Guide
How to answer website visitors automatically. Without the guesswork.
Short answer: add an AI chat box that answers from your own business info, and tell it to hand anything it doesn't know to you by email. That covers the questions people ask over and over (hours, prices, services, policies) at any hour, without anyone sitting at a keyboard. The part most people get wrong is the "without guessing" bit. Here's how automatic answers work, what to set up, how to keep them accurate, and how to add it to WordPress, Webflow or any other site.
By Chris Gilliland · · For any business of any size · Plans from $29/month (USD)
What are the ways to answer visitors automatically?
There are three common approaches, and they're not equal:
- An FAQ page. Cheap and useful, but visitors have to find it and read it. Most won't.
- A button-based chatbot. It offers menus like "Pricing" or "Hours". Fine for a few topics, but it breaks the moment someone types their own question.
- An AI chat box trained on your info. Visitors type a normal question and get a direct answer. This is the one that actually feels like talking to your front desk.
Live chat isn't on the list because it isn't automatic. Someone has to be there. If you're weighing the two, see AI chat vs live chat.
How do you keep automatic answers accurate?
An automatic answer is only good if it's right. A general-purpose AI will happily invent a price or a policy. That's worse than no answer. Three rules keep it honest:
- Answer only from your saved info. Your website pages, FAQs and any notes you add. Nothing else.
- Hand off when unsure. If the answer isn't in your info, the chat box should say the owner will confirm, take the visitor's contact details and email you.
- Keep the info current. Change your hours or prices? Update them in one place and the answers change too.
ChatBouncer works this way by default. It also turns away spam and "ignore your instructions" tricks, covered in our spam-proof chat page.
What should it answer?
Start with the questions you already get every week. For most businesses that's:
| Topic | Example question |
|---|---|
| Hours | Are you open Saturday? |
| Prices | How much is a basic package? |
| Services | Do you do commercial jobs? |
| Area or shipping | Do you cover my town? Do you ship overseas? |
| Policies | What's your refund or cancellation policy? |
| Next step | How do I book or get a quote? |
Write each answer the way you'd say it on the phone. Short and plain beats long and polished. If you have a booking page or quote form, add the link so the chat box can hand it over.
How do I add it to WordPress, Webflow or another site?
- WordPress: install the free ChatBouncer plugin, or paste the one-line script. No coding. See the WordPress guide.
- Webflow: paste the script into your site's custom code settings and publish. See the Webflow guide.
- Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and others: same one line. See all install guides.
The chat box only loads on the domains you allow, so a copied script won't work on anyone else's site.
Setup, start to finish
- Sign up and enter your website address. Start here. It reads your public pages.
- Review what it pulled in. Fix mistakes and fill gaps.
- Add your top questions from the table above.
- Set your email for handoffs.
- Test in Preview chat. Ask easy questions, then one it can't know. Check that it hands that one off.
- Paste the code and go live.
- Read the handoff emails for a couple of weeks. Each one is a question to add to your info.
Want to see it first? Try the free preview on the homepage with your own site. No signup needed.
What does it cost?
Starter is $29 a month (USD) for one website and 1,500 customer messages a month. Pro is $59 for up to 3 websites and 5,000 messages. Business is $119 for up to 10 websites and 15,000 messages. Every plan has a 14-day free trial. See full pricing.
Questions
Can I answer website visitors automatically without coding?
Yes. You sign up, give ChatBouncer your website address, check the info it pulls in, and paste one line of code. On WordPress you can use the free plugin instead.
Will automatic answers be accurate?
They're as accurate as your saved info. ChatBouncer answers only from your website and the FAQs you add, and when it isn't sure, it says the owner will confirm instead of guessing.
What happens when the chat box can't answer?
It tells the visitor the owner will confirm, asks for their name and contact details, and emails you the question so you can reply.
Does it work on Webflow?
Yes. Paste the script into your Webflow custom code settings and publish. It also works on WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and most other sites.
Does it answer at night and on weekends?
Yes. It answers any time someone visits, around the clock.
What does it cost?
Plans start at $29 a month (USD), with a 14-day free trial. Building and previewing your chat box is free and doesn't need a card.
Something else? Email [email protected]. A real person answers.