23 Best Live Chat Software for Sales & Customer Support in 2025

Imagine being delayed for up to 30 minutes on a Monday morning queue at the bank. Frustrating right?

That is how customers feel when they get delayed responses from your sales support team.

From being stuck in traffic to meeting long queues at the grocery store, you would not want to add to the current frustration that is everywhere.

This is where the live chat software comes in!

An effective live chat software will help you provide instant responses to customers and website visitors.

However, some of these live chat software has specific advantages. So, I will be discussing the best live chat software you can implement for your sales and customer support teams.

Let’s get to it!

Best Live Chat Software for Sales and Customer Support

• LiveChat
• ChatBot
• Sendinblue
• Olark
• LiveAgent
• Chaport
• Freshchat
• LivePerson
• Smartsupp
• Podium
• Pure Chat
• Drift
• Intercom
• Acquire
• Chatfuel
• SnapEngage
• Tidio
• Zendesk Chat
• HubSpot Live Chat
• ClickDesk
• Zoho Desk
• Chatra
• UserLike

1. LiveChat

Best Live Chat Software with Message Sneak Peek & Mobile Support

With the possibility of improving customer’s satisfaction to as high as 97%, LiveChat software offers a good bargain for the customer support service it provides.

The installation process is straightforward and comes with a free plug-in for WordPress.

Besides, the chat platform is optimized not only on desktops but on mobiles as well. So, you and your chat support agents stand to enjoy the leisure of replying to customers even when you’re away from the office.

Another attribute you will like is the Message sneak peek feature. With this feature, your chat support agent can read the customer's chat before he/she hits the send button. That way, your support agents have enough time to think of a response and provide speedy answers. Awesome!

That’s not all, as this live chat service provider that has been in existence since 2002 offers more interesting features.

These include using chatbots to generate ticket forms and multi-chatting across different platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Email.

Benefits

• Personalized Customer Support: through its AI support, LiveChat uses the customer’s activity and recent chat history to provide personalized help.
• Evaluate Team’s Performance: allows you to offer survey forms at the start/end of a live chat session to evaluate your team’s performance.
• Third-Party Integration: LiveChat integrates top services like Google Analytics and CRM software to save the stress of obtaining customers’ details in other systems.

Pricing

Starting from $16, you can pay for the starter plan. You can also check out the higher subscriptions to unlock more features.

2. ChatBot

Best Live Chat Software with 24/7 Customer Help & Support

For start-up online stores looking to equal out existing competitors, providing a 24/7 support service might be a great option to consider.

However, the cost of getting enough human resources to be always online can be quite challenging and expensive. So, how do you go about it?

No need to panic. The ChatBot software is a perfect solution for you!

With ChatBot, your visiting customers will obtain answers to bothering issues as though a real human was answering them.

The truth is that ChatBot eases your customer’s access to information. So, while the live chat service might not fully cover for a real human, you can be assured that your customers will get the information they are looking for.

Also, you tend to avoid issues like a sales representative reacting from a bad day. Unlike humans, these chat bots keep the conversation smooth with no emotions attached.

The AI-powered interface that acts as a virtual assistant in answering commonly asked questions helps to achieve this.

Benefits

• Round the Clock Availability: as you might have guessed, the chatbots are always available and offer a live chat support that is always accessible 24/7.
• Chat Analytics Tool: with the aid of its reporting and analytics tool, the chatbots can generate customer reports and provide necessary information to follow up leads.
• Flexible Connection with Third-Party Apps: allows smooth integration with popular apps like Zapier, WordPress, Facebook Messenger and Slack.

Pricing

There is no fixed quotation for big enterprises. The cost is based on the personal demands and manpower available. However, the starter pack is at $50 per month while business can pay up to $500 per month.

3. SendinBlue

Best Live Chat Software with Advanced Email Marketing Platform & Real-Time Chat Support

Despite being a live chat service provider, this software also stands out for its unique email marketing platform. The service is relatively less expensive and is a recommended option for growing businesses on a mini-budget.

Unlike the other live chat service providers, pricing is dependent on the number of sent emails instead of the number of contacts you have.

One other good news is the availability of a free plan. However, the paid plan that starts at just $25 per month for 10,000 emails is also cheap and will unlock full access to the chat program.

Furthermore, integrating the chat framework in your account is simple and can be done through a WordPress plug-in for your business website. The live chat uses a code snippet, so you only have to copy and paste it into your website code, and the chat app is ready for use.

You also get to see extra information about the customer chatting you up, such as recent pages the customer just visited. The advantage is that it helps you give detailed responses to questions the customer probably didn’t ask properly.

Benefits

• Cost Friendly Plans: SendinBlue offers FREE access to the software with unlimited contacts. The Lite plan of the Premium version is also cheap and starts at only $25/month.
• Fantastic Automated System: allows you to automate certain parts of the chat and email processes.
• Unique Marketing tool with SMS: with SendinBlue, you get to manage all your customer messages easily in one place.
• Different modern templates for Landing Pages: build your own custom design for your landing pages

Pricing

While you can get started for free, you can also pay for additional features. The premium plan starts at $65 while enterprises will need a customized quotation.

4. Olark

Best Live Chat Software with Top Chart Analytics Tool & Personalized Chat Support

With rising needs for more flexibility in working schedules, Olark offers you the freedom to reply to chat messages via email or other third-party apps on your iOS or Android while offline.

This unique chat platform also sends personalized messages to customers based on the pages they are viewing.

The addition of Olark to your business website is easy to do yourself. You only have to copy some sets of code and paste them at your website backend. Then, login and boom, you’re ready to start chatting with visitors on your site.

Furthermore, this live chat software helps you get important details about the customer using pre-customized forms. The details include vital information such as their names, email addresses, and so on.

You also get to see the customers browsing activity on the site and pull up their chats' previous history with you. Thus, enabling you to talk to customers on a more personal level and making them feel important.

