Buyer's guide
How to choose the best AI chat for your website
Most AI chat tools look the same in a demo. The differences show up at 7pm on a Friday, when a real customer wants to book. This guide covers what to look for, how the main approaches compare, and a checklist to run before you sign up.
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Why the first reply decides the sale
When someone opens a chat on your website, they're usually ready to act. If the reply is slow, or "leave your email and we'll get back to you", they close the tab and try the next business. The real question isn't which widget looks nicest but which one answers properly, in seconds, at any hour, and then does something useful with the enquiry.
What to look for in AI website chat
Speed to first reply
Seconds, not minutes, and the same at midnight as at midday. Anything that waits for a person to come online is live chat, not AI chat.
Answers from your own content
The chat should learn from your website and files, so it quotes your prices, hours and service area rather than generic text.
Human hand-off
Your team should be able to watch live, take over and hand back. Hand-offs should arrive with a summary, not a transcript to wade through.
Bookings
Look for real calendar access, genuine free slots and confirmation inside the chat.
Follow-up when the visitor leaves
Many visitors leave mid-chat. The best tools capture the lead and follow up by WhatsApp, text, email or a call, within a window you set.
Where the data goes
Ask where conversations are stored and which AI providers process them, and check the privacy policy names them.
Four approaches to website chat compared
None of these is wrong, but they suit different businesses. The table shows where each one usually stops.
| Approach | Replies after hours | Answers open questions | Takes bookings | Follows up a lead | Also answers the phone | Typical pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rules-based chatbot (button menus) | Only scripted paths | No | Rarely | No | No | Flat monthly fee |
| Live chat with human agents | Only if staffed | When a person is online | Manually | Manually | Usually separate | Per seat |
| Standalone AI chatbot | Yes | Yes, from your content | Sometimes | Sometimes, by email | No | Per conversation or message |
| AI receptionist across channels | Yes | Yes, from your content | Yes, in the chat | Yes: call, WhatsApp, text or email | Yes, the same agent | Plan plus usage credits |
A rules-based bot suits a five-question FAQ. Live chat is right if a team is at the desk all day. A standalone AI chatbot answers well but stops at the edge of the website. An AI receptionist treats chat as one channel, so the same agent also answers calls out of hours and WhatsApp messages.
Pricing models explained
Per seat
You pay for each team member who can log in. Fine for live chat, but it doesn't reflect how many customers you serve.
Per conversation or per message
Easy to understand, but costs climb with success. Check whether follow-ups and bookings count as extra conversations.
Plan plus usage credits
A monthly plan with an allowance that covers every channel. Enquiva works this way: Starter is £49 a month + VAT, Growth £149 and Pro £349. Credits cost 1.15p to 1.5p each, depending on your plan or top-up pack. A chat or messaging reply uses 1, an AI call minute 30 and a text 12, and every paid action shows its cost before it runs. See the pricing page.
Your checklist before you sign up
- Ask a question your website answers. Does the chat quote your real price or hours?
- Ask something it can't know. Does it take your details, or make something up?
- Try to book. Does it offer real slots and confirm in the chat?
- Leave mid-conversation. Does anyone follow up, and on which channel?
- Check the hand-off. Can your team watch live, take over and hand back?
- Confirm where data is stored and which AI providers process it.
- Check the disclosure. Does it say it's an AI by default?
- Work out the real monthly cost at your actual volumes, not the headline price.
How Enquiva fits
Enquiva is an AI receptionist, so website chat is one channel among phone, SMS, Telegram, email, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. It's drafted from your own website and can be live in under 15 minutes with one line of code or Google Tag Manager. It books into your Google or Microsoft calendar, follows up leads within the window you set, and lets your team watch, take over and hand back. Leads go to your CRM on Growth and Pro, and anywhere else through Zapier, Make or webhooks on Pro.
See the integrations page, try the chat on the dental practice demo, or read about the AI chatbot for your website.
Phone, website chat, forms, SMS and Telegram are available now. Messenger and Instagram are opening to all businesses once Meta finishes reviewing our app, and WhatsApp depends on Meta's checks on your business.
Common questions about AI website chat
What's the difference between live chat and AI chat?
Live chat software puts a chat box on your site and routes messages to a person, so it only works when someone is at the desk. AI chat answers on its own, from your own content, at any hour. The best set-ups combine the two: the AI replies first, and your team can watch, take over and hand back.
Should AI chat tell visitors it's a bot?
Yes. Visitors trust a chat more when they know what they're talking to, and a clear disclosure helps you meet the rules where you operate. Enquiva's greetings say it's an AI assistant by default, with a name you choose.
How long does AI website chat take to set up?
It depends on where the knowledge comes from. Tools that need every answer written by hand take longer. Tools that read your website and files can be live in minutes. Enquiva drafts an agent from your website, and chat can go live in under 15 minutes.
Can AI chat book appointments?
Some can, many can't. Check that the chat reads your real calendar, offers genuine free slots and confirms the booking in the conversation. Enquiva books into Google or Microsoft calendars and can send smart forms that fill several fields from one sentence.
Where is my customers' chat data stored?
Ask every provider this directly. Our servers are in Germany. Data is encrypted in transit, and connected-account tokens and API keys are encrypted at rest. AI and voice providers may process data in the United States and other countries, so we don't offer UK-only or EU-only processing. The privacy policy names our providers.
What does good AI chat cost in the UK?
Pricing models vary: per seat, per conversation, or a plan plus usage. Enquiva charges for the plan, from £49 a month + VAT, and counts usage in credits. The 14-day free trial has Growth's features and 3,000 credits. A card is required and you can cancel any time before it ends.
See it answer on your own website
Start the trial and Enquiva drafts an agent from your website, or talk to us and we'll set a demo up around your business.