Customer service has become a vital part of live chat. Live chat software is a way for customers to reach you if they have a question or complaint.
This is also easier for customer service staff. Service representatives are limited to making one call at a given time. They can however reply to multiple live chat conversations at the same time. This software can be used to automatically respond to client requests and questions.
Customers expect quick responses from companies’ customer service departments, especially in times of increased internet usage and pandemics. Firms that leave clients waiting could lose them to their competitors and damage their brand’s reputation.
Live chat is overall more cost-effective and efficient than any other type of customer service. It also surpasses email, phone, and social media when it comes to consumer preferences.
What is Live Chat Software?
Live chat software allows customers or prospects to connect with customer service representatives via live chat. Its goal: is to provide client service quickly without making the client wait.
The American Marketing Association claims that live chat increases conversion by 20%. Live chat platforms can be used to provide customer service, but they also have the potential to increase sales and customer retention.
Visitors can communicate with representatives via the live chat window on the website by simply typing a message. This is the fastest and easiest way to reach customer service reps. A seamless chat system that manages client administration can increase the productivity of your customer support staff.
Also read: Top 10 Customer Support Software
Let’s look at the best products and their differences, and then see how we can choose the product that will bring the most value to our company.
1. LiveChat
LiveChat is a trusted brand in the market. This software is ideal for companies looking to grow their business.
Because it provides services such as online chat and online surveys, converting prospects to qualified leads, reports, and analytics, it is a top-rated live chat software. It also integrates with more than 170 other apps.
The cloud-based platform allows you to interact with site visitors through its web, mobile and desktop applications. LiveChat allows salespeople to manage customer interactions across multiple platforms in real-time. You can make your customer experience better with the exclusive LiveChat tools such as Message Sneak-Peek. The pre-chat survey feature allows you to qualify leads and prioritize hot leads.
The key features
- You can track and analyze the performance of your customer service team.
- LiveChat increases conversion rates by a significant amount
- If the representative is not available, visitors can leave a message via a ticket form.
- Chat Supervision and Agent Accounts make it easy to manage your team.
2. LiveAgent
LiveAgent allows you to communicate with customers via multiple media. LiveAgent can be a great helpdesk tool if you want to provide a better user experience.
It dynamically automates the process of assigning tickets to visitors, allowing you to connect them with the right salesperson. The universal inbox and customer segmentation make it easier to see and respond to customer tickets. The conversation history and contact details give context to help you better serve your customers.
It features a time tracking feature, which allows you to analyze the performance of your sales team. You’ll be able to access all the information about your customers from one platform.
The key features
- Automated Sorting of Conversations into Tickets
- Transfer tickets to different departments and representatives.
- You can view and reply to tickets from the Universal Inbox.
- If the condition is met, Time Rules Run in The Background and Is Executed.
3. Olark
Olark is easy to set up and use. This makes it a great choice for small businesses that have never used Olark before.
It is one of the most widely used live chat programs. It is a simple and effective communication tool that can be used by businesses. The activities of website visitors can be used to customize messages. Your sales representative can collect consumer information even before the chat starts. Olark’s advanced integrations make it possible to build great customer relationships.
Olark’s greatest feature is its flexibility. You can change the color, position, and form of your chat windows. Personalize live chats with welcome text and photos of customer service employees. You can also monitor the performance of your sales rep and distribute chats to ensure efficiency.
The platform also offers some useful automation features. You can use the platform to communicate with people, create scripted replies, route conversations to different departments, and many other useful features. Olark provides real-time analytics and data on variables like the number of chats in the business, customer satisfaction, and the activity of your support staff, among others.
Olark integrates with CRM software like HubSpot, and Salesforce, automation tools like ActiveCampaign, and Zapier, email services such as MailChimp, and reporting platforms such as Google Analytics. It also integrates seamlessly with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify and Magento.
The key features
- Pre-chat surveys, custom chatbox forms, and pre-chat surveys can help you qualify more leads.
- To personalize your conversation, you can access visitor information via their social media profiles.
- Co-browsing can be used to help your customer in real-time.
- Automated messaging can be used to gather contact information and save time.
4. Drift
Drift is a live chat platform with many features that provide clients and sales professionals with a great experience.
Its robust automation allows you to deliver personalized communication to important clients. Conversational AI helps visitors to communicate in real-time, so that leads don’t get lost in the shuffle. It also provides a central data center that allows you to access all the information and insights available from customers.
The key features
- Conversational AI can help you communicate more easily
- Option to connect with visitors via live chat
- You can create a customized experience by learning about each visitor’s profile.
- You can easily route important leads to the right sales rep.
5. SendInBlue
Sendinblue simplifies communication and assists with marketing. You can personalize it and make it match your website’s look and feel with the live chatbox. Customers also love Sendinblue’s marketing capabilities such as Email Marketing and customer segmentation.
