and chatbots?

  Chatbots follow predetermined conversation scripts and provide pre-written answers from a knowledge base. AI agents understand context dynamically, remember previous interactions across sessions and even months, make autonomous decisions based on complex business criteria, trigger actions across multiple systems automatically, learn from outcomes and improve over time, and adapt their responses based on what works for different user types. Think of it as the difference between an answering machine and an experienced executive assistant who deeply understands your business, handles tasks end-to-end with minimal supervision, and gets better at their job every week.

• Which AI models and platforms do you work with?

  All major models depending on your specific requirements and constraints: OpenAI's GPT-5 for sophisticated reasoning and natural conversations, Anthropic's Claude 4.5 Sonnet for nuanced long-form analysis and structured outputs, Google's Gemini 2.5 for multimodal tasks involving images and video, or open-source models like Llama, Qwen, and DeepSeek for data privacy requirements or significant cost optimization at scale. We frequently architect hybrid systems - perhaps Claude 4 for customer-facing interactions where quality matters most, combined with a fine-tuned domain-specific model for specialized internal tasks where you have proprietary training data. Technology choices are driven by your measurable results and ROI, not our preferences or what's currently hyped in the market.

• How does this integrate with our existing applications and tools?

  Primarily through RESTful APIs and webhook connections. Your AI agent connects to any system with an API - databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL), CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho), communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, SMS), project management (Asana, Jira, Monday, ClickUp), payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Square), analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude), document storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, SharePoint), customer support (Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk), e-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce), custom internal applications, literally anything with an API endpoint. If you don't have application infrastructure yet, our Full-Stack MVP Development service can build AI-native applications with intelligent capabilities integrated from the ground up.

• Is this only for customer support or can it automate other business functions?

  AI agents automate knowledge work across every business function. Document analysis and data extraction from PDFs, contracts, and forms. Automated report generation and business intelligence synthesis. Lead qualification, personalized outreach, and sales pipeline management. Content creation at scale with brand voice consistency. System monitoring with intelligent alerting and anomaly detection. Research, competitive analysis, and market intelligence gathering. Meeting transcription, action item extraction, and follow-up automation. Invoice processing, expense categorization, and financial reconciliation. Recruitment screening, candidate evaluation, and interview scheduling. Inventory management, demand forecasting, and supply chain optimization. Essentially any computer-based cognitive task a knowledge worker performs repeatedly, AI can assist significantly, accelerate dramatically, or fully automate with proper implementation.

• Does this service include chatbots and workflow automation?

  Yes - this service covers the full spectrum of intelligent automation capabilities. AI agents (autonomous decision-making systems that coordinate multiple tasks), conversational AI chatbots (customer-facing or internal support with natural language understanding), and workflow automation (orchestrating tasks across multiple platforms based on triggers and conditions) are all included in the scope. The distinction is in sophistication and complexity: simple FAQ chatbots answering common questions are at one end of the spectrum, sophisticated autonomous agents managing your entire operations workflow with minimal human intervention are at the other end. We design and implement the solution that matches your specific needs, budget, and desired level of automation - whether that's a straightforward support chatbot, a complex agent coordinating multi-step business processes, or anything in between.

• What about workflow automation and complex multi-step processes?

  Fully included and central to our AI agent approach. AI without workflow automation is just conversational text generation with limited business value. We integrate deeply with automation platforms like Zapier, Make, and n8n for visual workflow building, or develop custom automation pipelines when your processes require specific logic not available in no-code tools. Your AI agent becomes the intelligent brain orchestrating your entire operation - analyzing inputs with natural language understanding, making contextual decisions based on your business rules, triggering appropriate email sequences with personalized content, updating multiple databases simultaneously across systems, creating tasks with proper assignments and due dates, routing customer requests to the right teams based on complex criteria, escalating exceptions intelligently to human supervisors, and learning which workflows produce the best outcomes. The automation logic can be as sophisticated as your business processes require, from simple linear workflows to complex branching decision trees.

• How do you handle data privacy, security, and compliance requirements?

  Very seriously with multiple implementation architectures depending on your specific requirements. For sensitive data and regulated industries: private cloud deployments on your infrastructure, on-premise AI model hosting without external API calls, data anonymization and encryption layers before any processing, role-based access controls with audit logging, or hybrid architectures where sensitive data never leaves your environment. For compliance needs: GDPR-compliant architectures with data residency controls, HIPAA-ready infrastructure for healthcare applications, SOC 2 security standards implementation, industry-specific compliance frameworks. I have extensive experience architecting enterprise AI systems with strict compliance requirements through our Diakitech European healthcare and financial services clients. Your sensitive data and intellectual property never leave your control unless you explicitly choose cloud-based deployment for convenience and cost optimization - and even then, we implement appropriate encryption, access controls, and data handling policies.

