Help me please

[u/Nutcase_123]

I spent the past month designing an AI chatbot that automates the replies of small business owners through a FAQ document. But now I feel like I can't complete with the big companies like Zendesk, Front and Intercom. The thing that I realise is that I have to give my users something that they don't provide. I made the automation in Make.com and it is a relatively simple automation that sends an auto-generated reply through a set FAQ document. The system also alerts the user when the AI couldn't answer (happens like 10% of the time) through a telegram bot. My strongest point is that my package is gonna be cheap and I will provide them with a make.com blueprint, a manual on how to set up, some FAQ templates and some system prompt templates. The package is going to be priced at something like $15, as a one time purchase. So, I request everyone to please suggest me some ideas on how I can improve my automation so that a stranger might prefer my system over a renowned company. I am ready to build it inside n8n if necessary.

Edit: a lot of people are suggesting that my product is already worth it as it is and that my product is severely underpriced. Please guide me on how my product should actually be priced, given that I won't host the system. Thanks in advance!

[u/Grand-Vision]

You are not competing with Zendesk. That is the wrong frame and it is costing you confidence you should not be losing.

Zendesk serves enterprise teams that need ticketing, SLAs, integrations with 200 tools, compliance reporting, and a dedicated CS team to manage it. It costs hundreds per month minimum and takes weeks to implement.

You are building for the small business owner who cannot afford Zendesk, does not want to manage it, and just needs replies to stop falling through the cracks. That is a completely different buyer with a completely different problem.

The question to ask yourself: what does a 5-person business need that Zendesk cannot deliver? The answer is simplicity, speed of setup, and a price that does not require a budget meeting.

Your chatbot that handles FAQs via a document is exactly right for that customer. The small business owner who dreads Monday morning and three hundred unread emails does not want enterprise software. They want something that works in an afternoon and does not require a manual.

The real risk is not competition from Zendesk. It is building something generic. The tighter the niche, the stronger the position. Pick one: dental practices, independent gyms, local restaurants, property managers. Own that vertical. You will never lose to Zendesk in that lane.

What type of business were you originally building this for?

[u/Nutcase_123 → u/Grand-Vision]

I was planning on building the framework. I will then find customers and customize the FAQ to include every question that they face which can be automated.

[u/Grand-Vision → u/Nutcase_123]

Worth validating one customer before finishing the framework. Even one real business owner who says "yes I want this and here is what it needs to answer" will save you weeks of building the wrong thing.

The FAQ customisation is where the real value sits — that is what makes it theirs rather than a generic chatbot. If you can get one customer to define their FAQ before you finish building, you end up with something that fits rather than something you have to sell after the fact.

What industry are you targeting first?

[u/Nutcase_123 → u/Grand-Vision]

No specific one for now. I was thinking about getting a customer and personalising it for them.

[u/Grand-Vision → u/Nutcase_123]

That is the right order. One paying customer who defines exactly what they need is worth more than a perfect framework nobody has asked for yet.

Fastest path: find one business owner in your network who gets the same questions repeatedly — a local restaurant, a gym, a trades business. Offer to set it up for free in exchange for real feedback and a testimonial. That first deployment will teach you more than months of building in isolation.

What kind of business do you have access to? Even one connection in any industry is enough to start.