Operations Guide

Customers reach us three ways. The AI handles all of them — you don't need to be at the phone or computer for orders to come in.

📞 Phone / Voice Agent

When someone calls (336) 439-9097, an AI receptionist answers. It handles the full conversation naturally, even outside business hours.

What the voice agent can do

• Recognize returning customers by caller ID — greets them by name and knows their order history
• Quote live pricing for TifTuf Bermuda, Pennington Fescue, Compadre Zoysia, and Fescue Seed
• Check delivery zones — tells the customer which county they're in and what the delivery fee is
• Calculate order totals on the spot: pallets × price + delivery fee = total
• Take full orders — product, quantity, delivery or pickup, preferred date, payment method
• Save restock interest — if something's out of stock, captures name and number so you can follow up
• Bilingual — switches between English and Spanish automatically

Contractor pricing

Verified contractors are recognized automatically by phone number and quoted wholesale pricing — no codes or passwords needed.

💬 SMS / Text Ordering

Customers can order by texting (336) 439-9097. The AI assistant (Odell) handles the conversation:

1. Customer texts in — e.g. "I need 4 pallets of fescue delivered to Durham"
2. Odell already knows their phone and checks if they've ordered before
3. Asks for full name if they're new, quotes current pricing, confirms product and quantity
4. Collects delivery details — city, county, street address, ZIP
5. Sends an order summary — itemized with subtotal, delivery fee, and total
6. Payment — customer gets a Square payment link to pay by card. Cash or check can be collected at delivery or pickup.
7. Confirms the date — Odell asks and confirms the preferred delivery/pickup day
8. Order created — Telegram notification sent to you, plus email confirmation if the customer provided one
9. "Manage My Order" link sent via text — customer can view or reschedule anytime

SMS also handles:

• Delivery confirmations — reply YES to confirm, RESCHEDULE to change (see Section 6)
• General questions — pricing, availability, delivery zones, hours
• Spanish — if the customer texts in Spanish, Odell replies in Spanish

🖥️ Website Chat

The chat widget on the website handles the full ordering flow:

1. Customer opens chat on any page and says what they need
2. Chat asks for full name + phone number — required for every order
3. Chat quotes live pricing pulled from the system
4. Order summary appears as a receipt card with an itemized breakdown
5. Calendar — customer picks their date
   • Delivery — any weekday
   • Pickup — any weekday, 7:30–9:30 AM
6. Delivery address — city and county are pre-filled
7. Email (optional) — for order confirmation
8. Payment — Square checkout is processed automatically. Cash/check available for pickup orders.
9. Order confirmed — receipt card shown, Telegram notification sent to you

All three channels — phone, SMS, and website chat — flow into the same order system. An order placed by text shows up the same way as one placed through the website.

Odell is your AI assistant in the Carver Brothers Telegram group. He can look up orders, customers, and business data. Just message him in plain English.

💬 Talking to Odell

No special commands needed. Ask naturally:

❌ Cancel an Order

Cancelled orders stay in the database for records. The Carver Brothers Telegram group gets a notification.

💳 Refund a Card Payment

If a customer paid by card and needs a refund:

Odell processes the refund through Square. The money goes back to the customer's card (usually 3–5 business days).

📅 Reschedule an Order

Customers can reschedule themselves using the link in their confirmation email or text (see Section 7). If you need to change a date manually:

The customer gets an automatic text with the new date — you don't need to call them.

💰 Change Prices

Tell Odell and he'll update the pricing system and website instantly:

Pricing changes take effect immediately. The chat bot and voice agent always quote from the live pricing — no stale numbers.

📦 Stock Status

Mark products in or out of stock:

Out-of-stock products show a red badge on the website, and the ordering system won't sell them.

📊 Current Products

See full pricing on the website →

Verified contractors get wholesale pricing automatically when their phone number is in the system — no discount codes or special links needed. You manage the contractor list through Odell.

✅ Approve a Contractor

When a contractor application comes in, you'll get a Telegram notification. Just reply in the chat:

🚫 Deny a Contractor

➕ Add a Contractor Manually

➖ Remove a Contractor

📋 Export Contractor List

Odell will ask: "Here in Telegram or email?" — sends as a CSV file either way.

Contractors apply at carverbrosturf.com/contractor. More info at carverbrosturf.com/wholesale.

How It Works

1. 48 hours before delivery — system texts the customer asking them to confirm
2. Customer replies YES — delivery confirmed, you get a ✅ notification
3. Customer replies RESCHEDULE — order is put on hold, you get a 📅 notification
4. No reply after 24 hours — order is automatically put on hold, you get a ⚠️ warning
5. If the order is on hold — call the customer to see what's going on, then tell Odell the result: "Customer confirmed order #42" or "Reschedule order #42 to Friday"

Customer Replies

All confirmation activity shows up in the Carver Brothers Telegram group.

Every customer gets a "Manage My Order" link in their confirmation email and text message. They can:

• View their order summary and current status
• See their delivery or pickup date and address
• Reschedule to a new date (any weekday)