• Who covers AI API costs and cloud infrastructure expenses?

  During development and testing phases, we handle all AI model API costs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.), cloud infrastructure expenses, and development tool subscriptions using our agency accounts. Upon delivery, we transfer everything to your accounts - API keys with usage monitoring configured, cloud hosting access, database credentials, monitoring tools, automation platform connections - with you as the sole owner and administrator. From that point forward, you're responsible for ongoing operational costs. AI API costs vary significantly based on usage volume and model selection: light usage (few hundred conversations monthly with simple queries) typically runs $50-200/month, moderate usage (thousands of interactions with document processing) runs $200-800/month, heavy usage with complex tasks scales accordingly into thousands monthly. We architect cost-efficient systems using techniques like response caching, prompt optimization, and strategic model selection, and we provide detailed usage projections during planning so you have accurate budget expectations. We can also implement cost controls like usage caps and intelligent model switching to minimize your API spend while maintaining quality and user experience.

• What happens after the initial 4-week build and deployment?

  Your AI agent is production-ready, fully functional, and delivering value immediately - but AI systems improve significantly with real-world usage data and continuous optimization. While we don't have a standardized maintenance package listed on Contra, we create custom ongoing optimization arrangements for each client's needs and growth trajectory. This typically includes continuous performance monitoring with detailed analytics and reporting, accuracy improvements and prompt refinement based on actual conversation data, training on new scenarios and edge cases discovered in production usage, capability expansions as your business processes evolve, integration of additional tools and data sources, cost optimization strategies as usage scales, and proactive security updates and compliance monitoring. Message me directly to discuss monthly optimization retainers - most clients invest 10-20 hours monthly for continuous improvement and capability expansion, scaling up as the AI agent becomes more central to operations.

• Can you deliver faster than 4 weeks for urgent automation needs?

  Yes, expedited AI development is possible depending on complexity, integration requirements, and training data availability. We can compress timelines by allocating dedicated senior AI engineering resources and prioritizing your project across our team's capacity. Express delivery typically adds 15-25% to the base price depending on acceleration needed - for example, delivering a functional AI agent with core capabilities in 2-3 weeks instead of 4, or rapid chatbot deployment in 1-2 weeks for simpler use cases with straightforward workflows and minimal integrations. Message me with your deadline, automation goals, and available resources (existing documentation, sample conversations, integration requirements), and we'll provide a detailed custom quote for accelerated delivery with clear milestone commitments.

• What revisions and optimization are included after deployment?

  We include 3 weeks of post-deployment optimization - AI agents need real-world usage data to reach peak performance. During this period, you get 5 major prompt revisions (rewriting core conversation flows, adjusting decision logic, refining response formats) plus unlimited minor tweaks (fixing specific incorrect responses, adjusting tone, updating knowledge base facts). A major revision means reworking substantial conversation logic; minor tweaks are quick fixes to specific responses. After the included 5 major revisions, additional prompt overhauls are $150 each. Beyond the 3-week period, continuous optimization is available through monthly retainers starting at $300/month for 8-10 hours - most clients need this since AI agents improve significantly with ongoing refinement based on user feedback.

• How does payment work and what inputs do I need to provide?

  Payment is structured as 20% non-refundable deposit upfront to initiate AI system architecture and secure our specialized AI engineering capacity, with the remaining 80% due upon final deployment at Week 4. Your deposit is released immediately to us - this is standard practice for AI development agencies since it covers initial discovery, model selection research, and dedicated resource allocation. Our 4-week delivery depends on specific inputs from you: documentation of your business processes and rules, sample conversations or support tickets, API credentials for system integrations, feedback during testing phases, and deployment approval. If you need additional time to compile these materials, that's completely understandable and we'll adjust our timeline. However, invoices remain due according to our delivery schedule, not your internal timeline, because we've reserved senior AI engineering resources exclusively for your project during the agreed period. The included 3-week optimization period and 5 prompt revisions are post-deployment services designed to maximize performance with real-world data - they're part of our commitment to your AI success, not reasons to withhold final payment. Professional relationships work best with clear expectations: we deliver specialized AI expertise and quality implementation, you provide necessary inputs and fulfill payment obligations as agreed.