Prepared for Simonetti KillianFrench Solar Industry, October 2026
Each enquiry gets captured once and directed to the right team. When a customer needs a person, your team takes over the conversation from a phone.
When a visitor submits the FSI website form, their details are saved to the CRM automatically, and the enquiry is routed as a Product or Service request. When the customer continues to WhatsApp, the assistant handles the first questions and collects the information your team needs.
Your team stays in control. AI takes routine questions and initial qualification. Your people handle technical advice, quotations, site visits, pricing decisions and closing the sale.
Nobody copies enquiries into the CRM by hand any more, each Product and Service request reaches the right pipeline, and staff who take over can see the conversation history.
The proposed process, from the first form submission to an AI response, then to a team member when the customer needs personal support. The final integration depends on the CRM review.
Name, email, WhatsApp number, Product or Service, and a short message.
Checks the WhatsApp number or email, then creates a contact or updates the existing record.
Creates a Product opportunity or Service request in the matching pipeline.
WhatsApp opens with a pre-filled message for the customer to check and send.
Welcomes the customer, answers approved FAQs and asks for the details FSI needs.
Answers and conversation status are stored, so the team can see what has been discussed.
AI keeps helping within the approved information, waits for a reply or marks the enquiry for later follow-up.
AI stops replying in that chat. The CRM marks the handover, assigns a person and sends a notification.
Sales or technical staff get the customer's details and chat history.
In the WhatsApp Business App if Coexistence is approved, otherwise in a mobile-friendly CRM inbox.
They update the stage, assign follow-up, send a quotation or arrange a site visit.
Pressing Send on the website form saves the enquiry and opens WhatsApp. It cannot send a WhatsApp message on the customer's behalf, so AI can only reply after the customer presses Send in WhatsApp.
The CRM creates a contact and a new Product or Service enquiry, which starts in the matching pipeline.
The CRM finds the existing profile and adds a new request to it, so a returning customer is not entered twice.
The pipeline tracks the enquiry. The conversation status tells the team whether AI or a person is handling the chat.
A human takeover pauses AI replies for that conversation. AI resumes only when the team member deliberately hands the chat back.
That should be a requirement of the project. The best setup depends on the type of WhatsApp account FSI uses and whether its number is eligible for Coexistence.
An AI assistant cannot read and answer messages from a regular personal WhatsApp account on its own. To automate replies, FSI needs a supported connection to the WhatsApp Business Platform. Coexistence may let the team keep using the WhatsApp Business App on the same number, but only if Meta approves that number.
It is designed for the WhatsApp Business App, not the regular WhatsApp Messenger app. If FSI currently uses personal WhatsApp, the number would need to move to the Business App first. Meta and the selected integration provider must then confirm eligibility, and availability and message-sync features can vary by provider. We should test this before changing or disconnecting the current number.
Simonetti and the sales team respond from a phone: in the WhatsApp Business App if Coexistence is approved, or in a CRM or shared inbox with a good mobile experience if not. A laptop should not be required for every handover.
Manual data entry is a reason to improve the process, and not automatically a reason to replace the CRM. I would first review it with its developer or technical owner.
If it can exchange data with the website and WhatsApp, add the missing connections and automate the repeated work.
If the CRM works but is missing features, improve lead handling, assignment, notifications, conversation history and mobile access.
If its structure cannot support the workflow reliably, plan a rebuild after reviewing the code, data and business requirements.
A short discovery phase confirms what is possible and prevents unnecessary redevelopment.
Walk through the CRM, website, sales process and WhatsApp account.
Capture enquiries, recognise existing customers and route Product or Service requests.
Set up the selected WhatsApp option, initial answers and human handover.
Check mobile replies, lead ownership, follow-up and reporting before wider use.
The final scope, timeline and investment will follow the review. WhatsApp provider fees, AI usage, hosting and other third-party charges are shown separately from development work.
The system uses three services. FSI owns the accounts and pays usage or hosting charges directly. The setup proposed here needs no separate CRM or automation subscription.
| Service | Estimated per month | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI API | Rp100,000 to 350,000 | By usage, not as a ChatGPT subscription. The amount depends on the AI model, conversation length and number of replies. |
| Meta WhatsApp messages | Rp180,000 to 750,000 | Per delivered message, by category and destination. Meta does not charge for service messages, or for utility messages sent in response to users. FSI can integrate directly with Meta, so a third-party provider is optional. |
| n8n Community Edition | Rp0 | No subscription for the self-hosted setup, which is free for FSI's internal use. n8n passes information between the website, CRM, WhatsApp and AI, and triggers handover. |
| VPS hosting | Rp250,000 to 500,000 | The server that runs n8n and the integration services. FSI owns and pays for the account. |
| Estimated monthly total | Rp530,000 to 1,600,000 | Software usage and infrastructure |
The example assumes around 300 incoming enquiries, with roughly 5 to 10 automated replies per enquiry. Actual costs depend on message volume, customer country, AI usage and any additional templates, such as follow-ups sent outside the customer-service window.
Meta Business Portfolio setup is not a monthly subscription. A paid provider or third-party inbox is only needed if FSI wants extra shared-inbox features or Coexistence onboarding support. Existing website and CRM hosting, taxes and any separate CRM licence are not included.
One-time project fee, with no item-by-item development charges
Confirms the project and reserves the development schedule.
Due after agreed testing is complete and FSI approves the delivery.
The existing CRM can be connected through an available API, webhook or a limited agreed integration change. A complete CRM rebuild, a major redesign of its internal structure, new third-party subscriptions and features outside the agreed scope are not included.
If the CRM cannot be integrated as it stands, I will explain the limitation and propose the options and any additional cost for approval. No extra work starts without FSI's agreement.
I check the agreed workflows, review integration issues, fix bugs within the delivered scope and make small adjustments based on the team's early use.
Delivery in 4 to 6 weeks includes review, implementation, testing and team handover. The schedule may change if access, CRM integration support, WhatsApp onboarding or approved calculator rules are delayed. FSI's Meta, OpenAI and hosting accounts are separate from this fee.
An optional monthly plan keeps the website, CRM connection, AI assistant and automation workflows looked after. I recommend Managed care, the first plan that includes regular automation and integration checks and AI knowledge updates.
Keep it reliable
Rp3,500,000 / month
Up to 8 support hours per month
Recommended
Rp5,500,000 / month
Up to 16 support hours per month
Ongoing improvement
Rp8,000,000 / month
Up to 25 support hours per month
Hours apply to the relevant month and do not roll over. Major new features, a full CRM rebuild, additional integrations, third-party subscription fees and message or API usage are quoted or billed separately. Support runs during agreed business hours and is not a 24/7 operations service.
Confirming the CRM route, WhatsApp setup and calculator rules first lets us deliver the agreed scope.
