Chatbot vs Live Chat: Which One To Use?

Chat support is one of the most important channels of communication that customers lean towards. People want immediate responses, and the introduction of chatbot technology and live chat software has made that possible.

After all, with a 12x faster first response time and a 23% decrease in average resolution time, customer issues are being handled faster than ever.

But before you can start instant messaging with your customers, you'll first have to face a difficult decision – do you opt for chatbot vs live chat or do you go for both?

We're here to decode the pros and cons of both.

What is a chatbot?

Chatbot is a computer program that interacts with customers through text or voice, and it's designed to help them solve a problem. Coined from the term 'chat robot,' chatbots serve as an addition to classic customer service tools, like phone and email.

Over the years, chatbots have evolved and become a lot more sophisticated than one of the earliest examples – a program called ELIZA. Built during the mid-1960s by professor Joseph Weizenbaum, ELIZA simulated a psychotherapist who responded to questions with open-ended replies.

Today's chatbots have become a lot more sophisticated. The simplest versions operate by recognizing keywords in a customer's requests, while AI-powered chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to provide people with human-like conversations. While a chatbot doesn't need AI-powered features, there are many benefits of using AI in customer service, including:

Chatbot's recognition system becomes better the more a customer interacts with it;
Getting better at simulating human conversation and managing unique dialogues;
Being more self-sufficient by understanding language outside of pre-programmed commands.

Through more personalized responses and a better understanding of the customer's intent behind the message, AI customer service software can improve customer satisfaction and retention rates.

What is live chat?

Live chat is an online communication tool that allows you to connect and engage with your customers. It's an amazing alternative to phone calls and e-mails, and all your customers need to do is type a question in the chatbox.

Whether implemented through a code or a plugin, the live chat feature can be added to your website and social media platforms. It works on a very simple principle:

Your customer spots the chat widget in the bottom right corner of your website;
They click on it and the live chat appears;
They type in their question or dilemma and wait for the support agent to get back to them.

One of the biggest benefits of live chat is the potential to have almost instant answers. The replies are handed out by human support agents, so customers get to enjoy personalized assistance and human-to-human interaction. Moreover, live agents can only chat with one person at a time, so all customer inquiries are given the same amount of attention and care.

Chatbot vs live Chat: key differences

When used together, chatbots and live chat provide excellent results. They positively impact numerous aspects of your business, like helping you grow sales and improve customer satisfaction. However, live chat messaging and chatbots do have some crucial differences, such as response time and customer service costs. Here's a breakdown of the most important aspects where the two differ:

Chatbot	Live chat
Chatbots operate through artificial intelligence.	Live chat relies on human agents to provide responses.
They can handle a significant volume of inquiries and parallel requests.	There is only a set number of live chat agents, so your capacity is limited.
As intelligent as they are, chatbots can handle only those requests in which they are trained.	Live chat agents can handle complex queries, so they have a better chance of meeting customer expectations.
Chatbots are great at automating tasks and answering FAQs.	Live chat solutions are perfect for businesses that want to provide a personal approach and build a relationship with their customers.
Website visitors get 24/7 support	Live chat agents are available during business hours.
Chatbots provide immediate assistance and instant responses.	Response time can vary based on agent availability.
The cost is relatively low since there's no need for a large support team.	A live chat support team can be extensive, so costs are higher.
Chatbots can be integrated into websites and apps, but they provide automated responses.	Live chat software can also be integrated into websites and apps, with personalized support being one of its main features.

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Chatbot vs Live Chat: Pros and Cons

Live chat and chatbots both provide a great customer experience. They are both effective tools for improving customer satisfaction. Take a look at some pros and cons of chatbots and the live chat widget and learn what they are best used for.

Pros of chatbot

Chatbots provide 24/7 support year-round. This software is one of the best omnichannel customer support tools because it requires no human intervention.
This software lightens the load of your human support agents. Chatbots can handle a great number of queries simultaneously and provide high-quality responses to matters they are trained in. Your chatbot can also create support tickets for any unresolved queries, after which a human agent will take over.
Chatbots provide instant responses to simple customer queries. Using chatbot software will significantly lower the wait time, provide instant support, and improve customer satisfaction.

Cons of chatbot

Chatbots likely won't be able to handle complex queries. They are programmed, so they might not be able to answer specific questions and complex matters outside of their scope.
You might have your hands full with chatbot software. While the best omnichannel software for customer service is a way to enhance customer experience and streamline services, its implementation and maintenance can also be a lot of work.

Pros of live chat

A skilled live chat agent can be an amazing upselling and cross-selling tool. Human agents understand customer emotions, so they can offer personalized support and guidance. If trust is established, customers are more inclined to believe a human agent once they make a product recommendation.
Live chat software offers personalized support and a human touch. Unlike automated customer support, live chat agents can adjust their response and approach to every customer. Delivering a fully personalized experience makes your customers feel special, enhancing brand loyalty and engagement.
A trained customer support team can handle complex queries right off the bat. Once you train your customer service reps on how to support customers while chatting and they get the necessary knowledge about your products, it will be easy for them to respond to complicated questions and solve complex issues promptly.

