Custom AI vs ChatGPT for Customer Support

ChatGPT knows a lot about everything. That's the problem. It might confidently answer questions about your products using information from competitors, outdated sources, or pure hallucination.

A custom AI only knows what you teach it. Ask about pricing? It pulls from your current price list. Ask about returns? It recites your exact policy. No improvisation, no confusion.

Real example: A SaaS company used ChatGPT for support. 23% of responses contained inaccurate pricing information. After switching to a custom AI trained on their documentation, accuracy hit 99%.

ChatGPT operates in a silo. It can't check order status, verify accounts, or process requests. It's a conversational layer with no backend connection.

Custom AI integrates with your systems. Check inventory. Pull up customer history. Initiate refunds. Escalate to the right team with full context attached.

The capability gap: ChatGPT can tell customers how to track an order. Custom AI can track the order and report back. That's the difference between information and action.

ChatGPT Enterprise: ~$60/user/month. Quick to deploy. Limited customization.

Custom AI: $5K-$25K upfront build. ~$500-2,000/month operating costs. Full control over behavior and data.

Break-even math: If you're replacing one full-time support agent ($4,500/month), custom AI pays for itself in 6-12 months. ChatGPT requires ongoing seat licenses that scale with team size.

Custom AI costs more upfront but scales better. ChatGPT costs less upfront but grows linearly with usage.

ChatGPT processes conversations through OpenAI's servers. Your customer data travels through third-party infrastructure. For some industries—healthcare, finance, legal—this creates compliance challenges.

Custom AI can run on your infrastructure or trusted providers. You control where data lives, how it's processed, and who can access it.

Critical question: Can you share customer support conversations with a third party? If the answer is complex, custom AI simplifies your compliance posture.

Start with ChatGPT when: - Support volume is under 500 tickets/month - Questions are general (not product-specific) - You need something working this week - Budget is under $10K total

Invest in custom AI when: - Accuracy directly impacts customer trust - You need system integrations - Support volume exceeds 500 tickets/month - You're in a regulated industry

Many businesses start with ChatGPT, validate demand, then graduate to custom AI. That's a reasonable path.