What does an AI receptionist do for a print shop?
A receptionist answers, routes and books. Zanus AI does that on your shop's own number, day and night, and at the other doors too: the website chat, the e-mail and your quote forms. Because most print calls are a job, it also asks your job questions and prices the request from your list with AI Quoting, then waits for a person's yes before the quote goes out.
Does it fit a commercial printer with offset runs and corporate accounts?
Yes. Calls from buyers and marketing teams are answered and put through to their account rep with a note of who is calling and why. Purchase orders and print-ready files are sorted by e-mail and filed, quotes for long runs are prepared from your price breaks for an estimator's yes, and proposals cover whole print programs. Press scheduling and prepress stay in your print management software.
Can it quote custom jobs like banners, shirts and signs?
Yes, within the prices and rules you give it. Load your price list the way you use it today, with your quantity breaks, stocks, ink colors, finishing and rush rules, and the AI prepares the quote from it. A job that falls outside the list, such as an unusual substrate or a special ink, is written up in full and handed to your estimator.
Does the AI send quotes without my approval?
No. Every quote waits for a person's yes before it goes to the customer. You choose who approves for each department: the owner, the estimator or the counter lead. They can change a line, add a note about the paper or the date, and then send it.
What does the AI ask before it prepares a quote?
The questions your shop asks today: how many, what size, which stock or garment, how many colors and sides, any finishing such as lamination, grommets or folding, the date the job is needed, whether the artwork is ready, and pickup or delivery. You write the list once per product, and the AI asks it on the phone, in the chat and in its e-mail replies.
Can customers send their artwork?
Customers send artwork by e-mail, as they do now. AI E-mail sorts each message to the right department, so files reach your designer and billing questions reach the office, and it drafts the reply. The AI does not judge whether a file is print-ready; your designer checks it. Documents such as purchase orders are read and filed in the AI File Cabinet.
Will it answer the phone while we are running the press?
Yes. Forward your shop's number and every call is picked up at once, day and night, in the caller's language. Questions about hours, turnaround and file formats are answered from what you approved; a caller who needs a person is transferred with a short note of who is calling and why, or leaves a message with the callback number read back.
Does it replace our print management or web-to-print software?
No. Zanus AI is the front office in front of them. It answers, asks the job questions, quotes from your list, books and follows up, and keeps the record of every conversation with each customer. Press scheduling, prepress and your online storefront stay exactly where they are today.
Can it work as print shop scheduling software for proofs and pickups?
For appointments, yes. Each person or room keeps its own calendar: the designer for proof reviews, the counter for pickups, the sign team for site visits. Customers book by phone, chat or form and get a confirmation and reminders. AI Auto-Call can also ring the day before; a yes confirms the time and a no frees the slot. Press and production scheduling stay in the software you use today.
Will it follow up on quotes the customer never answered?
Yes. A quote that goes quiet gets the follow-ups you set, and they stop the moment the customer replies. For repeat work, e-mail campaigns reach a filtered group, such as last spring's graduation orders or every team that bought uniforms, when the season comes round again. Agencies and brokers who resell your work can have their own partner portal.
How does it handle reprint and misprint claims?
A customer who reports a wrong color, a typo or a damaged banner is heard on any channel, and the claim becomes a help desk ticket. AI Returns & Warranty checks it against the rules you wrote, such as how long after pickup a claim is accepted, and puts it in front of the person who decides. The reprint decision stays with your manager.
How much does an AI receptionist for a print shop cost?
You pay per company, not per seat, so the counter, the designers and the press crew all work under one subscription. Pick the modules your shop needs; every plan is listed on the pricing page.
Should I start with the free trial or the demo?
The 7-day free trial builds a sandbox of your own print shop from your website, with a test line that answers as your shop, and no card is needed. The demo asks nothing of you: a ready-made AI front office arrives by e-mail in about 2 minutes. Take the demo to look, and the trial to test it on your own jobs.
