AI webchat: what your website chat should have
What a webchat is, what it's for on a website and what it needs to answer well: business knowledge, lead capture, languages and handoff to a person.
In a nutshell
A useful webchat answers about the page the person is viewing, can capture follow-up details and offers continuity when the inquiry needs the team.
What a webchat is
A webchat is the chat window that appears on a website, usually in a corner, so visitors can type a question without leaving the page or opening another app.
It can be handled by a person, an AI assistant or both: the AI answers the common questions and hands off to someone on the team when needed.
- Works in the browser, nothing to install.
- Answers about the page the person is viewing.
- Can ask for contact details to continue on another channel.
Goal and placement
Decide whether the chat guides, sells, supports or combines journeys. The greeting can adapt to each section of the site without interrupting the visitor.
Don't open aggressive messages or cover the main content, especially on mobile.
- Page of origin.
- Likely intent.
- Non-intrusive greeting.
- Widget accessibility.
Knowledge and links
The chat should answer from current information and link to relevant pages when they expand on the answer. It shouldn't replace the site's indexable content: important questions also deserve public pages.
That helps both the person and search engines.
- Short answer.
- Descriptive link.
- Up-to-date source.
- Acknowledged limit.
Lead capture and languages
Ask for contact details only when there's a reason: sending a proposal, continuing an inquiry or coordinating with the team. Explain how the data will be used.
A visitor may write in another language; the experience should keep the meaning and avoid confusing literal translations.
- Purpose of the contact.
- Minimum data.
- Clear consent.
- Detected, editable language.
Continuity with Volga
Volga offers a multilingual web widget and brings the conversation together with the other channels in one inbox. Customization and lead capture depend on the site's configuration.
Measure useful inquiries, captured contacts and handoffs, as well as how many times the widget was opened.
- Answer found.
- Conversation continued.
- Lead with context.
- Mobile experience.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this guide
Does webchat content replace the site's pages?
No. Important answers should also exist as public, navigable and indexable content.
Can it reply in several languages?
Volga can adapt texts, lead capture and replies to different languages depending on the configuration and the content available.