That Little Chat Bubble on Every Website
You've seen them everywhere -- those chat windows that pop up in the bottom right corner. "Hi! How can I help you?" Sometimes it's a real person. Sometimes it's a robot. Sometimes it's hard to tell.
Two Types of Chatbots
Rule-Based Chatbots
These follow a script with set options: "Are you looking for pricing? Hours? Support?" Like a phone tree in text form. Pros: Predictable, easy to set up. Cons: Can't handle anything off-script.
AI-Powered Chatbots
These use AI to understand questions and generate responses. They handle a wider range of questions. Pros: Flexible, feels natural. Cons: More expensive, occasionally wrong.
No-code AI chatbot builders have made it much easier and cheaper to get started than it was even a couple of years ago — you no longer need a developer to set one up.
Live Chat vs. Chatbot
Live chat means a real human typing responses -- personal but requires someone to be available. Chatbots are automated and work 24/7. Many businesses use a hybrid approach: the bot handles common questions and routes complex ones to a human.
When Chatbots Help
- Same questions repeatedly -- "What are your hours?" "Do you deliver to my area?"
- After-hours inquiries -- Capture visitor info while you sleep
- Lead qualification -- Ask screening questions before a sales call
- Overwhelmed support team -- Free humans for complex issues
When Chatbots Hurt
- High-end personal service -- Premium customers want to talk to people
- Wrong information -- AI bots make mistakes. Wrong info is worse than no info
- Faking being human -- Nothing annoys customers more. Be upfront about it
- Set-and-forget -- You need to monitor what answers your bot is giving
What Does a Chatbot Cost?
Pricing varies widely — entry-level AI chatbot platforms can start around $20–$50/month, while custom-built solutions can run several hundred dollars per month or more. The space is evolving quickly and prices have generally come down. Many platforms (like Tidio and Tawk.to) offer free tiers that are worth trying before spending anything.
A few platforms worth knowing: Tidio and Tawk.to are popular for small businesses. Intercom is a well-known name in the space, though it has repositioned toward larger enterprise customers — may not be cost-effective for small businesses.
The Bottom Line
Chatbots work best when you have common questions that don't require judgment, customers who visit outside business hours, and a willingness to monitor the system. Start simple, be transparent that it's a bot, and always give visitors a clear path to a real person.