Benefits

• Team’s Performance Management: with Olark, you can monitor how your support agents are being rated. You can also set the maximum number of chats per agent to go away when the limit is reached automatically.
• Integrated Services: allows you to connect Olark with other software for added features. For instance, you can integrate with Zendesk to do automated ticket creation and attach chat transcripts.
• Paid options for More Advanced Features: these include live chat translators and screen sharing.
• Real-Time Chat Widgets: when customers click on the live chat widget, you can expect to give satisfying answers without interrupting their normal browsing.

Pricing

Starting from $19 per agent per month, Olark offers a very simple and cost-effective plan. There is a 21% discount if you decide to subscribe for a year. You also get to pay only $12 per month and save as much as 37% by subscribing to a 2-year plan at once.

5. LiveAgent

Best Live Chat Software with an All-in-One Messaging Platform

As one of the top live chat service providers, LiveAgent is a good choice for your business, especially if you lack a customer support framework.

The chat platform's notable features include live chat, email ticketing, voice calls, and social media responses. What’s more interesting is that LiveAgent is omnichannel and allows you to do all these in one place.

The video chat support feature also goes a long way in establishing a stable customer-business relationship. It builds trust, and the multilingual support adds more flexibility to the range of customers you can reach out to.

Besides, integrating this live chat service provider with WordPress and top email marketing services, CRMs, and other third-party apps like Clockify is stress-free.

In addition to all these, you will enjoy an all-around presence on issues that relate to your business. The chat platform helps monitor and provide answers to questions and comments on social media spaces such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Benefits

• Multilingual Support: supports multiple languages to aid chatting with customers all over the globe
• Video Call & Social Media Integrations: allows you to have face to face conversations with customers and handle all social media messages from one platform.
• Automated Ticketing System: with a help desk ticketing system integrated with Mails, Chat app, Twitter, and so on, you are sure to provide fantastic support to customers.

Pricing

While LiveAgent offers a free plan to enjoy its software, you can also pay for the paid plans starting at $15 to unlock more features.

6. Chaport

Best Live Chat Software with Group Chat Feature & Omnichannel Platform

For start-up businesses looking for a live chat service provider to generate leads and improve sales, Chaport is a recommended solution.

Like most live chat software, Chaport integrates with third-party apps like Google Suite, Facebook, and HubSpot.

Besides, Chaport also has a FREE forever plan with unlimited chat support, mobile & desktop app features, and a 30-day chat history plan.

However, the free plan supports ONLY one agent compared to the unlimited agent option available on the paid version. More features like unlimited chats history, group chats, typing insights, and file sending are unlocked on the paid version.

The group chat is one distinct feature, and it guarantees that the customer is getting the best reply to his questions. If you feel you do not have the required knowledge of the problem, you only have to forward it to others.

Also, this live chat provider's dashboard is incredible and provides an all-in-one chat platform that enables your support agents to respond to all questions in one place. These include questions from Telegram, Facebook, etc.

Benefits

• Multilingual Chat Widget: you don’t have to worry about the language barrier because the site visitors will automatically see your messages in their language.
• Group Chats: your agents can work faster as a team by transferring chats to who’s better informed. You can also view other’s conversations in real-time.
• Omnichannel Platform: integrate all related apps to Chaport and answer all requests from the Chaport platform.

Pricing

There is a free plan available. However, you can subscribe with payment to enjoy more advanced features.

7. FreshChat

Best Live Chat Software with Priority Messaging and Automated Customer Support

When it comes to customer engagement, the FreshChat software is undoubtedly a top choice among rivals. The one-one live chat environment enables you and your sales representatives to have real-time conversations or automated ones with the customer depending on preference.

Besides, you can also use the AI-powered feature to create automated messages targeted at site visitors based on their specific activities. So, let’s say a customer is checking out his carts; the chat platform can be used to send specific guidelines and tips to ensure he successfully makes the purchase.

In addition, the presence of an omnichannel support makes this chat platform a must-have option. The software serves as an all-in-one platform where you get to answer questions from different channels.

Incoming messages can also be prioritized and replied to from the same chat window. This is quickly done with the aid of chat insights such as average response time. The priority messaging aims to build more interactive conversations and ensure a smooth inflow and outflow of messages.

Benefits

• Omnichannel Platform & Priority Messaging: organize the inflow and outflow of messages by looking at site analytics such as customer’s average response time.
• Personalized one-on-one Chats: leverage available intel on who your visitors are to engage in conversations that they find very helpful.
• Real-time & Automated Responses: send triggered messages to website visitors based on their browsing activity

Pricing

You get to enjoy a free live chat service plan with support for as many as 10 team members. Starting at $15 per agent per month per annum, you can unlock extra paid plan features.

8. LivePerson

Best Live Chat Software with Multi-Platform Messaging Support

According to the LivePerson website statistics, about 70% of customers’ requests can be replied automatically. Thus, effective time used to reply to messages is reduced and put into more productive duties.

Using BotStudio, bots are created with ease and with customized templates. So, together with the AI-powered support, these bots can naturally engage the customers and provide necessary information to increase sales.

In addition, LivePerson allows you to have interactive conversations with the customer not just on the live chat, but via other platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp. So, your sales representative gets to work more conveniently and with a well-managed workspace.

Benefits

• Automation: provides AI-powered chatbots that can work hand-in-hand with your support representatives to engage prospective buyers. This can also help to reduce the amount of carts abandonment on your site.
• Conversation Analytics: this allows you to know the average chat to sales conversion rate.
• MultiPlatform Messaging: enables you to manage and organize all messages from one centralized platform.

Pricing

LivePerson developers believe that each person has different demands. So, you’ll have to message the support team to get a cost quotation depending on your needs.

