UK START-UP LAUNCHES HUMAN-TRAINED AI AGENTS BUILT BY COMMUNICATION EXPERTS
Comms mate brings enterprise-level customer engagement to SMEs — at a fraction of the cost
UK / Sri Lanka, June 2026 — Comms mate Ltd, a new UK-registered platform developed by a PR and communications agency News Publisher established in 2018, has officially launched a suite of AI agents purpose-built to transform how small and medium businesses manage customer engagement.
Unlike generic chatbots trained on internet data alone, Comms mate’s AI agents are developed and refined by communication experts with more than two decades of corporate communications experience — making them among the first truly human-trained customer care solutions available to SMEs.
The problem it solves
As businesses grow, so do their inboxes. Managing increasing volumes of customer enquiries across multiple channels — while maintaining speed, consistency, and brand voice — places enormous pressure on lean teams. Add to that the missed opportunities for upselling and cross-selling buried within routine interactions, and the cost of poor communication management becomes very real.
Most businesses know they need better customer engagement. Few can afford enterprise-level solutions to achieve it.
What makes Comms mate different
Comms mate’s AI agents are not built on automation alone. Each agent is a closed sourced model trained through a structured briefing process guided by communication experts, ensuring responses are brand-aligned, professionally worded, and contextually intelligent from day one.
The result is a human-trained AI solution that does more than answer questions — it strengthens stakeholder relationships, captures engagement opportunities, and frees teams to focus on higher-value work, all while delivering 24/7 customer support.
Implementation is straightforward: with a single briefing document, businesses can have a tailored AI agent live within a week — at a one-time cost of £200 (LKR 75,000).
From prototype to platform
The concept was first proven through The Publicist — the world’s first corporate AI agent trained exclusively by communication experts. Developed by News Publisher within hours, its rapid success was underpinned by decades of real-world expertise in managing diverse stakeholder enquiries, navigating varied brand tones, and delivering media-ready responses. Unlike a standard chatbot, Comms mate’s human-trained AI agents are built on that accumulated communications intelligence — effectively cloning the expertise of a seasoned communicator, so businesses can deliver consistent, professional responses at scale, without repeating themselves.
“Every business wants to provide fast, consistent responses to customers — but doing so can place significant demands on time and resources,” said Fiona Nanayakkara, Founder of Comms mate and News Publisher.
“What surprised us during development was how complicated many AI solutions had become. We wanted to make the process simple. With the right communications expertise and a single briefing document, businesses can have a tailored, affordable AI communications agent ready within a week.”
Bridging the gap for SMEs
News Publisher — established in 2018 and operating across the UK and Sri Lanka — believes businesses of all sizes should be able to access the communications capabilities that were previously available only to large enterprises. Through Comms mate, the company aims to bridge that gap: making human-trained AI agents, built by communication experts, accessible and affordable for growing businesses everywhere.
