AI assistant for interior design firms: what it answers
An interior design firm's assistant should answer how each project is going, who owes money, which workshop orders are late, what material is still to come and whether a project made money, all from the firm's own records and matching its screens. Atelier AI does this at Savistar & Saag today, in English and Hinglish, and refuses staff the payroll and bank questions.
Pujan Motiwala · Checked against the assistants' own code on
A design studio runs on projects, quotations, site visits, a workshop and a lot of money owed. The owner's questions cut across all of them: how is this client's project going, who still owes us, are we delivering on time. An assistant earns its place if it answers those in one line, with the same figures as the screens.
What should it answer?
Every question Atelier AI answers today is listed below, with the screen to check each answer against. They cut across the whole firm: one project end to end, money owed and billed with the GST split, quotations waiting and won, late workshop orders and on-time delivery, material still to come, attendance and payroll, the cash book and the bank, and whether a project made money.
What should it refuse?
Advice ("should we raise our design fee?") and anything a login can't see on the screens. A site supervisor asking for payroll should get a refusal, not a figure.
How Atelier AI does it
Atelier AI is the assistant in Savistar & Saag, an interior design studio and a furniture workshop sharing one system. A small model picks one of its fixed look-ups; code runs it with the same maths as the screens. It routed 55 of 55 test questions and 57 unseen real phrasings correctly, including Hinglish. Each person can pick a voice for it, and a written line with a number not in the table is dropped. "Remind me to call them on Friday" drafts a task that is saved only when the person presses Save.
You can ask it two questions yourself on the interiors demo, from any sample login.
How to check a vendor's
Run the vendor test on a copy of your own projects, and paste its written answers into the number check with the finance screen beside them. If the assistant comes with a new system, the ERP guide for interior design firms lists what the system itself should do.
What Atelier AI answers
Status is Atelier AI's, the assistant in Savistar & Saag, an interior design studio and furniture workshop, used by everyone, staff limited to their own tasks and cash entries. Try it on the public demo: two questions from any sample login.
What's on this week?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Milestones, site visits, workshop orders due and tasks in the week, from the calendar's own records.
Check it against
The calendar, same week: every item there is in the answer.
Also asked as
“anything due tomorrow?” · “what do i have today”
How is a named project going?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
That project's milestones done and overdue, the next milestone, site visits, its workshop orders, open purchase orders, and what it has been invoiced and paid.
Check it against
The project page: milestone count and invoiced and paid totals match.
Also asked as
“[client] update?” · “[project] job details” · “[client] ka kaam kaha tak pahucha”
Which milestones are overdue?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Open milestones past their due date, by project.
Check it against
The projects list filtered to overdue.
Who owes us money?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Invoices sent and not paid, with the amount including GST and how many days overdue. Drafts are not counted.
Check it against
The unpaid invoices on the finance screen: same invoices, same total to the rupee.
Also asked as
“receivables”
How much did we bill this month, and how much GST?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Invoice lines in the month (quantity × rate), GST split into CGST and SGST, and how much is paid.
Check it against
The invoice register for the month, and the GST figures your accountant files.
Also asked as
“GST collected by the furniture side this year”
How did billing this month compare with last month?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
The same look-up run for both months, side by side with the change.
Check it against
The register for each month, separately.
Also asked as
“and last month?”
Which quotations are still waiting for a reply?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Quotations drafted or sent, not accepted or declined, with value including GST and whether they have expired.
Check it against
The quotations list filtered to open.
How many quotes did we win this month?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Quotations accepted and declined in the month, by count and value, and the share won.
Check it against
The quotations list for the month, counted by status.
Which workshop orders are late?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Workshop orders past their due date and not delivered.
Check it against
The workshop orders screen sorted by due date.
Also asked as
“orders due this week” · “late orders and overdue milestones”
Are we delivering workshop orders on time?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Average days from start to delivery, and the share delivered on or before the due date, over delivered orders.
Check it against
Count the delivered orders in the period by hand: on time ÷ delivered.
Also asked as
“are we delivering orders on time?”
What material is still to come for a project?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Open purchase orders for the project: ordered, minus delivered, plus returned.
Check it against
The vendor screen's open purchase orders for that project.
Also asked as
“material not recieved yet”
Did a transporter charge us above the rate card?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Freight charges above that vendor's rate card for the same route, and by how much.
Check it against
The freight entries against the vendor's rate card.
Also asked as
“[transporter] overcharge?”
Which clients haven't we spoken to in two weeks?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Clients with an active project and no conversation logged in 14 days.
Check it against
Each client's conversation log.
Also asked as
“Which clients haven't we spoken to in a while?”
Did a project make money?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Billed, minus vendor materials, minus estimated workshop labour, with the margin. Refused to staff.
Check it against
The project's invoices, vendor purchase orders and work logs.
Also asked as
“which projects are most profitable?” · “[project] mein kitna margin hai”
How much cash came in and went out this month?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
The cash book (not the bank) for the month: in, out, net, the running balance and the largest entries.
