While this LouiseBot shows a lot of promise, it misses the mark in several key places:
1) Video chatbots are muted if set to open by default. While this is due to browser restrictions that have been around since 2018, a very simple fix used by similar tools is to allow the learner to click on a button over the video before it plays which would also unmute it. No one wants to see an avatar speaking without audio upon first visiting a site and then clicking unmute midway through the message.
2) Links cannot be opened in the same tab. Most major browsers can easily handle links in iframes opening in the same tab so this was disappointing to see. So if you intend to have users directed to another site that will provide a link back to the chatbot later on (as is my use case), your users will end up with an endless clutter of open chatbot tabs which can slow down their desktop browser.
3) This tool does not allow speech recognition for regular pop-up video chatbots and text chatbots, only AI-based conversations, which quickly use up your monthly credits. This is a huge limitation in my opinion since it prevents end-users from replying to basic prompts using their voice for pre-programmed interactions that don't require AI.
4) There is no universal setting to remove the LouiseBot branding from all interactions at once. This means you must do this manually for each individual chatbot which can be quite tedious if you are managing a lot of them. What is the benefit of allowing us to use LouiseBot branding on some chatbots but not others?
5) For some reason, the profile section of the app requires you to enter your birthdate (month, day, and year) which is inconsistent with other GDPR-compliant tools I've used. Interestingly, if you don't visit the profile section, then it won't ask you to submit this information. But once you access this section, you are required to fill this out which concerns me from a privacy standpoint especially when no explanation is provided anywhere on why or how this information is being used.
6) There is currently no way to access chatbot analytics or view response samples from end-users.
7) There is no public feedback portal to submit suggestions for improvement or see what other feedback is being considered. There is also no public roadmap to see what is being planned or currently in progress.
While support has been responsive and indicated my suggestions are on their roadmap, the lack of a public feedback portal or a public roadmap does not instill confidence due to their lack of transparency around their decisions for product improvement.
While I don't like to leave a low rating for this tool, I feel it accurately reflects its current lack of versatility based on similar apps I have used on AppSumo in the past. I think with a little more time and refinement, LouiseBot could be quite powerful. Therefore, I am happy to revisit this review and update it in the future once the necessary improvements have been made.
Verified purchaser
Not quite there yet
While this LouiseBot shows a lot of promise, it misses the mark in several key places:
1) Video chatbots are muted if set to open by default. While this is due to browser restrictions that have been around since 2018, a very simple fix used by similar tools is to allow the learner to click on a button over the video before it plays which would also unmute it. No one wants to see an avatar speaking without audio upon first visiting a site and then clicking unmute midway through the message.
2) Links cannot be opened in the same tab. Most major browsers can easily handle links in iframes opening in the same tab so this was disappointing to see. So if you intend to have users directed to another site that will provide a link back to the chatbot later on (as is my use case), your users will end up with an endless clutter of open chatbot tabs which can slow down their desktop browser.
3) This tool does not allow speech recognition for regular pop-up video chatbots and text chatbots, only AI-based conversations, which quickly use up your monthly credits. This is a huge limitation in my opinion since it prevents end-users from replying to basic prompts using their voice for pre-programmed interactions that don't require AI.
4) There is no universal setting to remove the LouiseBot branding from all interactions at once. This means you must do this manually for each individual chatbot which can be quite tedious if you are managing a lot of them. What is the benefit of allowing us to use LouiseBot branding on some chatbots but not others?
5) For some reason, the profile section of the app requires you to enter your birthdate (month, day, and year) which is inconsistent with other GDPR-compliant tools I've used. Interestingly, if you don't visit the profile section, then it won't ask you to submit this information. But once you access this section, you are required to fill this out which concerns me from a privacy standpoint especially when no explanation is provided anywhere on why or how this information is being used.
6) There is currently no way to access chatbot analytics or view response samples from end-users.
7) There is no public feedback portal to submit suggestions for improvement or see what other feedback is being considered. There is also no public roadmap to see what is being planned or currently in progress.
While support has been responsive and indicated my suggestions are on their roadmap, the lack of a public feedback portal or a public roadmap does not instill confidence due to their lack of transparency around their decisions for product improvement.
While I don't like to leave a low rating for this tool, I feel it accurately reflects its current lack of versatility based on similar apps I have used on AppSumo in the past. I think with a little more time and refinement, LouiseBot could be quite powerful. Therefore, I am happy to revisit this review and update it in the future once the necessary improvements have been made.
Verified purchaser
I like it and it replaces Video Ask at a much better price!
I was paying for VideoAsk and don't get me wrong the look is not as polished and the analytics are there yet but it's well worth the money!!!!