9. Smartsupp

Best Live Chat Software with Professional Video Recording Feature

What you will like best about this chat platform is its video recording feature. It gives the leverage to monitor visitors' activity on your website and better understand their needs.

The setup and installation are also fast, and the chat software integrates with certain third-party apps like WordPress. Other apps that work with Smartsupp include Shopify, Magento, and other e-commerce sites. The live chat software also assists with evaluating your team’s performance and chat conversions using Google Analytics.  

Another cool feature that might prompt you to try this software is its support for mobile apps. So, whether you’re taking a stroll or on the bus, you can still give replies to your business customers.

Besides, the dashboard is customizable and enables you to upload your sales representative photos to their profile. People believe what they see over texts. So, this has a way of building trust and improving personalized conversations.

Benefits

• Video Recording: helps you identify the exact point where the customer got lost or stuck on your website.
• Third-Party Integration: here, you have the leisure to either use the existing integrations for e-commerce platforms or build your own using the system’s API.
• Automation: send pre-customized but targeted messages to customers just at the point of rounding up their purchase.

Pricing

While this chat platform offers a free plan, the paid plan is cost-friendly as well. The offer is a good deal from $15 monthly up to $29 monthly for the PRO version. You can also obtain a discount as high as 33% by subscribing to an annual plan.

10. Podium

Best Live Chat Software with an Advanced Payment Over Texts Feature

With the excellent video chat and web chat features on Podium, you can be sure to make each second spent with the customer to count. You also get to give the customers a personalized chatting experience that will make them happy to keep buying from you.

Another advantage of the video chat is that customers can easily show you what they want rather than stressing themselves to make a perfect description.

Furthermore, this live chat software boosts your sales by helping you send automated or scheduled requests for feedback.

The chat platform is very interactive and allows you to manage all your activities from the same window. There’s also a possibility of a team chat where your sales representatives come together to interact with leads and customers.

The team is unified, and you can also send a message to everyone at the same time. Also, there is a no-contact payment over text feature that allows you to close deals effortlessly and without stress. The clients only have to click on a text link you send to them, and they pay through there. Win-Win for everyone!

Benefits

• Video Chat, Web Chat, and Team Chat Features: with these features, you can be assured that your most qualified sales rep is the one attending to the customer. The video chat feature also boosts sales and builds long-lasting business-customer relationships.
• Automated feedback requests: you have the option of either sending automated feedback requests or asking the customers in real-time to know how satisfied they are with your services.
• Payment over Texts: this is one standout feature as it reduces the stress involved in concluding sale deals and making payments. Customers can now start payment processes right from the chat page.

Pricing

Podium does not have fixed prices. You have to message the team to request a cost quotation based on your specific requirements.

11. Pure Chat

Best Live Chat Software with Powerful Dashboard and All-in-One Chat Platform

By going for this live chat software, you stand to enjoy the 30-day free trial! This comes with all the PRO plan features, so you are sure to get a full glimpse of the software before paying for it.

As a leading live chat provider, you can also be sure to enjoy the host of features of the PRO version. These include unlimited chats, customizable widgets, a powerful and detailed dashboard with full support for third-party native iOS & Android apps.

Other features available are chat alerts, pre chart info form, file transfer support, canned responses for the frequently asked questions, unlimited chat history/transcripts, and visitor’s information and location details.

In addition, the iOS and Android support means you can effectively manage your live chats regardless of where you are. Hence, your business customers can always expect instant responses to their questions.

Benefits

• 30 days money-back guarantee: your money will be refunded without questions if you happen to dislike the site
• Integrated Support Services: optimize customer engagements using real-time analytics of visitor’s activity and site history
• Full Widget Customization: use the on-site editor to change the look of the live chat pages on your desktop and mobile devices

Pricing

You first enjoy a 30-day free trial use of the software, after which you get billed to continue. The growth plan is priced at $49 per month but is reduced to $39 per month per annual payment. The PRO plan is at $99 per month but can be reduced to only $79 per month if you decide to pay annually.

12. Drift

Best Live Chat Software to Target Specific Customers and Schedule Meetings

Drift is a powerful live chat software that merges the role of its automated chatbots and that of your sales representatives.

The chatbots act like a virtual assistant that connects you with leads and provides the necessary head start for personalized conversations.

Besides, this excellent combination with the AI bots offers features like engaging target accounts.

Using Drift, you can easily identify the high-value buyers or VIP buyers. The bots help you monitor their presence on your sales site and offer them personalized greetings. It also aids in scheduling meetings with these VIP buyers using the drift meeting tool.

Other drift tools are the drift emails for managing thousands of emails simultaneously and the drift automation to increase sales and chat response without hiring more people.

There are also the drift videos to engage your customers better, and drift integrations with software like HubSpot, Zendesk, and Google Analytics too.

In addition, Drift offers a free plan with unlimited contacts, live chat, email signatures, welcome messages feature, Calendar integration, and Google Analytics. However, the premium and enterprise plans cost more and offer more value for money.

The paid plans also come with extra features like custom bots, live view, saved replies, chat to call, and chat to zoom options.

Benefits

• AI-Powered Scheduled Meetings: using Drift, the AI bots can instantly message potential customers as soon as they enter your site and even schedule a meeting with a support agent.
• Integrated Services: just like the saying that tech works better together, Drift allows you to provide better support by utilizing added features from integrated software.
• Chat Analytics & Insights: rather than guessing what conversations on specific pages will convert leads, Drift does the analysis for you. So, you can be sure to select the approach that transforms leads the most.
• Engage Target Accounts: allows you to use Drift intel to monitor VIP buyers and book meetings using bots in the absence of your sales rep.

Pricing

Drift offers a free plan that new buyers can try out at first. Payment for the paid plans varies, and it depends on the conversation you have with the Drift support team.

13. Intercom

Best Live Chat Software with Self-Service & Personalized Customer Support

Asides from being a conversational live chat platform, Intercom also serves as a support tool for providing personalized support help service, automated or self-service support, and proactive support.

