Channel Talk
Having an agent available at all times, would be most ideal for your Shopify store. But that’s probably not always the case.
As agents are human — and they need time to sleep and eat — there are going to be moments when your Shopify store is left unmanned.
For situations like this, many business owners are turning towards chatbots to help make sure that their customers are being cared for around the clock.
The challenge, however, is figuring out what kind of chatbot is best suited for your business.
To help with this, we’ve compiled a list of top 5 chatbots to use on Shopify.
Shopify chatbots help in a number of ways. But before we jump into the why, let’s clarify what a chatbot is.
Shopify chatbots are automated programs that are designed to replicate human conversation on behalf of human agents, to help customers on your Shopify site. They can:
Speak to customers through chat windows that customers open.
Respond automatically to inquiries.
Help customers find solutions to problems they have.
Chatbots can be customized to talk like human agents, to provide answers to specific questions, or to take certain actions when pre-set conditions are met by customers.
The introduction of ChatGPT to the world has changed the dynamic for online customer service, with companies rushing to integrate the new technology into their current systems.
But as AI technology is still considered quite new to online commerce, there are still many people that feel skeptical about whether the technology will get the job done.
On the other hand, you have rule-based chatbots that can be customized to perform certain tasks based on set rules that can be adjusted to the company's needs. However, this type of chatbot requires a bit more manual work to set up the rules before it's launched.
So which is right for your business?
That depends on what the purpose of the chatbot would be. Both have their ups and downs.
Conversational AI are automated so there's very little manual work that needs to be done at set up, but if the questions that customers ask aren't exactly clear or if the AI has difficulties understanding the intentions of the customers, there's the possibility of the AI providing the wrong answer, or provide information that's not relevant to the question that's being asked.
This means that the customer experience is heavily reliant on how clear the questions being asked are, and whether the AI has the ability to pick up on the intentions of the person asking the questions.
Meanwhile, rule-based chatbots require more manual work upfront, however, the company is responsible for what answers are made available for customers, meaning that the company has a bit more control over the customer experience.
We recommend that you consider both benefits and costs before making a final decision.
Shopify chatbots help solve a number of issues that are common among e-commerce businesses.
For teams that have limited resources, chat bots help fill the gap, when agents are unavailable or have their hands full with other priority tasks.
Contrary to popular belief, people actually prefer to get help from a chatbot over calling customer support, or going through ticketing systems with long queues.
That’s because people don’t like to wait.
A lot of e-commerce companies resort to phone lines and email ticketing systems to handle customer inquiries, because it makes it easier to handle questions in the order they come in. But the problem with these methods, is that customers — even if they have simple questions — are left waiting for a response. If these two communication channels get overloaded, they could end up waiting for days.
This can be detrimental for growing businesses, as 82% of consumers say that getting an “immediate” response can have a positive impact on their buying decisions.
For e-commerce businesses handling global customers, the ability to provide 24/7 chatbot customer service can also provide relief when handling customers that are located in different time-zones.
Depending on your business, there could be a number of other reasons to get a chatbot. But we can conclude that getting one definitely wouldn’t hurt.
So which Shopify chatbot should you get?
To help you find the right Shopify chatbot for your brand, we’ve put together a list of the best chatbots on Shopify that’ll help you grow your business.
Channel Talk is an all-in-one business communication platform that’s designed to help businesses connect with customers. The platform was created to improve customer conversion, customer satisfaction, and most importantly — customer loyalty. It lets businesses personalize customer experience throughout the entire customer journey. Customers are able to find answers on their own, or be connected to agents in real-time. The chatbot can provide business insight on what types of questions customers ask, and includes customizable surveys that let businesses collect valuable information on customer preferences, feedback, and many more! An overall great platform to use if you’re tight for cash, and want everything you need for business growth on a single platform.
