Step 2 · AI assistant

AI assistant and chatbot for small businesses in Boston

Magnet Mint sets up an AI chatbot and assistant for small businesses in Boston, Greater Boston and, remotely, across the US. It answers on your website chat, phone, SMS, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and email, using only answers you approve, collects the customer's request, and hands complex questions to a person with a lead summary. Setup is from $900, website chat and messaging is from $199/month, and phone answering is from $299/month (about 300 minutes). To start, ask for a free demo or call 617-991-9912.

Get a free demo Call 617-991-9912

What's included: Question and answer list written by us from your site and your calls, approved by you
Assistant on the channels you choose: website chat, phone, SMS, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, email
Collection of the customer's name, contact details and request
Handoff to a person for anything outside the approved answers, with a lead summary
Drafted email replies for your staff to review and send
Connection to your calendar, booking tool or CRM where you already have one
Opt-in and STOP handling for texting, and a spoken AI disclosure on calls
Testing with real questions before launch, and 30 days of tuning after
Price: Setup from $900. Website chat and messaging from $199/month. Phone answering from $299/month (about 300 minutes). The first month is included in setup.
Timeline: Setup 2-3 weeks
Who it's for: Service businesses in Boston and Greater Boston, and remote clients across the US, that miss calls, answer the same questions all day or reply to messages late.
What we need from you: Your services, prices you are willing to share, hours, service area and policies
Examples of questions customers ask, and what staff should answer themselves
The person or number that receives handoffs
Approval of the answer list before launch
What you get: An assistant that only says what you approved
Every request collected in one place, with a short summary for your team
Written scope, price and timeline before work starts
One named person who leads your project

Prices in USD as of October 2026. Scope, price and timeline are agreed in writing before work starts. The first 30 days after launch include help and fixes within the agreed scope. See all prices.

An AI assistant for the calls and messages you miss

Service businesses lose customers in the gaps. The phone rings while someone is on a job or with a client. An Instagram message sits unanswered until evening. The same five questions arrive by chat and text all week: do you cover my area, how much, are you open Saturday, can I book today?

Magnet Mint is a Boston studio. We set up an AI chatbot and assistant for small businesses that answers those questions, takes the details and gets the real requests to you. We start with your website. Then we improve your business one step at a time, and you choose every step.

What the assistant does, step by step

Reads your business. We use your website, your price list, your hours and a short conversation to find the questions customers actually ask.
Writes the answer list. We draft clear answers to those questions. You edit and approve every one. The assistant answers from this list.
Answers on the channels you choose. Website chat, phone, SMS, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and email.
Collects the request. Name, contact details, what the customer needs and when, in a form your team can act on.
Hands off what it should not answer. Anything outside the approved list, anything urgent and anything the customer wants a person for goes to a person, with a short lead summary.
Drafts email replies for staff. For email, the assistant prepares a draft. Your team reads it and sends it.
Tests, launches and tunes. We try it with real questions before launch and adjust the answers during the first 30 days.

Where it answers

Phone. Overflow and after-hours calls, with the AI saying it is an AI. See AI receptionist and phone answering. We also run two phone products: PhoneAnswer (phoneanswer.ai), a self-serve AI receptionist, and CallReply (callreply.com), a done-for-you AI phone agent.
Website chat. Answers visitors on the page and hands leads to your team. See AI chatbot for your website.
Texts and messengers. SMS, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. See AI replies for SMS and messengers.
One inbox. Calls, texts, DMs and email in one place, with staff drafts. See the shared inbox.

You do not need every channel. Start with the one where you lose the most customers, and add others later if they earn their place.

Phone: five ways the assistant uses the call

For many service businesses the phone is the first channel to cover, and it splits into five jobs. Each has its own page.

AI phone answering: every call answered, qualified and logged.
After-hours and 24/7 answering: nights, weekends and holidays.
Overflow and busy-line answering: when you or your staff cannot pick up during open hours.
AI appointment booking: the call ends with a booked time.
AI lead follow-up: new web, email and ad leads called and texted back, with their consent.

The role that ties them together is described on AI receptionist. Property managers have their own page: AI answering for property managers.

What makes this different, in checkable facts

It answers only from answers you approved. You see the list before launch.
Real requests reach a person. Every handoff comes with a lead summary, so nobody asks the customer to repeat themselves.
It tells people it is an AI. Callers can reach a person or leave a message.
Scope, price and timeline are agreed in writing before work starts.
One named person leads your project. We write the answers and gather the materials. You approve.
The first 30 days after launch include tuning and fixes within the agreed scope.
Each channel is optional. You can start with chat only, or phone only.
We connect the tool you already use, such as Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, Jobber, Housecall Pro, HubSpot or GoHighLevel, or we help you choose one.

What it will not do

An assistant is not a lawyer, a nurse or a salesperson. It does not give legal advice, quote work it has no price for, or answer clinical questions.

