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.
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?
- Basic rule-based: Free to $50/month (Tidio, Tawk.to have free tiers)
- AI-powered: $50-$200/month
- Custom trained: $200-$500+/month
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.