Live chat software
Take customer engagement
to the next level with LiveAgent
- ✓ No setup fee
- ✓ Customer service 24/7
- ✓ No credit card required
- ✓ Cancel any time
Hello, I’m John, how may I help you?
I’d like to check my order status.
No problem, please provide me with your order ID.
My order ID is GQ34566
Live chat software for instant connections
Provide great customer experience with live chat platform from LiveAgent. Get access to a fast live chat widget, and advanced features that make any customer interaction a breeze. Turn website visitors into customers, and solve customer queries with real-time support. Improve customer engagement with a single chat application. Save time and focus on what’s important with the LiveAgent customer service platform.
Chat software
What is live chat software?
- Live chat software is a part of customer support software that lets customer service agents provide real-time support for customers. The live chat widget is easy to place on your website. Improve the conversational experience and increase the customer retention rate for online businesses. Get access to one of the most powerful chat solutions and provide an amazing customer experience.
- Increased customer retention rates and customer engagement
- Branding customization options and powerful automation
Chat capabilities
What kind of live chat software does
LiveAgent offer?
LiveAgent offers a state-of-the-art chat tool. It comes with premium features to help customer support teams provide a great chat experience. Key features include smart chat routing, proactive chat invitations, visitor tracking, and more. LiveAgent’s multilingual chat widget is one of the fastest on the market.
Chat support software benefits
- Reliable and fast chat with a range of features
- Access to an unlimited chat history and ticket history
- Chat analytics options and tracking features
- Proactive chat invitations with custom design options
Empower your support team with the right live chat software
Get an amazing user experience for every chat agent and provide a great experience in customer conversations. Our advanced features can help customer support agents handle hundreds of conversations every day. Have a look at what your help desk agents get in a single platform.
Improve agent productivity with:
- A dedicated and reliable chat solution
- Key features that support you
- Dozens of integrations
LiveAgent goes beyond ordinary live chat software
LiveAgent is much more than a simple live chat provider. Discover our customer service platform that can handle every important communication channel. Learn more about essential features and see how they work.
Automatic messages
Catch customers’ attention with proactive messages that invite website browsers to chat with a customer care agent. Customize the messages and create a personalized experience ideal for the purpose of your website. Proactive chat invitations are a powerful feature that can turn website visitors into paying customers.
- Invite customers to chat with automatic messages
- Turn website visitors into customers with chat
Visitor tracking
Keep track of website visitors to see where they spend their time. Chat overview can show you a number of website visitors, active agents and each ongoing chat. Use the website monitoring to determine favorite URLs. Send a chat message to potential customers if you want to help them on their journey.
- Track all website visitors and ongoing chats
- Determine favorite pages and interact with visitors
Message sneak-peeks
Get your answers ready before the customer sends you a message. Real time typing view can show what your customers are typing before they hit the send button. Use this powerful feature to prepare your answers faster, or to do a quick research about topics and customers. Provide customer support with unmatched speed.
- Preview customer messages before they are sent
- Prepare your answers faster and decrease resolution times
Language options
LiveAgent can speak your language, and the language of your customers. Take a pick from over 40 languages to help you provide support in various countries. Customize your chat windows and select their primary language. You can set up each chat widget with different language options if you’re providing support in multiple areas.
- Choose from over 40 language options for chat windows
- Create chat widgets in different languages for different purposes
Benefits of live chat software
and how to get started
00:00/05:51
Flexible chat
Integrate our chat feature with ease
Live chat software for website includes a live chat widget that you can customize and place on your website with a few lines of generated code. Chat widget customization settings allow you to change its apperance, set up custom branding or create a pre-chat form for gathering contact details. Spruce up your site with live chat for WordPress. Customers can click on the widget when browsing a website, and connect with a customer support agent. Chat agent can also reply from the mobile app available for Android and iOS.
How can live chat software for website help
your business?
Chat conversations can help your contact center improve your sales process and empower your online businesses
Save more
The fastest chat widget from LiveAgent can help you solve issues reliably and quickly. Save on support prices for agent per month and solve larger chat volume in a shorter period of time.
- Save costs on agent per month with the right pricing plan
- Handle more customers with a faster chat window
17 – 30%
Decrease in costs
Using live chat as a platform for communication is cheaper than calls, and faster than emails. Experience a decrease in costs with LiveAgent.
Earn more
Help your customers with purchasing decisions and recommend better products. Turn more website visitors into paying customers. Increase your conversions with a simple chat window on your website.
