Best Live Chat Software

Are you looking for reliable live chat software for your business? Here is a list of the best live chat support software exclusively handpicked by GoodFirms after extensive research. Live chat apps listed here provide a unified platform for real-time chat, instant communication, robust customer support, call center management, chatbots, and customer intent analysis. Leverage this list of best live chat software, apply filters for the features, business size, pricing model, deployment type, and compare them too. Also, check the verified user reviews for the top live chat tools listed here.

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A Complete List of Live Chat Software with Reviews for 2024

  • LiveAgent

    Best Help Desk Software & Live Chat Software for Better Customer Service
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    LiveAgent is a fully-featured web-based live chat and helpdesk software. LiveAgent streamlines all of your customer interactions into an integrated, seamless hybrid ticketing system where everything is easily accessible and manageable. LiveAgent harnesses the power of a universal inbox, real-time live chat, built-in call center, and a robust customer service portal. Advanced automation features, r ... read more about LiveAgent

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software
  • UseResponse

    All-in-One Customer Support Software
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    UseResponse is a platform to help companies to better understand the needs of their customers. It integrates a feedback system, helpdesk, live chat and knowledgebase tools to make listening to the customer voice actionable, manageable and productive. Feature-rich Customer Support & Feedback Software including Multi-channel Ticketing, Live Chat With Messengers Aggregator, Chabot, Feedback Community ... read more about UseResponse

    Entry Level Price
    $1490 Per Year
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    25% in Live Chat Software
  • Freshdesk

    Affordable customer support software.
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    Freshdesk is focused on making sure it offers a broad set of features for every channel a customer service & customer support software team wants to engage with users in. Freshdesk comes with excellent customer services for traditional channels such as email and phone as well as modern channels like chat, forums and social media, with a ticketing helpdesk that is tightly integrated with all these ... read more about Freshdesk

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software
  • ActiveCampaign

    Keep track of leads in a CRM, not in your head.
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    ActiveCampaign CRM software is built considering every stage of the customer journey. The software provides a customized dashboard to fit any size B2B, B2C, and eCommerce businesses. This AI-integrated software offers end-to-end sales force automation, lead generation, marketing automation along with email marketing to enhance complete sales management. Besides these tools, ActiveCampaign CRM inc ... read more about ActiveCampaign

    Entry Level Price
    $9 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    13% in Live Chat Software
  • Bitrix24

    Your company. United. Free. Unlimited. Online.
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    Highly secure, turnkey intranet solution for small and medium-sized businesses designed for effective collaboration, communication, social networking, business process, and knowledge management. Allows better knowledge continuity by moving data from network silos and local drives to a well-protected centralized repository. Wikis, blogs, and forums ensure social-enabled knowledge bases for improved ... read more about Bitrix24

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    4% in Live Chat Software
  • Engati

    Automate, Engage & Retain more customers - Faster
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    The Engati chatbot and live chat platform is the winner of the 2021 CODiE Award. It empowers you to build intelligent bots in minutes without programming. Build once and publish across 15 channels - WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Kik, Telegram, Line, Viber, Skype, Slack, WeChat, Twitter, Skype for business, your website, and your mobile app. ... read more about Engati

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Zendesk Support

    Customer Service Software & Remote Support Software
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    Zendesk is a powerful and flexible customer service software and engagement platform that scale to meet the needs of any business, from startups and small businesses to growth companies and enterprises. Zendesk offers a fully integrated call center built right into its support platform. Agents can handle calls in the same workspace as all other channels. This cloud-based support platform gives the ... read more about Zendesk Support

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    10% in Live Chat Software
  • EngageBay

    Market better. Sell faster.
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    EngageBay is a simple, affordable, all-in-one marketing automation software built for small businesses and startups to acquire, engage, nurture web visitors and convert them to happy customers. Acquire leads through lead generation forms and popups, engage web visitors through beautiful landing pages, nurture them through engaging emails and automate your marketing funnel through marketing automat ... read more about EngageBay

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    10% in Live Chat Software
  • Intercom

