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What is Live Chat Software for Small Business?

Live chat software can be used by companies to offer instant assistance to their website visitors and customers. Top live chat solutions offer text chat, video, help desk, voice, and CRM features. Chats can be categorized into two main types: pro-active chat in which the website visitor is greeted with a pop-up box they can use to chat with an agent, and broadcast where the visitor can initiate the chat. Companies should look for Live Chat Software for Small Business that integrates seamlessly with their existing e-commerce, help desk, and CRM systems. Show moreThe platform should also offer useful features such as capability to share discussions, preference settings for chat windows and reminders, and archive and reporting tools. Top vendors of Live Chat Software for Small Business include LiveEngage, SnapEngage, LiveChat, and Olark. We currently rate Zendesk Chat as the leading live chat application in our database, but you can also check out other good quality apps to get a wider choice.Show less

How was this ranking made?

To prepare this ranking of best Live Chat Software for Small Business we have checked popular applications currently present on the market, comparing their features, ease of implementation, client service, possible integrations as well as mobile support using our exclusive SmartScoreTM rating system. This list has been created by Nestor Gilbert, our software expert responsible for the Live Chat Software for Small Business category.

List of Top 13 Live Chat Software for Small Business

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1. Zendesk Chat

Our score: 8.5 User satisfaction: 100%

Zopim’s web chat software offers users with a huge advantage over their competition through its live chat support service.

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2. Pipedrive

Our score: 9.4 User satisfaction: 100%

Pipedrive is the winner of our Expert's Choice Award. It is a personal sales manager for small, medium-sized, and large businesses that lets you close more deals and improve sales. Built by both salespeople and web developers, it is a practical easy-to-use tool that people with varying tech-savviness can instantly use.

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3. Vision Helpdesk

Our score: 9.2 User satisfaction: 99%

Vision Helpdesk is a customer support help desk platform that allows users to manage calls, live chat, and email in a single, convenient platform. Equipped with a help desk, ITIL/ITSM desk, and satellite desk, it is also available on mobile devices so customers can easily access customer support and help desk services.

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4. LiveAgent

Our score: 9.4 User satisfaction: 99%

A leading live chat software founded on the principles of simplicity. Powerful on top of being intuitive, it centralizes communications by keeping messages in a single inbox, to ensure that customer service agents can give attention to high priority requests. This also lets them pick up where their colleagues left off to narrow down tickets.

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5. Freshchat

Our score: 9.2 User satisfaction: 96%

Freshchat is an advanced messaging solution for the digital-first customer that combines human and artificial intelligence to deliver zero contact resolutions and effortless customer service.

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6. Freshdesk Messaging

Our score: 9.2 User satisfaction: 96%

A messaging solution designed to help businesses deliver efficient, personalized customer service. Through the platform, agents can use a unified Team Inbox to manage all customer queries across multiple communication channels. Self-service AI chatbots also reduce agent workload without compromising customer service levels.

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7. Salesforce Live Agent

Our score: 9.1 User satisfaction: 92%

A real-time live chat support solution for your customer inquiries on your website and application. This puts your support team on standby 24/7. This connects them with clients anytime for immediate issue resolutions. And since it can open multiple chat tabs, one agent can take on multiple tickets simultaneously.

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8. Podium

Our score: 9.1 User satisfaction: 95%

Podium is a robust online review software designed to help organizations power local interaction.

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9. LiveChat

Our score: 9.0 User satisfaction: 96%

This software is a full-featured live chat and help desk solution for customer service and support. It is web-accessible, making it an attractive addition to your tech stack. What’s more, it has website traffic monitoring to ensure that agents provide contextualized assistance.

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10. Velaro

Our score: 8.7 User satisfaction: 91%

Velaro is a web-based live chat solution that lets you improve your communication with your customers and visitors in a matter of seconds. The software gives you an accurate picture of how visitors interact with your website, so support agents can have additional context for conversations with customers. Features such as tiered chat routing also ensure that agents' skills are maximized.

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11. Zoho SalesIQ

Our score: 9.0 User satisfaction: 100%

Zoho SalesIQ is an advanced tool for tracking website visitors and providing live chat support to customers, which helps companies evaluate business opportunities. It is a powerful platform that can offer valuable information like website browsing behavior, customer location, visiting frequency, and more.

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12. Zendesk

Our score: 9.6 User satisfaction: 98%

Winner of our Best Live Chat Software Award, Zendesk is a customer support solution that helps boost customer service and improve customer retention. The platform's modules include chat support, call center solutions, help desk applications, and knowledge base, so you'll cover all the bases of efficient customer services.

