5 Live Chat Software Options to Enhance Your Customer Service

Did you know that 75% of people prefer using live chat to communicate with a company?

Live chat is critical for delivering top-notch customer service that drives sales and revenue in today’s tech-focused world. And with more people preferring to speak with a customer service representative through live chat, you need to consider adding it to your website.

But where do you start with integrating live chat on your website? We’ll break down everything you need to know about live chat, including:

• What is live chat?
• Why should I use live chat?
• Best live chat software

Keep reading to learn more, so you can boost your customer service by integrating live chat into your process!

P.S. Are you looking to boost your customer experience through your marketing? Subscribe to Revenue Weekly, our email newsletter, to get tips and tricks from our experienced team of marketers!

What is live chat?

Live chat is a function where people can use a messaging program to speak with a customer service team member without placing a phone call. With live chat, people can type up questions or problems they have to get the solutions they need. It’s a helpful tool to use alongside other platforms like helpdesk software.

Why should I use live chat?

Live chat on your website is critical for providing customers with the contact method they desire to use.

Here are a few reasons you’ll want to start looking for chat support software:

1. People like using live chat

You’ll want to start looking for live chat software because people like using live chat. As stated in the earlier statistic, 75% of people prefer to use live chat over other means of communication with companies. This method is a preferred way of reaching out to companies.

So, why is that?

Well, 34% of people prefer live chats because there are no wait times, and 27% of people like it because it’s convenient.

Live chat offers quick response times, so people can get answers to their questions faster than if they called and were put on hold. It’s also easy for people to contact your business as they browse your site so they can get a quick answer and continue browsing.

Overall, you’ll want to invest in live chat on your website because people want to use this method most to contact your business.

2. Live chat enables you to help multiple people at once

Does your customer service team struggle to manage the volume of phone calls and emails you get from customers? If so, adding live chat (along with a bot marketing tool like a Facebook Messenger chatbot) into that mix can help alleviate that problem.

One of the most significant issues with phone calls and emails is that you can only help one person at a time. So, if you have a high volume of customer calls or emails, they get delayed responses, impacting people purchasing from your business.

With live chat, your customer service team can help multiple people at once. They can help one person and help another person who has a quick and straightforward question while waiting for a response from the first chatter.

Your customer service team can help more people get the answers and information they need faster, which leaves your prospects happy and more likely to buy.

3. Live chat improves conversions

You’ll want to invest in live chat software solely to improve your conversions. In fact, adding live chat on your website can improve conversions by 12%!

Using live chat enables prospects to get answers to their queries faster, leading them to convert.

Imagine this: Betty is browsing your website and sees a pair of jeans she likes. Betty has always had trouble fitting in different types of jeans, but she likes what you offer. She wants to know that if they don’t fit, she can ship them back rather than return them to a store because she’s busy.

If your website has live chat, Betty can open it up while on the page with the jeans and quickly ask if your company allows for shipped returns. And when your customer service rep tells her yes, she’s delighted and decides to purchase.

Now imagine how that scenario plays out differently if you don’t have live chat. Betty had a simple question but would have to wait on the phone to get a response or wait a day or more for an email response. It could leave Betty feeling discouraged and make her not want to buy the jeans.

By investing in live chat software, you can answer customer queries faster, enabling them to decide if they want to purchase sooner. It’s a critical tool for helping you provide much-needed answers fast.

4. Live chat enables you to streamline your customer service process

How many times a day does your customer service team get people who ask the same questions? They spend a lot of time fielding the same queries, which prevents them from helping people with more unique queries faster.

With live chat, you can use chatbots to help streamline your customer service process. For those simple and commonly asked queries, your chatbot can provide customer service for your team. It frees up your team to focus on more complex questions.

It helps you create a better customer service flow for your customer service team.

5 best live chat software options to provide better customer service

Ready to make live chat part of your customer service suite? We’ve compiled a list of the best live chat software you can use, which includes:

1. LiveChat
2. Zendesk
3. Birdeye
4. Zoho Desk
5. Podium

Keep reading to see if one of these options is a good fit to add live chat on your website!

1. LiveChat

Cost: $16–$50 per agent billed annually, enterprise options available

First on our list of the best live chat software is LiveChat. This software provides you with everything you need to deliver a better customer experience for your audience.

With LiveChat’s Business plan, you get everything you need to provide top-notch chat service, including:

• Unlimited chat history
• Ticketing system
• Data security
• Widget customization
• Integration into multiple channels (website, app, etc.)
• And more

LiveChat is one of the best options on the market for helping you deliver the best customer experience.

2. Zendesk

Cost: $49–$99 per agent per month

Another excellent option for chat support software is Zendesk. Zendesk enables you to provide top-quality customer service through live chat.

Zendesk offers dozens of great features to help you provide top-notch service, including:

• Ticketing system
• Personalized live chat support
• Automation and workflow setup
• AI-powered auto answer setup
• And more

Zendesk is an excellent solution if you’re looking to boost your overall customer service experience for your audience.

3. Birdeye

Cost: Custom pricing

Another great chat support software option is Birdeye. Birdeye enables you to easily integrate chat software into your website to start providing top-notch customer service.

Here’s some of what you get with Birdeye:

• Integration of customer name and phone number in chat for easy contact
• Follow up of live chat through text
• Chatbot integration
• Customized website chat widget
• And more

Birdeye is a great option if you’re looking for software that can help you deliver a better customer experience on your website.

4. Zoho Desk

Cost: $0–$40 per agent per month

If you want to put live chat on your website, try Zoho Desk. Zoho Desk offers SalesIQ, enabling you to integrate live chat into your website.

You’ll receive numerous great features with Zoho Desk, including:

• Live chat window on your website
• Chat support software on mobile apps
• Instant messaging channels
• Canned responses to answer common questions
• Typing preview

Zoho Desk is a great live chat software option if you want to provide top-notch customer service for your audience.

5. Podium

Cost: $289–$649 per month

Podium is a great live chat software option if you don’t want to pay per agent. Their Standard plan enables unlimited contacts and team members for $449 a month, making it a great option if you have a larger customer service team.

With Podium, you get numerous great features like:

• Turning web chats into text messages for mobile communication
• Setup of smart responses
• Customizable chat widget
• Customizable chat branding
• And more

Podium is a great option if you’re looking for an all-in-one software option to power your live chat on your website.

Start using live chat on your website today

Using live chat on your website is extremely valuable for providing a better customer experience that increases revenue for your business.

And if you want to get more tips and tricks to providing a better customer experience, subscribe to our newsletter, Revenue Weekly! We provide you with tips and tricks for delivering a better customer experience through your marketing!