The key difference: speed and cost
The biggest difference between an AI chatbot and a live agent is speed and cost:
- Speed: an AI chatbot answers in seconds (24/7, at night and on holidays). A live agent averages 2–3 minutes, and only during working hours.
- Cost: one AI-chatbot conversation is very cheap. Every simple query to a live agent is expensive because of salary.
- Volume: an AI chatbot handles unlimited conversations at once. An agent talks to 1–3 customers at a time.