- Empower your sales team with online chat and increase sales
- Help customers with buying decisions and provide instant responses
20%
Conversion rate increase
Boost your conversion rates and earn more by using a good chat strategy. Our chat app can help you convert visitors into customers, and increase your ROI.
Satisfy customers
Improve customer loyalty and use the fastest chat widget to help your customers. Decrease cart abandonment with helpful features and stay available for website viewers anytime they’re browsing.
- Improve overall customer satisfaction and happiness
- Decrease cart abandonment and turn visitors into customers
73%
Higher satisfaction rates
Provide personalized conversations for your customers. Our fully-featured live chat software can help you with customer satisfaction, and great agent experience.
Save more on live chat service
Pick an awesome customer success software with chat capabilities for the right price. Save money with our price calculator and get the best
value for chat functionality.
Start using LiveAgent now!
- ✓ No setup fee
- ✓ Customer service 24/7
- ✓ No credit card required
- ✓ Cancel any time
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Best price
Affordable pricing
LiveAgent offers the best value for your money in the live chat support software world.
Small business
- Unlimited ticket history
- 3 email addresses
- 3 contact forms
- 1 API key
Medium business
- Everything in Small, plus
- 10 email addresses
- 3 live chat buttons
- Departments management
Large business
- Everything in Medium plus
- 40 email addresses
- 10 live chat buttons
Free
- 7 days ticket history
- 1 email address
- 1 chat button
- 1 contact form
A complete guide to the best live chat software
Now that you have a brief idea about why you may find live chat software useful for your company, let’s dig in deeper to find out how you can harness the power of this incredible tool.
What is live chat software?
It is an online chat software that allows you to connect with your customers in real-time from anywhere. Live chat software not only enables your clients to contact you quickly and effortlessly but also gives you a competitive edge and allows you to create long-lasting impressions on your customers.
Types of live chat software
By far, the most popular and widely used is text-only live chat software. This type of live customer chat provides a casual chatting experience resembling messaging apps like Facebook messenger.
Other types of live chat software include video and voice solutions. They are usually not customers’ most preferred way of contacting your business but they can be helpful when dealing with more complex issues that require in-depth explanations or video demonstrations.
It’s important to note that many text-only live chat applications allow users to voice chat or video chat as well.
Features of live chat software
What are some of the main features and functionalities of such a chat solution? Let’s have a quick peek at some of the features you may find the most useful.
- Proactive message – It is a little pop-up window that initiates the interaction with your website visitors. It’s a powerful tool for creating an engaging customer experience from the get-go.
- Canned responses – Sending a pre-configured canned response saves time for both the chat agent and the customer.
- Visitor tracking – This chat functionality allows you to gain deeper insights into your customers’ behaviors as they move down the sales funnel.
- Chat routing – Online chats can be routed to free agents as they come in, or they can be routed based on department, skillset, etc. This ensures that your customer support team isn’t overwhelmed even on the busiest of days.
- Real-time typing view – Being able to have a message sneak peek before the customer hits send allows you to increase your accuracy and response speed.
- Pre-chat form – Create a custom form that allows you to gather visitor information upfront.
- Mobile optimization – These days, mobile devices are all the hype, being able to provide prompt and accessible support is what increases customer loyalty.
- Customization options – You can adjust the live chat widget according to your website design so it better represents your brand.
- Reporting and analytics – You can study a robust amount of data like chat history, agent performance, visitor details, average time spent on chats and more. Much of this data is available via Google Analytics.
- Chatbots – This is a type of servicedesk software that simulates human interactions and answers simple customer queries. You can even implement an AI-powered chatbot that can better assist your clients using natural language processing.
Benefits of live chat software
Using a live chat app can dramatically improve your business performance while keeping your customers happy and engaged.
Why don’t we look at the most significant benefits live chat service can bring to your business?
1. Customer experience – Your website visitors can have a highly personalized experience while messaging back and forth with a support agent. Companies seem more authentic and approachable when they talk to customers in real-time via live chat system.
2. 24/7 customer support – Site visitors can send a chat message even if none of the agents are online. You can configure your live chat to redirect them to a knowledge base or self-service.
3. Increased web conversions – Your sales team can pitch your products and services to potential customers then and there while keeping a relaxed, yet professional conversation in real-time.
4. Accessible and engaging – Customers don’t need to spend time searching for your contact information. They can simply type their questions into a live chat and receive help immediately. Furthermore, you can have a multilingual chat widget that makes it possible for the customers to communicate in their native languages.
5. Builds relationships – Agents can observe customers’ tone of voice so they can adjust to the situation. They can showcase more of their personalities and build trusting and helpful relationships.
