To deliver instant replies and smooth experiences, businesses need to harness technology that facilitates real-time engagement and communication. Live chat software is the key to achieving this.
It has become a vital tool for businesses that creates direct access between the consumer and customer service for prompt resolution of issues and answers to questions.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the essentials of live chat software and its functionality and introduce you to some of the top live chat solutions available today.
What is live chat software?
Live chat software is a tool that enables customers to have real-time, back-and-forth conversations with support agents for immediate assistance.
It usually appears as a chat widget or pop-up on the bottom-right corner of a website, allowing users to initiate conversations with customer support and seek immediate assistance while browsing.
Live chat software is commonly used for customer support, sales, or general communication on websites or within applications.
How does live chat work?
Live chat facilitates instant support directly from a website or application. Live chat support appears as a small chat box or button, often labeled Chat Now or Help.
By clicking on this chat widget, a customer opens a chat window, types their message, and sends it.
This message is then relayed to the customer support team as a notification of the incoming chat and an agent can respond to the customer in the same chat window.
This allows for a real-time, two-way conversation between the customer and the agent.
Good live chat software may offer additional features, such as:
- Pre-chat forms: Forms collect customer information, like name and email, before the chat begins to contextualize the conversation and assist the agent in providing better support.
- Automated messages: An initial message informs customers of working hours or offers to take a message.
- Offline support: Allows customers to leave a message through the chat window in cases where live support isn’t available, so an agent can respond later via email.
List of best live chat software and apps
Selecting the best live chat software for your business can be challenging. We are providing an introduction to the best live chats for customer service to enable you to choose the one that best aligns with your specific business requirements.
1. Olark
Olark provides tools for real-time communication that make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to connect with their customers.
Olark is an easy-to-use platform for engaging with website visitors.
Features
- User-friendly interface
- Integrations
- Automated chat routing and distribution
- Team performance monitoring
- Automated translation
- Real-time tracking
Pricing
Starts at $29/user/month
Free trial: 14 days
2. Tidio
Tidio is a live chat app that allows e-commerce platforms and small businesses to talk to customers in real-time.
It aims to provide businesses with tools for engaging customers and centrally managing messages across different channels.
Features
- Customization options
- AI assist features
- Integration with popular platforms
- Automated responses
Pricing
Free plan available for 50 conversations/month
Paid plans start at $29/100 conversations/month
Free trial: 7 days
3. Chatra
Chatra is live chat software for websites. It monitors visitors in real time and facilitates group chat even when you are offline.
It enables businesses to answer customers’ questions, solve problems, and assist customers in making purchases.
Features
- Offline messaging
- Customization options
- Integrations
- Chat history
- Automation capabilities
- Analytics and reporting
Pricing
Free plan available for one agent.
Paid plans start at $17/user/month.
Free trial: 10 days
4. Userlike
Userlike is live chat software with customizable chat widgets and smooth integrations. Businesses can interact with visitors on their websites in real time, providing immediate communication.
Userlike lets companies adapt chat features according to their unique requirements and workflows.
Features
- Customizable branding
- Integration options
- Automated chat routing
- Auto translation
- Customer feedback
Pricing
Free plan available for one agent.
Paid plans start at $90/month/4 agents.
Free trial: 14 days
5. Chaport
Chaport is a live chat tool designed to be simple. It includes features like chat routing and proactive messaging to enable businesses to communicate with their website visitors in real time.
This solution is suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises who are looking for an easy-to-implement live chat system.
Features
- User-friendly interface
- Automation capabilities
- Integrations
- Reporting
- Multilingual support
- Customization options
Pricing
Free plan available for two operators.
Paid plans start at $29/4 operators/month
Free trial: 14 days
6. LiveChat
LiveChat provides a customer service platform that enables immediate connection with clients to resolve their inquiries.
It allows for instant communication between businesses and customers, thereby enhancing customer support and interaction on websites.
Features
- Customization
- Automated chat routing
- Advanced reporting
- Integration
Pricing
Starts at $20/1 user/month
Free trial: 14 days
7. Acquire
Acquire is a customer communication platform that allows businesses to interact with their audience through various channels for customer support.
It includes live chat, video calls, and co-browsing features. Its goal is to enhance customer engagement by providing a comprehensive suite of tools for real-time interactions.
Features
- Co-browsing and screen sharing
- Automated canned responses
- AI assist features
- Private chat notes
- Multilingual capabilities
- Reporting
Pricing
Starts at $500/month plus $25/user/month
Free trial: Contact sales
8. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk, which is part of the Zoho suite, has a live chat tool that aims to minimize wait times and facilitate real-time assistance.
The live chat tool comes with an AI-powered assistant that can answer basic questions using your knowledge base.
Features
- Customization options
- Automation
- Feedback forms
- Integration capabilities
- Chat routing
- Reporting
Pricing
Starts at $40/user/month
Free trial: 15 days
9. LiveAgent
LiveAgent is a multipurpose live chat software for communicating across various channels. It combines live chat, ticketing, and automation in a single platform for customer support and tracking of issues.
With its real-time chat function, businesses can chat live with customers on their websites.
Features
- Personalized chat invitation
- Visitor activity tracking
- Customization options
- Animated chat buttons
- Integrations with popular tools
- Automated chat distribution
Pricing
Starts at $9/user/month
Free trial: 14 days
10. HubSpot
HubSpot live chat is an integral part of its all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service platform.
