What is a Chatbot Co-op?
Look, adding AI and a Chatbot to your business is a great choice, but the cost can be significant. So, what if I told you that you could partner with other entrepreneurs, splitting the construction costs with them and sharing the benefits a chatbot provides? Instead of taking on 100% of the cost and risk, consider joining with 10 to 15 members to pool funds and reduce costs, speed up lead generation, scheduling, and marketing.
Imagine receiving a $12,000 quote for developing a chatbot for your business. Are you ready to start the design process? What? No? Is the price too much? Does $1139 sound better? Yes, that's right. Instead of getting slammed with a $12,000k price tag, you share the development costs with freelancers, solopreneurs, nonprofits, small orgs, and more.
As a Conversational UX Designer, I use sociocratic surveys to guide the co-creation of chatbot systems, ensuring that every co-op member has a meaningful voice in the process. Sociocracy is a governance system that emphasizes inclusive decision-making, transparency, and equality among members. Unlike majority-rule systems, sociocracy seeks consent-based decisions, where the guiding principle is not "Do you agree?" but "Do you have any paramount objections?"
Sociocracy fundamentally ensures that everyone affected by a decision has a voice in the decision-making process. It is commonly used in cooperatives, mission-driven organizations, and agile teams because it promotes distributed leadership, continuous feedback, and adaptive evolution.
In your purchasing co-op, decisions won't rely on traditional voting methods. Instead, I customize the functional choices of each chatbot based on structured feedback gathered through surveys. This feedback is then translated into actionable proposals, fostering democratic ownership and the ongoing development of the chatbot. As a result, it becomes a dynamic, co-owned tool that evolves to meet the changing needs of its users over time.
I provide multiple varieties of chatbots at Collin's AI Solutions, including ones for handling lead capture, email funnels, scheduling, onboarding, FAQs, even fundraising, and education. A co-op chooses the initial 1 to 2 functions, then individuals can request add-ons if they decide to hire me for maintenance.
Chatbot cooperatives exemplify a broader concept of shared digital infrastructure, akin to food cooperatives that share kitchens and worker cooperatives that share equity. However, chatbot cooperatives share automation capabilities, enabling smaller players to compete effectively in a rapidly emerging AI-driven economy. I will serve just about any chatbot cooperative. Some roles may be industry-based, such as those in healthcare, real estate, and education, while others are role-based, including marketing teams, administrative staff, or project managers. They can operate locally or have a global reach, but the essential elements remain shared design and satisfaction for everyone.
Takeaway: Chatbot co-ops make advanced AI more accessible, democratic, and ethical for people who want more innovative systems without giving up control. Not for everyone, but for the right team, it's the smartest way to build together.