Cons of live chat

A live chat agent can handle only two or three conversations at a time. This is one of the major areas where chatbots outperform human agents, as AI reps can handle multiple conversations, whereas live chat agents have to focus on a few queries at a time.
Scalability can be a problem. Once the number of customer inquiries increases, a business will need to hire more agents to scale up its support.
Long-term customer service costs can be high. Provided that you have a large customer base, you'll need to hire many live chat agents to cater to your audience. Maintaining efficient live chat services 24/7 will be very expensive, even though you will face relatively low upfront costs.

How to choose between chatbot and live chat?

Both chatbot and live chat serve their purpose of enhancing customer support; however, they deliver a better user experience in two different ways. The only way to choose the right tools and strategies for omnichannel customer support is by taking a realistic look into your business needs. Here's what to take into account:

24/7 support

If you want to provide your customers with 24/7 support year-round, then chatbots are the way to go. This is particularly true if you have a large volume of tickets coming in at night. Since omnichannel chatbots don't have downtime, you can provide your customers with speedy responses to basic queries.

It's still possible to provide round-the-clock support with live chat, but you will need to hire a large volume of agents and figure out a way to rotate them. On the upside, your customers will always be able to get personalized support from human agents, which can positively impact user experience.

Response time

Businesses that are set on delivering quick, almost instant responses should opt for chatbots. There's no wait time with chatbots, as they can simultaneously handle a large volume of queries. Chatbots will also reduce the burden on your human team, as they will handle repetitive questions and delegate only complex questions to live chat agents.

Live chat support agents can also provide quick responses, and their average response time is usually a few minutes. It's possible to minimize wait times even further by ensuring your live chat support team is well-equipped and adequately staffed.

Agent productivity

If you want to boost agent productivity and have everyone deliver their best performance, you'll want to go for chatbots. Since they can deflect a substantial number of customer queries, chatbots can alleviate the pressure from your human team. They can respond to frequently asked questions and pass on any complex issues to your human agents.

Chatbots constantly learn through customer inquiries, so they require no supervision and intervention. They can answer basic questions at the beginning if that's how they are programmed, but, with time, chatbots can turn into a powerful tool that will help a business identify and fix customers' pain points.

Personalized responses

Human agents reign supreme when it comes to personalized responses. Through the live chat widget, a human agent can tailor customized messages for all website visitors and use customer data to create compelling messages. Human agents can even go a step further by empathizing with a customer, which enhances their experience.

Despite the benefits of live chat agents, AI still has a pivotal role in customer service. As much as 81% of contact center executives are investing in AI agents, as they help cut costs and provide 24/7 support.

Smart businesses know that the best way to move forward is by merging live chat software with conversational AI platforms. Chatbots can collect customer data and handle simple requests, whereas live chat agents can use that data to provide more personalized assistance.

Handling complex queries

When it comes to the potential to answer complex questions, live chat stands out as the obvious winner. A trained agent can get to the bottom of any problem, as they can work with other teams to find the best solution for customer inquiries.

Chatbots might be powered with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), but they still can't handle complex issues. They are trained to provide instant responses according to a specific set of keywords; when they are asked a question they have no training in, chatbots can't answer it.

How to add chatbot and live chat to your website?

Once you decide whether you want to implement live chat or chatbot to your site, or both, it's time to choose a platform. For the purpose of this guide, we'll use Glassix – one of the best customer support software for startups and enterprises. Here's how to add a chatbot or live chat to your website after creating an account.

Adding a chatbot

After deciding what you want your chatbot to do and which platforms you want it to appear on, you need to opt for either a rule-based or AI chatbot. To build a rule-based chatbot, you should:

Start by opening the Chatbots tab, going to Templates, and deciding whether you want to use and customize one or create a chatbot from scratch.
Build your bot by designing the conversation flow, which you can do by building blocks and connecting them into a sequence.
Decide which trigger, like visiting a specific page, will set the chatbot off.
Choose which action will be performed by the chatbot after it detects a trigger.

If you believe an AI chatbot is what your business needs, you can add it in the following way:

Read the restrictions to ensure none apply to your business and you are good to go.
Decide whether you want to add knowledge by importing your existing FAQs or by adding an external page URL.
Find the Configure tab under the FAQ to edit or delete any questions.
Test the final product after it is deployed to ensure it works properly and use your AI chatbot as a strategy to elevate customer service productivity.

Adding live chat software

You can implement live chat into your website in two ways. For the first one, you'll need to:

Go to your Settings and find the Installation tab to get the code you can copy.
Open the main HTML file to find the </body> tag and add the JavaScript code you've copied just above the closing of it.
Save your work and check whether the live chat option is now available on your website.

If you don't like to mess with code, you can go about implementing live chat through the CMS. You should:

Download Glassix on the App Store or Google Play.
Create an account and configure the widget to fit your website perfectly.

As simple as that!

Start with chatbot automation for your business

Chatbots and live chat have become integral tools for businesses interested in keeping their customers satisfied and engaged. In fact, these two bring a 33% boost in customer satisfaction scores, as they give people a chance to solve complex issues and get quick answers.

Enhance your customer support team and delight your website visitors with Glassix – a tool that lets you integrate a chatbot and live chat into your website for immediate responses and in-depth support. Sign up for a 30-day free trial and join the ranks of some of the world's greatest brands, like Nike and Domino's Pizza.

Conversational AI

Business automation

Chatbot vs Live Chat: Which One To Use?

What is a chatbot?

What is live chat?