Your data is not in a catalog
Anchor answers from records. If your products, prices or stock are not written down anywhere, there is nothing to ground an answer in.
Compare
Anchor, a generic chatbot, or doing it by hand
A capability comparison, written to be checked. It names no other products, and it lists where Anchor is not the right answer.
Capability by capability
| Capability | A generic chatbot | Anchor | Doing it manually |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers price and stock from your own records | Not by default. It answers from general knowledge unless you build the connection yourself. | Yes. Answers are retrieved from your catalog and inventory before they are written. | Yes, if you look each one up. |
| Shows where an answer came from | Usually not. | Yes. A source card sits behind each business fact. | Only if you cite it yourself. |
| Says "I do not know" and hands off | Varies. Many keep answering. | Yes. Low-confidence questions are handed to a person. | Not applicable; you are the person. |
| Answers outside your working hours | Yes. | Yes, on connected channels. | No. |
| Records quotations, orders and stock in one place | No, unless you build it. | Yes. Both the customer side and the owner side read the same records. | Only if you keep the records yourself. |
| Acts without your approval | Depends on how it is set up. | No. Actions with a real-world consequence wait for your approval. | Not applicable. |
| Effort to start | Low to try; high to make it reliable for your catalog. | You need to import or enter your catalog and check it is accurate. | None, but the time cost never goes away. |
"A generic chatbot" means a general-purpose assistant that is not connected to your records. Individual products differ.
Where Anchor is not the answer
Channels other than the website widget
Only the website widget is in use today. The other channels are built and tested with simulated providers only. See Channels.
Judgement calls and negotiation
Anchor hands these to you. It is designed to remove repeat lookups, not to replace your decisions.
Not yet proven with customers
We publish no customer results because we have none to publish yet. See Customer stories.