There are a lot of AI tools that claim to handle customer conversations. Here’s how to tell which ones will actually work for a real business.

Can it take action?

Answering questions is table stakes. Ask whether it can book, refund, update records, and take payments in the tools you already use.

What happens when it doesn’t know?

Look for clear handoff rules and summaries, not a dead end.

Who owns your data?

Your conversations should never be used to train shared models. Ask for it in writing.