Using Intercom, your sales team becomes empowered to have personalized one-on-one chat messages faster than phone or mail.

On the other hand, the self-service support tool is also a great feature that uses help articles or short automated answers to reply to commonly asked questions. Thus, you and your team can focus on chatting with the customers that need more help.

Also, the targeted messaging tools give quick hints or suggestions based on the customer's current activity, the proactive support feature is one great option to consider here.

In addition, using this live chat software helps in boosting customer’s engagement. You get to create beautiful and educative carousel screens at different touchpoints. With the product tour feature, new customers will also feel welcomed as you guide them through the essential basics of your business.

Altogether, upcoming businesses with more dynamic chat support and help teams will find this live chat service provider beneficial.

Benefits

• Conversational Support Tools: aids the provision of human, self-service, and proactive support for better customer engagement.
• Conversational Marketing Tools: use chatbots to increase leads conversion and maximize sales.
• Conversational Engagement Tools: use targeted messages to make customers take specific desired actions and close deals on time.

Pricing

The starter bundle with basic live chat and messaging features is priced from $39/month. Check here to see the other pricing plans.

14. Acquire

Best Live Chat Software with Screen Sharing and Team Chat Support

Trusted by several companies around the world, Acquire is a top leading chat platform that offers an omnichannel customer experience. By this, you are always available to help with customer requests in real-time.

Acquire also provides a powerful dashboard that allows you to live chat, message customers via SMS, manage customers' emails, share screens with stuck customers, use automated chatbots to reply to frequently asked questions, and make video calls.

With these lists of options, you can always be guaranteed to satisfy your customers forever. Work efficiency is also covered because the AI-powered bots will ensure more productive use of the limited time available.

Also, issues during sale processes are reduced with the use of video calls and screen sharing options. The platform helps to build trust and provides more personalized discussion with the customers. In addition, it’s easier for the buyer to describe what they want via a face to face video chat instead of texts.

Besides all these features, Acquire offers top integration services with third-party apps like Twitter, Skype, Salesforce, Facebook, Zendesk, etc. There’s also an on-site translation tool that automatically detects and translates the customer’s language.

Benefits

• Omnichannel Messaging Platform: have real-time personalized communications with potential customers.
• Screen Sharing and Team Chats: easily co-browse and assist site visitors when they need help.
• Integration Services: helps you to connect your Acquire software account to improve existing support and customer service tools.
• Video Call Feature: makes it easier to relate one-on-one with the customers and readily understand what they specifically need.

Pricing

Acquire does not have a prepared pricing quote. So, you’ll need to get in touch with the support team and get a quotation based on your specific business needs.

15. ChatFuel

Best Live Chat Software with 24/7 Availability & Connects Leads to Sales Rep

For those looking to increase business sales, ChatFuel has chatbot features that can help with just that.

These ChatFuel bots can also help to engage prospective customers, qualify leads, and connect them with your support rep via live chats.

Hence, your customers are better satisfied at almost no extra support cost. The bot’s platform has also been optimized to work with social media pages like Facebook, Messenger and Instagram.

In addition, you might also be happy to know that this live chat software offers a free plan that supports up to 50 users.

Benefits

• Free Plan: ChatFuel provides a zero-cost plan with fully-featured bots but a 50 users limit.
• Automated Responses to FAQs: the AI chatbots can give simple and customized multiple replies to commonly asked questions.
• Social Media Plug-ins: you’ll also be able to add Messenger and Facebook integrations on your website using plug-ins

Pricing

Chatfuel allows you to start with a free plan before upgrading to the paid plans to allow more users.

16. SnapEngage

Best Live Chat Software with Telehealth Messaging and OmniChannel Platform

With full focus on live chat alone, SnapEngage offers you a customizable chat platform that guarantees better customer engagement. You can also be sure to gain a competitive advantage by capturing and qualifying more leads on time.

Furthermore, the platform is also omnichannel. So, your support agents will be able to use the SnapEngage conversation hub interface to reply to messages from SMS text-to-chat, Facebook, and WeChat. It also allows them to send custom URLs to Twitter users.

Another feature is the availability of chatbots. SnapEngage helps to give your customers a wonderful experience as they get speedy responses and prompt attention.

Here, commonly asked questions will be answered by the bots, while those that need a personal answer will be forwarded to your agents. This helps you to boast of 24/7 customer support.

Health care organizations will also find this live chat software to be exceptional. As the world’s first HIPAA compliant live chat software, the platform is encrypted and secured for healthcare professionals' conversation.

Benefits

• Omnichannel Platform: allows you to virtually chat with different customers regardless of the platform or where they are.
• Reporting & Analytics Tool: assists in making better data-driven decisions. It also helps to monitor the real-time activity and performance of your support agents.
• HealthCare: has a telehealth messaging feature that helps health organizations increase patient satisfaction and decrease patient interaction costs.
• Automated Chat Support: saves time for both customers and support agents by automatically replying frequently asked questions.

Pricing

Starting from $16 per month per annum, SnapEngage offers different pricing bundles for a minimum of 3 users. Enterprises with 10 or more users will have to request a customized quotation.

17. Tidio

Best Live Chat Software with Efficient Email Marketing Support

While this live chat software can improve your customer support service, it can also assist your email marketing campaigns.

You get to boost your sales and create emails within minutes by using already customized templates. Besides, Tidio also runs a complete background check of customers' email addresses for free. So, issues of bounced emails or non -existing customers are eliminated.

Asides from this, the live chat environment is user friendly and welcoming. Adding Tidio to your website is relatively easy and takes less than 3 minutes.

The integration support with software like WordPress, Shopify, and Facebook messenger allows you to connect with web visitors in real-time. By using Tidio, you can be sure to skyrocket sales and turn these visitors into paying customers.

