Meet Tio: Our TYO Store AI Assistant Is Now Online

Say g'day to Tio, your TYO Store assistant

We're chuffed to introduce Tio, the TYO Store AI assistant — now live across store.tyo.com.au. Tio is a friendly, always-on chat helper built specifically for small and medium businesses shopping for Cisco and Meraki gear.

No more digging through tabs to find a price, no more wondering whether that switch is actually in stock, and no more waiting until business hours just to ask a quick question. The assistant is right there in the corner of every page, ready to help the moment you need it.

Here's what it does, how to find it, and a few questions worth trying straight away.

What it can do for you

We've designed the assistant to be genuinely useful for busy IT buyers — not just a generic chatbot that points you back to a help page.

• Answers product questions using real catalogue data. It pulls live prices, current stock availability and direct links to the product page, so what it tells you matches what's actually on the shelf.
• Knows the page you're on. Because it's aware of the product you're currently viewing, you can simply ask "is this in stock?" or "what's the price?" without copying part numbers or pasting links.
• Recognises signed-in customers. Once you're logged in, it can look up your recent orders and check delivery status — handy when you just want to know where your kit is.
• Helps you choose the right Meraki gear. Tell it what you're trying to do and it'll help you narrow down access points, switches, security appliances and licensing to suit your environment.
• Hands you over to a human when needed. If your question is complex, or you'd just rather talk to a person, the assistant can pass you across to our team — with the context already captured so you don't have to repeat yourself.

Think of it as a knowledgeable colleague who's read the entire catalogue, never gets tired, and knows when to tap a specialist on the shoulder.

Real, up-to-date answers — not guesswork

One of the most common frustrations with online chat tools is getting answers that are out of date or vague. We've tackled that head-on.

The assistant is connected to our live catalogue, so when you ask about pricing or availability, it's reading the same data our store runs on. If a product's price has changed or stock has moved, the answer reflects that in real time.

It also gives you a direct link to the product page, so you can go straight from "yes, that's available" to adding it to your cart in a couple of clicks. That's the whole point — fewer steps between your question and your decision.

Perfect for the way SMBs actually buy

Small and medium businesses rarely have a dedicated procurement team. More often, it's a business owner, an office manager, or a one-person IT department juggling a dozen other tasks. You need quick, accurate answers without a sales process that drags on.

The assistant is built for exactly that. A few ways it fits into a typical day:

• Scoping a new office fit-out and not sure how many access points you'll need for the floor space.
• Replacing ageing kit and wanting to confirm the current-generation equivalent of a model you already run.
• Checking a renewal and wondering which licence applies to your existing hardware.
• Following up an order when a delivery date matters for an install you've already booked.

It won't pretend to know everything — but when it's the right call, it'll loop in one of our people so nothing falls through the cracks.

How to find it

It's easy. Look for the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of every page on store.tyo.com.au.

Give it a tap, type your question in plain English, and away you go. There's nothing to install and no form to fill in first. If you're signed in to your account, it'll automatically be able to help with your orders and delivery details.

A few questions worth trying

Not sure where to start? Here are some examples that show off what it can do:

• "Is this in stock?" — while you're on any product page.
• "What's the price of this one?" — for an instant, current figure.
• "What's a good access point for a 20-person office?" — for tailored Meraki recommendations.
• "Which switch suits a small retail store with 12 devices?"
• "What's the delivery status of my last order?" — once you're signed in.
• "Can you compare these two security appliances?"
• "What licence do I need with this hardware?"
• "Can I talk to someone on your team?" — to be handed across to a human.

The more naturally you ask, the better. You don't need special commands or exact product codes — just say what you're after.

Your privacy matters

We know that order history and account details are sensitive, so we've kept this simple and strict.

The assistant only ever accesses your own account and your own orders — and only when you're signed in. It can't see anyone else's information, and it won't share your details with other customers. When it needs to look something up, it's looking up your data, for you.

If you'd rather not share anything, you can still use the assistant for general product, pricing and stock questions without signing in.

Give it a go today

Tio is live right now, and we'd love for you to try it. Whether you're pricing a single access point or planning a full network refresh, it's the fastest way to get a straight answer.

Head to store.tyo.com.au, tap the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner, and ask away. If it can't sort you out, our team is only a handover away.

We're always working to make buying Cisco and Meraki gear easier for Aussie small businesses — and this is a big step. Tell us what you think; your feedback helps us keep making it better.