If you run a WordPress site or a WooCommerce store, the same questions arrive every day. Do you ship to my country? Is this in stock? Where is my order? Where do I find your return policy?
An AI chatbot can answer those around the clock, using your own pages, posts and product catalogue. This guide shows how to add one to WordPress in a few minutes, how to connect WooCommerce so it can talk about your products, and what it costs.
What you need
- A WordPress site where you can install plugins (you need admin access).
- Optional: WooCommerce, if you want the bot to answer product questions.
- A free ProxyAI account.
No theme editing, no shortcodes, no copying code snippets into your footer.
Step 1: Install the ProxyAI plugin
- Go to the ProxyAI for WordPress page.
- Enter your WordPress site address and click Open my plugin installer.
- This opens the plugin search inside your own WordPress admin. Click Install, then Activate.
WordPress does not allow any outside service to install a plugin on your site for you, which is why the install happens inside your own wp-admin. It takes two clicks.
Step 2: Connect the plugin to your bot
After activating, open the ProxyAI settings in your WordPress admin and press Connect. The plugin loads the chat widget on its own, so there is nothing to paste into your theme.
You can start with a free bot. The Basic Chatbot starts at $0 and uses pay-per-use AI, and it includes $1.00 of AI credit to try it.
Step 3: Teach the bot about your site
Out of the box, the bot can answer from your pages and posts once you sync your content. That means it answers with your own wording about shipping, returns, opening hours and services, instead of guessing.
Tips for better answers:
- Keep your FAQ, shipping and returns pages up to date. The bot answers from them.
- Add a few starter questions visitors can tap, such as “Where is my order?” or “What is your return policy?”.
- If you have long PDFs or policies, the Bot Knowledge add-on lets the bot answer from your own documents.
Step 4: Connect WooCommerce for product answers
If you sell on WooCommerce, pair the plugin with the WooCommerce Store add-on. Shoppers can then ask things like:
- “Do you have this in blue?”
- “What is the cheapest option under $50?”
- “Is this back in stock?”
Because the bot reads your live catalogue, answers stay in step with your products and prices. It can also help with cart questions so shoppers are not left searching.
Step 5: Decide when a human takes over
AI should handle the repetitive questions and hand over the rest. Two add-ons help:
- Human Handoff: when a customer asks for a person, a team member takes over with a short briefing already written, so the customer does not repeat themselves.
- Helpdesk Connect: the bot opens a ticket in the helpdesk you already use, with the conversation attached.
What does it cost?
ProxyAI has no mandatory subscription. The plugin is free, and you pay for AI usage as it happens, from a credit balance. In the plugin’s setup you pick one of two plans, and either one unlocks every add-on:
- Free includes all the add-ons, with a small “Powered by ProxyAI” line under the chat box and $1 of trial credit.
- The $69 Deal is a one-time payment that removes the badge and comes back to you as $69 of AI credits, plus priority support and a commercial licence.
Neither is a subscription and nothing renews. The add-ons you can switch on (Sentry’s visitor analytics is also metered per tracked session, from your credit balance):
| Add-on | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bot Knowledge | Answers from your own documents |
| Abuse Guard | Moderation and safety filters |
| Human Handoff | Customer asks for a person, a person takes over |
| Helpdesk Connect | Opens tickets in your existing helpdesk |
| WooCommerce Store | Answers product questions from your live catalogue and fills the cart |
| Agent Tasks | Scheduled AI jobs for your store |
| Sentry | Visitor analytics: pages read, clicks, chats started |
See the rates page for current AI prices.
Because you pay per use, a quiet site costs very little, and you are not paying for seats or tiers you do not use.
Beyond your website
The same bot can also answer on WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE, Messenger, Instagram and Discord, so customers get the same answers wherever they message you. Meta charges for business messaging on WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram connections, separate from ProxyAI.