Another fascinating feature that Tidio offers is its 24/7 chatbot support. It helps you to focus solely on your business and manages the tedious stuff for you. With Tidio, you can set up a chatbot to welcome new or returning visitors and collect visitors’ emails and phone numbers.

Benefits

• Fast Live Chat Service: provides you with a customizable chat interface that’s supported by the browser, desktop, and mobile app.
• Email Marketing: uses an all-in-one communication platform to manage all your emails in one place.
• Automated Chatbots: allows you to set short-answers to questions, set up surveys, and obtain customer feedback.

Pricing

While Tidio offers you a FREE forever plan, you can decide to go for the paid plans to unlock more features. Besides, you will be getting a 2-months free service if you choose to pay for the annual subscription.

18. Zendesk Chat

Best Live Chat Software with Self Service Support Tools

For large enterprises, managing customer requests across several social media and online platforms can be very tasking. Hence, Zendesk uses an omnichannel platform to respond to all your emails, chats, and requests from the same place.

Another attractive attribute of this live chat service provider is the self-service support. Zendesk believes that website visitors often try to find answers themselves before messaging support agents.

As a result, you will be getting tools to create a knowledge-based help center and online community forum. You can also incorporate integrated AI support to recommend help articles and cover for offline chat support agents.

The working conditions of your employees are not left out too as there is provision for internal helpdesks. This is in the form of internal FAQs and in-house help centers that contain answers to frequent questions being asked.

In addition, Zendesk provides an analytics tool that assists in evaluating the performance of your support agents.. You get to see where progress has been made and areas where extra collective efforts are needed. This helps to achieve growth and more business successes.

Benefits

• Focus on Conversations, not Channels: with the omnichannel feature, your support agents can focus ONLY on giving fast response and satisfying customers.
• Performance Evaluation Tools: by providing statistics of how your agents have generally performed, they are either motivated or pushed to work harder.
• Internal Helpdesks: when employees are given the right tools to work, they are happier and will perform better.

Pricing

With free trials for the different plan bundles, you can enjoy either ONLY the support features or sales features starting at $5 per agent and $19 per seat, respectively, for each month. Besides, you can also opt for full platform service, as shown above.

19. HubSpot Live Chat

Best Live Chat Software with Ticket Automation and Internal HelpDesk Support

Scattered customer data, complicated software tools, and how to reach out to customers are some of the problems faced by modern marketers today. This is why HubSpot offers its easy-to-use platform to save time and stress.

By using the Marketing Hub tools, you can now attract more customers and increase sales conversion. Also, HubSpot allows you to enjoy a competitive advantage with its simple blogging and social media ads support. With these tools, you do not need much idea of what blogging is all about.

Furthermore, this live chat software boasts of 24/7 live chat support for a personalized customer experience. It also has ticket automation and help desk features that automatically prioritize important requests for a better customer experience.

There is also room for a library of answers to frequently asked questions to reduce the number of support requests.

In addition, startups using the HubSpot Growth Platform can enjoy a 90% off promo. Eligibility is based on being a current member/alumnus of the over 2,000 approved Venture capital partners or accelerators. Qualified members need to have also contributed up to the Series A funding round.

Benefits

• Email Support Services: notifies you immediately a lead opens an email thread so that you can do proper follow up.
• Powerful Marketing Software: marketing platform that uses CRM analytics and blogs, and social media management to attract and convert more leads.

Pricing

HubSpot allows you to get started for free. However, subscription for the paid plans starting at $45/month or $540/year will see you unlock additional features.

20. ClickDesk

Best Live Chat Software with Live Typing, Voice Call & Video Call Features

When it comes to giving your customers the best live chat experience, ClickDesk comes to mind. The live chat software has a very engaging platform with a Keystroke preview. This means you or your support agent can see what the customer is typing and have enough time to think of a response.

That’s not all, as ClickDesk interactive chat platform also has voice and video chat features. Aside from chatting, customers can decide to voice call or schedule a video call. This greatly boosts confidence and increases sales conversion.

The language barrier is also broken with the on-chat translation feature that supports over 90 languages. Besides, there is mobile app support too. That is, ClickDesk allows you to reply to messages from your phone or tablet even while on the go.

Another advantage of using this live chat software is the chat analytics it provides. You will be able to see how many chats were missed, initiated, offline, or proactive. This is useful for building agent performance.

Moreover, the chat panel is modern and allows one-click integration with plug-ins and apps like WordPress, Joomla, Shopify and plug-ins. However, the paid plan also comes with already integrated solutions designed for optimal customer experience.

Benefits

• Live Typing: allows you to see what customers are typing while they are at it
• Voice & Video Chat Options: build more trust through face to face conversation
• Real-Time Chat Analytics: helps to know how the team is doing and recognize areas that actively need improvement.
• Third-Party Integrations: To give the best user experience, ClickDesk offers built-in integrated services.

Pricing

Aside from the FREE plan with a few limited features, one can also pay for higher plans. The paid plans start from $14.99/month and offer 15% and 33% off for a year and 2-year payment plans.

21. Zoho Desk

Best Live Chat Software with a Powerful AI-Assistant Interface

As a leading live chat software provider with one of the best inventory management software, ZohoDesk is a must-have for growing businesses.

Setting up the live chat software takes just a few minutes, and it can be integrated with other top software. There is also the option of setting up custom functions for addressing unique needs different from the ones taken care of by integrations.

In addition, this live chat software boasts of round-the-clock customer service support using its powerful AI interface. Zoho AI assistant, Zia, can engage customers via call or chat using information already stored in the knowledge base. Zia also uses different tags on separating positive and negative resolutions.

The multichannel platform is distinct and allows you to manage all your tickets and requests efficiently in one place. You can also set up a DIY environment for customers that might want to get answers themselves. ZohoDesk supports community forums, self-service help centers with a repository knowledge base.

