Problem
Asked in the evening, ordered elsewhere by morning
According to our own data (customers in Hungary, CET), 51.8% of visitor questions arrive outside business hours. What happens to the customer who asks in the evening, and what the AI assistant does at that time.
51.8%
51.8% of visitor questions arrive outside business hours.
Basis: 1,686 visitor questions, 21 customers, 8 July – 6 October 2026, business hours weekdays 8:00–17:00. Source: own platform data.
Short answer
51.8 percent of visitor questions arrive outside business hours; we measured this on 1,686 questions from 21 customers between 8 July and 6 October 2026. Anyone who asked in the evening and got no answer had ordered elsewhere by morning. The assistant answers in the evening too, asks for contact details, and by morning lists what people asked.
Source: Own platform data, 1,686 visitor questions, 21 customers, 8 July – 6 October 2026
How it solves it
The enquiry becomes a lead
Chat AI answers at night too, and if the visitor asks, it records their contact details on the portal
Video transcript
- A company website. The AI assistant waits for the visitor in the bottom right corner.
- The first message shows that AI is answering. The EU AI Act also requires this.
- The visitor describes their own problem.
- The assistant answers from the company’s own materials, instantly.
- They ask for a call back from a colleague.
- The assistant offers to book an appointment.
- They prefer to leave their contact details: the contact form appears.
- Name, email and consent to data processing. One click to send.
- The enquiry appears on the portal immediately, among the leads.
- The time of consent is also recorded. Silent video with on-screen captions; the list gives the same text. Length: 44 seconds.
Eight in the evening, a question on the website
The customer sits down at the laptop after work, after dinner. They look at the product and ask a question: “When will it arrive if I order today?” Nobody answers, because customer service went home at 17:00.
In the morning you see the question and answer it. By then the customer has either ordered elsewhere or forgotten about it altogether. The question stayed in the mailbox, the cart stayed in the online store.
What our own data shows
On the SmartAIAssist (formerly SmartAIChat) platform, between 8 July and 6 October 2026, we measured 1,686 visitor questions from 21 customers. We counted business hours as weekdays between 8:00 and 17:00. 51.8 percent of the questions arrived outside that time: in the evening, at dawn, at weekends.
Two other numbers emerge from the same period. 53.2 percent of questions are about products. The assistant typically answers within a few seconds, so the customer is still on the page when the answer arrives.
The methodology and the full report are on the data report page.
What happens to the night-time question if the assistant receives it
- The customer asks. The assistant answers from the knowledge base, together with the source label. If the question is about delivery, it quotes the delivery terms.
- If it does not know the answer, it does not guess. It says: “I am forwarding this question to a colleague at [Company]. Please give me your email address or phone number.”
- The enquirer leaves their contact details. The assistant can forward them to you or to the colleague you designate, together with the question and the time.
- In the morning a list arrives. You see what people asked at night, what the assistant answered and what it did not know. You can add your reply to an unanswered question to the knowledge base with one click.
- On Monday, the weekly summary. Four numbers compared with the previous week: answered questions, how many of them outside business hours, leads forwarded to you, estimated time saved.
Three examples outside business hours
The three situations are illustrative examples; they do not describe customers.
Winery, Saturday evening (example). “Can four of us come for a tasting on Sunday?” The assistant answers from the opening hours and the tasting description, and directs them to the booking page.
Parts online store, Tuesday at ten in the evening (example). “Does this brake pad fit the 2018 model?” The compatibility list is not on the product page. The assistant asks for the email address and the model, and a colleague replies on the next working day.
Beauty salon, Sunday morning (example). “How much is a gel polish, and when is there a free slot on Monday?” It answers from the price list and sends them to the booking system for the appointment.
What we need from you
Your website address and the documents from which we fill the knowledge base. The colleague to whom we should forward the night-time questions. And 30 minutes for a call in which we set up the handoff and the tone.
Live within two working days, if we have access to edit your website or your web developer places the code snippet. Before go-live, we check it with ten test questions.
The allowance and the price in one paragraph
The unit is the answered question: the Starter tier of Chat AI is €14.90 / month excl. VAT, with 500 answered questions per month. Our services are for businesses only. Prices exclude VAT. EU businesses with a valid VAT number: reverse charge. We send an email at 75, 90 and 100 percent of the allowance, with no surprise invoices.
Two paths
Build it with us. Our onboarding team fills the knowledge base and installs the assistant. It costs €200 excl. VAT, is €100 excl. VAT with a 6-month contract and free with a 12-month contract, and you get an 8 or 15 percent discount on the monthly fee. We check back on day 7 and day 30.
Build it yourself. Coming soon, with the Mini packages. Price and launch date will be announced at release.
Evidence
More than 50 businesses in Hungary use our assistants. A named example: Mészáros Borház (winery, hotel and restaurant, Szekszárd). Bíborka, the virtual hostess, helps hotel guests, restaurant visitors and wine buyers at the same time. It forwards accommodation quote requests to the reception together with the required details. The full list is on the references page.
Next step
Would you rather talk to us? Our onboarding team will call you back. You can call us Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00 CET: +36 30 181 2087.
Sources
- Own platform data, 1,686 visitor questions, 21 customers, 8 July – 6 October 2026 · own data · smartaiassist.eu/data/after-hours-questions/ Which assistant fits
Chat AI on your website
Available
Chat AI
Answers customers’ questions on your website, from your knowledge base.
From €14.90 / month excl. VAT · 500 answered questions / month
See what it would answer your own customers.
We send the link to the verified demo within 1 working day. The demo is free of charge, with no obligation to order.
Frequently asked questions
Lost leads
Where does the 51.8 percent come from?
Own platform data: 1,686 visitor questions from 21 customers, between 8 July and 6 October 2026. We counted business hours as weekdays between 8:00 and 17:00. The methodology is on the data report page.
What does the assistant do if a question comes in the evening?
It answers from the knowledge base. If it does not know the answer, it asks for the customer’s contact details and can forward them to you. In the morning you receive a list of the night-time questions.
Does it not annoy the customer that artificial intelligence is answering?
The customer knows from the first message that they are talking to artificial intelligence, and can ask for a human at any time. If the assistant does not know the answer, it offers the handoff itself.
What happens to the questions forwarded in the morning?
You or your designated colleague reply to the customer using the contact details they provided. You can add the answer to the knowledge base with one click, so next time the assistant knows it too.
Can you measure how many leads the assistant saves?
Yes. In the weekly summary you see the number of answered questions, how many of them were outside business hours, and the leads forwarded to you.
Related pages
In the example conversations, the assistant's answers are given by artificial intelligence. Disclosure under Article 50 of the EU AI Act: "Artificial intelligence, not a human".