What an on site assistant does for your business enquiries
By Martin Soliman,
Many business owners have heard of on site assistants but are not sure what one actually does. In plain terms, an on site assistant sits on your website and talks to visitors when you cannot. It answers common questions, collects the details of people who want to get in touch, and helps them move towards a booking. This guide explains what a good one does, what it should leave to you, and how to prepare your business for one.
What an on site assistant does
The job comes down to four things:
- It answers common questions using information you have supplied, such as opening hours, services, locations and how to book.
- It captures enquiries by asking for a name, contact details and what the person needs.
- It qualifies each enquiry by asking a few simple questions, so you can see what kind of enquiry it is before you reply.
- It supports bookings, either by collecting preferred times or by pointing the visitor to your booking page.
Everything is passed to you in an organised form, rather than arriving as a vague message that needs three rounds of follow up questions.
Why qualifying matters
Not every enquiry is the same, and a few well chosen questions save time on both sides. An accountant might want to know whether the enquiry is from an individual or a business, which service is needed and whether there is a deadline. A cafe taking function enquiries might ask for the date, the number of guests and whether the group has dietary needs. A studio might ask whether the person is new and which class they are interested in. The assistant asks these questions while the visitor's interest is fresh, so the details arrive with the enquiry.
What it should leave to you
A good assistant knows its limits. It should not invent prices, make promises you have not approved or give advice that needs a qualified professional. Complex or sensitive matters should be handed to a person. For clinics and similar services, it is sensible to keep the chat to practical details such as the type of appointment and preferred times, rather than collecting detailed personal or health information in a chat window. Your privacy policy should also describe what the site collects and why.
How to prepare your business
The assistant is only as useful as the information behind it. Before it goes live, work through these steps:
- List the ten questions you are asked most often and write short, accurate answers.
- Decide what a good enquiry looks like for you, and which details you need to reply properly.
- Decide what happens after hours, and what visitors are told about when to expect a reply.
- Choose who is notified when an enquiry arrives, and who follows up.
- Set aside a few minutes each week to read the conversations and update the answers where gaps show up.
Keep a human voice
Visitors should know they are talking to an assistant, and the tone should match the rest of your business. A calm, clear and polite style suits most Australian businesses. Short answers are better than long ones, and every conversation should leave the visitor with a clear next step, whether that is a booking, a callback or a link to the right page.
Review and improve
The weekly read through is time well spent. If visitors keep asking something your site does not answer, add it to the site as well as to the assistant. If an enquiry type keeps arriving without the details you need, adjust the questions. Over time the assistant and the website both get sharper.
How Conciergia handles it
Conciergia is a done for you online system run by one provider. Front Desk, our on site assistant, captures and qualifies enquiries and supports bookings. It sits alongside a custom built website with unlimited pages and revisions, with hosting, maintenance, professional email, a Google Business Profile and a logo included. Search covers SEO, AEO and GEO with keyword research and articles, social content is planned, made, scheduled and published, and a simple native shop or a full Shopify store is available. Facebook and Instagram ads are an add on. Pricing is a one off setup fee plus a weekly plan, with no lock in, and you can cancel anytime. The enquiries your site collects belong to you. Visit the pricing page and send an enquiry if you would like to see how it would work for your business.