6. Boosts productivity – While one agent can handle only one phone call at a time, they can easily chat with multiple website visitors. Combined with advanced features like canned messages or chat automation, you can further streamline your contact center’s workflow.
7. Increased first contact resolution – The customer service rep can quickly answer questions from both new and returning users. There is no need to have long email threads when clients can get their queries answered right away.
8. Collecting data – Harvesting a huge amount of data allows you to make better-educated decisions about your products and services, as well as your sales and marketing strategies.
9. Low cost – Implementing a reliable live chat service is way more budget-friendly than setting up a call center.
10. It’s your customer’s favorite – Over 81% of customers are satisfied with the live chat solution.
Cost of live chat software for website
It’s difficult to determine the average price of live chat software in general. It greatly depends on multiple factors like whether it is a subscription-based service, the pricing model of that particular solution, how many features it encompasses, etc.
However, we can conclude that, in general, you can pay anything between 16$ – 150$ a month per agent.
Pricing models of live chat software
Here are some of the examples of various pricing models that can be applied to website chat software.
- Per ticket – you pay for each incident (ticket) that is generated when a customer contacts you via live chat
- Per license – this model charges a subscriber for each user of the software
- Per device – you pay according to the connected devices
- Per agent – you pay for each agent that uses the service, e.g. paying for a month per agent
- Per module – you will be charged based on the particular module you use
How to choose the best live chat software
First and foremost, write down what you want to use the live chat software for. Is it going to be your primary way of communicating with your customers? Will it be the driving force behind closing business deals? Make sure it is crystal clear what will be the main use case for the live chat software solution you’ll adopt. Then you need to decide which option best suits the size of your business and whether it can be integrated into your other business applications. Also, don’t forget to check for any limitations or features that the live chat software will not support. The best software for call center should provide all the features and integrations that you need in order to work with it efficiently.
Here are some of the strategies to help you decide which online chat option best suits your needs.
Support
One common question comes to mind. Will you be able to reach out for help when you need it? Having a reliable support channel is crucial for your live chat experience to be a positive one. With technology, things can go south really fast, and it’s important that you have a quick reply and a helping hand anytime you need it.
Ability to scale up/down
As your business grows, the chat volume will inevitably grow with it. You need to employ a live chat software solution that you can scale up or down based on the needs of your contact center.
Software limitations
Some free customer management software options don’t allow for much customization and some don’t let you have advanced features like unlimited chat history, chat tags, or file sharing. It is up to you to decide where you are willing to put up with some inconvenience.
Collaboration options
How much of a collaborative experience can your team get? Can they transfer online chats between each other, share files, add tags visible to their co-workers, and communicate with each other seamlessly? Those are important questions you need to be asking yourself when choosing the live chat software for you and your team.
Integrations
We can’t stress enough how important it is that the solution you decide to go for has a substantial amount of integrations. It not only maximizes the value of your purchase but also ensures that your customers have a unified experience across multiple platforms.
Top 15 providers of live chat software
1. LiveAgent
Best live chat software for small & medium-sized businesses in eCommerce, Saas, etc. that take customer centricity seriously.
LiveAgent is a web-based solution that provides a quick and reliable live chat widget with multiple advanced features. Furthermore, you can customize it to perfectly fit your branding. This solution allows you to easily turn website visitors into paying customers and provide them with excellent customer service.
Key features:
- Proactive chat
- Chat routing
- Unlimited history
- Customizable chat widget
- Automation options
- Real-time typing view
- Reporting and analytics
- Self-service portal & knowledge base
Pros:
- Intuitive to set up and use
- Fast and reliable live chat widget
- 150+ integrations
Cons:
- Unable to log into two browsers with one account at the same time
- Tech support is available 24/7, but it is located in the EU
- A large amount of features means a bit of a learning curve
LiveAgent’s customers
Some of the most known customers of this software include industry giants like Forbes, Airbus, Nascar, eSky, and Slido.
Pricing
LiveAgent is one of the few software solutions that offers a completely free version. Although, if you want to harness its full potential and take advantage of its additional features, including live chat, you can choose from following pricing options: $9, $29, and $49 a month per agent.
However, you can try the 14-day free trial before committing to one of the plans, so you can get a feel for what you’ll be getting.
2. Front
Best live chat software for growing customer-centric businesses that want to build strong relationships with their clients.
Front is a wonderful option for businesses that want to streamline their business communication. Front offers a live website chat that can be managed straight from your inbox. Moreover, your team can stay on top of its daily tasks with Front’s team chat feature for seamless collaboration.
