Legacy chat platforms made big promises.

They said automation would lower costs.
They said customers would love self-service.
They said bots could scale faster than support teams.

But here's the reality: deflection is not resolution, and customers can tell the difference.

If your team is still using a legacy chatbot from vendors like LivePerson, Bold360, Zendesk, Helpshift or an in-house custom bot, here’s what you need to know, and why modern CX leaders are making the switch.

Legacy promises vs. reality

Let’s break down the sales pitch:

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The result? You’re left with a chatbot that acts more like a menu than an agent. It deflects instead of resolving. It frustrates customers instead of helping them. And it’s costing more than it saves.

What legacy chat vendors won’t tell you

Even as vendors report “containment success,” customers aren’t seeing a drop off in escalations, the same number of conversations still end up in an agent queue. Escalations don’t go away, because problems aren’t actually getting solved.

Why? Because customers aren’t getting their problems solved. They’re getting routed, delayed, and misunderstood.

And every failed bot conversation still ends up in your agent queue.

The worst part? Legacy bots are black boxes. Leaders can’t see what’s working, what’s failing, or how to improve, so performance stagnates.

Here’s what legacy vendors won’t say out loud:

• Their bots struggle with nuance and brand tone. Legacy systems rely on rigid scripts and keyword matching, which means they often misinterpret real customer intent. The result is robotic answers that feel off-brand and unhelpful.
• Escalations are increasing as flows grow more complex. As businesses add new products and processes, scripted bots break down. They can’t adapt, so more issues end up escalated to agents — driving up costs instead of reducing them.
• Support leaders are left with zero visibility into what’s actually working. Legacy platforms lack built-in QA and analytics. Leaders can’t see which workflows resolve, where failures happen, or how to optimize performance. It’s automation in the dark.
• FAQs aren’t enough — customers want real issues resolved. Customers don’t come to chat to read knowledge base links. They expect action: refunds processed, orders rescheduled, and accounts updated. Anything less feels like wasted time.

Usage-based pricing is a trap

Legacy vendors love usage-based pricing, because the more your customers get stuck, the more you pay.

But if your bot isn’t resolving issues, why should you be charged for “usage”? With usage-based pricing, vendors win when customers get stuck. With resolution-based pricing, you win only when your customers do.

Modern buyers are choosing resolution-based pricing, where you only pay when a customer issue is fully resolved by the AI agent.

It’s a better experience for customers and a smarter investment for your team.

Modern CX leaders are moving on

Across industries, high-performing CX teams are shifting away from legacy chat and toward agentic, AI-native platforms built for end-to-end resolution.

These platforms:

• Resolve full workflows (refunds, reschedules, billing, etc.)
• Respond with empathy and in-brand tone
• Track every conversation with built-in QA
• Don’t require a rebuild to launch or scale
• Move fast — from pilot to production in weeks

Modern automation isn’t about bots with better menus.It’s about AI agents that act on behalf of your team and actually solve customer requests.

No re-platforming required

One of the biggest fears in switching vendors is the dreaded rip-and-replace.But here’s the good news: You don’t have to rebuild your CX stack to automate better.

Replicant Chat is built to plug into what you already use — Zendesk, Salesforce, Genesys, Talkdesk, and more — so you can start resolving without starting over.

It’s one AI agent for both voice and chat. Trained in your workflows. Auditable, brand-aligned, and ready in weeks.

Join the companies moving on from legacy chat

Your customers deserve more than a bot that loops. Your agents deserve fewer escalations. And your team deserves better than empty promises and robotic UX.

Say goodbye to bubble bots.
Say hello to real resolution.

Request a customized demo here or try the resolution-first AI agent live.