The verdict in three sentences
An AI support chatbot linked to your knowledge base and CRM costs 18,000 to 50,000 EUR (excl. VAT) in 2026 for a Berlin mid-market firm, delivered in 5 to 9 weeks. The real challenge is not the conversation but the CRM connection (customer context, ticket creation, escalation) and the quality of your documentation base. Expect 55 to 70% auto-resolution on level-1 requests, cutting your advisors' workload accordingly.
Scope and budget
A useful business chatbot is more than an FAQ. It reads documentation, queries the CRM, opens and tracks tickets, then escalates to a human with context. Here is the 2026 breakdown.
| Item | Range (EUR excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping + business intents | 2,000 - 4,500 | 1 week |
| Knowledge-base ingestion | 4,000 - 10,000 | 1-2 weeks |
| Conversational engine (RAG) | 6,000 - 16,000 | 2-3 weeks |
| CRM + ticketing integration | 4,000 - 12,000 | 1-2 weeks |
| Escalation + guardrails | 2,000 - 7,000 | 1 week |
| Project total | 18,000 - 50,000 | 5-9 weeks |
Running cost and performance
The recurring cost depends on conversation volume and answer length. Here are orders of magnitude for 4,000 to 12,000 conversations per month.
| Metric | 2026 value | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-resolution rate | 55 - 70% | L1 requests |
| Inference cost / conversation | 0.03 - 0.10 EUR | model-dependent |
| Monthly inference cost | 150 - 900 EUR | 4,000-12,000 conv. |
| L1 ticket reduction | 40 - 60% | after 3 months |
| First-response time | < 5 s | 24/7 |
| Monthly maintenance | 500 - 1,500 EUR | updates + oversight |
Mini case study
Marc, customer-relations director of a 320-employee firm in Berlin, handles 6,500 tickets per month, 60% at level 1. He invests 32,000 EUR (excl. VAT) in an AI chatbot connected to his CRM, plus 900 EUR monthly maintenance and about 600 EUR inference. The bot auto-resolves 62% of L1 requests, i.e. roughly 2,400 tickets per month that no longer reach advisors. At 4.50 EUR handling cost per human ticket, savings reach 10,800 EUR per month. Payback in under 4 months, on top of better satisfaction (24/7 answers).
FAQ
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Can the chatbot answer from our internal procedures?
Yes, via a RAG architecture that indexes your documentation. Answer quality depends directly on how fresh your base is: budget 4,000 to 10,000 EUR for ingestion plus continuous updates.
How do we avoid made-up answers?
Guardrails restrict the bot to your sources, show references and trigger escalation when confidence is low. Off-topic answers fall below 2% with proper tuning.
Does it integrate with our CRM?
Yes: Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics or an in-house CRM via API. The bot reads customer context, creates tickets and passes history at escalation. Budget 4,000 to 12,000 EUR for this component.
What resolution rate can we expect?
Between 55 and 70% at level 1 after three months of tuning. Complex or sensitive requests are deliberately routed to a human.
What is the real monthly cost?
Between inference (150 to 900 EUR) and maintenance (500 to 1,500 EUR), budget 650 to 2,400 EUR per month depending on volume and oversight level.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your monthly ticket volume, your CRM and your target budget (18,000-50,000 EUR excl. VAT) for a precise estimate. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
