DJC Insights
Automating Decisions, Not Conversations
The holy grail for many founders is a chatbot that "talks" to customers. This is usually a mistake.
Conversations are messy. They loop, they wander, they have nuance. Decisions, however, are binary.
The Chatbot Trap
When you build a chatbot, you are inviting the user to break your system. User: "Can I get a discount?" Bot: "I'm not sure, let me check." User: "Forget it."
The goal of automation is resolution, not conversation.
The Decision Engine
Instead of building a bot that talks, build an engine that decides.
Example: Lead Qualification
Conversation Approach: Bot: "What is your budget?" User: "It depends." Bot: "Okay, what is your timeline?" (The user leaves).
Decision Approach (Form + AI Logic): User fills a form. AI reads the form. Decision: Is Budget > $5k OR Company Size > 50?
- Yes: Route to Senior Rep (Calendar Invite Sent).
- No: Route to Email Nurture Sequence.
The user didn't have to "chat" with a robot. They just got the right outcome.
Where to Automate Decisions
Look for places where you are paying a human to act like a flowchart.
- Triage: "Is this a billing issue or a tech support issue?" -> AUTOMATE.
- Scheduling: "Are you free Tuesday?" -> AUTOMATE (Calendly/AI schedulers).
- Approval: "Is this expense under $50?" -> AUTOMATE.
The Rule of Silence
The best AI is silent. It doesn't say "Hello! I am AI!" It just moves the ticket from Column A to Column B without anyone noticing.
If your users are talking about your AI, it's a novelty. If your users don't notice the AI, but everything is faster, it's a utility.
Automate the logic. Keep the conversation human.