    Build customers for life, with the Engagement OS
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    Intercom is a modern customer communications platform that unifies every aspect of the customer journey, from conversion to engagement to support. Intercom builds a suite of messaging-first products that all modern internet businesses can use across the customer life cycle, from acquisition to engagement, and support. It's a modern product for sales, marketing, and support to connect with customer ... read more about Intercom

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software
  • Genesys

    Simplify your customer support and help desk
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    Every year, Genesys® delivers more than 70 billion remarkable customer experiences for organisations in over 100 countries. Through the power of the cloud and AI, our technology connects every customer moment across marketing, sales and service on any channel, while also improving employee experiences. Genesys pioneered Experience as a Service℠ so organisations of any size can provide true pers ... read more about Genesys

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software
  • Make it easier for agents to track customer conversations across channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple Business Chat in one workspace. Built-in Ai also empowers your digital agents to solve requests faster by automating workflows and surfacing relevant suggestions. ... read more about Dialpad Talk

    Entry Level Price
    $15 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software
  • Smith.ai Live Chat

    Skilled live agents & AI technology capture website leads with exceptional care & efficiency.
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    Smith.ai Live Website Chat is the fastest & friendliest way to capture, screen & convert website leads 24/7. Our Live Chat agents answer questions, screen leads & schedule appointments. Pay for relevant chats only, never spam or sales chats. Easy setup on all website platforms. Instant chat transcripts sent via email & CRM. Smith.ai Live Chat is the most effective & affordable way to capture leads ... read more about Smith.ai Live Chat

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • LiveChat

    The fastest way to help your customers
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    LiveChat is a real-time, live chat software tool for ecommerce sales and support that is helping ecommerce companies create a new sales channel. We serve over 25,000 businesses in over 150 countries, including large brands like Adobe, Asus, LG, Acer, Better Business Bureau Ai,r Asia, and startups like SproutSocial, Animoto, or HasOffers. ... read more about LiveChat

    Entry Level Price
    $16.00 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Live Chat Software
  • Front

    One place to take care of all your customers
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    Front is your hub for all things customer communication. We combine the simplicity of email with the intelligence of a CRM, so you can provide tailor-made service at scale. Collaborate easily, eliminate busywork, and make every customer feel like a VIP. That’s the magic of Front. ... read more about Front

    Entry Level Price
    $9.00 Per Month
    Free Trial
    7 Days
    Category Focus
    17% in Live Chat Software
  • BotStar

    Engage Customers Online with Live Chat & Chatbots
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    We are a leading company in this industry - BotStar. Our main products are Chatbot and Live Chat, which are online chatbot platforms that let businesses design, develop and train chatbots visually for Messenger and Websites. BotStar is a no-code chatbot builder that helps businesses create and deploy chatbots quickly and easily. ... read more about BotStar

    Entry Level Price
    $15 Per Month
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    50% in Live Chat Software
  • Velaro

    Make Every Chat Better Than the Last
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    Velaro is the leading provider of live chat software built to support the unique needs of enterprise customers. Only Velaro offers Live Chat Performance Management – a suite of actionable analytics and reporting tools designed to drive agent excellence and customer satisfaction. Get real-time feedback, find coachable moments – and improve constantly. ... read more about Velaro

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    25% in Live Chat Software
  • Proprofs Chat

    Live Chat Software for Your Website
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    ProProfs Chat is the easiest and fastest way to engage and convert website visitors to customers. Resolve customer issues faster by seeing what customers type (even before they send it) or what they are viewing on your website. Add ProProfs live chat software to your website to offer quality responses using ready-made templates & greetings, as effective customer service is an integral part of busi ... read more about Proprofs Chat

    Entry Level Price
    $10 Per Month
    Free Trial
    15 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Vision Helpdesk

    Help Desk, Satellite Help Desk, ITSM Service Desk & Live Chat Software
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    A robust all-in-one multi-channel ticket management software that allows users to centralize all their customer conversations via phone, chat, email, web portal, Facebook, and Twitter. Convert your business email, phone, chat social media, and web requests into tickets and manage them at one place at central help desk. A Customer Service Software is a centralized software that collects all custome ... read more about Vision Helpdesk