Other notable features include automated systems for repetitive activities and real-time analytics, reports and dashboard.

Benefits

• AI-Powered Assistant: eases you the stress of providing a 24 hours daily service. It also helps you watch over real-time analytics and points out issues.
• MultiChannel Platform: ZohoDesk helps you gather all the necessary information and activities in one place.
• Integration Support Services: using the ZohoDesk Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), you can quickly integrate essential services. You will also be able to customize your portal and website as required.

Pricing

Kickstart your ZohoDesk experience by trying out any of their plans for FREE. When the free trial expires, you will have to pay to continue using the services. However, annual payments come with added discounts.

22. Chatra

Best Live Chat Software with a very interactive Chat Interface

The goal of Chatra is to help you satisfy your website visitors and convert them to paying customers. You can customize landing page greetings or personalize messages to visitors who appear to be stuck on complicated pages/forms.

From the very interactive chat platform, you and your support agents can see every online visitor and chat them up manually. This creates the notion that they are noticed and important to your business.

In the absence of online support agents, you can use the chatbot to keep conversations going. The bot replies by sending a couple of options as answers to each customer question.

Chatra can also send missed messages and chat transcripts to your email if you’re away from the office. There is also a web and mobile platform that helps you stay connected wherever you go.

Benefits

• Optimized Chat Interface: you have the option of using saved replies to respond faster to messages. You can also see what the customers are typing before they hit the send button.
• Flexible Web & Mobile Support: allows you to reply to messages across different platforms even while away from the office
• Automated Chatbots: collects customer’s information and handles less important chats.

Pricing

The pricing plan offers a forever FREE bundle for just one agent. However, you can decide to go for the paid plan that starts at $19 per agent per month. Paying for a year comes with a discount while you also have a 10 days trial regardless of the bundle you pick.

23. UserLike

Best Live Chat Software with WhatsApp API Business Support

Top of the features that will impress you here is the WhatsApp API business chat support. It makes customers feel special via the personal interaction it provides. Also, the end-to-end encryption policy of WhatsApp is beneficial here as your messages are more secured.

In addition, there is AI-powered chatbot support that helps your support agents handle repetitive tasks. It also assists with collecting visitors details so that you just have to go straight to the chat and save useful time.

You can also integrate with top business tools such as Zendesk, HubSpot and WordPress to get the most out of the live chat software.

Benefits

• Chatbot Support: provide 24/7 customer support and manage customers’ information.
• Third-Party Integrations: get the most out of the live chat software by merging features with that of other top software as well.
• WhatsApp Support: helps you to deliver personalized support and sales services to potential customers.

Pricing

While the plans are mainly for paid users, there is a free plan that allows a maximum of one user seat. The paid plans starting at €90 per month comes with a 14 day trial before switching to free, except deposit is made.

What is Live Chat Software?

Now that we have been able to identify the best live chat software that you can choose from, there is also the need for a better understanding of what is live chat software.

We’ll start by saying live chat software is simply a real-time messaging tool for your website.

However, is that all live chat software is about?

Absolutely not!

As a customer support tool, the live chat software is more than just being a messaging app.

The truth is that buying from an online store differs from walking into an actual physical one. Everyone needs that assurance that they will be getting a quality product as value for their money.

So, the general conception is that “if they can answer my questions and clear my doubts, then I can trust them.” That’s the basis of the live chat idea. The goal is to get a tool that allows you to bridge the business to the customer gap.

Another angle to view this is to imagine walking into a new boutique for the first time. Now, you’re looking for the women’s shoe section, but you’re having issues locating it quickly. You do not see it until a salesperson walks over to you and helps you out. Feels good, right?

Now, that salesperson is what we call the Live Chat Software!

Getting one for your business site offers you a lot more than texting. Instead of just a software, you will actually be getting a platform – an interactive one.

By platform, I mean an engaging environment where you get the opportunity to introduce your business to on-site visitors professionally.

Also, an engaging environment relates to a personalized one-on-one chat with your web visitors. The visitors ask their questions, and you provide answers and guide them towards making the best purchasing decision.

A live chat platform also offers automated support that gathers visitors’ information, offers help support at cart checkouts, evaluates employees’ performances, and helps to achieve a 24/7 accessible customer support service.

Therefore, live chat software is an instant messaging and customer support tool that helps to communicate with customers in real-time and manage information about customers to create a more personalized relationship and improve customer satisfaction.

It’s all about building relationships and trust, and this is what live chat software does.

Benefits of Using Live Chat Software

If you’ve been following through, you will probably agree that the live chat software comes with several benefits. Although, you might not still be convinced as to how the use of one can significantly affect your business or enterprise.

It’s even possible that your company already has working phone support, email services, social media pages, and other communication means.

However, phone and email support options or any other means of reaching out to customers can sometimes be costly and slow.

That’s where the live chat software edges out. It provides you the opportunity to give instant responses to customer requests.

As a result, the live chat is regarded as the leading contact method for online support. We have a higher number (46%) of customers who prefer live chat as compared to lower values of 29% and 16% for email and social media respectively.

Part of the reason for this is that aside from quick responses, live chats also offer additional benefits like increased customer satisfaction and higher sales.

In this section we will be looking at the other benefits that the live chat software provides.

1. 24/7 Customer Support Service

Providing help support that is always accessible is key to customer satisfaction. Nobody wants to have to wait for several minutes to obtain a reply.

Also, hiring chat agents to cover all the hours in the day can be very expensive.

These days, support agents now operate during the business hours while the chatbot covers up for time offline.

Using Artificial Intelligence support, your live chat software uses stored information in the knowledge base library or help center to provide the necessary support.

In some cases, it even helps in scheduling meetings and collecting customer information via pre-chat forms.