Key features:
- Collaborative team chat
- Video chat
- Canned messages
- Self-service portal
- Chat routing
- File sharing
Pros:
- Centralized communication
- Full-featured mobile chat app
- Automation options
Cons:
- Lacking a comprehensive knowledge base
- Limited language options
- Slower interface
Front’s customers
Some of the well-known customers that use Front’s software include Fundraise Up, Hootsuite, and Bubble.
Pricing
Front offers its customers three pricing options. These include a 19$ option, 49$ option, and 99$ option. These are paid monthly based on the number of users that work with it. They also offer a free 7-day trial, so you can learn a little about this powerful software before you decide to subscribe to one of the paid plans.
3. Podium
Best live chat software for local businesses that have both an online presence and brick-and-mortar stores.
Podium offers a powerful Podium Webchat solution that can help you generate up to 11x more inbound leads. You can collect the leads’ information before they even start chatting so your team can provide the best customer experience possible.
Key features:
- Chat routing
- File sharing
- Reporting & statistics
- Comprehensive dashboard
Pros:
- Multi-channel communication
- Easy to use
- Easy and convenient phone app
Cons:
- Difficult to communicate with customer support
- On the pricey side
- No mass messaging options
Podium’s customers
Some of the Podium’s customers include Lunchbox., America’s Car-Mart, and Bruce Titus Auto Group.
Pricing
Podium offers three pricing options you can choose from. The first starts at $289, the second costs $449 and the last one is $649. You can also try out Podium to experience it for yourself using a 14-day free trial.
4. Zendesk
Best live chat software for smaller or medium-sized businesses with a vision of growth.
Zendesk provides a live chat option to not only delight the customers but also streamline your agents’ workflows and improve their engagement. Zendesk offers a live chat tool that can take your customer satisfaction rate to the next level.
Key features:
- Proactive chat
- Chat routing
- Offline form
- Branding customization
- Canned responses
- Performance metrics
Pros:
- Simple to set up and use
- Over 100 third-party integrations
- Robust knowledge base and self-service options
Cons:
- Not many collaboration options
- Difficult to communicate with customer support
- Occasional issues with uploading and exporting data
Zendesk’s customers
Among customers that use Zendesk’s help desk software solutions, you can find businesses like BaubleBar, 99designs, and Modsy.
Pricing
You can start with the Support option which costs $19 per operator per month. If you’d like to access more features, including live chat software, you can subscribe to Suite pricing which starts at $49. If you’d like to test Zendesk out for yourself, you can sign up for their 30-day free trial.
LiveAgent vs Zendesk comparison
5. Zoho Desk
Best live chat software for larger customer-centric companies with high volumes of customer interactions.
There is nothing easier for your customers than to reach out to you using Zoho Desk’s embeddable chat widgets.
Key features:
- Chatbot
- Proactive chat
- Chat routing
- Automation options
- Chat rating
- Canned responses
Pros:
- Custom dashboard
- Simple CRM integration
- Easy to set up and customize
Cons:
- Complicated scaling
- UI can be a bit confusing at times
- No alerts when tickets are passed between agents
Zoho Desk’s customers
Some of the satisfied customers that use Zoho Desk include Daimler, Lycamobile, and McAfee.
Pricing
Zoho Desk includes a free option in their pricing plan. For more advanced features you can choose from three tiers consisting of $14, $23, and $40 per agent per month. Live chat feature is available at the $40 pricepoint.
You can also subscribe for a free 15-day trial and test it out for yourself.
LiveAgent vs Zoho Desk comparison
6. Freshdesk
Best live chat software for businesses of all sizes that strive to provide delightful experiences to their customers.
Freshdesk Messaging (formerly known as Freshchat) makes your customer communication easier with automation and AI-powered bots. Freshdesk software is an amazing business tool trusted by 50 000+ customers.
Key feature:
- Single convenient inbox
- Various messaging apps (Facebook messenger, iMessage, etc.)
- File sharing
- Chat routing
- Self-service portal
Pros:
- Automation options
- Reliable 24/7 customer support
- Easy to navigate UI
Cons:
- Tickets can get lost while transferring between teams
- Features missing in universal inbox
- Automation rules are difficult to configure
Freshdesk’s customers
Among businesses that use Freshdesk software, you can find Blue Nile, Travix, and Klarna.
Pricing
You can access Freshdesk’s essential features using their free basic plan. However, to get a full experience of this powerful software, you can sign up for $15, $39, or $49 a month per agent. Before you decide to commit to one of the paid options, you can try Freshdesk during a 21-day free trial.
