AI-Powered Lead Qualification Chatbot for Rocky Web Studio

Client: Rocky Web Studio (Internal Project)
Date: January 2025
Project Type: AI Chatbot Development & Deployment
Status: ✅ Complete

Executive Summary

Rocky Web Studio developed and deployed a production-ready AI-powered lead qualification chatbot to replace third-party chat widgets (Crisp/Drift/Intercom) and provide 24/7 automated customer support. Built with Claude 3 Haiku API, Next.js, and Supabase, the solution delivers real-time streaming responses, persistent conversation history, and full WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance. The chatbot was deployed in a single 7-hour sprint using a reusable template architecture, enabling rapid deployment for future client projects.

Key Results:

• Development Time: 7 hours (single sprint)
• Deployment: Production-ready in 48 hours
• Cost: A$0.40 per 1,000 messages (vs. A$300-500/month for SaaS alternatives)
• Response Time: < 2 seconds average
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant
• ROI: Break-even in 7-10 months vs. SaaS subscriptions
• Template Reusability: 71-92% margins on future deployments

Challenge

Business Problem

Rocky Web Studio needed a customer support solution that could:

• Provide 24/7 availability without human intervention
• Qualify leads automatically before they reach the sales team
• Reduce operational costs compared to third-party SaaS solutions
• Maintain brand consistency with custom styling and behavior
• Own all data without platform lock-in
• Scale infinitely without per-seat or per-message pricing

Technical Requirements

• Real-time streaming responses for natural conversation flow
• Persistent conversation history for context across sessions
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse and control costs
• Error handling for API failures and network issues
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA)
• Type safety with TypeScript throughout
• Production-ready error monitoring with Sentry

Approach

Phase 1: Technology Selection

AI Model Selection:

• Evaluated: Claude 3 Haiku vs. Claude 3.5 Sonnet
• Decision: Claude 3 Haiku
• Rationale: Cost: A$0.40 per 1,000 messages, Speed: < 2 second response times, Quality: Sufficient for lead qualification

Architecture Design:

• Frontend: Next.js 16 App Router with React 18
• Backend: Next.js API Routes (serverless)
• Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL) for conversation storage
• AI API: Anthropic Claude 3 Haiku
• Monitoring: Sentry for error tracking
• Hosting: Vercel for edge deployment

Phase 2: Implementation

Duration: 5 hours

Components Implemented:

1. Frontend Widget - Floating button, expandable chat window, real-time streaming
2. API Route - Rate limiting, message validation, streaming responses
3. Claude Integration - System prompt formatting, streaming handler
4. Knowledge Base - Service descriptions, FAQ database, system prompts
5. Database Schema - Conversations and messages tables with RLS

Results

Performance Metrics

• Response Times: < 2 seconds average
• P95: < 3 seconds
• Streaming Start: < 500ms

Cost Analysis

• Per 1,000 Messages: A$0.40 (Claude 3 Haiku)
• Monthly Estimate (1,000 messages): A$0.40
• vs. SaaS Alternative: A$300-500/month
• Savings: 99.9% cost reduction

Conclusion

The AI-powered lead qualification chatbot successfully replaced third-party SaaS solutions, providing 24/7 automated customer support at dramatically lower cost. The 7-hour development sprint and 48-hour deployment timeline demonstrate the power of reusable template architecture and modern AI APIs.