Agent-to-agent and agent-ready setup: frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions business owners ask most about AI assistants, business agents, and what we set up for you.
What is agent-to-agent (A2A)?
Agent-to-agent is when a customer's AI assistant talks directly to a business's own AI agent to ask questions, compare options, and book or buy, with the customer approving the final choice. A2A is also the name of the open standard, the Agent2Agent protocol, that lets agents from different companies talk to each other.
What do you actually set up?
We publish your business facts in a clean, machine-readable form (services, prices or ranges, hours, areas served, policies and FAQs) with schema markup. Then we build and train your own AI agent on that information, put it live on your website, and connect booking, quotes or checkout as platforms allow. See all services.
How long does it take?
An audit typically takes one to two weeks, and getting your facts readable usually takes two to four weeks. Agent builds depend on how much information you have and how many systems we connect; we give you a firm timeline on your first call.
Do I need technical skills?
No. We do all the technical work and explain it in plain English. You share what you know about your business and approve what goes live.
Is it safe and accurate?
Your agent only answers from information you've approved, and it follows clear rules about what it can say, what it can't promise, and when to hand off to a person. We test it before launch and review real conversations as part of ongoing care.
What if agent-to-agent doesn't take off?
Everything we build pays off today on your website and in AI search. Clear, structured facts help you in Google and AI answer engines right now, and your website agent helps customers right now. Agent-to-agent is the upside you're positioned for.
How is this different from a chatbot?
Most chatbots follow scripts or answer from generic information. A business agent is trained on your real business details, can answer deep and specific questions, can take actions like booking, and is built on open standards so other AI assistants can talk to it. Read the full comparison.
What industries do you work with?
Any small or mid-sized business that customers find, compare and book or buy from. That includes clinics, trades, law and accounting firms, retail, restaurants, auto dealers and B2B suppliers. See examples by industry.
How much does it cost?
It depends on your business and which services you need, so we price after a short call. The audit is the smallest first step, and there's no obligation to continue.
Which AI assistants does this work with?
The groundwork (clear facts and schema markup) helps with any AI assistant or search engine that reads the web, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Siri and others. Direct agent-to-agent connections depend on each platform's support for open standards like A2A and MCP, which is growing.
What are A2A and MCP?
A2A (Agent2Agent) is an open standard that lets AI agents talk to each other. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that connects AI to tools and data, like your calendar or product catalog. Read A2A vs MCP in plain English.
What is an agent card?
An agent card is a small public file that describes your AI agent: its name, what it can do and how to reach it. Under the A2A standard it lives at /.well-known/agent-card.json on your website, so other agents know where to find it. See ours.
Will this help my Google rankings?
Clear, well-structured pages with schema markup and direct answers are good SEO practice and help search engines understand your business. We can't promise specific rankings; nobody honestly can.
Do I have to publish my prices?
No, but it helps. AI assistants favour businesses that give clear answers, so publishing prices or honest price ranges usually makes you easier to recommend. We'll help you decide what to publish and how.
Can the agent book appointments or take orders?
Yes, where your booking, quoting or ordering systems allow it. Many work on your website today; booking through outside AI assistants depends on platform support, which we add as it becomes available.
What happens when the agent doesn't know an answer?
It says so and hands off to your team, by collecting the customer's details or pointing them to the right contact. A good agent never guesses about prices, policies or promises.
Do I own my agent and data?
Your business information belongs to you. We'll explain exactly where your agent runs and how your content is stored before we build anything, so there are no surprises.
Who keeps everything up to date?
With Ongoing Agent Care, we do. Each month we update your facts and agent, review what customers ask, and add new connections as platforms open up.
Where do I start?
Start with the free 2-minute readiness check to see where you stand, then book an Agent-Ready Audit for a full review and a clear plan.
Find out how ready your business is.
An Agent-Ready Audit shows how well AI assistants can find, understand and act on your business today, with a clear plan to fix the gaps. Book a call for pricing.