Phone. The AI says it is an AI assistant. Recording a call needs consent in some states, and Massachusetts requires all parties to consent. If you want calls recorded, we set up the spoken notice and ask you to confirm the wording. Outbound AI calls, such as callbacks to new leads, need the person’s prior consent: the FCC ruled in February 2024 that AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the TCPA.
Texting. Texts need the customer’s consent (TCPA), and business texting numbers need carrier registration (A2P 10DLC). We set up opt-in and STOP handling.
Clinics. Dental, medical, chiropractic and PT offices should keep patient information, including appointment requests tied to a name, out of any chat, SMS or phone tool unless the vendor signs a HIPAA business associate agreement. The assistant answers general questions and books through covered tools. Staff handle clinical ones. Veterinary clinics are not covered by HIPAA.
Law firms. The assistant does intake and scheduling and gives no legal advice. Attorney advertising rules apply.

This is not legal advice. Check your own rules with your lawyer.

What it costs and what is not included

Setup: from $900, usually 2-3 weeks. Website chat and messaging: from $199/month. Phone answering: from $299/month (about 300 minutes). The first month is included in setup. Prices are as of October 2026. For market ranges and what drives the price, see how much an AI chatbot or AI receptionist costs.

Not included in any price: domain and hosting, new photography, third-party software subscriptions (billed at cost), SMS carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and message fees, and AI usage above the plan allowance.

AI assistants for your type of business

The questions differ by trade. A plumber is asked about emergencies and service areas. A dental office is asked about new patients and insurance.

Who this is for, and who it is not for

This fits owners and small teams who miss calls, answer the same questions again and again or reply to messages late. It works for businesses in Boston and Greater Boston, and for businesses elsewhere in the US that are happy to work by call and screen share.

It may be more than you need if you get a handful of inquiries a week and answer them all quickly. A good contact form may be enough then. If you want to understand the differences before buying, read AI agent vs chatbot vs AI assistant and is an AI receptionist worth it.

How to start

Ask for a free demo: 30-minute call; demo shared within 3 business days. Or call 617-991-9912. Our AI assistant answers and passes your request to the team, which is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm ET. We will tell you which channel to start with, or whether to wait.

Updated: October 25, 2026

Questions owners ask

What is the best AI chatbot for a small business?

The best one is the one that answers only what you approve, reaches the channels your customers use and passes real requests to a person. Compare what it answers from, where it hands off, which channels it covers, what it costs per month and who maintains it. We cannot name one tool for every business, so we start with your questions and calls.

How much does an AI chatbot or AI assistant cost?

Setup is from $900. Website chat and messaging is from $199/month, and phone answering is from $299/month (about 300 minutes). See AI assistant pricing for market ranges and what drives the price.

Does the AI make up answers?

It is set up to answer from the list you approved, not from guesses. If a question is outside that list, it takes the customer's details and passes the conversation to a person. We test it with real questions before launch.

Can I use a WhatsApp chatbot for my small business?

Yes, as one of the channels. We set up replies for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger alongside SMS. See AI replies for SMS and messengers.

Do you offer AI consulting in Boston?

We build and run the assistant rather than write strategy reports. On a free demo call we look at where you lose calls and messages and tell you honestly whether an assistant fits. Magnet Mint is based in Boston and works with clients in Boston, Greater Boston and across the US by phone, video and screen share.

Do customers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes. On calls the assistant says it is an AI assistant, and callers can reach a person or leave a message. Chat and message replies say so as well.

Is it safe for a dental or medical office?

Yes, with limits. Under HIPAA, a patient's name tied to an appointment request already counts as patient information, so every vendor in the chain that handles it (phone, AI, texting, chat and booking) needs to sign a business associate agreement (BAA). Without that, the assistant gives general answers and points patients to your booking system or front desk, and staff handle clinical questions. Veterinary clinics are not covered by HIPAA. See AI for dental offices and clinics.

Will it replace my front desk?

No. It covers the calls and messages nobody can pick up and the questions that repeat, and it passes the rest to your team. Your staff keep the conversations that need judgment.

Learn more

Service

Compare all steps on the pricing page.

See booking and follow-up

The step ladder

You choose every step

Step 0Free demoSee how customers and AI assistants see you today. Step 0bCustomer checkWe test your site, profiles, replies and AI answers like a customer would. Step 1WebsiteA site that customers, Google and AI assistants can read and trust. Step 2AI assistantAnswers calls, chats and texts with approved answers and hands off to your team. Step 3Booking and follow-upOnline booking, reminders, missed-call text-back and review requests. Step 4AutomationLeads, bookings and your CRM connected, so nothing is retyped. MonthlyMonthly supportWe maintain and improve what we built.

Start with a free demo

See how customers and AI assistants see your business today.

A short call, then a demo for your business: what customers find, what AI answers say, and where you lose leads. No obligation.