Feature · Modes
AI mode vs non-AI mode: choose how leads get replies.
AI mode vs non-AI mode is a choice between open AI conversations that adapt to each customer and scripted flows with fixed branches and exact wording. InstantResponse.AI supports both, on every plan.
14-day free trial · From $99/mo · No contracts
Yelp Advertising Platinum Partner and Google PartnerHi, our kitchen sink is draining really slowly and now the dishwasher backs up too. Can you come Thursday?
Thanks, we can help with that! Is it just the kitchen sink, or other drains too? And what ZIP code is the home in?
- 1Thanks for reaching out! Is this for a home or a business?
- 2Home → What's the best phone number to reach you?
- 3Business → What's the business address?
Side by side
Two ways to reply, one set of guardrails.
Best for new leads and open questions
- Replies to what the customer actually wrote
- Answers from your services, starting-at prices, offers and hours
- Asks your qualifying questions toward a phone number or appointment request
- Never invents a price, and stays silent rather than guessing
- Follows up at the intervals you set
- Hands off to your team when a person should take over
Best when you want exact wording
- Deterministic scripted flows with fixed branch logic
- The same message every time for the same answer
- Nothing is said that you didn't write
- Easy to review and change in the branch editor
- Useful for brands with strict wording or compliance needs
- Same inbox, alerts and reports as AI mode
Quick comparison
Which mode fits which job?
| What matters | AI mode | Non-AI mode |
|---|---|---|
| How replies are written | Generated from your approved business details | Your exact pre-written messages |
| Handles unexpected questions | Yes, within your rules | Follows the branch you defined |
| Prices | Only the starting-at prices you configured | Only what you wrote into the script |
| Best for | New leads, open questions, varied requests | Strict wording, simple intake |
| Follow-ups, alerts, inbox, reports | Included | Included |
Works on
One toggle per business profile, across your connected lead sources.
Each business profile has an AI Mode toggle. The mode you pick applies to that profile's Yelp auto responder, Thumbtack auto responder, Google LSA auto responder and website chat widget, so a multi-location business can run AI mode at one location and non-AI mode at another.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- AI mode writes each reply from the business details you approved and adapts to what the customer says. Non-AI mode runs a deterministic scripted flow with fixed branches, so customers who give the same answer get the same message.
- Yes. Every plan includes both modes. The AI Mode toggle sits on each business profile, so one location can run AI mode while another uses non-AI mode.
- Both run inside your rules. Non-AI mode never says anything you didn't write. AI mode never invents prices or offers, stays silent rather than guessing, and hands off to a person when needed. Every conversation is saved in the inbox.
- It works on the same principle, fixed branches and exact wording, but it lives in the same inbox, alerts and reports as AI mode, on the lead sources you already use.
- AI mode suits new message leads, because customers describe jobs in many different ways. Non-AI mode suits businesses that need exact, pre-approved wording. You can switch a business profile between modes at any time with its AI Mode toggle.
- No. That is a separate setting for the first AI message in AI mode: it can be a full reply that starts qualifying right away, or a short acknowledgement before the conversation continues. Non-AI mode is the scripted alternative to AI conversations as a whole.
Ready to stop losing leads to slow replies?
See InstantResponse.AI handle a live lead in your account. 15-minute demo, no pressure.
Book a demo and leave with your 14-day free trial running.