LiveAgent vs Freshdesk comparison
7. Tidio
Best live chat software for smaller businesses that want to keep all their communication in one place.
Tidio offers live chat and chatbots in one convenient tool. You can connect to various websites with dedicated plugins without any need for coding.
Key features:
- Chatbot
- AI/machine learning
- Proactive chat
- Offline form
- Third-party integrations
- Automated routing
Pros:
- Reliable customer support
- Easy to use interface
- Customizable branding
Cons:
- Limited export capabilities
- Slower alerts when a new conversation comes in
- Limited language assistance alternatives
Tidio’s customers
Tidio is used by a wide variety of companies including Reputation, L’Occitane en Provence, and LoginRadius.
Pricing
Tidio allows its customers to use basic features including live chat completely free of charge. For those, who want to get more out of the software solution, they have a pricing plan including €32.50, €65.83, or €332.50 paid annually. You can also use a 7-day free trial to get an idea of what this live chat software can bring to your business.
8. HubSpot Service Hub
Best live chat software for growing businesses trying to build advocacy and provide excellent customer experience.
HubSpot live chat is a chat software solution that streamlines your live chat interactions using Conversation Inbox where you can plan follow-up conversations, schedule meetings, and calls, etc.
Key features:
- Integration with HubSpot CRM
- Chat history logging
- Omnichannel messaging
- Chat routing
- Chatbots
- Robust knowledge base
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Ticket automation and routing options
- Robust reporting options
Cons:
- The free plan lacks access to tech support
- Limited ticket functionality
- On a pricier side
HubSpot Service Hub’s customers
Among clients that use HubSpot Service Hub’s products, you can find businesses like GoFundMe, Frontify, and SoundCloud.
Pricing
To experience a small part of the HubSpot live chat software solution, you can sign up for free. However, you can subscribe to HubSpot Service Hub’s paid software for $45, $450, or $1200 a month. If you’d like to try it out without the need to commit to a paid premium plan, you can use a 14-day free trial.
LiveAgent vs HubSpot Service Hub comparison
9. tawk.to
Best live chat software for businesses that want to bring accessible communication tools to their customers.
Translated into over 45 languages, tawk.to is a great option for all those who want to delight customers across the globe. With this live chat software solution, your customers will be able to contact you from their desktops, as well as via their mobile devices.
Key features:
- Offline form
- Proactive chat
- Screen sharing
- Geotargeting
- Chat routing
- Canned responses
Pros:
- Customizable branding
- Beginner-friendly and easy to set up
- Free of charge
Cons:
- Incoming chat notifications can be a bit delayed
- Unable to link directly to emails
- Not many integrations
tawk.to’s customers
Among tawk.to’s customer base you can find companies including Adidas, Domino’s, and Chevrolet.
Pricing
tawk.to is completely free. Without limits on the number of agents, or chat volume, you can use this live chat software completely free of charge. In case you need professional help, you can get a native speaker that will advise you on whatever you need for $1 per hour.
10. LiveChat
Best live chat software for startups and medium-sized companies across all industries.
LiveChat software solution is easy to connect with other applications thanks to over 200 integrations. Provide quick and easy live chat support with this single app multichannel support.
Key features:
- Website visitor tracking
- Offline form
- Canned responses
- Geotargeting
- Self-service portal
- Chat routing
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Excellent reporting and analytics
Cons:
- The notification system can be glitchy at times
- The chat widget is not customizable
- Slower loading speed
LiveChat’s customers
Among businesses that rely on LiveChat’s software, you can find Atlassian, 1Password, and Adobe.
Pricing
LiveChat offers pricing plans beginning at $16 per seat/month billed annually, or $19 billed month-to-month. The next option is $33 per seat/month billed annually, or $39 billed month-to-month. The last option is $50 per seat/month billed annually, or $59 billed month-to-month. LiveChat also offers an Enterprise plan that you can learn about via a demo call. There is also an option to try out LiveChat software for free during a 14-day trial period.
LiveAgent vs LiveChat comparison
11. Acquire
Best live chat software for any company that wants to boost sales and provide amazing customer service.
Acquire live chat software makes it easy to implement webhooks, collect data, and transfer incoming chats between agents while providing a convenient end-to-end solution for your customer support.
