By Josie Customer experience and satisfaction is one of the most critical and important factors for the growth and success of a company or enterprise. Because of the rapid technological advancements, more people now rely on smartphones and electronic devices to perform their own online searches and then make purchase decisions based on that search. Nowadays, it is common to chat with a customer service representative or an answering bot when visiting a company’s website.
The live chat software is fast, easy and requires minimal effort from the consumer to obtain valuable and helpful output from trusted sources. It is gradually replacing the tedious task of calling customer service to ask questions. However, live chat is a great way to get an understanding of how it works.
What is Live Chat, exactly?
Chat through software provides quick support and connection to customers who visit your website. It is a kind of messaging system that lets customers chat with you, or any service-providing staff in order to clarify their doubts and receive answers.
Many businesses and established franchises use live chat to connect and talk with anyone who visits their page. They also guide them to make sure they have a positive experience.
Live Chat: How does it benefit businesses?
Real-time, live communication ensures users that they can voice their concerns and get them answered quickly. You can provide your customers with a smooth, enjoyable shopping and service experience. It will increase the popularity of your site and improve your company’s overall ROI.
Here are some reasons why live chat is so advantageous:
- Customers have an easy way to enhance their online consumption experience.
- It increases your company’s revenue.
- It will increase your website’s traffic and user visitation.
- It is cost-effective for increasing your sales, and you can still offer user-friendly options.
- Strengthens and develops customer-company bonds
- This will give you an advantage over your competitors in the market as you’re focused on the cause of pain and dissatisfaction among the consumers.
- You can make your company more visible and grow your brand.
- It gives you more customers and subscribers, who gradually become your loyal users and establish backlinks to the site.
Now that you understand the importance live chats have, the next step is to find the right software interfaces for your business.
Top 5 Live Chat Software
The choice is overwhelming and it can often be confusing to pick the right one the first time. We’ve compiled this list to assist you. Now let’s look at the best live-chat software for this year.
#1 FreeChat
FreeChat live chat software is very popular in the commercial and business markets. It allows you to add live chat capability to your company’s web site without having to worry that it will slow down your web pages. It is completely free, requires no programming and can be set up in minutes.
While it may not be suitable for large or medium-sized businesses but it can still be used to quickly respond to customers and make the most of your small-scale startup. If you’re in a more senior position and want to expand your company, then you can use paid chat software. This is better suited for larger scale businesses.
Features that are special
- It adheres to the SaaS business model. It is highly capable in desk-software and analytical support structures.
- It is easy-to-use and simple to use thanks to its modern chat design attributes.
- The live chat feature of your website allows you to connect with many social media sites.
- You can personalize the sleek design and choose to match your chat box and button to your website.
- You have the option to respond to your clients and chat from other messaging platforms like WhatsApp Business, Instagram, or WhatsApp Business.
#2 Olark
Olark provides a smooth experience for customers and companies using its live chat software interface. You can set up your chatbox in minutes with its easy customization options. Additionally, the chatbot matches your business theme.
The chat types can be pre-customized, real-time and offline solutions to starting a conversation. The chatbots are quick and easy to use. It also offers a transcript archive so that visitors to your website can get reliable and immediate answers to their queries.
Special features
- Olark is extremely easy to use and features a live chat interface.
- It offers live chat updates that are comprehensive and in real-time, allowing you to continue working on new details.
- Clients can also save the whole chat as a text file to use in any searchable database.
- It’s easy to use, cost-effective, and affordable for all business owners. You have three options: monthly, annual, two-year, or both.
- Chat with people in real time and offline allows you to text and work with them.
#3 Tidio
Another popular and widely used chat software is Tidio. This allows you to reply and interact with your clients through your website or webpage. It allows you to connect quickly with customers in real time and also create chatbots which generate automated text messages and texts. There are two options: premium and free. You can choose which pack you want based on your website’s requirements and the size or business.
The user-friendly interface and excellent customer service are great for setting up live chat on your websites. Its straightforward setup allows you create concise chat boxes that are easy to use by customers.
Special features
- You can send canned and quick responses to your visitors or users through the shared inbox.
- Integration with numerous other software platforms like Shopify, WordPress, Wix and Shopify.
- It comes with 3 chat operators, the provision chatbots to facilitate unlimited chats between 100 clients each month, as well as the ability to send around 500 emails per month.
- You can offer CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) to your visitors or users. Also, email automation devices are available to enrich their customer support experience.
#4 Intercom
Intercom, a leading live chat program, helps you build the best relationship between you and customers. It is trusted and recommended by many business partners.
Apart from the Messenger feature it also has a complete customer communication system that includes bots, product tours and apps. It also offers a help centre where customers can connect with you and get a comprehensive guide to your business. Its live chat platform looks very similar to its email messaging service. It is easy to set-up on your website and you can access it in just a few clicks.
Special features
- It allows you track the activities of your customers, and send them notifications and messages via the Apps.
- It helps you self-promote the business and builds personalization experiences with clients.
- The live chat feature allows you to review your performance and enhance your user experience.
- Your visitors have the ability to access the support center without the aid of staff or bots.
- Its affordable pricing comes in a variety plans. Each one is user-friendly, easy to set up, and easy for integration.