What are the best live chat solutions in 2024?

What are the best live chat solutions in 2024?

Live chat tools have become extremely important for many companies, and for a very good reason. The ability to connect with customers, listen to their issues, and handle problems accordingly is very important.

Thankfully, there are tons of live chat solutions and tools you can use. It all comes down to finding which ones fit your needs the most. One thing is certain: there are great tools for a variety of niches. Here, you will learn more about live chat tools, their benefits, and which are the ones you may want to try out!

What is live chat?

Live chat is a great messaging tool designed to connect customers with product/service providers. Whenever customers have questions or issues with their purchase, they can turn to the manufacturer/seller via live chat.

Unlike email, which can be very convoluted and challenging, live chat is very simple. You start talking with a real person, and they will provide you with the answer, which is ideal for any client. The upside is that it costs the company less, and customers receive real-time assistance. What are the benefits of using live chat systems?

  • Live chat systems are ideal if you want to improve your customer service. They allow you to solve issues in real-time while also ensuring customer satisfaction. It's the best of both worlds and a very powerful solution that any business can immediately implement.
  • You can use live chat solutions 24/7. Of course, a company can easily set its own live chat schedule. But many of them choose to provide nonstop support. That means they will most likely be there no matter when you need their help.
  • Let's face it: live chat is better than a knowledge base. People get to receive all the assistance and help that they need, along with comprehensive support. It truly is the best of both worlds, and you will surely appreciate the experience.
  • You can use live chat over multiple channels, thus offering your customers a more resilient and comprehensive experience.
  • Every live chat solution is personalized to the customer. That way, clients can get their issues solved fast, without having to deal with a generalized solution.
  • Many times, live chat can be automated, which is very effective if you want to save time and resources. It's highly reliable and totally worth taking into consideration.

Is it hard to install a live chat solution?

Every software developer that offers live chat solutions has their guidelines on how it can be installed. But in general, live chat systems are meant to be very easy to install and use. Most of the time, you will receive adequate guidance on how to install everything. Plus, the developer should have immediate assistance and support, something that will help you save a lot of effort in no time. Usually, you have to follow these steps:

  • Select the desired live chat platform.
  • Integrate the live chat system according to the developer guidelines.
  • Now you can move onward to customize the look of your chat widget.
  • After that, you can set the operating hours and start creating any canned responses.
  • You will need to have mobile and desktop apps for the CS team to assist your clients.
  • After that, you can integrate chatbots, import contacts, and personalize messages.

What are the best live chat apps for customer service?

Customer service is one of the major uses of live chat tools. There's no denying that using live chat apps is a great way for you to solve customer issues while keeping them happy. Plus, these apps can also help lower the overall customer satisfaction. That's why it makes a lot of sense to use live chat because it's very effective, it gets the job done, and it will alleviate a lot of potential challenges and issues. Plus, the best part is that you can opt for many different live chat apps.

Tidio

Tidio is a very good option because it has visitor insights and browsing history. The live chat interface can be fully adjusted with the use of design options and templates. It also has very good e-commerce and CRM integration, not to mention a ticketing system. We also like the fact that they also have a vast array of apps, including for desktop, Android, and iOS.

In addition, live chat is excellent if you want to have unlimited chat conversations and a very good chat history. That being said, the knowledge base they provide is also very useful, and they do come with chatbot templates. There's a free version available, along with paid solutions that can be fully customized.

Respond.io

Even if it's not as complex, we think that Respond.io has a lot to offer since it's a free chat platform that integrates with social channels and your website. There's a free live chat app for desktop and mobile, along with a centralized inbox that the entire team can use. There's a smart reply feature, one that's certainly a thing many users will appreciate quite a bit here.

PureChat

Not every business wants a very complicated live chat solution. PureChat, in particular, is great because it's simple, and it comes with a 30-day trial to test it out. You can install it via a single line of code. It gives you real-time reporting and visitor analytics. Not only that, but it also integrates with Slack, MailChimp, and Google Analytics. It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you want a more affordable live chat solution.

Hiver

Hiver does an interesting thing because it combines email communication with live chat software. This allows you to easily address email-reported issues via live chat, which is very useful. The integration is seamless, and they do bring shared folders and inboxes. That adds up to delivering a very consistent and cohesive live chat service. The fact that they have a mobile app and templates also helps. It just allows you to better focus on the needs of your clients while delivering very consistent results in better ways than expected.

