What It's Actually Like to Have an AI Receptionist for Your Shop

Let's start with what the AI Storefront Receptionist isn't.

It isn't a replacement for you. It isn't a full customer service agent that handles complex complaints. It doesn't know things you haven't told it. And it doesn't pretend to be a human.

What it is: a genuinely useful, always-available AI assistant that sits on your Whizzly storefront and handles the questions that would otherwise land in your WhatsApp inbox at 10pm on a Saturday.

The Questions Every Shop Owner Answers Ten Times a Day

If you've run an online shop for any length of time, you know these:

• "Do you deliver to [area]?"
• "How long does delivery take?"
• "Is [product] suitable for sensitive skin?"
• "What's your return policy?"
• "Can I get [product] in a different size?"
• "Are you open on Sundays?"
• "Do you accept Apple Pay?"

These questions are perfectly reasonable. Answering them 15 times a day is not a good use of your time.

The AI Receptionist handles them.

What It Knows

The AI is trained on your shop's data:

• Your product catalogue: Names, descriptions, prices, variants, availability
• Your policies: Delivery areas, delivery timeframes, return policy, allergen information
• Your business details: Location, hours, contact methods
• Your FAQs: Any specific questions and answers you've added in your knowledge base

It does not make things up. If it doesn't know the answer, it says so clearly and offers to connect the customer with you directly.

How It Appears on Your Storefront

A small chat icon appears in the corner of your storefront. Customers who want to ask a question tap it — it opens a clean chat interface. They type their question, the AI responds, usually within 2–3 seconds.

It's not intrusive. It doesn't pop up uninvited. It's there when customers want it and invisible when they don't.

The Handoff to You

For anything the AI can't handle — a complex custom order, a complaint, a question requiring real judgment — it tells the customer it's connecting them with the shop owner and sends you a WhatsApp message summarising the conversation and the customer's contact details.

You pick up from there, with context already provided.

Setting It Up Right

The AI is only as good as the information you give it. The setup process involves:

1. Reviewing your auto-generated FAQ: Whizzly AI reads your shop data and generates a suggested FAQ. You confirm, edit, and add anything specific to your business.
2. Setting the handoff threshold: How confident does the AI need to be before answering vs. escalating to you?
3. Choosing a tone: Formal and professional, warm and friendly, or something in between

We recommend spending 20–30 minutes on the initial setup. The more accurate your FAQ, the better the AI performs.

Honesty About Limitations

AI assistants are good at structured Q&A. They're less good at nuanced, empathetic conversations — the kind where a customer is frustrated and needs to feel heard, not just answered.

For those situations, the handoff to you matters. Don't try to automate everything. The goal is to handle the routine so you're free to focus on the human moments that actually need you.

Activation

Dashboard → Powerups → 24/7 AI Storefront Receptionist. The setup wizard walks you through the FAQ build and tone settings.

Included in Pro with 1,000 monthly AI tokens. Available on Starter as a modular add-on.