    Entry Level Price
    $12.00 Per Month
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    25% in Live Chat Software
  • Tidio

    "Never leave your customer without an answer"
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    Tidio's primary focus has been the creation and development of SaaS (Software as a Service). Our hard work over the years has culminated in Tidio, one of the top live chat applications in the world today. With more than 160,000 clients around the globe, Tidio enhances the day-to-day customer experiences of small businesses and micro-enterprises. The app merges live chat and chatbots in one tool to ... read more about Tidio

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Olark

    Live Chat Software for Sales and Customer Support
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    Olark can help you track leads, drive sales, increase conversions, and provide great customer service. Real-time visitor information like login name, geographic location, purchase history and cart contents help you personalize every interaction and strengthen customer relationships.  ... read more about Olark

    Entry Level Price
    $29 Per Month
    Free Trial
    14 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Freshchat

    Trade your Live Chat software for modern messaging
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    Freshchat is a modern messaging software built for teams who want to ace customer conversations — marketing, sales, or support.Engage proactively with visitors who are dropping off or are closer to making a purchase. Allow the bot to then kick in, qualify leads, and auto-upload them into your CRM. ... read more about Freshchat

    Entry Level Price
    $999.00 Per Year
    Free Trial
    30 Days
    Category Focus
    33% in Live Chat Software
  • Giosg

    The only live chat with AI-powered targeting
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    giosg combines data and artificial intelligence (AI) with feature-rich technology to provide intuitive solutions that deliver the right online trigger, to the right person at the right time - allowing your organisation to operate smarter.    ... read more about Giosg

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    50% in Live Chat Software
  • Chatra

    Live chat & offline messaging for businesses
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    Chatra is a live chat messenger app for your website. It is made to increase online sales but in a friendly, helpful way. Just because software is designed for business doesn’t mean it has to be clunky and corporate. ... read more about Chatra

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Tawk.to

    "Get closer to your customers with messaging"
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    We' re changing the way businesses communicate with customers, making real time a real thing.tawk.to is a free messaging app to monitor and chat with the visitors on your website, mobile app or from a free customizable page.   ... read more about Tawk.to

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • Snapengage

    Live chat that gets proven results.
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    SnapEngage offers enterprise chat software for sales and support teams. With over 21K users in 87 countries, our clients consistently capture more leads, increase CSAT/NPS and lower cost per interaction after implementing SnapEngage. ... read more about Snapengage

    Entry Level Price
    $16 Per Month
    Free Trial
    7 Days
    Category Focus
    100% in Live Chat Software
  • LiveZilla

    Turn website Visitors into Customers.
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    We want to help you to get your Customer Support onto the next level. Our software is focused on keeping sensitive data under your own control since data privacy is one of our main goals. LiveZilla includes a live chat software with multi-website support, visitor monitoring and a help desk system that allows you to not only integrate emails that you receive from customers but also messages from T ... read more about LiveZilla

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    50% in Live Chat Software
  • HubSpot Service Hub

    Turns Customers Into Promoters and Service Into Growth.
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    Customer service software that makes it easy to manage and connect with customers, and truly help them succeed. You’ll make customers happier, keep them longer, and grow your business faster. ... read more about HubSpot Service Hub

    Entry Level Price
    Free version
    Free Trial
    Available
    Category Focus
    33% in Live Chat Software
  • Zoho SalesIQ

    One-stop live chat and analytics solution
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    SalesIQ is a comprehensive customer engagement tool that provides businesses with an easy-to-use live chat solution, chatbots, website visitor tracking, lead generation, and visitor analytics. These features are all integrated into a single platform, making it a one-stop-shop for businesses looking to improve their customer engagement and overall customer experience. It comes equipped with buil ... read more about Zoho SalesIQ

    Entry Level Price
    $0 Per User
    Free Trial
    15 Days
    Category Focus
    50% in Live Chat Software
  • OXON

