Chatbot vs. live chat explained: Which one is better for your business

Live chat

Live chat is the digital equivalent of having a friendly, knowledgeable staff member ready to help customers who walk through your door. It connects real human agents with your website visitors in real-time conversations.

Your team members respond directly to questions, solve problems, and guide customers through their journey just like they would in person. They bring their emotional intelligence, creativity, and human touch to each interaction.

Live chat systems typically include features like customisable chat widgets and saved responses to help your team work more efficiently. But the real magic happens when your agents build genuine connections with customers through understanding and empathy that just can't be programmed.

💡According to MIT Technology Review, 90% of customers experienced faster complaint resolution through digital live chats.

Chatbot

Chatbots, on the other hand, are like having a virtual assistant that never sleeps. These AI-powered tools simulate conversations with your customers using pre-programmed responses and, in more advanced systems, machine learning to improve over time.

Modern chatbots range from simple ones that follow basic scripts to sophisticated AI systems that can actually learn from conversations and handle increasingly complex questions. They're tireless workers—available 24/7, able to juggle multiple conversations at once, and able to deliver consistent answers every time.

💡Surveys show that 34% of customers find chatbots in customer service helpful, while 43% think there is room for improvement.

With Trengo's AI capabilities, you can deploy chatbots that get smarter with each interaction, creating more personalised experiences while giving your human team members a break from answering the same questions over and over again.

Chatbot pros and cons

The good stuff:

• Always on duty: Unlike your team, chatbots don't need sleep, coffee breaks, or days off. They're there for customers at 3 AM just as readily as at 3 PM.
• Lightning-fast: No waiting around - customers get immediate responses, which we all know is huge in today's "I want it now" world.
• Handles crowds easily: During those crazy-busy periods? Your chatbot handles the 100th customer just as efficiently as the first.
• Consistency champion: Every customer gets the same level of service - no bad days or mood swings here.
• Budget-friendly: After you set them up, chatbots cost far less than staffing a team of agents around the clock.
• Data goldmine: They systematically collect information from every conversation, giving you valuable insights.

The not-so-good stuff:

• Misses the nuance: Sometimes chatbots just don't "get it" when questions are complex or worded in unexpected ways.
• Can't feel your pain: When a customer is frustrated or upset, chatbots can't truly empathise or adjust their tone accordingly.
• Potential frustration: We've all been there - stuck in a loop with a bot that just doesn't understand what we need.
• Upfront investment: Good chatbots require thoughtful setup and ongoing improvements.
• Occasional mix-ups: Without careful programming, chatbots might misinterpret questions or provide incorrect information.

RELATED: Voicebots vs. Chatbots: Which one is better?

Live chat pros and cons

The good stuff:

• Human understanding: Real people get context, pick up on emotions, and read between the lines in ways bots just can't yet.
• Problem-solving prowess: When things get complicated or unusual, humans shine at finding creative solutions.
• Personal touch: Agents can adapt their approach to each customer's unique personality and situation.
• Relationship builders: Nothing beats a genuine human connection for building loyalty and trust.
• Sales opportunities: Skilled agents spot upselling chances and can respond to subtle buying signals.
• Quick pivots: When Plan A isn't working, humans can switch tactics on the fly.

The not-so-good stuff:

• Limited hours: Unless you're staffing 24/7 (hello, big expenses!), your Live chat has to close sometimes.
• Cost considerations: Human agents need salaries, benefits, training, and management.
• Quality can vary: Let's face it - some days some agents are better than others at providing great service.
• Growth challenges: Need to handle more conversations? That means hiring and training more people.
• Waiting periods: During rush times, customers might sit in queues waiting for the next available agent.
• Burnout risk: Continuously handling customer issues (especially difficult ones) can wear on even the best agents.

Response time

• Chatbots: Chatbots can respond instantly at any hour, perfect when your customers span different time zones or just need quick acknowledgement.
• Live chat: More like friends who might take a few minutes to respond but give you their full attention when they do. During busy times, customers might wait a bit, but the quality of response is often worth it.

Bottom line: If pure speed is your priority, chatbots win hands down. But for complex issues where quality trumps speed, Live chat delivers better value.

Conversation quality

• Chatbots: They're the friends who are great at remembering facts but sometimes miss your jokes or sarcasm. Modern AI chatbots can maintain context within conversations but might get lost when customers phrase things in unexpected ways.
• Live chat: More like your empathetic friend who can read your mood, understand what you're really asking for (even when you're not quite sure how to express it), and come up with creative solutions to your problems.

The bottom line is that human agents still have the edge in conversation quality, especially in complex or emotionally charged situations.

Cost efficiency

• Chatbots: Chatbots have an upfront investment that pays dividends over time. After the initial development costs, they can handle thousands of conversations simultaneously without increasing your operating expenses.
• Live chat: More like an ongoing subscription that scales with usage. Each additional hour of coverage or concurrent chat means more human resources and higher costs.

Bottom line: For businesses watching their budget, especially as they scale, chatbots offer significantly better long-term cost efficiency.

Personalisation

• Chatbots: Like a server who remembers your name and usual order but might not pick up on the fact that you're having a rough day. They can access customer history to personalise greetings and recommendations, but it's programmed personalization rather than genuine empathy.
• Live chat: More like a good friend who not only remembers your preferences but notices your tone, adjusts accordingly, and makes you feel truly understood and valued as an individual.

Bottom line: Humans still win the personalisation game, though the gap is narrowing as AI advances.

Availability

• Chatbots: Chatbots never sleep, never take vacation, and handle holiday rushes with the same efficiency as slow Tuesday afternoons.
• Live chat: More comparable to traditional business hours with the associated limitations. Expanding coverage means significantly higher costs and scheduling complexities.

