Chattanooga T-Shirt — our first agent, in a shop we run ourselves
This is the only agent we run for a business other than Ai Chattanooga itself — and it is our own print shop. One shop, one phone line, described in full: what the agent was trained on, what he does on every call, and what he refuses to do. We would rather show you one real build in detail than pad this page with quotes.
Say the obvious part out loud: Chattanooga T-Shirt and Ai Chattanooga are owned by the same person. It was the first place we put an agent because it was the phone we were already answering. You should know that before you read the review at the bottom, not after.
The problem
A print shop is a room full of machines and deadlines. Presses run, the heat press cycles, the embroidery machine has to be watched. The person who knows what 24 shirts cost is the same person loading platens with ink on both hands. Every ring is a decision: stop the run, or let it go to voicemail.
Most of those calls were the same handful of questions. How much for two dozen tees. Do you do embroidery. Can you match this logo. When can I pick it up. Mixed in with them were the calls that were not customers at all — extended warranty, merchant services, someone selling ad space. There was no way to tell which was which without stopping and picking up.
What we built
An agent named Aiden. He answers the phone, greets the caller, and works the call the way a good counter person does: figures out what they want, gives a rough estimate off the shop’s current price sheets when the question is a pricing question, collects the details that turn a question into an order, and hangs up quickly on the calls that are plainly solicitations. Spam does not get a message taken and it does not get put in front of anyone.
After every call the shop gets an email: who called, what they wanted, the numbers Aiden quoted, and a link to the audio so anyone can listen back to exactly what was said. Nothing about the call is a mystery the next morning.
His manner was tuned on purpose. Friendly, quick, sounds like a person from here. He matches the caller’s pace, lets people finish a thought, and does not talk over anyone.
What he was trained on
- Screen printing pricing
- DTG and DTF pricing
- Embroidery pricing
- Company FAQ and overview
- Guidance on when DTG beats screen printing and when it does not
- The shop’s product catalog
What he sounds like
“Hi, this is Aiden with Chattanooga T-Shirt. Can I get your name, and the best number in case we get cut off?”
“I can give you a ballpark straight off our price sheets. Tell me the quantity, the shirt you want and how many colors are in the print, and I will run it for you. Want me to email it over as well?”
“I have your details and your project notes. I am sending all of it to the team now, and you will have a confirmation by email shortly.”
What he does on every call
- 01
Greets the caller and says what he can help with
- 02
Gets a name, a phone number and an email so the shop can follow up
- 03
Answers questions from the shop’s approved documents, not from guesswork
- 04
Gives rough estimates off the current price sheets
- 05
Gathers artwork, quantity, sizes and deadline to start an order
- 06
Ends obvious spam and solicitor calls fast
- 07
Takes a message, or hands the call to a person, when it is past what he should handle
- 08
Records and transcribes the call, then emails the shop a written summary with a link to the audio
Guardrails
What an agent refuses to do matters as much as what it does. Aiden’s limits were written before he ever answered a customer, and they are short enough to read in one sitting.
- Customer service only. He is not a salesperson and he does not negotiate.
- No internal or sensitive information leaves the call — no supplier costs, no margins, no other customers’ orders.
- Copyrighted or trademarked artwork is declined, politely, every time.
- He says he is an AI when a caller asks.
- A caller who wants a person is never stonewalled. Ask for one and he stops, takes the details, and sends them straight to the shop.
- Outside his trained knowledge he does not improvise. He takes a message or hands the call off.
What the owner said
Plainly, one more time: the review below is from the owner of Chattanooga T-Shirt, who also owns Ai Chattanooga. It is a real review of a real, working agent by the person who lives with it every day, but not an arm’s-length customer and we are not going to dress him up as one. There is one review on this site because there is one agent to review. When there are more, they will be named, with the business and the owner’s name on them.
Finding a knowledgeable, friendly customer service rep is tough for a small shop. Ai Chattanooga solved it. They set up our agent fast, and now every call is answered. I get an email summary with the audio link after each call.
It blocks spam, collects the details we need to start orders, and gives rough estimates from our price sheets. Aiden keeps my team focused so we can print and ship. I wish I’d done it sooner.
Read this as the operator’s own account rather than an arm’s-length customer’s: the same person owns Chattanooga T-Shirt and Ai Chattanooga. Call the agent and judge the work yourself.
Hear the same agent yourself
You do not have to take any of this on faith. We answer our own line the same way, and the number is live right now.