Small businesses in Israel are increasingly using AI agents to handle customer service and sales, with systems that can be set up in minutes and cost only a few hundred shekels a month, or about $200. The article says tasks that once required tens of thousands of shekels and a full development team can now be managed by almost any business owner, creating round-the-clock digital service without hiring additional staff.
Dan Shachori, cofounder of the startup Whtvr.ai, said the technical barrier has almost disappeared. He said expensive capabilities that were once reserved for large companies are now available to any professional, and that his platform lets owners create a smart agent for a website or WhatsApp within minutes. According to him, even people with no technical background can enter their data and have a working agent in about 180 seconds.
Business owners cited in the story say the tools are already reducing workload. Yonatan Bresler, owner of the SeaTime yacht club, said the AI system answers customers around the clock and sometimes better than his office staff, giving him more time to focus on sailing and boat maintenance. A property appraiser named Aharon said he uses models such as Gemini to prepare reports and estimate unusual items, including by photographing every stone in a jewelry store and feeding the information into AI.
The technology is also being used in finance and marketing. Eliran Asraf, marketing manager at crypto trading platform Bits of Gold, said the company added an interactive chat tool that gives readers financial explanations while they read, and he said it significantly increased user engagement. Ben Lavie, founder of the “No Code” AI college, said AI agents can now handle sales and advertising budget analysis, but warned that the early advantage will not last. “In two years it will be a baseline requirement, not an advantage,” he said. Shachori added that customer expectations are also changing, as people now want to ask a question and get a precise answer immediately, or the business loses them.