2. Customer Satisfaction

Based on recent studies, the use of live chat provided the highest level of customer satisfaction (73%) when compared to that of phone (44%) and email (61%) options. One of the factors behind this was fast customer support responses.

Asides from this, another benefit of most live chat software is that they provide customer activity data. You’ll be allowed to see what pages customers recently visited. This gives your support agents an idea of what the customer is after.

Some live chat providers even allow you to see what the customer is typing before hitting the send button. So, you have sufficient time to think of the best answer to help out.

Overall, the live chat software provides leverage of necessary information to predict the customer's intention and specific needs.

3. Higher Leads Conversion

Not every visitor that checks out your site will eventually pay for a product or service. Often, many of these visitors are just checking out your store while they are yet to decide on what they want.

Having someone to guide them through would be the aim. But then, this is an online store with ONLY online agents available.

Hence, your support agents are expected to use the live chat software to put the visitors through your products and services. It has been noticed that 82% of customers that talk to a support agent are more likely to place an order.

4. Reduced Support Costs

The truth is that more traditional means of customer support like phone calls and email can be very expensive.

From the cost per hour to toll charges, the average cost of communication per customer is not very price friendly.

Besides, it reduces efficiency and leads to long queues. Hence, there is much pressure on the support agents in charge.

So, using a live chat software is way cheaper and allows the leisure of responding to multiple customers at once.

5. All-in-One Messaging Platform

Managing several messages, marketing emails, and requests from multiple channels can be very overwhelming.

That is why most live chat software these days offer what is called an omnichannel platform. The all-in-one chat platform enables you to view and reply to messages across the different platforms from one place.

Some of the software also allows you to reply to up to five customers at once. Besides, there is an embedded internal help desk in many of these software that offers you answers to customers' frequently asked questions.

As a result, productivity is increased, and useful time is utilized.

6. Competitive Advantage due to Deep Customer Insights

According to recent research, 1 out of every 5 (21%) live chats are ignored and left unanswered by companies.

This can be very frustrating, especially for customers. No customer likes to send the same message request to the same company, only to be ignored.

The significance of this is that, by providing a fast and interactive live chat support interface, there is a chance to overtake some competition.

What’s more interesting is that there is the potential to have more companies using the live chat feature in the nearest future.

So, opting for one now will be an excellent decision for now and the future.

7. Remove Language Barriers

The availability of a language translator in your preferred live chat is worth watching out for. It expands your customer base and allows you to chat with more customers all over the world.

All you need to do is click the customer’s message and it will be translated. Simple as that!

How Do You Use Live Chat Software for Better Customer Interactions?

Creating better customer interaction time starts with trying to make the customer happy. It also involves establishing a professional relationship with the customers and making them feel important and heard.

This is what the use of live chat promises. However, a poor live chat customer help and support might be better off than not even having one at all.

In this section, we will be discussing how you can use live chat software to create a wonderful experience for your customers.

1. Remember to Introduce Yourself

Every live chat is an avenue for the customer to familiarize themselves more with your organization. So, as much as possible, try to make potential customers feel comfortable. One of the ways to do it is by giving a brief and welcoming introduction.

For instance, you can start with a “Hi Alexa, thanks for reaching out to us. I’m George; how may I help you today?”

In that illustration, you have been able to achieve the following:

• Alexa: By mentioning the visitors’ name, you’re making the chat more personalized, which is good.
• Thanks: with this, the customers feel appreciated, and you make her know that she is not going to be bothering you by making her requests. It also eases the visitor’s nerves in case she was planning on making a complaint.
• George: you give the impression that you’re a real person and so the customer should be free.
• Question Mark: by ending with a question mark, the path is set for the customer to freely make her request/complaint.

2. It’s a Chat: Keep it Natural

One helpful mindset here is to approach the live chat as though you’re having a conversation with your friend. Make it natural as you would in an actual face to face conversation.

You do not have to be too formal. Being formal doesn’t put the customer at ease, and it also creates an impression that you might be a chat robot.

So, instead of saying, “Kindly send a proper screenshot of the proof of payment or receipt you obtained to allow us to verify the purchase details from your end.”

Consider something simpler like “Kindly send a screenshot of your receipt”.

It sounds better. It makes the customer comfortable and gives the notion that they are understood.

3. Be Human: Show Real Emotions

When a live chat complaint is made, the success of resolving the issue lies in how well you’re able to see from the customer’s angle.

Even when the customer appears to be wrong and doesn’t know it, you do not prove anything.

Instead, it’s best to understand them and apologize for the inconveniences they have gone through. Show that you care. Then, make attempts to resolve the issue while giving them hints on how to avoid a recurrence.

That way, you’ve corrected them without saying they are wrong.

4. Quick Response Time

If there’s anything you have to avoid, leaving customers hanging while waiting for a reply is the situation.

Nobody wants to resend the same request over and over again. It creates a wrong impression, which is bad for business.

When answered faster, customers feel appreciated and keep coming back.

Also, while having a 24/7 help and support option is the norm, not having one should be clearly communicated. As shown below, always tell your customers when you’re online or not.

Let them know if they can expect an immediate response. Being transparent with availability times is a big step towards better customer interaction.

You can also employ the use of chatbots to cover up for offline moments of agents. You will be using pre-written replies to commonly asked questions to offer a response.

5. Avoid the Use of Negative Languages

How you present an idea or information largely affects what the response will be.

While you might mean the same thing, using a positive tone to explain yourself often results in a better response than a negative tone.

Instances of the use of both positive languages and negative ones will be:

Negative Language: “We do not have any more Adidas sneakers, and we won’t be getting new supplies till next month. Why don’t you go for a Nike brand instead?”

Positive Language: “Oops, sorry. There are no Adidas sneakers now. Do you mind if I help you place an order so that you get it immediately it's available next month?”

Now, the two responses have the same goal; to make the customer buy. However, the first one sounds less convincing. The customer might feel you have the sneakers, but you’re only trying to persuade him to get the Nike one instead.

