Best live chat options for startups

In today’s digital era, having effective live chat software is essential for startups to improve their conversion rates. Virtual customer service options like chatbot assistance and live chat support are particularly important in order for businesses to remain competitive.

In this article, we will explain the definition of a chatbot and the process of constructing one, along with providing a compilation of the top 10 live chat software options for startups, thereby offering valuable insights into the current options available for live chat.

What is a chatbot?

The term chatbot is derived from combining chat and a shortened form of the word robot. Bots are automated programs created for a network, typically the internet. The term chatbot was coined to describe a robot capable of utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to engage in digital chat interactions. Chatbots are commonly used to handle initial interactions with external parties and their aim is to expedite virtual assistance by addressing and resolving customer needs for a company. It is likely that you have encountered chatbots before, such as when you engage with a business’ live chatbox and receive a welcoming message from an automated responder.

Chatbots usually begin by greeting customers, classifying the specific areas in which consumers require help, and then offering relevant material as responses. By utilizing keywords and frequently asked questions, chatbots are currently handling nearly 40% of all chat conversations. Furthermore, they are able to successfully complete a conversation from start to finish in approximately 70% of these cases.

There are advantages to having a chatbot.

unparalleled abilities to handle an unlimited number of contacts at once
24/7 availability
functional despite geographical location
amount of data storage
efficient routing for human interaction
their potential for ROI with minimal effort for a business

Best live chat options for startups

1. LiveChat

This is a name that is clearly visible, offering a chatbox design that is attractive and has pricing options that can be adjusted. It boasts a wide range of integrations, totaling over 130, and has professionals available to assist with the setup of your chatbox. Additionally, file-sharing capabilities can be incorporated into the chatbox. The tool itself is user-friendly and includes features such as transcripts, timelines, and customization options that allow for the addition of a logo and social media buttons.

This company is a great choice for new businesses because it is popular and offers budget-friendly services, making it an excellent option.

2. Olark

Olark, a YCombinator baby, is dedicated to facilitating improvement in a broad scope. This is achieved through the use of real-time dashboards, email reports at various intervals, and integration with Google Analytics. By providing a detailed view of a startup’s conversion funnels, the software goes beyond providing quality reporting for leverage and optimization. Additionally, the tool offers high customization to fully meet the live chat needs of customers.

3. Drift

The noteworthy aspect of Drift is its ability to filter the most valuable customers. This helps the Sales Team focus on a more hands-on conversion. Although the updates may be excessive and frequent for many users, the return on investment is significant. By narrowing down general queries to those more likely to convert, Drift becomes a valuable asset.

If you’re looking for a heads-up and a warning, transitioning from a free personal account to the paid version involves a significant leap. This may not be the best choice if your chat volumes are not yet substantial.

4. Intercom

If you want a tool that allows for customer communication in one place, Intercom is a reliable choice. This platform combines marketing and messaging to make lead conversion, customer support, engagement, and onboarding easier.

However, the strength of Intercom is also its weakness. If a business already has most of their processes stored in one platform, it may not be the most ideal resource for them, especially if they are only seeking to include chat functionalities to their existing pack.

5. Zendesk Chat

Just like Intercom, this tool combines chat with its features, which are also used for various other business purposes. If you are already using Zendesk for different purposes, it is advisable to consider exploring the chat options available with this tool.

The advantage of the platform is its ability to create personalized reports. It has dashboards that rely on chat metrics to provide a clearer view of your performance on all support channels. It assesses customer satisfaction levels, issue resolutions, and statistics for individual agents or entire teams. However, certain features are only available in more expensive paid versions. These features include real-time metrics, advanced encryption & security, and multilingual content.

6. Zoho Sales IQ:

The Zoho Sales IQ platform offers online live chat, visitor tracking, and analytics. It allows you to monitor real-time interactions between visitors and your website. You can integrate it with various CMS, email marketing, and analytics tools. It also helps you trace the source of your web traffic, such as campaigns, social media platforms, newsletters, direct links, and search engines.

Characteristics: Features:

Identify new and returning visitors
Interactive email campaigns
Start chats based on visitor activity
Screen sharing
Real-time traffic monitoring
Can be integrated with any cloud-based application
CMS and e-commerce integrations.
Live chat on the move using the mobile app
Free Plan

7. Tawk. To

Tawk allows visitors on the website to chat and be monitored for free. LiveChat allows businesses to directly reach customers from the website, mobile app, or a customized page. The setup process is simple and quick. Agents can be added and shortcuts with analytics can be created to assess the performance of agents in customer interactions.

Features of importance:

Real-Time Monitoring
Supports over 20 Plus languages
Unlimited Agents with canned responses to help them reply instantly to the customer questions
Track Engagement
Desktop Notifications & Geo IP Tracking
Integrate with WordPress, Joomla, Magento, etc.
Free Forever

8. IntelliTiicks

IntelliTicks is an AI-driven LiveChat platform which enables swift and effortless communication with visitors. By analyzing visitor actions on the website and accessing past conversations, IntelliTicks facilitates the customization of chat messages. The dashboard allows you to have a comprehensive view of all chats and customer information.

IntelliTicks offers a chatbot that assists businesses in addressing customers’ basic inquiries, eliminating the need for human agents. The chatbot is capable of providing responses to simple questions and reducing reliance on human agents. When faced with more complex queries, the chatbot transfers control to human agents. Consequently, rather than requiring 100 human agents to address customer queries, only 10 are needed now, as the chatbot takes care of answering repetitive customer inquiries. This results in time and cost savings, ultimately lowering customer acquisition costs.

The main features are: