Frequently asked questions
Plain answers to the questions owners ask most. Each answer starts with the answer.
The service
What is Humans and Bots?
Humans and Bots is a UK operations service, powered by Launchese Connect. Trained people run customer support, back office and operations for small and medium businesses, helped by bots that do the repetitive work. We also set up bots for businesses, and nothing goes out without a human yes.
Are you a VA agency?
No. We’re a managed operations team. We take responsibility for a function and its results, with a project manager, training, backup cover, reporting and AI workflows built in. A typical VA agency sells you hours and a login; we own the outcome.
What can you take on?
Anything repetitive and rule-based that can be done remotely: replying to customers, orders, refunds within your rules, courier chasing, reviews, invoices and ledger entry, data entry, CRM updates, payment follow-up, bookings, monitoring alerts, data projects, and inbox and diary support.
What can’t you do?
We don’t do on-site work, take card payments, touch your bank accounts or give legal or tax advice, and we don’t make decisions that need your authority. We gather the facts and escalate.
Do you use AI?
Yes, as a tool. Our people use AI tools we build for your business, for tracking, drafting, reading orders and reporting, and a person handles every customer conversation. AI tools are included in the hourly rate, not sold as an extra.
Is this just AI? Why not use a chatbot?
No, you get real, trained people. AI is a tool they use: it sorts messages, tracks deliveries and drafts replies, so they’re faster and more accurate. A person handles every customer conversation, and nothing goes out without a human yes.
Can you work behind our chatbot?
Yes. We answer what the bot cannot and check what it promised. Most clients keep their own team and add us for the volume, the hours and the repetitive work.
Which industries do you work with?
Food and drink, property and facilities, estate and letting agents, online shops, hospitality, clinics, gyms and salons, and professional services. Our focus is UK businesses, and we also work with technology companies.
Who is behind Humans and Bots?
Uygar Turantekin, a London-based founder who has run remote teams in his own businesses for over ten years. Humans and Bots is part of the Launchese group, which has helped 10,000+ international founders set up UK companies since 2019.
People and bots
Will my customers know it’s a bot?
Yes, always. Every bot we set up says it is a bot and signs as itself. It never pretends to be a person.
Who is responsible when a bot gets it wrong?
A named person from our team. A named person approves what each bot prepares, and a bot acts on its own only on a kind of item you have already cleared, so there is always someone accountable and someone you can ask. A bot that talks to people live says it is a bot, and a person from our team reads every call. Every run is logged, so we can see what happened.
Is it safe to let bots do work?
Only with rules. Every bot has one job and a list of things it may never do alone, every run is logged, and spending is capped. A bot sends or changes something only with a person’s yes, or on a kind of item you have already cleared. On a live call, a bot says it is a bot, and a person from our team reads every call.
Do you use bots yourselves?
Yes. Our own company runs on 25 bots (as of 20 October 2026), each with one job, a list of things it may never do alone, and a person who says yes. Nothing goes out without a human yes.
Can you set up bots for my business?
Yes. We set up bots for small and medium businesses, run the way we run our own. A named person from our team approves what each bot prepares, and a bot does something on its own only after you say “go ahead with this kind of item”. That list is written down. What we set up depends on your business, so we scope it with you on a call and send a written quote.
Where are your agents?
A team across several countries and time zones, managed from London. That’s how we cover evenings, weekends and 24/7 at one rate. Once we’re discussing a proposal, we’ll share the specifics.
Are they employees?
They are trained, managed and quality-checked by us, and work only for our clients under our confidentiality and data-protection rules.
Is your team trained?
Yes. Every person goes through our own training first, including UK tone, UK GDPR basics and the tools, and then training on your business before they handle anything live.
Who do I talk to day to day?
A named project manager in UK hours, plus a shared Slack or WhatsApp channel. Our founder leads the onboarding himself.
What if your person is ill or on holiday?
That’s our problem, not yours. Every account has a trained backup, and we plan holidays and peaks ahead.
What if something goes wrong?
We investigate and fix it, and we tell you what we changed. When one of our agents missed an urgent email, we treated it as a process gap and fixed the routine the same day. We also agree response targets and an escalation plan with you up front.