For the other response, you will sound more convincing and honest to the buyer. You’re also stylishly persuading him to still make the order without being considered manipulative.

6. Provide DIY or Self-Help Methods

Not every potential visitor on your site will hit the live chat option immediately if they are stuck.

Some people are so self-dependent that they will instead search for another site.

Hence, it is recommended to integrate a help desk or knowledge base support in your live chat software.

So, when next visitors search for help, they can always get links to help articles that they will find useful.

7. Do Customer Surveys and Request Feedbacks

Requesting feedback from customers, especially immediately after a chat, is a Win-Win situation for everyone.

The customers feel important as their opinions are being needed. Also, it is an opportunity to know how well you are faring against customers. You identify areas that need improvement and how to move forward.

Another advantage is that most intending customers often consider other customers' feedback before paying for services or products. The absence of feedback can be a significant discouragement to such. Some do not like to be the first to try things out.

What Features Should You Look for in Live Chat Software?

Picking a live chat software provider to use for your organization can be very challenging. The issue is not that there is no existing software. There are just several options that are hard to pick from.

Each of the live chat options has similar but different features as well. Software A can do some things that software B cannot do. At the same time, software C has all of B’s features but lacks some of the features in A.

Sounds confusing?

Yeah, comparison of features can be like that.

Instead, we will say it’s better to highlight the important features that are worth considering.

Here they are! Read on for the features that you should look for in a live chat software.

1. Proactive Live Chat Service

With increasing competitions, there is often the worry that visitors might leave your products page for that of a close competitor.

This brings about the idea of having a small pop up window for live chat that is usually at the right bottom corner.

Customers look there as a mere instinct, and if you’re lucky, they can click on it for a chat.

2. Profile Leads using Pre-Chat Forms

A good live chat software should be one that has supporting features to handle customer details.

The features often come as a pre-chat form requesting customer details like name, email address, etc. The form is to be filled by the customer before initiating the chat.

One advantage of this is that the support agent can easily use the available info to start a personalized chat. Besides, it helps to screen out those customers that are not interested in the chat.

3. Canned Responses

Although customers don’t have the exact requests or complaints, some of these requests are still similar. Hence, you can sometimes find yourself giving the same set of answers to different site visitors.

A good option will be to save these common responses for later use. They then automatically pop up when you’re about to reply to a visitor. So, rather than typing the same thing again, it’s now available for clicks.

This saved text or responses is known as canned responses. Welcome greetings can be canned as well.

4. Chat Routing / Chat Transfer

This is for team members, and the idea behind it is getting the best person to reply to a customer’s chat.

The chat routing feature allows a support agent to transfer the live chat to another agent if he’s very busy, or thinks that another agent is more knowledgeable about what is required.

5. Mobile Optimization

The importance of mobile optimization cannot be underestimated. In fact, 81% of people now open their emails from their mobile phone. This suggests that any platform designed to reach out to people should be mobile optimized.

In addition, your live chat software should also provide the necessary support to run on the mobile version of your webpage.

That being said, the live chat feature should also have a mobile dashboard/app that allows your support agents to reply to customers even when they’re away from the office.

6. File Transfer

Not too many live chat software provides this feature. Nevertheless, it’s important and allows you to share files, videos and images with the customer.

For instance, imagine you’re having an issue that is difficult for the customer to explain, you can ask for a screenshot of what it might be.

This makes things easier. It increases customer satisfaction too.

7. Third-Party Integration Support

Getting the best out of a live chat service involves integrating its features with that of third-party software.

An example of third-party integration is connecting your live chat software with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. Doing so will help you store necessary customer information and interactions, including their chat history with your organization.

You can also integrate your live chat with some of the best e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Woo-Commerce and so on. With these integrations, online selling becomes easier.

Other options include integration with CRM and top analytics tools. Such will help you monitor the performance of your agents as they relate with the customers.

Monitored data includes average chat time per customer, lead conversion rates, and feedback obtained from customers.

8. Chat Transcripts

Chat transcripts relate to the record of a chat you had with a customer. Generating one is essential and is a tool that a good live chat software should have.

You can decide to forward the chat transcript to your customer as well as keeping a copy too.

The live transcript or history of chat conversation is essential and serves as a reference tool if you are to have a chat with the same customer again.

By paying attention to the previous history, you have an idea of their personality, giving you leverage to provide better customer service.

Chat transcripts can also be vital when it comes to creating FAQ responses. You can use the old chats from your database to determine what questions are commonly repeated by customers.

9. Customizable Platform

Any live chat software you will be using must blend perfectly with your website, including the design as well. The live chat interface should not stand distinct as though it's from a different service provider.

You must be able to change basic properties such as the colour of chat interface, font colours and styles. You should also be able to add the identity of your organization, such as your logo. In addition, support agents should also be able to use their pictures as their avatar.

The main thing here is to have a fully customizable platform.

10. Chat Rating in Form of Customer Feedbacks

Your choice of live chat software should be one that has necessary features to request for feedback. This can be in the form of a quick chat survey form accessing the support agent’s performance.

The information obtained from such is important in determining how your agents are performing. It also helps you to decide the kind of training to give them for improved customer service.

Live Chat Software: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Quick Live Chat Software Comparison and Our #1 Pick

Like we discussed under the features to look out for in a live chat software, your choice of live chat software will depend on your preferred features.

The LiveChat software is our #1 pick. With a good ticketing system and powerful sales features, it’s an all-rounder. Moreover, it has all the features you need to offer a great customer experience.

However, the fact remains that each live chat software has what it provides. Each is unique in its way.

So, while you might still be thinking which one is best, you can try their free trial. Most of the live chat software providers have a free version you can use.

When you’re done deciding, do not forget to get back to us and let us know what you feel. We will be expecting your picks in the comment section.

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