---
title: "What is the ChatAgent and how does it work? (guide + 2026 pricing)"
description: "The ChatAgent is an AI chatbot that answers questions 24/7, qualifies leads with photos and video, and books appointments. How it works, and 2026 pricing."
url: https://vanborg.com/en/blog/what-is-the-chatagent
locale: en
type: article
published: 2026-08-15
author: "Nicolaas Sterenborg"
tags: [ai-agents, chatagent, chatbot, automation]
---

# What is the ChatAgent and how does it work? (guide + 2026 pricing)

## What is the ChatAgent?

The ChatAgent is an AI chatbot Van Borg Agency rents out for €149 a month, with no setup fee. It answers questions about your business, qualifies visitors with photos and videos, and books appointments straight into your Google or Outlook calendar. It runs on [RAG](https://vanborg.com/en/explained/rag), so it never invents an answer that isn't true.

If it can't find the answer in the knowledge base we train on your business, it invents nothing: it hands the conversation to you instead of guessing. Until 5 August 2026 we sold this as three separate products: a FAQ agent, a lead agent and a booking agent, each with its own subscription. Customers ended up buying all three anyway, so they were merged into one ChatAgent at one price. The underlying engine was already the same system; only the invoices got simpler.

## What can the ChatAgent actually do?

The ChatAgent does three things in one conversation: it answers questions, qualifies the enquiry, and books the appointment, without you having to step in between. That's the difference from a plain chatbot, which stops after the answer and leaves the rest on your plate.

- **Answers**: 24/7 answers from the knowledge base on rates, service area, warranty and opening hours.
- **Qualifies**: catches the visitor and collects what's needed, including photos and videos of the job.
- **Books**: puts the appointment straight into your Google or Outlook calendar, with confirmation and a reminder beforehand.

Deliberately not included: the AI doesn't judge free-form photos to estimate a price. That isn't reliable enough today, and we don't sell anything that doesn't work. The ChatAgent collects and structures the media perfectly; the estimate stays with the tradesperson.

## Which channels does the ChatAgent work on?

The ChatAgent runs on your existing website, a site we build for you, WhatsApp and Facebook or Instagram, with one agent and one knowledge base behind every channel. One small script places it on an existing site (WordPress, Wix or custom, it doesn't matter), so you don't need to buy a new site to get started.

One channel is included in the €149 a month; each extra channel costs €25 a month. For trades businesses, WhatsApp is usually the most important channel: customers already send their photos there via the [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://business.whatsapp.com/products/business-platform), and messages get read almost every time. Everything runs white-label under your own company name.

## What does the ChatAgent cost?

The ChatAgent costs €149 a month with €0 setup fees, cancellable monthly. That isn't a starter price that climbs later: the fee covers everything, from hosting and AI usage to support and ongoing optimisation, and there are no separate project costs on top, not even after the first year.

| Item | Price |
| --- | --- |
| ChatAgent (answers, intake with photo/video, books your calendar) | €0 setup, €149/mo |
| Extra channel (WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram) | €25/mo |
| Extra language | €250 setup, €15/mo |

Prices updated: August 2026. The full overview with a calculator is on the [pricing page](https://vanborg.com/en/pricing). Looking for something that works in the background instead of talking, like chasing quotes or booking receipts? See the [difference between a chatbot and an AI agent](https://vanborg.com/en/blog/chatbot-vs-ai-agent).

## How fast does the ChatAgent go live?

The ChatAgent goes live within a few days, because it's one system: answering, intake and booking all launch together, not in phases. We build, connect and manage everything remotely, you don't have to install anything yourself, and every month we review it to make it smarter.

Not sure whether a chatbot is enough for you, or whether you also need work agents behind the scenes? Read [what happens when the AI agent doesn't know the answer](https://vanborg.com/en/blog/what-if-the-ai-agent-does-not-know), or book a free [AI workflow scan](https://vanborg.com/en/contact) of 30 to 45 minutes. You'll hear straight away whether [the ChatAgent](https://vanborg.com/en/services/chatagent) fits how you work.