Key features:
- Canned responses
- Offline form
- Screen sharing
- Self-service portal
- Chat transfer
- Customizable branding
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use
- Reliable customer support
- Ability to switch to video calls directly from live chat messaging
Cons:
- Complicated dashboard
- Missing mobile chat app
- No free trial
Acquire’s customers
This live chat software solution is used by companies like Audi, Paysafe, and Samsung
Pricing
Pricing in this case is individual. You can request a custom pricing proposal tailored to your needs. Acquire doesn’t offer a free trial.
12. Intercom
The best live chat software for larger scale companies that keep the customer at the forefront of their operations.
This robust live chat software solution provides many personalization options, chatbots, in-app messages, and more.
Key features:
- Automated responses
- Multichannel communication
- Pre-configured bot
- Automated routing
- AI/machine learning
- Canned messages
Pros:
- Many tutorials and videos available
- Multiple automation options
- Every chat conversation is saved
Cons:
- UI can be sometimes confusing
- Customer support takes longer to respond
- Inflexible pricing model
Intercom’s customers
Intercom has many well-established customers like New Relic, Airtable, and Sotheby’s.
Pricing
Starting at $38/month you can use Intercom’s basic features. If you need to upgrade, there is the $75/month option. Furthermore, Intercom charges for recommended add-ons: custom bots from $99/mo, answer bot from $99/mo, product tours from $119/mo, and help center articles from $49/mo.
LiveAgent vs Intercom comparison
13. Birdeye
The best live chat software for companies of all sizes looking to improve customer experiences for all their clients.
This all-in-one customer experience software solution serves more than 80.000 customers worldwide. Furthermore, Robin, Birdeye’s chatbot will save your agents’ time while providing answers to customer questions.
Key features:
- Chatbot
- Audience targeting
- Canned responses
- Proactive chat
- Multi-language
- Predictive analytics
Pros:
- Review alerts
- Automatic review generation
- Easy to use dashboard
Cons:
- Unreliable UI
- Lacking options to gather statistics from individual accounts
- Limited integrations
Birdeye’s customers
Many companies rely on Birdeye’s software solutions, including DriveTime, Eldorado Resorts, and Alliance.
Pricing
You need to request a pricing plan that will be tailored to your business. However, you can try Birdseye for free by signing up for a 30-day free trial.
LiveAgent vs Birdeye comparison
14. ActiveCampaign
Best live chat software for small and medium-sized businesses looking to enhance relationships with their customers.
ActiveCampaign can bring automation closer to any business that is not afraid to harness its potential. ActiveCampaign’s Conversations can be your company’s next step to the future.
Key features:
- Chatbots
- Automated chatbot workflows
- Auto-responders
- Unified inbox
- Event-triggered actions
- Website visitor tracking
Pros:
- 500+ pre-built automations
- 300+ integrations
- Automations are easy to set up and use
Cons:
- Slower platform
- Steep learning curve
- UI can be confusing at times
ActiveCampaign’s customers
Among businesses that take advantage of ActiveCampaign software solutions are Artivive, McCrindle, and Bumper Leads.
Pricing
You can choose to pay $9, $49, or $149 per month paid yearly, or you can request a custom pricing plan. ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial so you can get acquainted with its features.
15. Drift
Best live chat software for startups and businesses that want to build strong customer relationships.
With Drift, it’s all about starting conversations. With multiple software solutions including live chat software, over 50.000 companies use Drift to provide great customer experiences.
Key features:
- Chatbot
- Offline form
- Proactive chat
- Screen sharing
- Geotargeting
- Internal notes
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Reliable customer support
- Accessible automated communication options
Cons:
- Insufficient mobile chat app
- Doesn’t support SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, etc.
- Bugs in web and mobile apps
Drift’s customers
Some of the customers that use Drift include businesses such as Tenable, Smartling, and Zenefits.
Pricing
To get information about the cost of Drift’s software, you have to request a pricing plan. However, Drift offers a free trial period, so you can try it before purchasing.
What is the best live chat software?
As you can see, there are many options to choose from when looking for live chat software for your contact center.
Let’s summarize the 5 best options that might cover most of your needs.
1. LiveAgent – the best value for the money hands down. Boasting a 4.7 rating on Capterra, you know you will be in good hands. Offering the fastest customizable live chat widget with automation options, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Having your chats converted to tickets will make it easier for your agents to stay on top of things no matter the workload. Moreover, LiveAgent will grow with your business thanks to its easy scalability.
2. Zoho Desk – a wonderful platform for medium to large companies that keep their customers at the forefront. As Capterra’s rating of 4.5 suggests, you will not be disappointed if you decide to go with this option. Zoho Desk allows you to customize your live chat software so it fits your branding perfectly. With higher volumes of customer interactions, you can use a chatbot to lift the load off your agents’ shoulders and minimize response times.
