Brides research shops in the evening, on their phones, long before they book a try-on. Our AI answers from your own website at any hour, and our AI receptionist answers the calls your shop misses while a stylist is with a bride, says it is an AI, and emails you the caller's name and number.
Brides shortlist shops before they ever walk in. A bride choosing where to book her first appointment will favor the shop that answered her questions about lead times, sizing and appointments while she was still browsing.
Anchor Co AI trains a chatbot on your own website so it answers which designers and size ranges you carry, how to book a try-on appointment, how far ahead brides should order a dress, what alteration services you offer at any hour. It is free to start ($0, 20 messages a month), paid chatbot plans start at $29 a month, and the Front Office bundle (website, AI chat and an AI phone receptionist that answers calls when your stylists are with a bride or the shop is closed, says it is an AI, and emails you the caller's name and number) is $249 a month plus a one-time $297 setup, month to month.
| Feature | Anchor Co AI | Chatbase | Tidio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | $29/mo, billed monthly | $40/mo billed monthly, $32/mo billed yearly (Hobby) | $24.17/mo billed annually (Starter) |
| Usage on that plan | 1,000 messages/mo | 700 message credits/mo | 100 billable conversations/mo |
| Free trial | Free plan $0 (20 messages/mo); paid plans add a 14-day trial | 7-day trial | Free plan $0 (50 billable conversations/mo) |
| Built for local service businesses | Yes | General-purpose | General-purpose |
Competitor figures are public list prices from chatbase.co/pricing and tidio.com/pricing, read 2026-10-20. Plans change; check the vendor before you buy. Full breakdowns: Anchor Co AI vs Chatbase, Anchor Co AI vs Tidio.
Published by Anchor Co AI. Last updated .
Why bridal shops miss brides who are ready to book
Much of the shopping happens after work and on weekends, when you may be closed or fully booked with try-ons. A bride who cannot get an answer tends to message the next shop on her list.
A try-on appointment deserves your full attention. Calls that arrive during appointments ring out, and first-time callers often do not leave a message.
How far ahead should I book, do you carry plus sizes, is there an appointment fee, can I bring guests, what are your alteration services. If your website covers these, a chat can repeat your answers any hour of the day.
Ordering lead times and wedding dates create urgency. A bride who needs to know whether a dress can arrive in time will move on if she cannot find out quickly.
How it works
The shop phone rings out during an appointment or after hours, or a visitor opens the chat on your site late at night.
It says it is an AI, answers questions from what you have published, such as designers, sizing, appointment process and location, and takes the bride's name, number and wedding date. If it is unsure, it says so and takes a message.
You get an email with the bride's name, number and what she asked, so your team can call back and schedule her appointment. The chat does not check your calendar or book appointments itself.
Front Office plans
Every plan is $297 to set up, then monthly. Month-to-month, cancel any time. Buy online, fill out one form, and see your preview within 5 business days. No sales call.
What the receptionist doesn't do: it doesn't book appointments, quote prices or connect to calendars or CRMs. It takes the caller's details so you can call back.
Cancelling and refunds:cancel any time and you aren't billed again; there are no partial-month refunds. The setup fee is returned only if you cancel before you submit the intake form. If we don't deliver what the terms describe, tell us within 30 days of the charge and we fix it, or refund the affected charge if we can't. Read the refund policy and plan terms before you buy.
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Not by itself. It can explain how your appointment process works, and take a bride's name, number and wedding date for your team to follow up. You confirm the time.
Yes, if your website lists them. It answers from your published pages and, for anything it cannot find, tells the visitor it is unsure and takes a message for your team.
The chat repeats prices only if you have published them on your site. If you do not list prices online, it says so and offers to pass a message to your team instead of guessing. The phone receptionist does not quote prices.
One plan, Front Office: $297 one-time setup, then $99/month for the website, $179 with the AI chat, or $249 with the AI receptionist too (300 answered minutes a month, no overage fees). Month-to-month, cancel any time.
No contract. Month-to-month, cancel any time. There are no partial-month refunds.
Preview within 5 business days of your completed intake form. Month-to-month. Cancel any time.
Matt Henry · Anchor Co AI · Pacific, MO
See it before you buy it
No slideshow, no actor. A screen recording of our own assistant handling the two questions every owner asks: what happens to the 9pm call I miss, and will it invent things about my business.
Real answers from our live demo bot — unscripted, recorded on this site.
Visitor: I run an HVAC company. A customer calls at 9pm and I can't pick up — what happens?
Anchor Co AI: Right now? They hit voicemail and you've lost them to whoever picks up first. With our chatbot, they hit your website at 9pm, ask “Do you do emergency service?” or “Are you licensed in my county?” — and get an instant answer. The bot captures their name, number, and address. You wake up to a lead instead of a missed call. That's the whole thing: your customers get answers 24/7, you only deal with the calls that actually need you, and you're not losing jobs to competitors who answer faster. Since you're in HVAC, the bot can handle all the common questions — licensing by county, service area, whether you do emergency calls, minimum job size, how long estimates take. You train it on your website in about 10 minutes, and it goes live in an afternoon. Want to try it? You can start free at anchorcoai.com/signup — no credit card required. Test it on your actual website for 14 days and see if it captures leads you would've missed.
Visitor: Will it make stuff up about my business?
Anchor Co AI: No. The bot only answers from what you've given it — your website content, your FAQs, pricing, service areas, whatever you add. If a question falls outside that (something the bot doesn't know), it's honest about it. Instead of guessing, it says “I don't have that info” and asks for their name and contact details so you can follow up personally. It won't make up licensing claims, pricing, or service details. That's the safeguard. Your bot is only as smart as the information you feed it — which means you stay in control of what it says about your business. Honestly the easiest way to see if it works for your business is to just try it. Free plan, no card. anchorcoai.com/signup
Not ready to buy? Run a free 15-second audit of your site — no email required.
Every customer who hits voicemail is a missed job. Your bot answers them in 60 seconds.
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