Check it against
The cash book for the month.
Also asked as
“kitna paisa aaya is mahine” · “cash this month compared to last month” · “what is the cash balance?”
How much money do we have?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Cash in hand, plus the bank balances from the latest statements, plus what is owed to us, shown separately and together. Refused to staff.
Check it against
The cash book, the latest bank statements and the unpaid invoices.
Also asked as
“where do we stand financially”
What's overdue?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Follow-up tasks past their due date, for a person or a client.
Check it against
The task list filtered to overdue.
Also asked as
“my tasks this week”
How are the projects doing?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Every project, or those with one status (active, on hold, completed), with milestone progress and what is overdue.
Check it against
The projects list, same status filter.
Also asked as
“which projects are on hold”
When did we last visit a site?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Site visits by project: who went and when, past or coming up.
Check it against
The project's site-visit log.
Also asked as
“site visits last month”
When did we last talk to a client, and what was said?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
That client's latest conversations, their projects and workshop orders, and their invoices.
Check it against
The client's page: conversation log and invoices.
Also asked as
“When did we last talk to [client]?”
Who worked on a workshop order?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
The order's work log: who worked on which part, on which days, the hours and the rating.
Check it against
The order's work log.
Also asked as
“Who worked on the [order]?”
Who is in today?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Present, half day and absent for one day, with in and out times.
Check it against
The attendance screen for that day.
How many days did a workshop person work this month?
Plant and stores · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Days worked in the period (present 1, half day 0.5) and absences.
Check it against
The attendance register for the month.
Also asked as
“How many days did [person] work this month?”
What is the payroll for last month?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Days × daily rate or the monthly salary, minus that month's advances: what is owed and what is paid. Refused to staff.
Check it against
The payroll screen for the month.
Also asked as
“payroll for last month”
Which advances haven't been recovered yet?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Advances given to workshop people, and whether that month's payroll has recovered them. Refused to staff.
Check it against
The advances list against the payroll.
Also asked as
“advances not recovered yet”
Who is doing the best work?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Each workshop person's logged work rated 1 to 5 in the period, with the number of logs, days and orders.
Check it against
The work logs for the period.
Also asked as
“who's doing the best work?”
How much have we spent with vendors?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Spend per vendor: purchase orders at rate, plus freight, minus returns and cash already paid, with open orders and overcharges.
Check it against
The vendor screen's totals.
What is our bank balance?
Owner · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Each account's balance from its latest uploaded bank statement (not the cash book). Refused to staff.
Check it against
The latest statement of each account.
Also asked as
“how much is in [bank]”
What were the biggest debits from the bank last month?
Accounts · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
Bank statement lines in the period: money in or out, the largest, or payments to or from someone by name. Refused to staff.
Check it against
The bank statement for the month.
Also asked as
“what came into the bank last month?” · “bank payments to [person]”
What did I note about a client?
Sales · A figure or a list from your records · Answered today
What should answer it
The notes this person asked the assistant to keep, optionally about one client.
Check it against
The notes list.
Also asked as
“What did I note about [client]?”
Note that a client prefers WhatsApp.
Sales · Draft a task or a note · Answered today
What should answer it
A drafted private note; saved only when the person presses Save.
Check it against
The notes list before and after pressing Save.
How do I log a site visit?
Plant and stores · How to do something in the system · Answered today
What should answer it
The steps from the system's own guide.
Check it against
Follow the steps; they work.
Mark an invoice paid.
Accounts · Should be refused · Answered today
What a good assistant does
Not done: the assistant only reads. It says where in the app to record the payment.
Check it against
The invoice is unchanged.
What is the value of our stock?
Owner · Should be refused · Answered today
What a good assistant does
"The data doesn't have that": the system doesn't keep a stock valuation, so it says so instead of estimating.
Check it against
The reply gives no figure.
Remind me to call a client on Friday.
Sales · Draft a task or a note · Answered today
What should answer it
A drafted task for Friday; nothing is saved until the person presses Save.
Check it against
The task list before and after pressing Save.
Also asked as
“remind me to send the revised quote to [client] tomorrow”
What is the payroll this month? (asked from a staff login)
Plant and stores · Should be refused · Answered today
What a good assistant does
Refused: staff see only their own tasks and cash entries, as on the screens.
Check it against
The same login can't open payroll on the screens either.
Should we raise our design fee?
Owner · Should be refused · Answered today
What a good assistant does
Declined as advice the data can't give, with questions it can answer instead.
Check it against
The reply gives no recommendation.
Also asked as
“what should we charge [client] next”
Paste an assistant's answer and the report it should come from, and see every number that isn't in the report.
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A guide written by Ahrom Labs from the assistants it runs. What each assistant answers is stated as it stood on the date checked; a vendor's assistant should be judged by the tests, not by this page. Not legal advice on data protection. Last updated .
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