    Single Platform to Communicate and Track Customers Throughout their Lifecycle.
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    To make a sale in a physical store, a salesperson uses all available tools, including information about the customer, his/her past experiences, the types of products they are looking for and so on. Live chat lets a salesperson perform the same functions online Do you want to manage your webchat instantly and 24/7? Want to give an immediate answer to your customers’ simple questions? Stop load ... read more about OXON

    Entry Level Price
    Contact vendor
    Free Trial
    N/A
    Category Focus
    20% in Live Chat Software

Buyer’s Guide

Live chat software buyer’s guide

Online businesses demand access to more support and sales channels. Current generation technologies provide ample ways to communicate with users or customers. Nowadays, the channel which is gaining popularity is live chat

With live chat technique, the customers can have an immediate response to their queries on a website. The ecommerce businesses can capture leads, reduce bounce rate, and bring down the number of shopping cart abandonment by employing live chat software. 

B2B businesses can launch campaigns based on user behavior and can offer proactive support with the help of live chat solutions. Investing in live chat software will enable the smooth running of online business. This buyer’s guide is aimed at assisting the readers to know all about the live chat software along with the factors that need to be considered before picking the best live chat software for their business operations. 

What is live chat?

Live chat serves as a medium that enables businesses to engage with website visitors. Customers can communicate with customer service representatives in real-time. On a website, the visitors can have a live interaction with agents in a chat box within a browser.

Is Live Chat the best method of conversational commerce?

Live chat is a more personal and engaging method of communication. It is faster, and customers feel satisfied with this live chat channel. The point that defines live chat as one of the best ways of conversational commerce are as follows:

  • Live chat helps in meeting customer expectations. The customers demand live chat to experience online shopping. The live chat has become the baseline requirement for everyone in the eCommerce game. All queries are answered by the live person during online purchasing, even if they are shopping with small retailers.
  • A live chat system helps in building trust with visitors. The majority of consumers are likely to come back to a website that offers live chat options. The live chat option gives confidence to the consumers and assures instant support from the company.
  • Live chat helps in increasing sales and conversions. The sellers prefer to have a friendly, interactive, and personal exchange with their clients and customers. The idea of building a connection with another human is the strength of conversational commerce. If the customers’ questions are not appropriately answered, then they abandon their purchase, so it becomes clear that live chat plays a crucial role in sales and conversion. 
  • Commerce from a conversational standpoint provides lots of benefits to the sellers. The live chat option can reduce abandoned carts, boost the likelihood of visitors making a purchase, amplify average order value, and can reduce returns.
  • Live chat can increase ROI on paid ad campaigns. The live chat option on the website can convert more visitors to buyers. It can make the ads more compelling. The live chat option on the website becomes essential when the seller is running the paid ad campaigns on Google or Facebook.
  • Live chat helps in understanding the customers and enables them to get direct product feedback. The conversation with site visitors helps in making the right choice of the product or service. The conversations with site visitors help in learning more about their requirements. Even the customers and clients prefer to seek authentic interaction where they can be adequately listened to and can share knowledge along with recommendations. 

How to implement live chat into your business?

The customers' focus has shifted from the traditional modes of communication (like calls, letters, and email) to instant messaging. Nowadays, customers look for quick responses that can save their time.

An efficient way to connect and communicate with customers is through the implementation of live chat software. The steps involved to implement live chat software into your business are as follows:

  • Know goals for live chat

First of all, identify the objectives for which live chat software is to be implemented. If you want to use live chat software for support, then your goal is to increase customer satisfaction. Make use of the ticketing system (helps in handling complex cases that can be resolved during a chat) so that you don’t leave support cases unresolved. You can use the satisfaction and average response time reports to keep track of the most critical metrics. 

If you prefer to use live chat for sales, then your primary target is to increase conversion and reduce cart abandonment rates. You can tag each conversation to go after trends and make use of greetings to target customers who are stalling on product and cart pages. See how much money live chat is bringing to the business by viewing the tracked sales report. 

In case you are employing live chat for lead generation, then the requirement is to have more valuable leads. Before the visitor starts a conversation, you can make use of the pre-chat survey to obtain the information you need. You can use automatic greetings on pages that can bring significant traffic. 

