Frequently asked questions
Every question small business owners ask AI Abstraction, in one place, grouped by topic. Call 551-246-4338 if your question isn’t answered here.
Getting started & pricing
How much does this cost?
AI agents from AI Abstraction have a one-time build fee ($2,999-$8,999 depending on complexity) plus ongoing managed hosting from $299 to $999 a month per agent, with a free pilot before either cost applies. Billing is month to month, with 30 days' notice to cancel.
How long does it take to get started?
You can be running a free pilot within about a week of getting in touch. A full build after that varies by project. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we've mapped how work moves through your business today.
Do I need my own IT person?
No. We handle the technical side, from setup through ongoing maintenance. You tell us what you need; we run it.
What data do you need from us?
Only what the agent needs to do its job: things like your call scripts, FAQs, and the systems you want it connected to. We'll walk you through exactly what's needed before we start.
Is there a minimum contract length?
No. Billing is month to month with no long-term contract to sign. Cancellation just needs 30 days' notice.
Do you offer a free trial?
Yes, for qualifying businesses. A free pilot runs about a week and delivers a working proof of concept, so you see it handling real inquiries before you pay anything. Pilots are offered based on a short qualifying conversation, not automatically to every inquiry.
What AI agents can do
Will this replace my staff?
No. It handles the repetitive, always-on parts of the job, like answering after-hours calls or logging leads, so your team can spend time on the things that need a person.
What kinds of tasks can an AI agent actually handle?
Repetitive, well-defined work: answering common questions, logging leads, booking appointments, drafting replies, and moving information between the tools you already use. See the full list on our Services page.
Can an AI agent handle phone calls?
Yes. A voice agent answers or makes calls, understands the caller, and responds in a natural-sounding voice, handing off to a person when a situation calls for it.
What happens if a customer asks something the agent doesn't know?
It says so, and hands off to a person, instead of guessing. We'd rather an agent admit it doesn't know than make something up.
Can the agent work with the software we already use?
Usually, yes. We connect agents to the CRM, calendar, and other tools a business already runs on, rather than asking you to switch systems.
Managed hosting & support
What happens if it breaks?
That's what Managed AI Agents is for. We monitor it, get alerted before you notice a problem, and fix it. It's part of the ongoing service, not an extra call you have to make.
What exactly do you monitor?
Uptime, response accuracy, cost, and any errors the agent runs into. If something looks wrong, we know before you do.
How fast do you respond when something breaks?
It depends on your plan tier, shown in the response-time table above. Every plan includes monitoring that catches most problems before you would ever notice them.
Can I cancel managed hosting and keep the agent?
You can cancel any time with 30 days' notice, and your data comes with you: your knowledge base, your documents, and the timestamped record of everything the agent did. The agent itself is not transferred. The prompts and configuration are ours, and they are licensed to you for as long as your hosting runs. We provide your export, then delete our copy.
Do you charge extra every time you update a prompt?
No. Prompt and accuracy tuning is included in the Growth and Enterprise plans, as often as it is needed.
What happens if the AI model we use gets discontinued?
We test the replacement model against your specific use case first, then move you over with no gap in service.
What counts as an emergency versus a normal request?
An emergency is the agent being down or giving clearly wrong answers. A normal request is a small tweak, like updating a policy answer. Emergencies get the fastest response tier; normal requests follow the plan's regular turnaround.
Security, data & compliance
Is my data safe?
Your agent only accesses the systems and documents you connect it to, and we follow standard security practices for hosting and access control. If your industry has specific compliance requirements, tell us before we start, so we build to that standard from day one.
Where is my data stored?
On the cloud platform your agent runs on, such as Amazon Bedrock or Google Vertex AI. We can talk through data residency requirements before your project starts if that matters for your business.
Do you sell or share my data?
No. Your business data is used only to run your agent, never sold or shared with anyone else.
Can you help with compliance logging for regulated industries?
Yes. Our Compliance & Documentation service builds a timestamped record of every agent conversation and decision, ready for audits or reviews.
What happens to my data if I stop working with AI Abstraction?
It's yours. You get an export of your knowledge base, your documents, and the timestamped record of what your agent did, and we delete our copy afterwards. Take the export before you go if you rely on that record for your own compliance file.
Working with AI Abstraction
Do you work with businesses outside New Jersey?
Yes. We're based in Ridgewood, NJ and work with clients across the New York-New Jersey metro area in person, and remotely with businesses nationwide.
What if I already have some automation in place?
That's common. We start by mapping what you already have, then build on top of it or replace only the parts that need it, instead of starting over.
Can I see examples of what you've built?
Yes, see our Case Studies page for real projects, including what the business needed and what we built.
What's the difference between a chatbot and what you build?
A chatbot mostly answers questions. An AI agent can also take action, like booking a meeting or updating a CRM, without someone doing the follow-through by hand. See our glossary for more on this.
How much involvement do you need from my team?
Mostly upfront: telling us how work moves through your business today. Once the agent is live, our managed hosting handles the day-to-day so your team doesn't have to.
What happens after the initial build is done?
If you choose managed hosting, we keep monitoring, updating, and tuning the agent. If not, we hand off everything you need to run it yourself.
Ready to stop losing leads after hours?
Book a free consultation, or call us directly. We’ll tell you honestly whether this is a fit for your business.
Start with a free pilot. No commitment, month to month after that, cancel with 30 days’ notice.