How to choose a website chatbot

When is an answer assistant useful?

Start with actual customer questions. If the same practical information must repeatedly be found, an answer assistant can be worth testing. If the only task is choosing a free appointment, an existing booking system may be enough.

Compare what happens after the answer: who reads a contact request, which details are needed and where the next step is recorded. Message volume is different from useful enquiries or customers.

Scripted replies or answers from your sources?

A fixed menu is predictable when choices are few and stable. An AI assistant can handle more phrasings but needs testing against approved material. A model can still misunderstand a question or use the wrong source.

Ask to see both a correct answer and a case where the source is missing. A useful workflow exposes uncertainty and brings the task to a person instead of filling it with a guess.

Check human takeover

Agree the purpose and minimum contact fields. A practical service enquiry may need task type, area and a contact route. Do not request passwords, clinical records or client files in open chat. Test an absent owner as well.

Booking is a separate check

At Procora, booking requires appropriate plan access, configured services and availability rules, and relevant calendar setup. Check busy periods and time zone. An enquiry, a proposed slot and a saved confirmed booking are three different states.

Installation is only the beginning

Choose one installation method, avoid duplicates and test the public result on mobile and desktop. Agree who updates sources, handles failures and can remove the widget. Assess software, model/channel usage, review and maintenance together.

Procora does not answer telephone calls directly. Choose around channels and actions that are actually supported. Use the current availability reference and the actual offer when deciding.

Use the worksheet

Version 15 October 2026. Fill in your own facts; illustrative values are not results or an agreed service.

CHOOSING A WEBSITE ASSISTANT
Recurring questions:
Approved source and owner:
Unknown question and human recipient:
Required contact details:
Booking needed? Plan, calendar, time zone and confirmation test:
Installation and rollback owner:
Monthly usage, review time and updates:
Price basis, currency, tax, cancellation and export:
Test: known answer / unknown answer / source conflict / connection failure.