Answer customer product questions with an AI store assistant

A chat assistant answers product, price, and stock questions in real time and can even build a materials quote.

How the work actually flows

It branches. Exactly one path is taken.

Pattern: Exclusive Choice (4) · Simple Merge (5)

flowchart TD trig>"customer asks a question"]:::trig s0["look up stock and pricing"]:::svc s1["respond to customer"]:::task trig --> s0 gx{"× product question or project question"}:::gate s0 --> gx p00["return price or stock answer"]:::task gx -->|"product question"| p00 p10["calculate materials needed"]:::task gx -->|"project question"| p10 p11["build quote"]:::task p10 --> p11 jn{"○ send response"}:::gate p00 --> jn p11 --> jn jn --> s1 out[/"instant answer or materials quote"/]:::out pay{{"answers customers without pulling staff away"}}:::pay s1 --> out out --> pay classDef task fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#34b8f0,color:#2c2a29 classDef svc fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#7c8795,color:#2c2a29 classDef mi fill:#e7f6fe,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29,stroke-width:2px classDef human fill:#fff,stroke:#0079a8,color:#0079a8 classDef store fill:#f6f8fa,stroke:#0079a8,color:#2c2a29 classDef trig fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigtime fill:#00a4eb,stroke:#0079a8,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef trigdata fill:#8ad4f5,stroke:#0079a8,color:#06314c,font-weight:bold classDef gate fill:#fff,stroke:#e8a23d,color:#6b4708,font-weight:bold classDef out fill:#1f9d6b,stroke:#167a53,color:#fff,font-weight:bold classDef pay fill:#06314c,stroke:#021f33,color:#fff
Starts itA stepAn outside serviceOne path onlyPaths rejoinResultPayoff
Build size
Advanced

A larger build with multiple systems, AI reasoning, and custom rules.

Business functions
AI Agents & Autonomous SystemsAI Chatbots & AssistantsSpreadsheet & Database Ops
Connects
PostgreSQLGoogle Gemini

The problem it solves

Customers ask about stock, pricing, or what materials they need for a project, and answering every question by phone or in person pulls staff away from other work. Building a materials quote by hand is slow and easy to get wrong.

Who it fits

Hardware stores or building supply retailers that want to answer customer questions instantly.

How it works

  1. A customer asks a question in the chat
  2. The AI assistant looks up live stock and pricing in your product database
  3. For project questions, it calculates the materials and quantities needed
  4. The customer receives an instant answer or a full quote
What you get

Quotes customers get without waiting on staff

Customers get instant answers on stock, pricing, and even full materials quotes just by asking your chat assistant.

What you get

An instant chat answer or a ready-made materials quote for the customer.

What you need

A PostgreSQL database and a Google Gemini API key.

We can build this. But should you?

The hard question is not how to build it. It is whether this is the right thing to build first.

That is what a Fractional Chief AI Officer figures out with you, before anyone writes a line of code.

Let's Talk Strategy

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