AI chatbot for your website.

What is an AI chatbot? Definition and how it works

An AI chatbot is software that conducts text-based conversations with website visitors or app users, based on a Large Language Model (LLM) instead of fixed rules. Unlike bot frameworks of the 2010s, no intent tree needs to be configured, the LLM understands requests directly. How it works: user input → LLM inference with context (knowledge base + conversation history) → structured response + optional tool call (book appointment, create CRM entry, escalate). The typical DACH setup configuration: an LLM with contractually guaranteed EU data processing, a vector database for knowledge base embeddings, servers in Germany as hosting region.

Chatbot for customer service

A customer service chatbot answers the same recurring questions automatically, around the clock, and frees your team for the cases that genuinely need a person. In customer service, most requests fall into a few categories: opening hours, delivery times, prices, cancellations, rescheduling. An AI chatbot answers exactly these from your stored knowledge, in 17+ languages. The effect is twofold: your customers don't wait in a queue or for an email reply, and your team doesn't handle the same question for the tenth time. What the chatbot can't resolve it escalates honestly to a person instead of guessing, with the conversation history, so nobody starts from scratch. AI in customer service carries the same DACH requirement as everywhere else: data processing in the EU, DPA per Art. 28 GDPR, AI Act disclosure from 02.08.2026. At rinqo, that's standard. Unlike a pure customer service chatbot, rinqo covers the same knowledge on the phone and in the inbox too, one knowledge base for every channel.

• Answers standard questions (hours, status, prices, cancellations) automatically
• Escalates complex cases to a person, with the conversation history
• The same knowledge on the phone, in chat and in the inbox
• GDPR-compliant with data processing in the EU, AI Act disclosure included

AI chatbot vs. classic live chat, when does what fit?

Classic live chat tools need human staff. Advantage: emotional empathy, situational judgment, complex escalations. Disadvantage: business hours only, high personnel cost factor, sluggish scaling at traffic spikes. AI chatbots are superior in four aspects: around the clock without surcharge, answer from your knowledge base, handle many requests at once without wait time, book appointments straight into the calendar. Hybrid models (AI chatbot for standard requests, human for complex escalations) are common in DACH SMBs. Concrete automation rate depends on use case and knowledge base.

How do you choose an AI chatbot provider in DACH 2026?

The DACH AI chatbot market is fragmented. Three segments: first, international live chat platforms with AI add-ons. Second, pure AI chatbot specialists. Third, open-source frameworks for self-hosting. Differentiation across five dimensions: EU sovereignty (hosting, LLM region), GDPR compliance (DPA, AI Act disclosure), industry depth (templates), integration breadth (CRM, appointment, helpdesk), pricing model. Check concretely before signing: Where do chat histories and LLM inference run? Is there a DPA per Art. 28 GDPR? Is AI Act disclosure a default or a configuration effort? rinqo positions itself as a GDPR-compliant multi-agent platform with EU data processing: phone, chat and email agent plus a personal agent, all from one login and sharing the same knowledge base.

AI chatbot GDPR-compliant, what do I need to know?

Three GDPR requirements are mandatory when using AI chatbots: first, server location EU for chat history, knowledge base, LLM inference. At rinqo, that's servers in Germany. Second, consent before anything is stored in the browser: the chat widget doesn't set cookies but does use the browser's local storage, which falls under § 25 TDDDG (the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act). A sample text for your consent banner is available in the dashboard. Third, DPA contract with sub-processor handover clause (LLM provider). rinqo provides the DPA automatically before contract conclusion. AI Act Art. 50 adds: disclosure obligation from 02.08.2026, at chat start it must be clearly recognizable that the user is talking to an AI (chat header disclaimer 'You are chatting with the AI assistant of [company]').

AI chatbot costs 2026, what do you really pay?

Three pricing models exist in the market: per-conversation (every conversation billed individually, often with a separate AI add-on), per-seat (costs scale linearly with your team) and flat-rate. rinqo bills flat plus credits: a fixed monthly amount from which calls, messages and emails are billed. One credit equals 1 phone minute, 5 messages or 2 emails; the plans differ in how many credits are included. Every plan includes phone, chat and email agent from one platform, no per-channel add-on surcharge. Personal agents are added per person. The widget is embedded without code. Before signing anywhere, calculate your actual conversation volume, per-conversation models often tip over at a few hundred chats per month.

What is a chatbot? The short answer

A chatbot is software that holds text-based conversations. First generation (1990s–2010s): rule-based, script-driven, broke whenever the wording left the script. Second generation (2017–2022): intent trees with classic NLU, better language understanding but maintenance-heavy. Third generation (since 2023): LLM-based, understands free-form wording, answers from a knowledge base, no script. rinqo's AI chatbot is third generation: a Large Language Model with contractually guaranteed EU data processing plus your knowledge base (website scraping, FAQ, documents). When you search for 'what is a chatbot' online, run the 30-second test: ask the typical question of your customer base in two different wordings, if both get answered correctly, it is a modern AI chatbot. If not, it is a legacy rule-based system.

• Generation 1 (rule-based): breaks at any wording outside the script
• Generation 2 (intent tree): better language understanding, high maintenance
• Generation 3 (LLM + knowledge base): understands free-form wording, answers from your content
• rinqo's AI chatbot is Generation 3, GDPR-compliant with EU data processing

Free chatbot vs. rinqo, when does each make sense?

'Free chatbot' is a valid first question. The answer: free tiers exist at several providers, typically capped at a few conversations per month, plus open-source frameworks for self-hosted setups, and they work as long as your volume stays small. What you don't get on a free tier: a dedicated DPA per Art. 28 GDPR, LLM processing within the EU, the Art. 50 AI notice built in by default, a multi-channel knowledge base. For private projects or a hobby shop, that's fine. For SMB customer service with GDPR obligations (healthcare, legal, education, B2B), things get expensive fast once request volume grows, both in tier jumps and in compliance risk. rinqo is GDPR-default and covers phone, chat and email, plus a personal agent for your team. Want to see it without a free tier? Beforehand we show you how the agent would work for your business.

Create a chatbot for your website, no code required

You create a chatbot for your website at rinqo with no programming required. The process: enter your website address so the knowledge base scraper reads your content, check the answers with test questions, then embed a short script snippet. The snippet works on any website and in the common website builders. For WordPress, Shopify and Webflow the embed is available directly, with no developer involved. The difference to a self-built chatbot with a framework: you don't configure a decision tree or maintain intents, the bot answers directly from your stored company knowledge and your website. The difference to a builder chatbot without AI: it also understands wording nobody set up in advance. If you're looking for a WordPress chatbot, you embed the same script, no separate plugin is needed. Once embedded, the chatbot is live and answers questions around the clock, in 17+ languages.