Bottom line: Chatbots are the clear winner for consistent, around-the-clock availability.

Complexity management

• Chatbots: Great at handling straightforward questions with clear answers, like "What are your hours?" or "How do I reset my password?" But they struggle when things get complicated or require judgment calls.
• Live chat: Shine when dealing with multi-layered problems, unusual situations, or issues that cross different aspects of your business. Humans can connect dots and think outside the box in ways bots simply can't.

Bottom line: For complex problem-solving, human agents remain essential.

Language support

• Chatbots: With chatbots, you can have instant access to multilingual staff without the recruitment headaches. They can be programmed to support dozens of languages simultaneously, making them ideal for global businesses.
• Live chat: Supporting multiple languages means hiring agents with specific language skills - a significant expense and logistical challenge for most businesses.

Bottom line: For cost-effective multilingual support, chatbots have a clear advantage.

Chatbot as first responder

Think of your chatbot as your friendly front desk person who:

• Greets visitors immediately so they never feel ignored
• Collects basic info so your team doesn't have to start from scratch
• Handles the simple stuff independently
• Asks qualifying questions to understand what the customer needs
• Points people to helpful resources they might have missed

This approach means no customer waits around feeling forgotten, and your team doesn't waste time on questions a bot could easily handle.

Intelligent human handoff

When the conversation gets too complex for the bot, a smooth handoff to your team becomes crucial:

• Set clear triggers for when it's time to bring in a human (complexity, frustration signals, specific requests)
• Transfer the full conversation history so customers don't have to repeat themselves
• Let customers know they're being connected to a real person who can help
• Give your agent a moment to review what's happened before jumping in
• Make sure the conversation goes to the right department or specialist

Trengo ensures these transitions happen seamlessly, preventing those awkward "let me transfer you" moments that frustrate customers.

After-hours support

Create a system that works around the clock:

• Your team handles conversations during regular hours
• Chatbots take the night shift when everyone's gone home
• Bots collect information for your team to follow up on the next day
• Urgent issues get special treatment even outside business hours
• Customers know exactly when to expect human help

This approach gives you 24/7 coverage without the cost of round-the-clock staffing.

Agent augmentation

Use chatbots as assistants for your human agents:

• Suggesting responses agents can use as starting points
• Automatically pulling up relevant information from your knowledge base
• Handling routine parts of conversations while humans focus on the complex stuff
• Helping agents manage multiple conversations simultaneously
• Providing customer history and context from previous interactions

This collaboration lets your team focus their human skills where they add the most value.

Post-conversation follow-up

After the main conversation ends:

• Deploy chatbots to check in and make sure everything's still working
• Send satisfaction surveys to gather feedback
• Provide additional helpful resources related to the customer's issue
• Check back after a few days to ensure the solution is still working
• Keep the connection warm until the next human interaction

These automated touchpoints extend the customer experience without requiring more of your team's time.

Installing Trengo live chat on your website

1. Create a Trengo account: Sign up if you haven't already and pick the plan that fits your needs.
   
2. Find the installation code: In your Trengo dashboard, go to Settings → Channels → Website Chat → Installation.
   
3. Copy the embed code: You'll get a snippet of JavaScript that looks something like this:
   

<script>

window.Trengo = window.Trengo || {};

window.Trengo.key = 'YOUR_UNIQUE_KEY';

(function(d, script) {

  script = d.createElement('script');

  script.type = 'text/javascript';

  script.async = true;

  script.src = 'https://static.trengo.eu/widget.js';

  d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(script);

})(document);

</script>

4. Add the code to your website: Paste this snippet just before the closing </body> tag on your website pages.
   
5. Make it yours: Go back to your Trengo dashboard to customise colours, messages, and placement to match your brand.
   

Setting up your chatbot

1. Find the Bot Builder: In your Trengo dashboard, navigate to the Bot Builder section.
   
2. Create your first bot: Click "Create New Bot" and choose what type of bot you want (welcome bot, FAQ bot, lead generation, etc.).
   
3. Design conversation flows: Use the visual builder to create your chatbot's conversation paths:
   
   • Craft friendly welcome messages
   • Create answers to common questions
   • Build forms to capture lead information
   • Set up product recommendation flows
   • Define when to bring in human help

4. Connect to your knowledge: Link your bot to your existing help docs, product info, and other resources.

5. Set working hours: Decide when your bot should fly solo and when it should team up with your human agents.
   

Customising your chat solution

1. Make it look like you: Adjust colours, fonts, and images to match your website's style.
   
2. Create proactive messages: Set up triggers to start conversations based on user behaviour – like when someone spends time on your pricing page or has items in their cart.
   
3. Mobile-friendly design: Make sure your chat works great on phones and tablets, not just desktops.
   
4. Speak their language: If you serve customers who speak different languages, set up multilingual support.
   

Testing before going live

1. Team testing: Have your colleagues try both the Live chat and chatbot from different devices and browsers.
   
2. Check the handoff: Make sure the transition from bot to human agent works smoothly.
   
3. Volume testing: Confirm your setup can handle multiple conversations without slowing down.
   
4. Message review: Read through all automated responses to make sure they sound right and make sense.
   

Post-implementation considerations

1. Team training: Make sure everyone knows how to use the Trengo platform effectively.
   
2. Create coverage schedules: Set up who's available when to ensure you have chat coverage during business hours.
   
3. Set up alerts: Configure notifications so you know when customers are waiting for help.
   
4. Define success metrics: Decide what you'll track to measure how well things are working.
   
5. Keep improving: Plan to regularly review chat conversations to find ways to make both bot and human interactions better.
   

By following these steps, you'll create a comprehensive chat solution that balances efficiency with the personal touch, giving your customers the best possible experience on your website.