  • The live chat box design 

Design the chatbox that will appear on the right corner of the website page. Make sure you customize the chat box to align with the theme of the website. Design an attractive chatbox that complements the company’s logo, color, and font type. The inconsistent chatbox with the website’s theme can remove you from your business strategy and can confuse customers.

  • Bring people on board

For better results, quickly add teammates to live chat. This allows you to talk to your teammates about why you need a live chat and in what way it can be helpful in their (teammates) work. Being the owner of your business, you can assign roles to your teammates. Either your teammates can be admins or agents. Agents can answer chats along with tickets, and can also see reports. They can’t change settings. Admins hold all agent permissions and have access to all settings. 

  • Sales Funnel

Have a thorough understanding of the sales funnel to generate revenue and prepare for the market. In the sales funnel system, different phases involve helping consumers make informed decisions and making the purchase. The different phases are the awareness phase, interest phase, evaluation phase, and purchase phase. In simple terms, it involves the customer’s buying process and the typical stages that the customer experiences before making a purchase.

  • Configure and do a test run

If you want to know that everything is up to the mark, then before going live you can test live chat with teammates and friends. You can check the essential tools and features like agent status, canned responses, tickets, and much more. 

  • Add the chat widget

Make your app live. Add the chat widget to your site and go live. With technical support or specialized knowledge, you can run your website smoothly by adding the chat widget.

  • Conversion and traction  

Drive the customers in such a way that they can show interest in your product and finally purchase it. The welcoming approach should be able to engage visitors that help in generating business. Your live chat platform should be able to win people’s trust and educate the customers efficiently. Productive and useful conversations on live chat can bring long-term relationships with the customers and help in repeating business.

  • Create shortcut templates 

You can create short templates based on the general questions of the customers. The shortcuts can help in multiplying response speed. Customized messages can provide better results. Customers lose interest in live chat platforms when they know that pre-scripted responses are used in the live chat system.  

  • KPIs to measure ROI 

According to actual business objectives, the companies can set their KPIs. These KPIs help in understanding and measuring the critical metrics related to customer satisfaction, team, and agent performance along with cost and ROI associated with the live chat support. You can review your live chat implementation by tracking the KPIs. In this way, you can measure how profitable these KPIs have been in gaining the objectives.

  • Social Networking

You can invite the customer on the social media profile if you have a successful chat with the customer. On the social media page, the satisfied customer can bring positive feedback. Business owners can reward customers for their feedback on the social media platform. They can offer complimentary gift coupons in the form of rewards. 

After knowing about the implementation of a live chat system into your business, let’s discuss the live chat software in detail:

What is live chat software?

Live chat software is the application that enables the service and sales team of the company to form a connection with the website visitors in real-time. The live chat & support system provides an easy and simple way to answer questions quickly. 

What are the features of live chat support software?

The online live chat software offers a wide array of functions for the website. The key features of live chat system are as follows:

  • Auto messages  

Messages are sent automatically based on the visitor’s behavior. These automated messages help in providing proactive support. This type of functionality of live support software helps brands in getting more customers.

  • Chat rating 

This feature of live chat software for websites helps in improving the quality of service. The confidence of the agent gets a boost up with positive reviews. The negative reviews encourage the agent to work on their overall performance. This feature plays a vital role in live chat apps. 

  • Visitor Tracking  

This feature of a live chat service provider serves as a comprehensive tracking facility that helps in providing a more profound insight into the website visitor’s behavior. All the information related to the amount of time spent by a visitor in the chat, conversion tracking, agents’ overall activity, and record of transcript reports is included. 

  • Chat forms 

Before starting the conversation, the chart forms of a live chat toolcollect thevisitor’s contact information with the help of pre-chat and offline forms. 

  • Chat routing 

This feature of website live chat software assists agents in transferring chats to any free operators or automatically routing customers to the right agent. In this way, the agents will not be slumped if in case the chat volume rises. Customers will have proper and timely responses.

  • Typing Insight

The feature of typing insight of live chat apps gives you an idea of when a chat agent or a customer is typing a message.

  • Mobile optimization 

While browsing the internet, many people make use of phones. The mobile optimization feature of live chat website software enables the website to provide support to various types of website visitors without paying attention to what kind of device visitors are using. 