Pricing and contract
How much does it cost?
One all-inclusive hourly rate, typically 38 to 40% less than the true cost of hiring in the UK. You only pay for the hours we cover. Tell us what you need and we’ll send a written quote that shows the hours.
Is there a minimum?
No minimum hours. Most clients start at 20 to 45 hours a week.
Any setup fees?
No setup, onboarding, tooling or exit fees.
How is it billed?
Monthly in advance for the confirmed hours, with any extra hours added at month end and daily logs attached. Hours we fail to cover are credited on the next invoice.
What’s included?
Your person, a trained backup, a project manager, training, the playbook we write for you, AI tools and weekly reporting.
Do nights and weekends cost more?
No. Same rate.
How much will I save?
Typically 38 to 40% less than the true cost of an equivalent UK hire, and more against London wages. It depends on your wages and where you are. We can’t promise a figure for your business, but our team can work out your own numbers.
How much does a bot cost?
We quote in writing after a call. Bots are scoped for each business, so there is no set price.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. It’s rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice, and you can change your hours up or down on 2 weeks’ notice. There are no setup, tooling or exit fees.
What if I’m not happy with my person?
We replace them at no cost, with a handover. A trained backup already knows your account.
Who owns the processes and documents you create?
You do. Everything we write for your business, FAQs, scripts, decision trees and reports, is yours and lives in your own drive. If we ever part ways, you keep all of it.
What happens if we part ways?
You keep all the documents and reports. We remove all access, delete any data within 14 days, and give up to 5 working days of handover help.
Starting
How do I start?
Get a call. Leave your number and our bot calls you now, or when you choose, to talk through what is piling up. A person from our team reads every call and calls you back if you ask. If you would rather write, use “Prefer to write?” and a person replies.
How long until we’re live?
First live work usually starts within 5 to 7 working days of the paperwork. Your person is fully independent after 2 to 3 weeks.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The first week is free: your person learns your business, shadows your team and drafts replies for your approval. Paid work starts in week 2, and you can stop with 30 days’ notice.
What do you need from us?
Access to your tools, with individual logins that you create, one person on your side to train our person, your existing FAQs or templates if you have them, and quick answers to questions in the first weeks.
Can I meet the person who will work with me?
Yes. You meet them at the kick-off, and you can approve the match.
Do you write the processes?
Yes. In the first week we build your FAQ and brand-voice pack, decision trees and escalation rules. You own them.
How will I know what is happening?
You get a weekly report every Friday, with daily notes at the start and a monthly review.
Security
Is my data safe?
Yes. We are a UK company registered with the ICO. Our people sign confidentiality agreements, work only inside your systems with individual logins you control, never take card details, and we sign a UK GDPR data processing agreement with you.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. A mutual NDA is standard before we see anything sensitive, and a UK GDPR data processing agreement is signed before anyone gets a login.
Can you take card payments over the phone?
No, never. We send customers to your own secure payment page. It protects you and them.
Is it GDPR-compliant if your people work from outside the UK?
Yes. Remote access from outside the UK is covered by the UK’s standard international data transfer terms, which are written into our data processing agreement. Your data stays in your own systems, and we don’t download or store it.
What happens if there is a data incident?
Our people report it to us within 12 hours, and we tell you within 24 hours. You decide whether to tell the ICO.
Coverage and languages
Can you cover nights and weekends?
Yes. Our team works across several time zones and covers any hours, including 24/7, at the same rate.
Can you answer our phones?
Yes, through your phone system or a UK number, in your business name.
Can someone work on site?
No, our team is fully remote. We work inside your systems, phones and monitoring tools from wherever the shift is.
Can you handle spikes?
Yes. Extra trained people can usually join within an hour, at the same rate.
What response times can you offer?
Typical targets we agree with clients: live chat and phone within 2 minutes, email and social first reply within 15 minutes, urgent issues acknowledged within 10 minutes, and reviews within 24 hours. Always agreed per client.
Which languages?
Every person works in English, and across the team we cover Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Hindi. Tell us which languages your customers use and we’ll match the team. German is handled with approved templates and translation tools, so we don’t offer native German support as standard.