How to Find the Best Live Chat Software for Your Needs?
Thanks to free trials, it’s pretty risk-free to choose a live chat tool these days. Here are a few tips to make your evaluation even more efficient:
- Free Trial or Free Plan: we only list providers that do offer a free trial. Some of them even have permanently free plans that you can use until your operation grows. For small businesses, they can even be sufficient. Be aware though that there is also an older generation of ‘enterprise’-type software, where you first need to talk to a sales rep before you can trial the product. I would advise against that unless you are prepared to pay dearly.
- Support: due to the nature of their business, the companies all offer live chat support. Do give it a try to see how fast they respond to your questions and whether the quality of the answers is any good.
- Compare prices: most live chat tools charge you a price per agent. Be aware though, that some companies charge per seat (e.g. LiveChat). This is advantageous if you have a support team that works in shifts around the clock as you can then share one seat between them. Yet other providers include multiple agents in their pricing tiers. To find out more, check out our overview of the 20 best live chat tools.
- Features you will typically need are: a solid live chat application that is mobile-friendly and has a solid web console for your support agents. It should be possible to turn the live chat widget into a contact form when no one’s around. Also highly recommendable is a solid analytics and statistics module that will inform you about your visitors country and their visit history. Advanced features include automatic triggers and greetings that will initiate chats based on rules (e.g. on the checkout page). Let me know if you have any further questions!
THE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS REVIEW
This article has been written and researched following a precise methodology.
Tooltester Methodology: How Do We Create our Reviews?