Conversations without a person
How many conversations end with the bot's answer, without a handover to staff.
AI chatbot for websites and online stores
A chatbot that answers customers from your own documents instead of guessing. When it does not know the answer, it says so and hands the conversation to a person, and you see every such question in the panel.
- 5 languages, no per-query feesALU-GUM assistant
- Answers with the sourceyour knowledge base
- AI notice from the first messageEU AI Act, Art. 50
// customer: how many days do I have to return?
answer 14 days source: terms §9 OK
// customer: can I get 10% off?
handed over → office@ human
// customer: does this wheel fit a Golf VII?
not in base → questions to add +1
// unanswered questions are added every month
When a website chatbot makes sense, and when it does not
A chatbot earns its keep on repeated questions. If every conversation is different, a good form and a quick call work better.
It pays off when
- The same questions come back every day: delivery, returns, payments, availability, opening hours.
- Customers write in the evening and at weekends, and an answer the next morning means a lost sale.
- You sell abroad without support staff for every language.
- The answers are in documents customers do not read: terms, technical data sheets, manuals.
It does not pay off when
- You get a few questions a week and answer them straight away.
- Every enquiry needs a quote or a conversation about a custom project.
- Delivery, returns and warranty rules are not written down. They need to be written first.
- The chatbot is meant to replace human contact. Customers should always be able to reach a person.
FAQ bot or knowledge-base chatbot
Not every chatbot needs a language model. We match the solution to your customers' questions, not to the hype.
| FAQ bot (no language model) | Knowledge-base chatbot | |
|---|---|---|
| How it answers | Recognises the intent of the question and gives an approved answer | Searches passages of your documents and composes an answer from them |
| Best for | A few dozen repeated questions about delivery, returns, payments | Questions in customers' own words about products, specifications, terms, manuals |
| Cost per question | None | Model provider fee on your own account, estimated in the quote |
| Languages | Any language we prepare answers in | Answers in the customer's language from a single knowledge base |
| Out-of-scope question | Offers contact with a person | Says it does not know and hands over; the question lands in the panel |
| Deployment price | from €780 net | from €1,560 net + care from €105/month |
How a knowledge-base chatbot works
The technique is called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). The language model does not answer from memory, only from passages the system found in your materials.
- MaterialsFAQ, terms, price list, product pages, PDFs, answers from your inbox. You decide what goes into the knowledge base.
- IndexWe split materials into passages and index them so the system finds the right paragraph even when the question uses different words.
- Answer with a sourceThe model receives the question and a few retrieved passages. It answers only from them and records which one it used.
- Human handoverDiscounts, complaints, no answer in the base: the conversation goes to your email or a form with its full history.
- Panel and improvementsYou see conversations, answer ratings and unanswered questions. Every month we add what was missing.
A chatbot compliant with the EU AI Act and GDPR
Most offers skip this part. For us it is a condition of handover.
- AI notice. Since 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the AI Act requires users to know they are talking to AI. The notice is visible from the first message.
- Data in the EU. Conversations are stored in the EU, by default for 90 days. The model provider is listed in the data processing agreement.
- No empty promises. The bot does not set discounts, deadlines or exceptions. It answers only from approved documents.
- Abuse protection. A message limit per IP address and refusal of off-topic requests, so nobody uses the bot at your expense.
- Cookies. The widget respects the consent banner and Consent Mode, and conversation analytics run after consent.
- Your own model provider account. You pay directly, see usage and can switch providers without rebuilding the chatbot.
Source: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), Article 50, EUR-Lex.
What we measure after launch
A chatbot should take load off people and sell. That is why we track what can be verified from day one.
Unanswered questions
A list of topics missing from the base. A ready plan for additions and website content.
Answer ratings
Customers rate answers with a thumb, and we fix poor answers in the base.
Sales after a conversation
GA4 events: conversation, product visit, order. You see whether the chatbot pays off.
A shopping assistant in a store selling to five markets
An assistant that helps choose a wheel and answers in five languages, with no fee per question.
ALU-GUM
OEM wheel store for five markets
The assistant recognises the intent of a question, copes with typos and answers in five languages. It runs without a language model, so there are no per-query fees.
See the case studyHow much does an AI chatbot cost
Net prices. We give the exact amount after reviewing your customers' questions, before you decide.
FAQ bot
For a few dozen repeated questions, no language model and no per-query fees. Plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce or PrestaShop.
from€780 net
Knowledge-base chatbot
Answers from your documents with the source, human handover, a panel of conversations and unanswered questions, GA4 events.
from€1,560 net
Knowledge-base care
Monthly review of unanswered questions, knowledge-base updates, answer fixes and a results report.
from€105 net/month
Advanced assistant with product catalogue search and several languages: €2,080-5,190 net. You pay for the language model directly to the provider on your own account; we estimate it in the quote. Wider business automation is described on the automation and AI page.
Questions about AI chatbots
How much does an AI chatbot for a website cost?
A bot that answers common questions (delivery, returns, payments, opening hours) without a language model starts at €780 net. A knowledge-base chatbot that answers from your documents and comes with a conversation panel starts at €1,560 net, and knowledge-base care starts at €105 net per month. An advanced assistant that searches the product catalogue in several languages costs €2,080-5,190 net.
Does a chatbot have to use a paid language model?
No. If customer questions repeat and have fixed answers, a bot that recognises the intent of the question is enough. That is how the ALU-GUM shopping assistant works: it copes with typos, answers in five languages and costs nothing per query. We add a language model when customers ask in their own words about things written in longer documents: terms, technical data sheets, manuals.
Where do the answers come from, and can the chatbot make things up?
A knowledge-base chatbot answers only from materials you approve: FAQ, terms, price list, product pages, manuals. For every answer it records which passage it used. If the answer is not in the knowledge base, it says so and offers contact with a person instead of guessing. Unanswered questions land in the panel, and we fill the gaps as part of ongoing care.
Does a chatbot have to say it is AI?
Yes. Since 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the EU AI Act requires that people interacting with an AI system are informed of it, unless it is obvious from the context. In our deployments the notice is visible with the first message, and the bot never pretends to be a human agent.
What happens to personal data from conversations?
Conversations are stored in the EU, by default for 90 days, and only you and the people you choose can access them. If we use an external language model, its provider is listed in the data processing agreement and receives only the question and the relevant knowledge-base passages. The chatbot does not ask for data it does not need.
Can the chatbot promise a customer a discount or a longer return period?
It should not, and ours does not. It answers only from approved documents, so asked about 60 days for returns it gives the period from your terms, not the one the customer would like to hear. Discounts, deadlines and exceptions are handed over to a person.
How long does a chatbot deployment take?
A FAQ bot usually goes live within 1-2 weeks of receiving the answers to common questions. A knowledge-base chatbot takes 2-4 weeks, most of it spent organising materials and testing on real questions from your inbox.
Which websites does the chatbot work on?
Any website through a short script, and in WordPress, WooCommerce and PrestaShop as a plugin or module with settings in the admin panel. The widget waits for cookie consent where required and does not slow down the first page load.
See also: business process automation and AI, system integrations, online stores.
Send us the 10 questions customers ask most
Based on them we will tell you whether a FAQ bot is enough or a knowledge base is needed, and what it will cost. We reply within 24 hours.
- Reply within 24 h
- Quote before you decide
- Code and knowledge base are yours