A chatbot for a website is a program that communicates with a visitor right in the window on the page according to specified scenarios or using artificial intelligence. She asks questions herself, accepts answers and sends a warm client to the manager. Unlike the usual support widget, where the operator responds manually, the bot works around the clock and does not lose requests outside working hours.
If you are a business owner and you hear the word “chatbot” for the first time, the main thing to understand is that this is not a technical toy, but a way to remove routine from managers and not to lose customers. Next, we will analyze how such a bot differs from the usual "write to us" widget, what tasks it solves and when it makes sense to do it yourself, and when to order it on a turnkey basis.
How a chatbot differs from a regular support widget
The support widget is a small window in the corner of the site with a link to the messenger, mail or live chat with the operator. It's convenient, but it has three weaknesses:
- must be answered by a live person, otherwise the widget is useless;
- during non-working hours, the client leaves and rarely returns;
- the manager spends time on the same type of questions "how much does it cost", "is there a delivery", "how to pay".
The chatbot for the site closes these weaknesses. He does not wait for the operator, does not leave for lunch and does not forget to answer. The bot immediately guides the visitor according to the scenario: clarifies the task, collects the contact, and, if necessary, connects the manager. The difference for a business is the speed of processing requests and how many requests you notice at all.
What business tasks does the chatbot solve?
Most often, a chatbot for a website takes on five specific scenarios. Each of them saves employees time or returns "lost" customers.
Collecting applications and qualifying leads
The bot asks the visitor a few short questions: what is needed, what budget it is counting on, how to contact you. At the end, you have not "someone wrote to the chat", but a structured application with a clear context. The manager immediately sees what is being said, and does not spend the first five minutes figuring out the details.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Delivery, payment, work schedule, availability of goods, return conditions — up to 70–80% of support requests consist of such questions. The bot responds to them instantly and uniformly, without human errors and discrepancies in wording.
Appointments & Reservations
For the service sector, the bot is actually an electronic administrator. It shows free windows, records the client, sends a confirmation and reminder. The only thing left for a person to do is to come.
Transfer of data to the CRM and to the Telegram manager
The main value of the bot is that it not only responds, but gives the result to where your team works. The request goes to the CRM system, the manager in Telegram, to the desired channel or table. This removes manual data transfer and loss of leads between systems.
Friendly 24/7 customer support
Even a simple scenario bot can cope with night and weekend calls. In the morning, the manager opens a ready-made list of questions and requests, not an empty mailbox.
Free designer, self-written bot or turnkey development
There are three ways to create a chatbot for a website today. Everyone has their own price, their own limitations and their own expediency.
Free Builder
Suitable if you have a simple scenario: answers to 5–10 frequently asked questions, collecting a name and phone number, redirecting to the messenger. Typically, such services provide a template, a visual dialog editor, and a ready-made widget for the site. Restrictions are also typical: you can not deeply integrate with your CRM, it is difficult to make an atypical scenario, the design of the widget is template. For a hypothesis test or microbusiness — a working option.
Self-written bot on its own
If the team has a developer, you can build a chatbot for the site for specific processes. Plus — any logic and integration. Minus is the time of a full-time specialist, support during changes and responsibility for stability. For small companies, it is usually more expensive than ordering a ready-made solution.
Turnkey development
It makes sense to order a chatbot for the site when you need a link with CRM, Telegram, your tables and processes. The developer describes scenarios, configures integrations, makes a site-style widget, and trains your team to work with the bot. Further, the bot is accompanied and refined for new tasks. For most companies with a flow of 30–50 requests per day, this is the most profitable way.
AI chatbot for the site: when it is needed and when it is not
An AI chatbot for a website is a bot that understands live customer questions and answers "humanly", rather than using a rigid menu. The technology has become available, but it is not suitable for every business.
A smart AI bot is justified if:
- you have a large catalog or a lot of services and customers ask a variety of questions;
- there is a knowledge base: product descriptions, instructions, regulations;
- it is important that the bot does not just say hello, but really helps to choose and make a decision.
A simple scenario bot is more profitable if:
- the list of tasks is limited and predictable;
- you only need to collect the application and transfer it to the manager;
- full predictability of responses and a minimum of risks are important.
In practice, a bundle most often works: a scenario bot with quick answers to typical questions plus the transfer of complex cases to a live manager. This is cheaper, more understandable and does not require constant control over the bot's "mind".
What the bot brings to the business in numbers
Specific numbers depend on the niche and the quality of traffic, but usually the effect is measured in two things: the response rate and the share of processed requests.
On average, in the market, companies that have implemented a chatbot for the site note:
- the first response time is reduced from minutes and hours to a few seconds;
- the share of processed requests is growing because the bot catches night and outgoing traffic.
- the burden on model question managers is reduced, and they deal with more expensive transactions.
For online stores and services, this usually means an increase in the number of closed transactions with the same flow of visitors.
How to choose a contractor and where to start
Before launching, it is useful to fix three things: the purpose of the bot, the list of scenarios, and where the results should go. Next is a short checklist.
- Identify 3–5 main tasks of the bot: applications, answers to questions, recording, support.
- Write out the 10–15 most common customer questions and the answers you need.
- Decide where the bot sends applications: CRM, Telegram chat of the manager, Google table, mail.
- See if you need integrations with your accounting or payment systems.
- Choose a format: a ready-made designer for simple tasks or individual turnkey development.
If the tasks are wider than “answer 5 questions and collect a name”, saving on a self-written solution usually results in a waste of time. A ready-made bot made for your processes pays off faster.
What is in the end?
A chatbot for a website is a way to stop losing calls and relieve managers of typical questions. It does not replace live support, but makes it faster and cheaper. The free constructor is suitable for a simple scenario and hypothesis test. A full-fledged development is needed when the bot should become part of your processes: communicate with CRM, Telegram, customer base and your sales logic.
In the BotCreator studio, we make chatbots for websites and connect them with Telegram, CRM and internal business systems. Tell us what tasks you want to give to the bot — we will select a format and assemble a solution for your process. Start by discussing the task on botservice.biz. If the topic is related to price tracking in online stores, check out our product PriceTrack — bot and мини-приложение to monitor the prices of competitors.
