| Feature | Live chat (human) | AI customer service |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Office hours only | 24/7, including evenings and weekends |
| Response time | Customer waits for a free agent | Instant answer |
| Scalability | Limited by your staff | Unlimited, even during peaks |
| Cost | Salary per agent | Fixed low monthly fee (from €19) |
| Complex or sensitive questions | Strong — human insight | Limited — refers on to your team |
| Setup | Create an account and staff it | One line of code, live in 10 minutes |
| Language | Depends on your team | Replies in the customer's language |
With live chat, an agent answers questions in a chat window, in real time. The big advantage is human insight: an experienced agent senses nuance, thinks along with a complaint and can advise personally. The downside is that live chat only works if someone is behind it. Outside office hours, at weekends or during peaks the chat goes unanswered, exactly when a lot of webshop traffic happens. And every extra agent costs money.
AI customer service is a chatbot trained on the content of your own website. It answers questions instantly, 24 hours a day, and scales effortlessly: whether one or a hundred people ask at the same time. The cost is a fixed, low monthly fee instead of salary per agent. The limit is with genuinely complex or sensitive situations, where a human stays better, and a good AI customer service says so honestly and refers on.
In practice, no. The bulk of customer questions in a webshop are recurring and simple: delivery, returns, stock and shipping costs. AI customer service can handle those 24/7. The more complex or sensitive questions you route to your team. That way you combine the best of both: your customers always get an instant answer, and your staff keep time for the conversations that really matter.
Babet is AI customer service that reads your webshop automatically and answers questions 24/7, in your tone of voice. You put it on your site with one line of code, on any platform. Read more about AI customer service for webshops or see the pricing.
Usually yes. AI customer service is a fixed monthly fee (Babet from €19), while staffed live chat brings salary costs that rise as you get more questions.
For most recurring questions, yes. For complex or sensitive situations a human stays valuable — the AI refers those on politely.
A modern AI customer service answers in full sentences and in your tone of voice, so it feels natural. And an instant answer is often nicer for the customer than waiting for a free agent.
Let the recurring questions be answered automatically. No credit card, live in ten minutes.
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