A website chatbot has become one of the most practical tools for a small business. Not because it is fashionable, but because it solves a real problem: customers write with questions at night, on weekends and during holidays, and someone has to answer them.
Short answer: there are three ways to get a chatbot for your website: a ready-made platform with templates (Tidio, Crisp), a rule-based bot without AI, or an AI bot that answers from your documents. For a small business it is usually enough to start with one goal, either answering FAQs or collecting enquiries, and always leave an option to switch to a human. Prices for each option are in the section "How much does a website chatbot cost in Lithuania?" below.
Which chatbots suit a small business?
There are three main categories. First, ready-made platforms with templates (Tidio, Crisp, Intercom): they let you set up a simple chatbot with FAQ answers and lead collection in a day; paid plans start from about €20–30/month, and prices change. Second, no-code platforms (ManyChat, Chatfuel): suitable for more complex flows with conditional logic. Third, AI-powered chatbots (Claude or GPT-4): more expensive, but they understand freely worded questions.
AI chatbots can answer any customer question based on your documents and data. Building such a bot costs €800–2,500; it must be tested with real questions and restricted so it does not answer things that are not in your documents.
What a chatbot does well and what it should not do
A chatbot works well for: answering the most common questions (opening hours, prices, contacts), collecting leads (name, email, need), booking meetings through Google Calendar or Calendly, initial customer qualification, and order status notifications.
A chatbot is not suited for: complex negotiations, situations that require empathy, or technical support with specific context without access to the system. A good chatbot always has a "talk to a human" button; without it, it becomes a frustration rather than a help.
- 1A visitor asks a question on the websiteChat window
- 2The bot answers a common questionOpening hours, prices, contacts.
- 3It collects contact details or books a timeGoogle Calendar · Calendly
- 4A complex question: "talk to a human"The conversation is handed over to the team.
The bot answers what it knows and hands anything beyond its limits to a person.
How to build a chatbot step by step
Step one: define one main goal. Lead collection? FAQ answers? Booking? Chatbots with a clear, narrow goal work best, not universal know-it-all bots.
Step two: gather the content: what are the 10 most frequently asked questions? This part often surprises people: the business has no documented answer to questions it gets every day.
Step three: choose a platform and set it up. For simple solutions, Tidio or Crisp in a day. For AI bots, 1–3 weeks of building and testing. Step four: test with real users; the first version is never perfect.
- 1One clear goalLeads, FAQs or bookings.
- 2Gather the 10 most common questions and the answers
- 3Choose a platform and set it upTidio · Crisp · AI bot
- 4Test with real visitors and fix
A simple bot on a platform is set up in a day; building and testing an AI bot takes 1–3 weeks.
How much does a website chatbot cost in Lithuania?
Ready-made platforms (Tidio, Crisp): from €0 (free plans) to about €30/month and more, and prices change; setup takes 1–3 hours of your time or €100–200 for a specialist. A custom chatbot without AI: €400–800 to build and a platform fee of €0–50/month.
An AI chatbot with an LLM (Claude, GPT-4): €800–2,500 to build, plus €50–200/month in API and infrastructure costs. I recommend starting with the simplest solution and expanding as needed.
If you have never had a chatbot, start with FAQ answers in Tidio. Get your first results and then invest in a more complex solution. If you want a bot that answers from your content and passes enquiries to your team: (AI chatbots for business).