AI Chatbot Development
Handbuilt builds custom AI chatbots for small business websites and internal tools, starting at $1,000 CAD. Each chatbot is trained on your actual business content — your services, pricing, FAQs, and policies — so it answers like someone who knows your business, not like a generic customer service bot.
The problem
Generic chatbot platforms give you a template that says "Hi! How can I help you today?" and then either fails to answer or routes the visitor to a contact form anyway. Your customers leave. The tool adds no value. You turn it off after 60 days.
What this looks like in practice
Picture a dental clinic adding an AI chatbot trained on their services, insurance FAQ, booking process, and office policies. A well-trained chatbot on a clinic site can reasonably handle the majority of incoming chat inquiries without human intervention — the questions are predictable and the answers don't change often. After-hours questions that previously went unanswered until morning get handled on the spot. The exact self-serve rate depends on how much of your chat traffic is standard FAQ versus unusual requests.
How it works
- 1
Content audit — We gather your services list, FAQs, pricing (if public), policies, and any common customer questions. This becomes the chatbot's training base.
- 2
Build & train — We build the chatbot, train it on your content, and tune its responses to match your tone — direct, friendly, or professional depending on your brand.
- 3
Website integration — We embed it on your site with a branded widget that fits your design. Connects to your booking tool or CRM if needed.
- 4
Test & refine — You review a set of test conversations. We adjust tone, coverage gaps, and any answers that aren't quite right before going live.
Custom chatbot vs. chatbot builder platform
Platforms like Tidio, Intercom's Fin, or Drift's AI bots are fast to set up and fine for large companies with dedicated support teams. For a small business, they have three problems: monthly fees that stack up ($100–400/mo+), limited ability to train on your specific content without significant manual effort, and a one-size-fits-all answer style that doesn't sound like you. A Handbuilt chatbot is trained on your content specifically, priced as a flat build, and doesn't cost you a monthly platform fee to keep running.
What your chatbot can handle
Service and pricing questions, appointment and booking inquiries (with a link or direct integration to your booking system), FAQ coverage (insurance, location, hours, policies), lead capture (name, email, what they need — routed to your CRM or inbox), and after-hours coverage so a visitor at 11pm gets useful information instead of silence. What it doesn't do: replace human judgment for complex or sensitive conversations. Those get flagged and handed to you.
Who this is for
Local service businesses with websites that get traffic but low conversion — dental clinics, real estate agents, contractors, legal offices, clinics, home services. Also internal-use cases: small teams who want an AI that knows the employee handbook, product catalog, or internal policies without having to call someone to ask. The $1,000 Starter package is the right fit for most single-location businesses.
What you get
- A chatbot trained on your specific business content
- After-hours coverage without after-hours staffing cost
- Seamless handoff to human or booking link when the bot reaches its limit
- Branded widget that matches your website design
- Plain English editing — update your chatbot's knowledge without technical help
- Flat price starting at $1,000 CAD, no per-conversation fees
Recommended package
Starter AI Setup
Live in ~5 business days
One AI win, live in days.
Get a Chatbot QuoteCommon questions
ChatGPT doesn't know anything about your business unless you feed it that information carefully. A Handbuilt chatbot is built with your content embedded, your tone configured, and your specific use case in mind — plus it integrates with your site and tools, not just a generic chat interface.
Want this built for your business?
Tell us about your setup and we'll send a plan and a fixed quote within one business day.