February 2, 2024

5 top live chat tools for customer support in 2024

If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you’re a business owner or a customer support agent considering the implementation of live chat tools for customer support on your website. We commend you for taking this step, especially as the new year is quickly approaching.

In this article, we’ve curated a list of the top 5 live chat tools that we believe you should consider in the new year, all based on personal online research. Are you ready to learn more about these tools? Let’s get started!

#1  Chatway

The first on the list of live chat tools for customer support in 2024 is Chatway! This is a new 100% free live chat app that allows you to provide quick and helpful responses to messages from your website visitors and customers. Chatway offers amazing features that help support agents provide the best support to customers and website visitors. Some features that would be rolled out soon include Automation, Knowledge Base, Multilingual Support, Advanced Analytics, AI Writer Assistant etc

Capterrra Rating- 5.0

Key Features and Capabilities

1. Unified Inbox:

Merge live chat conversations from diverse channels into a centralized dashboard for streamlined management.

2. Visitor Tracking:

Monitor the pages your visitors are exploring and offer personalized support tailored to their specific needs.

3. Seamless Platform Integration:

Integrate seamlessly with various platforms like Wix, Shopify, and others, connecting your workflow stack to the live chat application.

4. Unlimited Conversations:

Enjoy the flexibility of engaging in an unlimited number of conversations without any restrictions.

5. Private Notes:

Enhance collaboration by tagging teammates, leaving private notes, reminders, and comments within the confines of a secure chat environment.

6. Chat Routing:

Efficiently allocate and assign chats to different agents, ensuring specialized support tailored to unique requirements.

7. Pre-chat Forms:

Collect visitor email addresses proactively before initiating a chat, enhancing communication efficiency.

8. Comprehensive Analytics:

Gain valuable insights into your agents’ support activities through detailed chat and agent analytics.

9. Visitor Information:

Access critical details about your visitors, including location, pages visited, email addresses, and even Facebook names.

10. Mobile Accessibility (iOS and Android):

Stay connected with customers on the move using dedicated mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices.

Pricing- 100% FREE

#2 LiveChat

LiveChat is a leading live chat tool, it empowers companies to provide immediate assistance, foster customer engagement, and ultimately elevate the overall customer experience.

Key Features:

1. Real-Time Chat:

  LiveChat’s core feature is its real-time chat functionality, enabling businesses to engage with website visitors promptly. This fosters a proactive approach to customer support, addressing queries and concerns promptly.

2. Multi-Channel Support:

   Beyond website chat, LiveChat extends its reach across various channels, including social media and messaging apps. This ensures a seamless and unified customer support experience, regardless of the platform customers choose to communicate on.

3. Customizable Chat Widgets:

   LiveChat allows businesses to tailor the appearance and behavior of their chat widgets. This customization ensures that the chat interface aligns with the brand’s aesthetics and provides a cohesive experience for users.

4. Chat Transcripts and History:

   LiveChat allows users to keep a record of all interactions with customers through chat transcripts and history. This feature not only aids in resolving ongoing issues but also provides a valuable resource for future reference and analysis.

5. Integration Capabilities:

   LiveChat seamlessly integrates with a variety of third-party applications, including CRM systems, helpdesk software, and analytics tools. This ensures a smooth workflow and enables businesses to leverage their existing tools for a more comprehensive customer support strategy.

Capterra Rating: 4.6

Pricing

Starter- $20/month/agent- Billed annually

Team- $41/month/agent- Billed annually

Business- $59/month/agent- Billed annually

Enterprise- Contact sales

#3 Gorgias 

Gorgias is a customer support and helpdesk platform that leverages automation and artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance customer interactions. As an all-in-one solution, this live chat tool empowers businesses to provide efficient and personalized customer support across various communication channels. 

Key Features

1. Unified Ticketing System:

   Gorgias consolidates customer inquiries from various channels into a unified ticketing system. This centralization simplifies the management of customer support requests, allowing agents to handle tickets efficiently without switching between multiple platforms.

2. E-commerce Integration:

   Gorgias specializes in e-commerce support by integrating with popular platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. This integration enables agents to access customer order information, track deliveries, and provide support tailored to the customer’s purchase history.

3. Automation with Macros:

   Save time and streamline repetitive tasks with Gorgias’ automation features. Agents can create macros—predefined responses or actions—to quickly address common customer queries. This ensures consistent and efficient responses, reducing response times and increasing productivity.

5. Multi-channel Support:

   Gorgias supports communication across various channels, including email, chat, and social media. This omnichannel approach ensures that customer interactions are seamless, regardless of the platform customers choose for communication.

Capterra Rating- 4.7

Pricing

Starter- Free (Limits to 50 tickets/month and only available for monthly subscription)

Basic- $50/month. Billed annually

Pro- $300/month. Billed annually

Advanced- $750/month. Billed annually

Enterprise- Contact sales

#4 Intercom

Intercom is a communication and customer engagement platform that provides a range of key features and capabilities to enhance interactions between businesses and their customers. 

Capterra Rating-4.5

Key features and capabilities:

1. Real-Time Chat:

   – Intercom’s real-time chat feature enables businesses to engage with their website visitors, app users, or customers instantly. This fosters immediate communication, allowing for quick issue resolution and personalized interactions.

2. Multi-Channel Support:

   – Intercom supports communication across various channels, including website chat, mobile apps, and social media platforms. This ensures that businesses can connect with their customers wherever they are, providing a seamless and integrated experience.