3. HubSpot Service Hub – this software boasts a Capterra rating of 4.4 which shows you just how much their clients appreciate the service. Being easy to integrate with other HubSpot’s products, HubSpot live chat takes no time to set up. Moreover, you can dig deep with this one, as it provides many reports and lets you study your analytics in detail.
4. Intercom – you can never go wrong with this established player in the field of customer service. Boasting a Capterra rating of 4.5, you know why they have such a loyal customer base. With its many automation options and multichannel platform, you can be sure that no customer inquiry will be left unanswered.
5. Zendesk – provides many features that you will find invaluable for your company. With a Capterra rating of 4.4, you can be sure that your live chat software will help you provide excellent customer support. Your clients will not only enjoy fast and personalized responses from the agents but they can also feel empowered to resolve their inquiries with a self-service option and a robust knowledge base.
Top 5 live chat software compared
| Live chat software | LiveAgent
Try the top live chat software for free! No credit card required.
|
Zoho Desk | HubSpot Service Hub | Intercom | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capterra rating
Overall software ratings from verified users on Capterra.
|
4.7
(approx. 1k reviews)
|
4.5
(approx. 1.7k reviews)
|
4.4
(approx. 100 reviews)
|
4.5
(approx. 800 reviews)
|
4.4
(approx. 2.8k reviews)
|
| Web-based |
|
|
|
|
|
| Free version |
LiveAgent offers free version.
|
Zoho Desk offers free version.
|
HubSpot Service Hub offers free version.
|
Intercom doesn't offer free version.
|
Zendesk doesn't offer free version.
|
| Free trial |
LiveAgent offers free trial.
|
Zoho Desk offers free trial.
|
HubSpot Service Hub offers free trial.
|
Intercom offers free trial.
|
Zendesk offers free trial.
|
| Starting price |
$29/agent/month
LiveAgent live chat software prices start at $29 agent/month.
|
$58.5/agent/month
Zoho Desk live chat software prices start at $58.5 agent/month.
|
€41/agent/month
HubSpot Service Hub's live chat software prices start at €41 agent/month.
|
$38/agent/month
Intercom live chat software prices start at $38 agent/month.
|
$69/agent/month
Zendesk live chat software prices start at $69 agent/month.
|
Mistakes to avoid when buying live chat software
- Insufficiently trained staff – When you purchase new technology, always make sure that your staff knows how to use it properly. Otherwise, you might be missing out on many of its capabilities, your staff may be frustrated and, what is most important, your customers may not receive the best service you can provide.
- No needed features – Be careful to study the software and its features before buying. You don’t want to end up with something that doesn’t offer what your contact center needs.
- Not taking full advantage of the trial period – If you have an option to try live chat software for free, be sure to take full advantage of it. Try every feature you can, customize every little corner it allows you to, and don’t be afraid to dive deep so you can make the best-educated decision.
- Discount dealing – Although haggling is as ancient as humankind itself, it’s not always the best way to approach a purchase that should help your business thrive. Rather than trying to get the best deal, look for live chat software that you can rely on no matter what.
- Not looking into the future – It’s great if you find live chat software that works for you at this moment. However, be sure to look a little further into the future. Do you want your company to grow? You need to make sure that the software you’re using can be easily scaled up or down according to your needs.
What to ask on a demo call about live chat software and the company
If you’re interested in purchasing live chat software, here is a list of questions you can ask to find out if it’s the right fit for you.
- How can I install a live chat widget on my website?
- How much time will it take to set live chat software up?
- How many chat widgets can I create?
- Can I route incoming chats to certain teams?
- Can I customize the live chat widget to fit my branding?
These simple questions can help you figure out if the software option is the right one for your business. Demo calls are all about you making sure that this is the investment you want to make. So, ask away!
Implementation of live chat software
Although various providers might have different answers, in general, it’s pretty straightforward. First, you need to choose the live chat software you want to use and sign up for it. Then, you have to add a live chat button to your website. This may differ in complexity from provider to provider. But if we take LiveAgent as an example, you simply need to add a piece of an HTML code to the body of your page. If you’re not trying to significantly customize your live chat button, the whole setup of LiveAgent’s live chat software shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes.
How much does it cost to add live chat software to a website?
That greatly depends on the live chat software solution you decide to go with. In the article above, you can find the top 15 live chat software providers, which features they offer, and how much it costs.
