ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Claude · set up in person
AI assistant setup for small businesses in the Ohio Valley
I set up the right assistant for your business, lock down the privacy settings and teach your people to use it. Fixed prices, at your shop, in your name.
The first visit is free: 30 minutes at your place. You leave with the first three things I’d fix. No obligation.
Blake Porterfield, St. Clairsville Fisher College of Business, Ohio State, 2015. As seen in The Intelligencer and The Times Leader.
The short answer
What does AI assistant setup cost for a small business?
Four fixed prices, no hourly meter. Setting up ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude for up to 10 people, with the privacy settings done, is $299. A custom assistant that knows your prices and policies is $499. Website chat is $599, and two hours of staff training with a written policy is $299.
The subscription itself is paid to the AI company, on your card, in your name. I don’t mark it up.
- Assistant setup and privacy, up to 10 people
- $299
- A custom assistant on your own prices and policies
- $499
- Website chat that answers customers and takes leads
- $599
- Staff training, 2 hours on site, plus a one-page policy
- $299
Picking one
Which AI assistant should my business use?
Start with the tools you already pay for. Microsoft 365 points to Copilot, Google Workspace points to Gemini, and ChatGPT Business or Claude fit either one. The right plan is the one your staff will actually open, at a price that makes sense for the size of your crew.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot. If your email is Outlook and your files live in Word, Excel and OneDrive, Copilot works inside them.
- Google Gemini. If you run on Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar, Gemini is already a button away in Google Workspace.
- ChatGPT Business. The one most people have tried. Good for writing, quotes, summing up long documents and questions that come up all day.
- Claude. Strong with long documents like manuals, contracts and handbooks, and careful about saying when it is not sure.
Not affiliated with OpenAI, Microsoft, Google or Anthropic. I pick for your business, not for a commission.
Privacy
Is my business data safe in ChatGPT or Copilot?
It can be, when it is set up on a business plan with the right settings. On ChatGPT Business, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini in Google Workspace and Claude’s team plans, the companies say your data is not used to train their models. A free personal account can work differently, so I check the settings myself.
- Accounts in your name. The business owns the account and pays the company directly. You keep every password and can remove me in one click.
- Training switched off. The settings that let a company learn from your chats are checked and turned off where the plan allows it.
- One login per person. No shared passwords. When someone leaves, you shut off one account.
- A rule for what never goes in. Card numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers and customer health details stay out, in writing.
Your own assistant
What is a custom GPT, and can it learn my prices and policies?
A custom GPT is an assistant you hand your own files and instructions, so it answers from your price list, your policies and your manuals instead of guessing. Claude calls it a Project, Gemini calls it a Gem and Copilot calls it an agent. I build it on whichever plan you have, for $499, and keep it current when your prices change.
- A new hire’s first week. Staff ask it how you do a refund, what a job includes or where a form lives, and it answers from your own handbook.
- Quotes and emails in your words. It drafts from your real prices and the way you already write. A person reads it before it goes out.
- Your manuals, searchable. Equipment manuals, safety sheets and supplier terms, asked in plain English.
Website chat
Can an AI chatbot on my website answer customers and take leads?
Yes, for the questions you already answer ten times a week: hours, prices, the towns you cover, how to book. It answers only from information you approve. When it cannot answer, it takes the customer’s name and number and texts or emails them to you. Website chat is $599, set up on the site you already have.
- It knows its limits. It does not promise dates, quote custom jobs or take card payments. It hands those to you.
- Every lead reaches a person. Names and numbers land in your inbox or your phone, not in a dashboard you never open.
- You read what it says. You can see the conversations and change an answer any time.
Training
How do I train my staff to use AI safely?
Two hours at your place, on your own computers and your own work, for $299. Everyone practices the jobs they do every week, like an email to a customer or a summary of a long document. They leave with a one-page AI-use policy that says what it is for and what never gets pasted in.
- On your work, not a slideshow. We use your real quotes, schedules and emails.
- Checking its answers. Anything with a price, a date or a law in it gets read by a person before it goes out.
- A policy you can post. One page, in plain words, written for your shop.
Being honest
What can an AI assistant not do for a small business?
It can be wrong and sound sure of itself. It does not know your business until you give it your files, and it forgets nothing you paste in, which is why the privacy work matters. It will not replace a good employee. Used well, it gives the people you already have a few hours back each week.
If I think an assistant will not help your business, I will say so at the free visit and you will not pay me anything.
Where I work
Do you set up AI assistants in person near me?
Yes. I come to your shop in St. Clairsville, Wheeling, Steubenville, Martins Ferry, Bridgeport, Cambridge and the towns between, and do the setup on your own computers with you there. One person does the work from the first visit to the training, so you always know who to call.
Questions owners ask about AI assistants.
Which AI assistant is best for my business?
Usually the one that fits what you already pay for. If your email is Outlook and your files are in Microsoft 365, that is Copilot. If you run on Gmail and Google Drive, that is Gemini. ChatGPT Business and Claude work with either. I tell you which at the free visit, before you buy anything.
Is my business data safe in ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Claude?
On the business plans, the companies say they do not train their models on your data, and I check the settings that control it. On a free personal account, that can be different. Safe also means your staff know what never to paste in, which is what the one-page policy is for.
How much does AI assistant setup cost?
Setup and privacy for up to 10 people is $299. A custom assistant is $499, website chat is $599 and staff training is $299. Each is a fixed price in writing before I start. The monthly subscription is paid to the AI company directly, not to me.
What is the difference between a custom GPT, a Claude Project and a Gemini Gem?
They are the same idea from three companies: an assistant you give your own files and instructions, so it answers from your prices and policies instead of guessing. Copilot calls it an agent. Which one you get depends on the plan you are on, and the $499 price is the same for each.
Can a chatbot on my website answer customers for me?
It can answer the questions you get every day, like hours, prices, service area and how to book, from the information you approve. When it cannot answer, it takes the customer’s name and number and sends them to you. It does not make promises, quote custom jobs or take payments.
Do I need an IT person to use this?
No. I set it up, write down how it works in plain words and show your staff on your own computers. If something changes later, you call me. You keep every account and password, so you are never stuck waiting on me.
Can an AI assistant run on my own computer instead of the cloud?
Some can, and for a few businesses it is worth it. A model that runs on your own machine keeps everything in the building, but it needs a strong computer and it is slower and less capable than the big services. I will tell you honestly whether your work needs it.
What does the staff training cover?
Two hours at your place, on your work: writing a quote or an email, summing up a long document, checking a schedule. Everyone leaves with a one-page policy that says what the assistant is for and what never goes into it, like card numbers, passwords and customer health details.
What can an AI assistant not do?
It can be wrong and sound sure of itself, so anything with a price, a date or a law in it gets checked by a person. It does not know your business until you give it your files. And it does not replace a good employee; it gives the ones you have back some time.
Do I have to sign a contract or pay every month?
No contract with me. Each job is a one-time price. The only monthly bill is the AI company’s own subscription, in your name on your card, and you can cancel it with them any time.
Free visit
Tell me what you want it to do.
30 minutes at your place or on the phone, anywhere in the Ohio Valley. You leave with the first three things I’d fix.
Blake Porterfield The person who shows up. St. Clairsville, Ohio.