Decide what “live” means for your team
Set staffed hours, expected first-response time, and a fallback for visitors who arrive when no one is online. Decide whether chat should create a ticket, collect an email, or leave a message. If you cannot staff chat consistently, an always-available AI answer with explicit human escalation may be a better fit than a green “online” indicator.
Shortlist based on use
Tidio and Intercom both offer website messaging and AI features, with different product breadth and pricing structures. Zendesk can bring messaging into a broader support operation. Gorgias is designed around ecommerce conversations. ProxyAI provides a chatbot widget and can extend to supported messaging channels, with human handoff as an optional capability. Check current channel lists and available integrations; plans change.
Test the complete conversation
Ask a product question, ask for a human, and disconnect mid-conversation. Verify that the tool preserves context, handles attachments if needed, and shows agents which source the answer used. Test on mobile and on the slowest pages of your site. Check consent, accessibility, keyboard navigation, and what happens when a visitor blocks third-party scripts.
Keep the inbox manageable
Name an owner for each queue, set routing and working hours, and review unanswered conversations weekly. Add short, current knowledge articles for repeated questions. Do not automate a process whose underlying policy is unclear; the chat layer cannot fix conflicting refund or shipping rules.
Calculate the staffing promise
Estimate the number of chat conversations arriving during each staffed hour, not only the monthly total. If one person handles chat while packing orders, set a queue limit and an honest wait message. If chat is unattended, collect only the details needed for follow-up and state when a reply will come. A chatbot can cover routine questions, but escalation must still land with someone responsible.
During the trial, test keyboard navigation, screen-reader labels, mobile layout, consent behavior, and a blocked-script scenario. Check page speed with the widget enabled. The chat tool is part of the storefront experience, so an inaccessible or slow bubble can cost more than a faster response saves.
ProxyAI’s scope extends beyond the web widget: its published comparison covers web chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, Discord, and voice, and adds visitor-to-chat analytics and abuse cooldowns. It also supports scheduled agent tasks and store-aware answers. Check which channels and add-ons fit your deployment, then compare live staffing, assignment, and ticket follow-up separately.