The key features
- It is much easier to convert leads when you provide a personalized and targeted visitor experience.
- Personal communication is key to building strong customer relationships
- Segmenting Marketing Messages Automatically Saves Time
- Keep track of all activities with real-time statistics
6. JivoChat
JivoChat is a “one-stop-shop” for business messaging. Customers can contact JivoChat via email, phone, and social media.
It can be used with many essential tools and services such as Slack and Wix, Pipedrive and Weebly.
JivoChat has been used by more than 284,000 websites around the globe, making it one of the most widely-used live chat systems. It is fully customizable and can also be translated into 20 languages. It supports other platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, and Email. This makes it very convenient because you can manage all customer communications from one interface.
The key features
- The live chat widget can be used on any device, browser or operating system.
- Automated proactive messages are sent in response to certain triggers
- Integrations with CRM systems, visitor data (for instance, location and click source),
- Chat logs and reports for agents and customers
7. Intercom
Intercom is a platform for conversational relationships. It can be described as an innovative way to say it helps in developing client relationships through messaging and live chat.
Microsoft, IBM, Sotheby’s, and Udemy are just some of the more than 30,000 companies that have used the program.
The key features
- You can increase site conversions by using targeted messages, bots and real-time conversation.
- Outbound communication is used to activate, onboard, and re-engage clients.
- Live chat support and self-help tools
- One dashboard allows you to manage all customer interactions.
8. Acquire
Acquire, a cloud-based communication platform aims to bring customers closer by offering better and more efficient communication methods through its live chat services. Acquire is a one-stop shop for customer service across all channels and integrations, including video chat. Acquire has the most advanced and user-friendly chatbots, as well as co-browsing options to share screens and resolve customer issues.
Acquire is a great alternative for those who want to incorporate the most advanced chatbots into their website. It is used by large companies like Lexus, Audi, and the US Air Force.
AI chatbots can automate routine tasks and sync articles from your knowledge base with chatbots. It automatically routes chats to human agents if the bots cannot provide a solution for the client. Although this may sound complicated, bot deployment doesn’t require coding or the use if developers. You also have access to live chat for collaboration tools for teams.
The key features
- You can easily connect to customers by sending SMS and VOIP messages to the dashboard.
- You can manage all your email, social media, and chat channels from one inbox.
- Troubleshooting on-page markups with co-browsing software
- You can also video chat with customers.
Also read: Top 9 Link Tracking Software for Marketers
9. ZenDesk Chat
Zendesk (formerly Zopim) is a configurable chat system that allows businesses to connect with customers based on what they do. It offers pre-chats and amazing automated triggers. Chatbots can be used to connect with customers. Analytics are available to track sales effectiveness.
Zendesk lets you track the work of your team and predict customer requirements, so you can reach them at the right time. Automated Triggers can be used to reach targeted customers to improve customer outreach. You can contact customers before they arrive at your site by engaging in proactive communication. You can interact with customers via pre-chat or offline forms even if you aren’t online. Even better, conversations can be accessed from multiple channels at once.
The key features
- Chat Routing assigns the conversation to the appropriate representative
- Chat analytics can be used to track sales reps’ performance and identify problems.
- Over 40 languages are available for self-service and knowledge base resources.
- Machine learning and AI predictions are based on context clues
10. Podium
Podium is your one-stop shop to improve customer satisfaction. It is a conversation-based platform that allows you to interact with all visitors to your website. You can connect with users from different platforms and reply from one location. To assist with frequently asked questions, you can use the automated answer feature.
The key features
- Widgets that can be customized to your website’s standards
- The Podium Live Chat Window allows for smooth conversations
- Google Analytics Tracking can provide better insights
- It is possible to route conversations from one place to the next.
How can I choose the best Live Chat software?
Before you add live chat to your website, here are some things to consider before making a decision. These are the elements that will ensure customer happiness and team productivity.
- Make sure you choose the right live chat software for your sales reps. There are many software options for common tasks, but there is also software specifically designed for sales and lead qualification. Please do your research on each software to see what it has to offer.
- Customers today approach companies via a variety of platforms. It’s important to choose software that can be used with other channels in order to allow you to quickly engage with them.
- How many agents can the software support? A plan limits the number of live chat agents that can be used by customer service representatives. Compare the Software Plan with the number of sales reps.
- A live chat tool that integrates automated features and is intuitive for businesses would be a great asset. Customers don’t have to be limited by time. They can purchase any time they want. Your automated software should be able to send prompt responses or connect customers with the right representative.
- You should pay attention to more than the software’s main features. If you are looking to expand your business, this can be a great option.
Once you have compared the pros and cons of each Live Chat Software, it will be easier to choose the live chat that is best for you.