The live chat tool facilitates communication by letting businesses interact with customers immediately.
Features
- Customization
- Chat history for easy record-keeping
- Integrations with Slack and HubSpot CRM
- Agent performance monitoring
Pricing
Free plan available.
Paid plan starts at $15/users/month
Free trial: 14 days
11. Zendesk
Zendesk‘s live chat software is an essential component of its customer service platform, allowing businesses to communicate with customers.
It can be integrated with other support tools and offers a user-friendly interface for engaging with website visitors in real time.
Features
- Integrations
- Customization options
- AI and intelligent responses
- Chat tags
- Reporting
Pricing
Starts at $55/user/month
Free trial: 30 days
Features of live chat tools
When choosing a live chat solution, businesses should consider the following key features.
Real-time messaging
This is the core feature of live chat tools. It allows for instant communication between customers and customer support representatives. Customers can send messages, ask questions, and receive responses immediately.
Real-time messaging tools include:
- Live typing
- Automatic responses
- Live translating
- Automated conversation solving
Collaboration tools
These are features within the live chat platform that allow internal communication among customer support or sales teams to work together.
They allow agents to discuss customer inquiries, share information, and collaborate on resolving issues when needed.
These tools include:
- Group chats
- Tags
- Private notes
- File sharing
- Private messaging
Chat widgets
Chat widgets are the interface for live chats that integrate into a company’s website or mobile app interface.
They serve as an immediate touchpoint for visitors to ask questions, seek support, or engage with the business without navigating away from the page they are on.
These widgets typically appear as a small icon or chat bubble in the corner of the screen, and when activated, expand into a chat interface where users can interact with a representative or an automated chatbot.
Reports and analytics
This feature provides businesses with valuable insight into their live chat performance. These tools generate data such as:
- Chat duration
- Response times
- Number of chats
- Customer satisfaction scores
- Chat-to-conversion rate
By evaluating these reports and analytics, businesses can assess and improve the effectiveness of their customer service, identify areas for improvement and make informed business decisions.
Chatbots
Chatbots are AI-driven programs that chat live online with a customer whenever support agents are away or occupied.
They simulate human conversations, independently handle repetitive and common inquiries and pass on more complicated requests to support agents. This helps businesses improve productivity and scale more efficiently.
Canned responses
These are prewritten messages that customer support agents use to respond quickly to common issues or frequently asked questions. Canned responses save time, ensure consistency and improve knowledge sharing for new support agents.
Teams can create a library of predefined messages.
Integration
Integration features in live chat tools allow seamless connectivity with other business software platforms and systems.
They ensure that data is synchronized across various platforms, providing a unified view of customer interaction and improving workflow efficiency and productivity.
Live chats are commonly integrated with the following:
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Help desk solutions
- Social media platforms
- E-commerce platforms
Queue management
This feature operates as a virtual waiting list that organizes chat requests based on predefined rules, such as first-come, first-served or priority levels, allowing customer service representatives to address issues in an orderly manner.
Effective queue management provides customers with estimated wait times and the option to schedule a chat session if immediate support isn’t available.
Chat transcripts
Chat transcripts enable seamless tracking of customer interactions, ensuring continuity in service and personalized support.
This archival tool enhances agent performance by providing immediate access to past conversations, facilitating informed responses and efficient resolution.
It also serves as a valuable reference point for quality assurance and ongoing relationship management with clients.
Advantages of integrating a live chat application
Modern consumers tend to have a low tolerance for delays and may abandon a transaction when an issue arises and support is not readily available.
Integrating a live chat button within your website offers a convenient way for customers to seek help without having to switch apps.
Following are some other benefits of integrating live chat applications.
Increases efficiency
The use of a live chat app allows customer service representatives to engage in several chat conversations at once, which is not possible with traditional communication like phone calls.
As a result, more customer queries can be addressed in less time, improving the overall efficiency of the customer service process.
Improves profits
A live chat lets you keep your customer service team smaller for longer, as one representative can handle multiple chats simultaneously. Offering online assistance lowers the rate of cart abandonment.
Younger customers are increasingly more comfortable with online means of communication and expect quick answers. Live chat gives them that. This increases sales and revenue for a company.
Builds long-term relationships
By providing prompt assistance, live chat can help establish lasting connections with customers. When customers know they can get efficient help instantly, they will want to come back.
This can lead to repeat business and increased customer lifetime value. Moreover, the knowledge gained from chat records can be utilized to customize future interactions, thereby reinforcing these relationships even more.
Helps improve customer service
Live chat can provide in-depth reports on the types of customer support requests received, agent performance, and customer feedback, which can be useful in improving service quality and efficiency.
Offers multichannel support
The inclusion of live chat provides customers with an additional communication channel. It can be embedded within websites and other existing channels like social media and apps to allow customers to choose their preferred method of communication.
Integrate live chat software today for instant customer communication!
Successful businesses understand that immediate, smooth communication could be the factor that sets them apart from their rivals.
Through enhancing engagement, satisfaction, and productivity, live chat has emerged as an indispensable element for enterprises.
Find the live chat tool that best aligns with your business needs and budget and watch your customer relationships flourish.
Our very own, BoldDesk live chat software, will be launched very soon. Stay tuned and be the first to utilize our amazing top-grade live chat tool, with the latest features in the market!
We hope that you found our blog post helpful. Please share your insights and experiences with different live chat tools in the comments section.
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