3. Automation and Chatbots:

   – This live chat tool offers automation capabilities, allowing businesses to automate routine tasks and responses. Chatbots can be employed to handle frequently asked questions, guiding users to relevant information and freeing up human agents for more complex inquiries.

4. Customer Segmentation:

   – Intercom allows businesses to segment their customer base based on various criteria such as behavior, location, or purchase history. This segmentation enables targeted communication and personalized messaging, enhancing the overall customer experience.

5. Team Inbox and Collaboration:

   – The Team Inbox feature allows customer support teams to collaborate efficiently. Agents can assign and transfer conversations, making it easy to work together to resolve customer issues.

Pricing 

Essential- $39 per seat/month 

Advanced- $99 per seat/month

Expert- $139 per seat/month

#5 LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a customer support solution designed to streamline communication and enhance customer service. As an all-in-one platform, this live chat tool integrates various communication channels, ticketing systems, and automation features to provide a unified and efficient support experience for businesses of all sizes.

Key Features:

1. Multi-Channel Communication:

   LiveAgent consolidates communication channels, including email, live chat, social media, and voice, into a single dashboard. This ensures that customer inquiries are efficiently managed, and support teams can respond promptly, irrespective of the channel used.

2. Ticketing System:

   The platform employs a ticketing system to organize and prioritize customer queries. Tickets can be automatically generated from emails, chats, or social media interactions, enabling teams to handle requests systematically and prevent them from falling through the cracks.

3. Automation and AI:

   Automate routine tasks and responses using LiveAgent’s automation features. The platform incorporates AI-driven tools to analyze customer inquiries and suggest relevant solutions, reducing response times and increasing the efficiency of support teams.

4. Knowledge Base:

   Enhance self-service options for customers with a comprehensive knowledge base. LiveAgent allows businesses to create and maintain an organized repository of articles and FAQs, empowering customers to find answers to common queries independently.

5. Analytics and Reporting:

Gain actionable insights into support team performance with LiveAgent’s analytics and reporting features. Track key metrics, such as response times, ticket resolution rates, and customer satisfaction, to continuously improve support strategies.

Capterra Rating- 4.7

Pricing

Small Business-$9/agent per month billed annually

Medium Business-$29/agent per month billed annually 

Large Business- $49/agent per month billed annually

Enterprise-$69/agent per month billed annually 

Factors To Consider When Selecting A Live Chat Tool

Selecting the right live chat tools for your business is a critical decision that can significantly impact customer engagement, satisfaction, and overall operational efficiency. To ensure you make an informed choice, consider the following criteria when evaluating live chat tools:

1. User-Friendly Interface:

   – Look for tools with intuitive interfaces that are easy for both agents and customers to navigate.

   – The chat window should be unobtrusive but easily accessible, providing a seamless user experience.

2. Multi-Channel Support:

   – Choose a tool that supports multiple channels, including website chat, mobile apps, and social media platforms, to reach customers wherever they are.

3. Integration Capabilities:

   – Ensure the live chat tool integrates seamlessly with your existing customer relationship management (CRM) system, helpdesk software, and other relevant tools.

   – Integration with analytics tools can provide valuable insights into customer behavior.

4. Automation and Chatbots:

   – Look for tools that offer automation features and chatbot capabilities to handle routine queries, freeing up human agents for more complex issues.

   – Customization options for chatbots are essential to tailor responses to your brand’s tone and style.

5. Customization Options:

   – Choose a tool that allows you to customize the look and feel of the chat window to align with your brand identity.

   – Personalization options should extend to automated responses and proactive chat triggers.

6. Agent Collaboration Features:

   – Ensure the tool supports internal communication among agents for effective collaboration in resolving customer issues.

   – Features such as transfer and assignment of chats can streamline workflows.

7. Reporting and Analytics:

   – Select a tool with robust reporting and analytics capabilities to track key metrics such as response times, customer satisfaction, and chat volume.

   – Historical data can aid in identifying trends and areas for improvement.

8. Security and Compliance:

   – Prioritize tools that adhere to security standards and compliance regulations to protect sensitive customer information.

   – Encryption, data storage policies, and GDPR compliance are crucial considerations.

9. Scalability:

   – Ensure the live chat tool can scale with your business growth, accommodating an increasing volume of customer interactions without compromising performance.

10. Customer Support and Training:

    – Evaluate the level of customer support provided by the tool’s vendor, including available support channels and response times.

    – Access to training resources and documentation is essential for onboarding and ongoing usage.

11. Cost and Pricing Model:

    – Consider the total cost of ownership, including subscription fees, add-on costs, and any hidden charges.

    – Choose a pricing model that aligns with your business needs, whether it’s per user, per chat, or other structures.

12. Customer Feedback and Reviews:

    – Research customer reviews and testimonials to gain insights into the experiences of other businesses with the live chat tool.

    – Pay attention to feedback regarding reliability, ease of use, and customer satisfaction. See a sample below of glowing reviews of customers of Chatway WordPress plugin.

By carefully evaluating live chat tools based on these criteria, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business objectives and enhances the overall customer experience.

Conclusion

In summary, when it comes to helping customers in 2024, these five live chat tools are the go-to options. They make talking to customers easy and quick. Whether it’s putting all messages across multiple platforms in one place, understanding what customers are doing on your website, or even chatting on the go with mobile apps, these tools have got it covered. With features like these, you can keep customers happy and come back for more. My recommendation is to give Chatway a try. It is 100% free and poses no risk, it’s also perfect for businesses who are on a budget or are new to live chat and want to provide quality support to customers. 

Get started with Chatway.