Conclusion
- The best all-in-one live chat software
There are many options out there and you need to truly evaluate what will work best for you. However, if you’re looking for a simple-to-navigate technology that you can rely on 100%, LiveAgent is the one for you.
- The best live chat software with built-in ticketing, live chat, call center
LiveAgent’s live chat software is an amazing all-encompassing solution for every business that wants to provide excellent support via multiple communication channels. No matter if you receive a chat, a phone call, or a social media mention, or a notification via another digital channel, you can easily find any customer interaction including a chat session thanks to the built-in ticketing system.
- The best feature-rich live chat software
Not only the amount but also the quality of features make LiveAgent live chat software a great option for all customer-centric businesses.
- The best value for the price live chat software
This is where LiveAgent steals the show. Offering a wide range of features and over 150 integrations while still being affordable and accessible, you will never feel like you’re missing out. Although you can use its essential features completely free of charge, a $15 price tag is a small fee for all the capabilities this software has to offer.
- The highest-rated live chat software
LiveAgent boasts high ratings on sites like Capterra, G2, and TrustRadius. So if you value the opinions of like-minded communities and fellow users of LiveAgent’s live chat software, this might be the best option for you.
- The easiest live chat software to setup & use, and integrate
This is hands down, live chat software provided by LiveAgent. With an initial setup that takes no longer than 5 minutes, you don’t need to know how to code to get it done. Customizing and using this live chat software on a day-to-day basis is a piece of cake even for those that don’t consider themselves tech-savvy. Moreover, 150+ integrations make it very easy to connect to any platform you need.
Frequently asked questions
Can I integrate LiveAgent with any tools?
LiveAgent offers over 195 various integrations with other software solutions. Connect communication tools such as Slack, billing software like 2Checkout, tracking software like Google Analytics, or even miscellaneous integration options like Giphy. Pick from a wide range of favorite software and interconnect your workflow in custom ways that enhance your customer communication channels or help you provide better services in other areas. Third-party integrations via Zapier or Integrately are also an option.
Will I ever be charged to use the live chat software?
Live chat software comes with different pricing options that depend on reliability, additional features, and general usefulness. There are also some free live chat options, but they often lack the speed or features of paid software solutions. LiveAgent's Medium plan comes with plenty of amazing features and the fastest live chat widget on the market for a fair price. Please take a look at our pricing page to see more information.
When does it make sense to invest in live chat software?
Investing in live chat makes sense when your business runs an e-commerce website or a site that offers specific services or products. Your website's live chat features make it easy for potential customers to contact you and get fast replies. These fast customer conversations can prove to be more beneficial than slower email conversations. Live chat helps you provide a fast and reliable customer service experience while helping you sell more products and turn website visitors into paying customers.
How do I start live chat with a customer in live chat software?
While you cannot start a chat with a customer directly, you can do your best to get noticed. Proactive chat invitations are an ideal feature for the job. You can pick your favorite design or upload your own, just like in the case of the chat button. These invitations will pop up whenever a customer starts browsing your web. Proactive chat invitations are great because they allow the customers to accept or decline the chat while ensuring the chat option will be noticed by all new website visitors.
How to use live chat software for lead generation?
Providing real-time assistance to website visitors is a proven way to generate more qualified leads. Furthermore, engaging these potential customers early in their buying journeys will enhance their experiences and guide them toward conversions.
What can be the challenges with live chat software?
Each software solution, as well as each contact center, comes with its set of challenges you have to overcome. Some of these challenges include an increase in support requests, longer conversations with live chat customers, or even spam messages.
What is the top-rated live chat software?
Although each customer has a specific set of needs and expectations, the live chat software that is best-rated overall is LiveAgent. Its many features will allow you to go above and beyond to provide the best customer experience. It is trusted by thousands of satisfied customers worldwide, so you can rest assured that you will be taken care of.
Do customers prefer live chatting over real conversations?
A lot of customers do prefer chatting over real conversations. However, it all depends on the context and the situation. Because of speed and convenience, online store visitors who want to get quick answers will prefer the chatting option over sending emails. In general, customers with pressing issues will always appreciate a quick solution with almost instant responses and a short average resolution time in most situations.
What is live chat software best for?
Live chat interactions are among the most valued ways to contact a business. Customers appreciate fast real-time responses, an increased level of personalization, and the high engagement that live chat offers.
What websites use live chat software?
Websites that trust live chat software to build relationships with their clients and drive more sales include HP, Shopify, Nikon, Nordstorm, and more.
You Will Be in Good Hands!
Do you know what Huawei, BMW, Yamaha and O2 have in common? You guessed right… LiveAgent!
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