Zendesk

Zendesk is widely known for being one of the best customer service solutions on the market. They also have a live chat tool called Zendesk Messaging. What this app does is it allows you to access multichannel communication. You have knowledge base tools, support tickets, and even self-service. The answer bot they added here is exceptional, very high quality, and unlike anything that you can find. Plus, the fact that you can easily connect with a variety of chat tools like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger makes it easy to connect with and assist your customers when necessary!

Freshchat

Created by Freshworks, Freshchat is a very good software designed to provide customer support, but it also helps with lead conversion. It's a great multichannel tool as well, and the best part about it is that it also comes with a very simple, easy-to-use UI. The nice thing about this app is that it also has customer metrics, and it doubles down on that with a very high level of customization. That being said, they have a lot of subscription tiers, which can lead to confusion at times.

Birdeye

Birdeye is a CRM tool, but it also has a live chat system inside. The web chat widget can easily be added to any website and works extremely well. Plus, what's really interesting is that whenever a live chat window opens, you can see the name and phone number of the agent you are working with. Not only is it a personal touch, but it also enhances the overall professionalism of the platform. Yes, it is more expensive than other options. However, it helps consolidate reviews, and it's extremely useful, not to mention effective even for smaller companies.

SmartsUpp

SmartsUpp is also a great multichannel solution, but what makes it different is the e-commerce integration system. Not only that, but they do have messenger, email and live chat in a single package. Moreover, you can monitor prospects and see their journey from within SmartsUpp, which is always a plus. You can even access video recordings of the customers' browsing, which can be extremely useful here. All in all, there's some great value to be had with SmartsUpp, and we highly recommend checking it out!

My LiveChat

What makes My LiveChat great for a lot of people is that it's available for free with basic features and the possibility to upgrade as needed. My LiveChat has automated greetings and chatbots for collecting feedback. Like SmartsUpp, you can see what visitors see in real-time. And on top of that, you have integrations with the most popular platforms in the world. There's great value to be had with My LiveChat, and if you need great live chat systems, this is an option to keep in mind.

Chatra

Chatra is definitely an option to consider when we talk about live chat apps. When you add chat to your website, Chatra can be a good idea because it has a very reliable interface. You can also have a multilingual live chat. Customers can be notified if/when an agent is replying to them and if the message was read. Yes, you also have Facebook, Instagram and email integration, which is always going to help.

Customers AI

While Customers AI might not be the best live chat when it comes to the interface, it does give you a plethora of features. You have influencer tools for social media and even a web-based chatbot builder. Sure, Customers AI can be a bit slow at times; however, it's super easy to customize, and the reports they provide are pretty good, too!

Best live chat widgets you can use for your website

  • If you want to have a chatbot widget, Tawk.to can be a solid option. It's multilingual; you can review the chat history and assess the performance stats. Plus, the fact that you can fully customize it makes the solution a very appealing one.
  • LiveAgent is another good option if you want chat widgets. The video chat system is very good, and LiveAgent itself has support for over 43 languages. It's also possible to create canned responses if you want.
  • HubSpot Live Chat is delivered as a comprehensive solution for communication. They store conversations, and you can easily create AI bots to answer most people's questions. That way, you free up time for your customer support team!
  • Freshdesk can be another impressive tool, mainly because you can easily categorize tickets faster than ever before. On top of that, you can also manage multiple channels on a single platform. And like other tools in this list, you can also create some canned responses, if you want.
  • Olark does an excellent job at including free live chat, reports, and analytics. It integrates with your CRM software, and the chat box can be fully customized if you want.
  • Help Scout is also a very good tool for those who want live chat on their website. It can manage the communication process, and streamline the way you communicate with your customers while also giving access to a help center and sharing the inbox.

Conclusion

If you're looking for the best live chat software or a great chat widget, we highly recommend using the options shown above. They are very comprehensive, professional, and reliable, and they are easy to use. If you are very serious about the best live chat app, then these are worth a shot because they make it easy to connect with and help customers.  The amazing customization features, along with ease of use and high-quality systems provided, will help your business stand out. All you have to do is to avail the opportunity and start using these tools. They are very powerful and extremely useful for your company, regardless of the niche!