  • Manual messages

With the existing customers, the live chat and support system can become one of the most engaging channels for communication. The manual messages are useful for announcing news/ new features to active users. 

  • Reports and analytics

The significant data such as operator activities, chat histories, conversion tracking, visitor details, and the average time spent on the chats can be monitored with the help of reports and analytics features. These data of live chat software for business are essential for shaping effective strategies and areas for improvement. 

  • Canned responses 

The online live chat software can pre-save common questions and answers for the users. (Canned response - pre-determined responses to common questions). This feature helps in speeding up the agent’s response time.

Other essential features of live chat & support system:

  • Operator monitoring – This feature of the live chat tool helps supervise the operators by making use of relevant insights regarding their performance. 
  • Chat monitoring- The live support software features chat monitoring to track the detailed chat conversation in real-time. It enables you to see who among your agents are currently chatting. 
  • Compelling end-user experience- The live chat system holds a unique set of features that include rich text, image emoticons, sound effects, text and avatar icons, and user-selected fonts.
  • Offline forms- The live chat service provider allows customers to reach the agent even if they are not online 24/7. 
  • Smart triggers- The live chat software arranges a custom trigger for specific circumstances by making use of a smart chat system.
  • File transfers- The live chat tool has built-in functionality of transferring the files between chat operators and website visitors that ensures convenience.
  • Queue times- Before starting the live chat conversation with the agents, the live chat apps offer the visitors a close approximation of wait time. It happens especially when there is a high volume of chat.
  • Security- The live chat software has a security feature that manages encryption, credit card masking, data storage, compliance, single sign-on, logging in with Google, access restriction, and visitor banning. 
  • MSP (Managed Service Provider)- The live chat service provider helps remote teams to manage IT infrastructure and end-user systems.
  • Customizable visitor popup messenger- The live chat system uploads the company’s logo and agent photo. It customizes agent greeting and system messages.
  • Remote work – The live chat system supports teams and customers that are unable to interact from a shared office space.
  • Customer Feedback – The live chat system enables the customer to rate the conversation and share the feedback with the manager of the company. 
  • Online CRM (Customer Relationship Management)- The live chat software manages all the company’s relationships with prospective and current customers. This feature aims to track and improve all relationships. 

What are the benefits of live chat software?

The live chat software provides instant and approachable customer support to all types of businesses. The customer support gets more efficient for the agents along with the customers by employing live chat software. The advantages of live chat website software are as follows:

  • Quick resolutions  

The website visitors do not require a longer time to answer a simple question with the help of website live chat software. Visitors can easily engage with the company as they know that their time will not be wasted. The agents are more productive and answer questions quickly. 

  • Lessens cost of customer support

The traditional methods of customer support like phone and email are often proved to be expensive and inefficient. These systems allow agents to handle only one customer query at a time. On the contrary, the live chat system enables agents to address multiple questions simultaneously.

  • Address pain points

The live chat system is more personal and can directly address issues in comparison to the post on specific problems that the customers encounter that are created on other channels.

  • Cost Savings

From both customer and the agent, the live chat service provider takes less effort and is relatively cheaper as compared to phone calls. Moreover, the live chat and support system allows for more support in less time and is considered effortless to multitask between different chat conversations. 

  • Improved sales conversions 

In real-time, the customer queries related to a product or service are addressed with the help of live chat software. As a result, the sales process is accelerated. The live chat apps increase sales volume.

  • Expand market reach 

The live chat website software provides a more accessible and convenient way to make contact with international customers who may not be able to form connections through calls. 

  • Enhances innovation 

The live chat software for business provides a log of customer inquiries, complaints, requests, and suggestions. All these things can be analyzed to have new ideas about products and services.

  • Boost services and customer loyalty 

The live chat solution enables customers to develop a sense of commitment to products that offer satisfaction. It helps in reducing the level of stress.

  • Offers convenience 

The live chat apps allow customers to multitask, which they can easily shop, and they can wait for chat support.

