Caller asks what you pay for stock. IBIOS will deflect without revealing anything.
The IBIOS Receptionist is coming soon and is not live yet — this scenario shows how it will work. Supplier costs, discount structures, and margin levels are commercially sensitive. A single unguarded answer to the wrong caller hands a competitor your entire pricing model. IBIOS will detect the question, deflect gracefully, and log the attempt — without requiring staff to recognise the probe.
How can supplier margin information leak in a single phone call?
Caller rings. Sounds like a potential customer. Asks: “What do you pay your supplier for those baths? I’m just trying to understand if I’m getting a fair deal.” Staff member hesitates. Wants to be helpful. Gives a vague answer: “Well, we get a reasonable discount...” Caller pushes: “What percentage roughly?” Staff member, trying to be accommodating, gives a rough figure.
That caller was a competitor. They now know your margin structure, can undercut you precisely on the lines that matter, and can use your own discount level as a negotiating tool with your supplier. The conversation was over in moments. The commercial damage can last for years.
This is not an edge case. Competitor intelligence gathering via phone is a standard practice in trade retail. The people doing it are professional, patient, and convincing. Staff without specific training in this area will not recognise the attempt until it is already complete.
How will the AI receptionist deflect a supplier cost question (coming soon)?
A step-by-step walkthrough of exactly what the system will do from the moment the probe question arrives.
Probe question arrives
Caller asks directly what you pay your bath supplier, or what discount structure you have with your tile supplier. Staff member is caught off guard and starts to hesitate.
AI detects the intent
The AI will analyse the question against its intent classification model. Supplier cost inquiry will be identified as a commercially sensitive topic and handled by the IBIOS social engineering defence (coming soon).
Graceful deflection delivered
The AI will respond professionally: supplier costs are not disclosed, but competitive customer pricing is available. The caller will be offered a quote for what they’re looking for. The conversation continues productively.
Probe flagged and logged
The interaction will be logged as a trade-secret probe in the IBIOS audit trail: caller number, timestamp, exact question, and the response delivered. Owner will receive a notification.
Owner reviews at their convenience
The flagged call log will be available in the IBIOS dashboard under Protected Interactions. Owner can review, add a note, or mark it resolved. Pattern history shows if the same number probes again.
The expected outcome
Once the AI Receptionist launches, the aim is that staff are not put on the spot by a probe question, supplier cost questions are deflected politely, and each attempt is flagged for the owner to review with the caller details.
Once launched, the protection will be structural, not dependent on staff awareness or training. Whether it is a new member of staff or an experienced manager, the AI will handle the question consistently every time. No amount of social pressure or clever rephrasing will change the outcome.
Questions about trade secret protection
How does IBIOS detect a trade-secret probe during a call?
Coming soon. Once the AI Receptionist launches, the AI will analyse the intent behind each question, not just its surface wording. Questions about supplier costs, discount structures, margin levels, or what you “pay for” specific product lines will be flagged as commercially sensitive. The system will apply this check in real time during the call — no manual configuration required for standard probe patterns.
Can IBIOS distinguish between a genuine customer question and an attempted extraction?
Yes, once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon). A customer asking “is the price negotiable?” will be handled as a standard discount enquiry and routed through the approval workflow. A question asking directly what you pay to a named supplier, or probing your discount structure, will be classified as a trade-secret inquiry and handled differently. The distinction will be based on intent pattern, not keyword matching.
What does the AI say when it deflects a sensitive question?
Coming soon. The response will be professional and non-confrontational: “I can share pricing with you as a customer, but supplier costs and discounts are commercially sensitive and not something we disclose. What I can tell you is that we offer competitive trade pricing — shall I give you a quote for what you’re looking for?” The caller will be redirected to a productive outcome rather than hitting a dead end.
Are all trade-secret probe attempts logged separately?
Yes, once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon). Each probe attempt will be logged as a flagged interaction in the IBIOS audit trail, with the caller number, call time, and the specific question that triggered the flag. The owner will receive a notification. These logs will be stored separately from standard call logs and are accessible only to authorised users with the relevant permission role.
Can I configure what counts as a sensitive topic in IBIOS?
Coming soon. The default configuration will cover supplier costs, discount percentages, margin structures, and account terms. You will be able to add custom sensitive topics via the AI Response Overrides panel — for example, if you have a specific pricing arrangement with a customer that should not be discussed with other callers. Custom rules will be applied immediately without requiring a system restart.
Your supplier costs should never leave your system.
Coming soon: the IBIOS Receptionist will keep commercially sensitive information inside your ERP, not inside a phone conversation. Early access by waiting list.