A Chatbot for Your Business in Catford? Start with the Kebab Shop Test

The kebab shop test

There are 8 kebab shops listed here (counted 10 October 2026). Think about what customers actually ask one of them: are you open, do you deliver to my road, is the meat halal, can I change my order, where is my food. A chatbot that answers those well, at the moment the owner has both hands in a wrap, would earn its keep.

Now think about what can go wrong. A customer with an allergy, a complaint, or a large catering order does not want a script. The bot has to know when to stop and pass the conversation to a person.

When a simple chatbot is enough

An off-the-shelf chat widget on a website is reasonable when:

• the questions are few and the answers never change;
• most of your enquiries start on your website, not elsewhere;
• you are happy to set it up and keep it up to date yourself.

If that describes you, you probably do not need a consultant.

When it is not

Most small-business messages do not arrive on the website. They come by email, WhatsApp and social messages. A widget on one page misses those. It also tends to answer questions and stop, rather than carry the matter on to a booking, a quote or a reminder.

What Dean Keating builds

He builds AI agents, set up inside the email, diary and messaging tools a business already uses. His website says they answer common questions across email, web and WhatsApp, sort and route messages, send confirmations and reminders, and hand a case to a person when it needs one. The same agents can reply to new enquiries within minutes and follow up until the person books or says no.

He does the installing, trains your team and supports it. The website phrase is installed for you, not handed over.

Be clear about what it is not. It does not answer the phone. It is not a chatbot product you subscribe to, and it is not a course.

How it starts

A free call, an audit of what is worth automating, the build and install, then training and support. He begins with the one task that would help most. There is no published price; the cost is given after the free call, with no obligation.

Distance

He works from Horndean, Hampshire, and does the build remotely for Catford and south-east London businesses. His website says he can visit businesses in Hampshire or nearby. This guide recommends our own service, so compare it with other providers.

Related: AI receptionists and chatbots and customer-service assistants.

Contact

Call or WhatsApp Dean Keating on 07418 627304, or email dean@deankeating.com. See the Dean Keating profile on Catford.co. Websites: ai-agent.deankeating.com and deankeating.com.

About this guide

Catford.co is published by Dean Keating, who also runs the service described here. He is based in Horndean, Hampshire, not in Catford, and works with Catford and south-east London businesses remotely. If you want someone in the room, say so on the first call and look at Catford-based providers too. This guide recommends our own service, so compare it with other providers before you decide.