  • Accessibility

The live chat software for websites serves as a simple and easy way for customers to approach a company. The customers are more likely to engage themselves due to their suitability.

  • Lead Generation  

The live chat solutions servers as an easy way to begin a sales conversation. It is approachable for customers and provides an excellent opportunity to bring in a sale. The sales conversation becomes more comfortable for the customer due to the informality of live chat.

  • Proactive Outreach 

The live chat and support system allows visitors and customers to reach the managers of the company instantly. The proactive outreach abilities of the live chat system make it truly powerful.

  • Analytics 

Live chat analytics provide valuable insight into the agent. The manager can monitor agent performance with the help of a couple of visitor data that offers chat histories, agent performance reports, and wait time reports. As a result, the live chat apps help in adjusting staffing and training as per the requirement.

Which type of live support software is apt for your business?

The major types of live chat software are:

  • Live-text chat support- Many companies provide this text-only chat support system to its customers, which in turn helps increase customer engagement and conversation.
  • Live video and Voices- This type of live chat system is more personal and reliable as it allows customers to chat and speak with agents. Not only this, but the customers can also see agents.
  • Co-browsing – This type of online live chat software allows customers and agents to engage in co-browsing. Both customers and service agents can easily access an application on the web collectively. Here also, customers can speak to, chat with, and see agents.

What points to be considered before choosing the live chat software?

The critical points to be considered before picking the live chat website software are as follows:

  • Easy and simple customization – Choose the live chat software for businesses that provides easy customization as a business brand plays a vital role in forming an identity.
  • Third-party integrations- Check whether your live chat support software can integrate with third-party integrations as small businesses prefer to use several customer-facing solutions to support their sales, marketing, and CRM.
  • Security- Ensure that your live chat tools are well protected against cyber threats and other types of possible attacks. 
  • Mobile-responsive interface- Make sure that your live chat app enables customers to use their smartphones for sales and customer support. In the absence of a mobile-responsive interface, the customers have to depends on laptop and desktop to access live chat support systems.
  • Simple or multi-channel support- As per your business requirement, consider the type of live chat system. Few live chat systems offer additional features and functions that help in providing 360-degree support. It includes integrations of call-back support and knowledge base.
  • Cloud-based vs. self-hosted- Depending on your business requirements, choose the best live chat software among these two deployment options. Nowadays, many live chat products are available as cloud-hosted apps. This type of deployment provides regular updates, no IT infrastructure, security and bug control, data backups, recovery, 24/7 support, accessibility anytime, and anywhere. 
  • Value vs. price – Make sure that you opt for the live chat support software that can give value to your business and can give higher returns in the long run. The cheapest option is not necessarily the apt choice for your business. In more top-price product packages, you can get advanced features that can fulfill your business requirement.
  • 24/7 Support- It is better to have a reliable live chat system that can reach your vendor 24/7, 365 days a year, and ask for assistance in the time of need.
  • Onboarding – Make sure that your live chat support software is easily integrated into your website. You don’t have to undergo a long learning curve in understanding and setting up the live chat system. The live chat tools should be easy-to-use.

What are the latest trends observed in the live chat system?

The latest trends to be observed in live chat support system are :

  • Significant customer support activity will happen without a human agent due to the increasing popularity of chatbots.
  • Most consumers prefer human agents to AI (artificial intelligence) technologies.
  • End users can majorly use live chat tools that can seamlessly integrate with their existing e-commerce, help desk, and CRM systems. 
  • Initiating the chat by the brand can help in converting visitors into potential customers.
  • Integration with social networks can assist with growing customer reach without making the customers re-direct.

What is the average cost of live chat software?

The average cost of live support software can be decided by considering the several crucial factors that are:

  • Number of users and admins
  • Business size
  • Core functionalities of live chat support software
  • Key elements offered by live chat software for business
  • Type of Interface
  • Cloud-based or an on-premise live chat app

The live chat and support system that offers basic features and is affordable to buy can be the right option for startups and growing small organizations. While the large organization can pick advanced plans so that they can have more powerful features of a live chat system that can effortlessly meet their business demands. The price of the live chat service provider that offers advanced plans can be a bit costlier.

