Concierge vs chatbot

AI site concierge vs chatbot: what’s the difference?

Both can look like a chat bubble. The job is not the same. A typical website chatbot answers FAQs or deflects support tickets. An AI site concierge greets visitors, guides them to what fits, and hands the owner a lead with context — with hard boundaries on what it may claim.

Same surface, different job

Visitors see a conversation. What happens next is the split:

Chatbot (common pattern)

Answer known questions. Reduce inbox volume. End the thread or open a ticket.

Site concierge

Qualify fit. Stay inside sanctioned claims. Deliver an owner-ready lead — details, intent, suggested reply.

Overlap exists. Plenty of “chatbots” market lead capture. The category Lobby owns is the full path: greet → guide → lead, plus a page agents can read.

Comparison (qualitative)

Dimension	Typical website chatbot	AI site concierge (Lobby)
Job to be done	FAQ answers / support deflection	Greet, guide to fit, hand off a lead
Lead handoff	Often form fields or ticket only	Email with context + suggested reply
Boundaries / sanctioned claims	Varies; many are open-ended	You list what it must never claim; replies checked
Hosted page option	Rarely the product	Optional lobby.host/c/slug without a rebuild
AI-assistant readability	Usually a human UI only	llms.txt + WebMCP tools on the same concierge
Who it’s for	Broad support / site FAQ use cases	Boutique service businesses and consultants

No scores. Pick the column that matches the job you actually need.

When a chatbot is enough

You only need FAQ coverage or ticket deflection. You don’t need owner-ready leads with intent. Your site’s job is support, not converting service inquiries while you’re with clients.

When you want a concierge

You’re an owner-operator. Visitors arrive with questions about fit, scope, or booking. Forms go cold. You want greeting, guidance inside your boundaries, and an email you can act on — not another brochure widget.

How Lobby implements the concierge

1
Greet → guide → lead
Welcome, fit answers, email handoff.
2
Boundaries + double-check
Sanctioned claims only; admits when it doesn’t know.
3
Embed or hosted /c/
One script on your site, or a page at lobby.host — DNS and rankings unchanged.
4
Agent layer (second)
WebMCP tools (ask_concierge, get_business_info, list_offerings) and llms.txt, so assistants visiting the page can ask the same concierge.

Try it on your traffic

Get started free

20 conversations a month, free. No card needed.

See it working — talk to a live concierge at ARENNA, Adi Alouf or Groundwork.

Paid when you’re ready: $39/mo or $390/yr. Founding price $29/mo for the first 10 customers. Pack of 100 extra conversations: $15, one-off. No surprise auto-charge if you go over.

In short

An AI site concierge is built to greet website visitors, guide them to fitting services, and hand the business owner a lead with context — not only to deflect support questions. Lobby is an AI site concierge: owners set hard boundaries, replies are checked against what must never be claimed, and leads arrive by email. It also publishes machine-readable business info (llms.txt and WebMCP tools) so AI agents visiting the page can ask the same concierge. A typical website chatbot focuses on FAQ answers or ticket deflection without that lead-and-agent design.