DIY vs. Managed

Authava offers two ways to run a bot:

Do-it-yourself (DIY) – you set up and run it yourself
Managed Service (MSP) – the Authava team runs it with you

The difference comes down to two things:

1. Who does the work
2. What capabilities are available

Our bias is toward the Managed Service.

In our experience, most businesses are too busy running their company to become experts in configuring and maintaining AI systems. When someone else owns the system and operates it deliberately, the results are usually better.

That said, we also believe people should be able to start where they are.

Topic	DIY	Managed Service (MSP)
Who runs the bot	Your team	Authava team operates it with you
Features	Smaller portion of the platform	Full platform, including advanced capabilities
Setup	You configure and launch the bot	Authava sets it up deliberately
Speed to launch	Depends on how fast you learn the system	Often faster because experienced operators handle setup
Responsibility for results	Your team owns setup and outcomes	Authava shares responsibility for performance
Ongoing tuning	You monitor and adjust responses	Authava monitors and tunes the bot over time
Cost of mistakes	Lower stakes — you manage the risk	Higher expectations — professionals help prevent mistakes
Your time required	Higher — you operate the system	Lower — Authava handles most of the work
Advanced capabilities	Limited to what can be safely self-operated	Additional capabilities enabled and maintained by Authava
If the bot gives a wrong answer	Your team investigates and fixes it	We investigate together and correct the source

FAQ — DIY vs Managed Service

Q: What’s the difference between DIY and Managed Service?

DIY means you run the bot.

Managed Service means Authava runs it with you.

DIY gives you the platform and control.
MSP includes experienced operators who set it up correctly, tune it over time, and handle the more complex capabilities.

Q: Why would someone pay for MSP if DIY is cheaper?

The total cost of the DIY often is not cheaper than the MSP.

Two reasons.

First, time. Learning the system, configuring it, and maintaining it takes work.

Second, capability. Some features are higher risk or more complex to set up (API integrations, CRM actions, authentication). Those are typically handled through MSP.

Q: Should I start with DIY or MSP?

If your bot is small and informational, DIY is usually fine.

If the bot will be large, customer-facing, or connected to business systems, starting with MSP usually prevents mistakes and rework later.

Q: Can Authava set up my DIY bot once and then let me run it myself?

Yes. This is considered the DIY plan, but with a setup fee.

Q: What does MSP include (and not include)?

MSP includes:

• setting up the bot deliberately
• training it on your website and documents
• configuring integrations and advanced features
• monitoring and tuning the system over time

MSP does not include:

• rebuilding your website
• rewriting your business content
• custom development projects
• operating your internal systems

If the source information is wrong, the right fix is usually correcting the source rather than asking the bot to compensate.

Q: What happens if the bot gives a wrong answer?

DIY: your team investigates and fixes it.

MSP: we investigate together.

The bot answers based on your website and documents. Often a wrong answer comes from outdated or incorrect source content, which needs to be corrected at the source.

Platform reliability itself is always Authava’s responsibility.

Q: What capabilities are available with MSP that DIY does not include?

In general, MSP enables capabilities that are more complex to configure or carry higher risk if misconfigured.

Examples include:

• CRM lead insertion
• API integrations
• SSO authentication with your website
• structured field collection
• automated ingestion or workflow connections

As a rule of thumb, if something:

(A) could damage a core system if configured incorrectly, or
(B) is tedious or complex to configure safely,

Then we usually operate it through MSP rather than exposing it in the DIY portal.

This keeps the DIY environment simple and prevents customers from accidentally breaking important systems.

Q: Should I start with DIY first or go straight to MSP?

It depends on how complex the bot will be.

If the bot is small and informational, DIY can work well.

If the bot will be large, connected to business systems, or part of your sales process, starting with MSP usually saves time.

When a bot is trained incorrectly early on, the MSP team may need to start a new bot anyway. Starting with MSP can avoid that rework.

Q: What is expected of me if I choose the MSP plan?

MSP means Authava operates the bot system, but you are still the expert on your business.

Typically you will still:

• provide the source information (website, documents, policies)
• answer questions about how your business works
• review important changes when needed
• approve integrations with your systems

In other words, we operate the system, but the knowledge still comes from you.

Most MSP customers still use the portal for simple updates like uploading a document or reviewing conversations.