The cost of the live support software can begin as low as $9per month(for example, Sugester). The live chat system can reach as high as $1500/month(for instance, Whisbi). Apart from these costs, there are some other charges linked with the vendors’ live chat software. The charges are included for installation, support, and maintenance.

Small businesses and start-ups can check free live chat software too. If you are looking for the best free live chat software, then feel free to explore the Goodfirms platform. LiveAgent, EngageBay, ManyChat, LiveZilla, Zoho SalesIQ, Rocket.Chat, LiveHelperChat, HelpCenterLive, SimpleChat, Chat4Support are some of the renowned free live chat software. 

Why refer to GoodFirms’ list of best live chat software?

If you are hunting for the best live chat software for your business, then GoodFirms is there to assist you. The thorough research and in-depth survey by GoodFirms on the software can help in making a sound buying decision for the user. This well-researched and huge platform believe in a customer-centric approach. Vendors and well-known software companies find this platform the right place to meet their business solutions.

Delve into the list of top-notch quality live chat software to discover their pricing data, core functionalities, deployment, and business size along with the authentic reviews. The dedicated and qualified experts at GoodFirms are always on their toes to answer the queries of their valuable readers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Proactive Chat?

Whenever a visitor lands on the web page, a proactive live chat support system prompts the visitor to chat through a small chat window. This type of chat is initiated by the live agent. Proactive chat support is usually established with a greeting and a custom message offering assistance to the visitor is browsing the website or finding the exact product or service that he/she is looking for.

How Much Does a Live Chat Software Cost?

The cost of the best live chat support software can begin as low as $9per month (for example, Sugester) and can reach as high as $1500/month(for instance, Whisbi). Businesses with budget constraints can go with free and open-source live chat software solutions such as Rocket.Chat, LiveHelperChat etc.

How to Add the Live Chat Feature to My Website?

Steps to add the live chat functionality to your website depends on the plan that you have purchased or the live chat software you have chosen. Most software solutions require you to plugin a javascript or HTML code given by the vendor to your website after downloading the software. Once the code is embedded, all web pages automatically show the live chat icon, and your agents can start providing live support.

Is Agent Training Required for Live Chat Software?

Agents require training for transferring calls, embodying guidelines, connecting and disconnecting chat, and learning the optimal use of live chat. Agents may also require to understand how to use functionalities embedded in live chat software to de-escalate situations quickly. Agents should also be able to use unwarranted scripts when required. Vendors that provide agent training while purchasing live chat tools should be preferred.

What Types of Live Chat Support is Available With Live Chat Tools?

  • Text Chat: The agents and the clients exchange text messages, and resolution is provided through text-based conversation. 
  • Voice Support: The agent gets on a voice call with the client, and resolution is provided through a voice call. 
  • Video Support: The agent and the client get together on a video call, and resolution is provided through video support. 

In all the three methods mentioned above, agents and clients can co-browse through the chat window, share documents and files. The initiation of support via live chat software occurs via text messages only; however, if required, agents can connect the customers to the right department via text, voice call, or video support. 

Does the Live Chat Application Provide Support for Multiple Languages?

Some live chat software applications have multi-language support functionality. With automated translations and multiple-language support, a live chat tool reduces the language barrier between the agent and the client.

Can I use a Live Chat Feature With Multiple Websites?

Yes, with multi-website support plans, live chat software can be embedded with multiple websites. For adding the feature on multiple websites, you have to insert the HTML or Java code provided by the vendor on all of your web properties. However, based on your plan, some vendors may restrict multi-website usage. You may need to upgrade plans to avail this feature.

Is the Live Chat Window Customizable?

Live chat software allows customization of color, widget theme, logo, position on the website, and language. You can customize the overall look to meet your branding requirements.

How Live Chat Software Helps in Increasing Customer Engagement?

Live Chat reduces response time and addresses customer issues quickly. With the lowest queue time, routed conversations, and proactive chats using automated chatbots, Live Chat software boosts customer experience instantly. With features for co-browsing, screen sharing, multi-format chat options, and more, it delivers real-time customer engagement. 

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