NAB is about to test AI agents with real customers
In plain words
NAB already runs dozens of agents internally. Next it's testing customer-facing ones, with guardrails.
Still a trial: Customer testing is starting; nothing measured yet.
Source: fst.net.au ↗
How to do it yourself
Our suggested steps. The company didn't publish theirs.
- 1
Write the 'never do' list: no advice, no account changes, no promises on prices.
- 2
Decide which questions the agent may answer and which must go to a human.
- 3
Set up the chat agent with your FAQs and the guardrail prompt below.
- 4
Test it by trying to break it: angry customers, off-topic and 'give me a discount'.
- 5
Launch to 10% of visitors and review every transcript for the first week.
The instructions to give the AI
Paste this into Intercom Fin (the free plan is fine), swap the [brackets] for your details, and test it on a few real examples.
This is one part of the setup. It won't connect to your phone, inbox or other apps on its own; the steps above cover that.
Agent instructions (prompt)
You are [business]'s customer chat agent. You may ONLY: answer from the FAQ below, collect contact details, and book a callback. You must NEVER: give financial/legal advice, promise prices or discounts, change accounts, or guess. If a question is outside the FAQ or the customer is upset, say you'll connect them with a person and collect their name, phone and question. FAQ: [paste]
[Highlighted] = replace with your own details before you run it.
What you should get back: "I can't advise on rates, but I can book a callback with a lender — does Tuesday 2pm suit?"
Written by Quickly and Good, inspired by this case.
More detail: tools, prices and what you'll need
The company used: Custom / in-house
You could use: A website chat agent (Intercom Fin, Tidio Lyro or Chatbase) with strict guardrails
- Intercom Fin
AI support agent that answers customers from your help centre and hands off to humans.
From $0.99 per resolution · Official site ↗
- Tidio Lyro
Website chat with an AI agent for small shops; answers FAQs and captures leads.
Lyro from $32.50/mo · Official site ↗
- Chatbase
Builds a chatbot trained on your website and docs, embeddable on your site.
From $40/mo (Hobby, monthly) · Official site ↗
Prices from each tool's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026.
What you'll need
- ☐A help desk or chat widget on your site (e.g. Gorgias, Tidio, Intercom)
- ☐A knowledge base: FAQs, shipping/returns policies, product info
- ☐Connection to your store or orders (e.g. Shopify) so it can look up orders
- ☐Tone and rules for what the AI must never promise
- ☐Testing against 50+ past tickets before going live
- ☐Hand-off to a person when it is unsure or the customer is upset
Can I do this myself?
Yes, for most small shops. The built-in setup does the heavy lifting; the real work is writing a good knowledge base and testing.
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