Key Features:
Fully customizable categories and answers
Ready-to-use chatbot templates
Tagging and chat assignment
Lead form and customizable surveys
Tracking and analytics for customer insight
Customizable chatbot profiles and greetings
Customer segmentation and targeted outbound messaging
Pricing:
Free plan - unlimited live chat & team chats (unlimited seats)
X-Small - $30
Small - $50
Medium - $70
Large - $150
Enterprise - $200+
Shopify Review:
5/5 stars ⭐
One thing that makes Gobot unique, is that it allows businesses to build shopping quizzes that help customers choose their products. The platform is designed with AI capabilities, that allow it to make product recommendations to customers, and resolve repetitive inquiries in real-time. Their support team also lends a helping hand to set up Gobot catered to your brand, letting you focus more on other parts of your business. A unique and quality platform to use alongside your existing helpdesk.
Key Features:
Shopping quizzes and quiz templates
Sends unanswered inquiries to your existing helpdesk
Machine learning that improves over time
Drag-n-drop chatbot builder
Initiates returns and exchanges
1 to 1 product recommendations
Pricing:
Free to install - first 5000 engagement free
Custom plans available upon request
Shopify Review:
4.7/5 stars ⭐
Maisie AI is a customer experience platform that provides 24/7 virtual shopping assistance. The platform was built without sacrificing quality and is simple to use. The chatbot is conversational and engages site visitors at every step of their customer journey — helping customers make the right decision on products they’re looking for. Maisie AI was designed to help boost customer engagement and keep customers interested in your brand. A clean and powerful chatbot for Shopify owners with limited resources.
Key Features:
Unlimited website bots
Pre-set chatbot templates
Drag-n-drop chatbot builder
Customizable engagement at every step of the customer journey
Handover to live chat
24/7 operation settings
Pricing:
14 day free trial
Starting at - $15 up to $300 based on traffic
Custom plans (For larger traffic) - $300+
Shopify Review:
4.9/5 Stars ⭐
Tidio’s chatbot platform helps improve customer satisfaction and speed up complaint resolution. With a clean and simple UI, the platform has the features to help improve the way businesses communicate with their customers 24/7 through automations. Tidio was created to help businesses improve sales and manage resources. You can also collect feedback from customers, utilize pre-designed templates and generate leads. Great for e-commerce owners looking for a chatbot that’s easy to set up and use.
Key Features:
35 pre-designed templates
Chatbot order placement
Lead generation forms
Drag-n-drop chatbot builder
Abandoned cart recovery
Customer feedback collection
Pricing:
Free plan (with 50 customers)
Communicator - $15.83 (unlimited live chat, 5 seats)
Chatbots - $32.50 (40,000 customers)
Tidio+ - $240.83 (custom no. seats and engagements)
Shopify Review:
4.8/5 Stars ⭐
Re:amaze is an integrated customer service, live chat, and helpdesk platform for online businesses. It combines a number of different features to help improve the quality of conversations between customer service agents and their customers. Teammates can collaborate using assignments, notes and shared views, while saving resources for important tasks. A good platform if you’re looking for a wide variety of features.
Key Features:
Prebuilt or custom chatbots
Order tracking and escalations
Lead generation forms
built-in help centers + FAQs
set custom office hours
custom triggers on incoming conversations
Pricing:
14 day free trial
Basic - $29 (per team member)
Pro - $49 (per team member)
Plus - $69 (per team member)
Starter $59 (unlimited team members, 500 chats)
Enterprise - Contact Sales
Shopify Review:
4.7/5 Stars ⭐
As you can see from this list, there are a number of different chatbots to choose from, for your Shopify business. But which one is the right one for you?
The answer could differ from business to business, as each brand has it’s own needs. Take a good look at where your business is, and try to determine which aspect is most crucial for your growth. Is pricing a concern? Do you need more features like live chat or CRM? Is your team lacking manpower? All of these questions can determine which chatbots you should consider.
If you still can’t make up your mind, try starting from the top.
Channel Talk has a chatbot that’s perfect for the Shopify ecosystem. It's reasonably priced with powerful and high-quality features. It also has a smart team behind it, that’s willing to support you every step of your e-commerce journey.