What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is software that carries on a text conversation with people through a website, app or messaging channel, either by following scripted rules or by using AI to understand questions and generate responses.
There are two broad kinds. Rule-based chatbots follow a decision tree of buttons and canned answers; they are predictable but brittle when someone asks something unexpected. AI chatbots use a language model to understand free-form questions and write replies, which feels more natural but needs limits so they stay on approved topics and do not invent answers.
On a service business website, a chatbot's best job is usually to answer the common questions, collect contact details and the nature of the request, and hand off to a person or a booking link. It is a poor place to quote prices that depend on a site visit, diagnose problems, or give advice that a licensed professional should give.
Judge a chatbot by outcomes, not conversation counts. Track how many chats turn into booked appointments or qualified enquiries, how quickly a person follows up on handoffs, and how often visitors abandon mid-chat. Read a sample of transcripts every week. They show what customers are confused about, which often points to a website fix rather than a smarter bot.
Example
For example, a pest control company could add an AI chatbot that answers questions about service areas and how to prepare a home for treatment, using approved content. When a visitor describes an infestation, the bot collects the address, pest type and preferred times, then creates a lead in the CRM for the office to call back. It never quotes a price.