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13. Intercom Live Chat

Our score: 8.8 User satisfaction: 88%

Intercom Live Chat is a software platform you can use to track and engage your visitors, and convert them into your customers.

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Live Chat Software for Small Business Guide

Table of contents

You can purchase a high-quality online chat application for business. However, with the many similar products available, it is hard to distinguish between good and bad live chat tools. This buyer’s guide is intended to assist you in selecting the best live chat software for small and large businesses by providing a checklist of considerations.

Get to Know Each Product with Free Trial

Vendors of the best live chat software for business typically provide free trials, demos, and basic plans. Signing up for these allows you to learn the fundamentals of each system. You don’t have to pay anything to compare two systems and quickly identify problems. Begin by compiling a short list of potential small business live chat software by examining which tools in our Customer Support category have the highest SmartScore rankings and customer satisfaction ratings: Freshchat, Pipedrive, Velaro, Podium, LiveAgent, and more.

Targeted Businesses

Live chat tools benefit any business that wishes to assist customers online. However, there are three instances when having this type of software is required if you want to provide good customer service:

  • Small businesses that want to gain the trust of their customers. Live chat software for small businesses is similar to traditional stores in that salespeople are present to assist customers in locating what they require. Because they might have a hard time hiring a large team for the job, small businesses may also find it difficult to personalize the same experience behind the screen. Instead, they should consider assembling a small team of knowledgeable professionals to help them establish trust in their brand.
  • Medium businesses are a subset of growing and changing businesses and find it challenging to predict their customers’ questions, problems, and needs. They would want to avoid such problems and may benefit from a live chat system to make things easier, track visitors in real time, and assist people even if they are unsure of what is wrong.
  • Large corporations want to personalize the customer experience. Still, the biggest issue could be that they have “second-hand” customer relationships where customers do not feel truly cared for. Large businesses can benefit from live chat systems because they can track how visitors behave and invite them to chat when it appears that it would be beneficial.

What are examples of live chat software for small businesses?

Live business chat software abounds in the market. Here are some of the best tools to explore:

  1. Freshchat – It combines artificial and human intelligence across messaging channels to provide seamless customer service for digital-first customers. This powerful messaging platform serves customers across digital channels. It is available on the web, mobile, in-app, and others. 
  2. Pipedrive – it is a sales-focused CRM with a simple, powerful design. It is created to be agile and powerful so that nothing falls through the cracks, letting teams spend less time filing and more time selling.
  3. Velaro – It is an enterprise-specific website live chat software that helps maximize sales, improve service, and boost rep productivity. It allows real-time feedback, identification of coachable moments, and continuous improvement.
  4. Podium – It helps boost customer reviews, sends personalized texts, customizes outbound marketing campaigns, and powers text and credit card payments from one easy-to-use inbox.
  5. LiveAgent – It allows users to link all support inputs, including emails, Facebook comments, Tweets, contact forms, live chat, and phone calls. It is available as SaaS or self-hosted in 43 languages.
  6. Vision Helpdesk – It is a customer support ticketing software that serves all small, medium, and enterprise-level business with its help desk software, satellite help desk software, service desk software, and chat software. 
  7. Zendesk – It allows natural conversations with customers using the Support Suite and its omnichannel support. It’s sophisticated enough to meet complex needs and simple enough to get started immediately.
  8. Freshdesk Messaging – It combines artificial and human intelligence across messaging channels to provide seamless customer service. Customers can expect on-demand, personalized support on familiar channels.
  9. Salesforce Live Agent – it provides real-time live chat for websites and apps. It lets site visitors contact your company online, and your representatives respond in real-time with instant connection 24/7.
  10. LiveChat – It is a web-based support and service chat and helps desk app that includes tools for online marketing, web analytics, and live customer support. It lets users chat with clients and prospects on websites in real time.

Types of Live Chat Software for Small Business

Based on the services they provide, there are three main types of live chat software for small businesses:

  • Information Live Chat Systems. These systems are simply used to provide visitors with information and answer questions at any time, usually to assist them in deciding or providing information about a product. Most of the time, chat agents only handle incoming requests, but it’s not uncommon for these systems to be able to track behavior and allow agents to step in even when they’re not asked.
  • Sales Live Chat Systems. These systems were created to assist online stores in providing important information to customers who are about to purchase something. Instead of technicians, behind the desk will be sales agents with a wealth of knowledge and a natural ability to convert prospects into buyers.
  • Customer Service Live Chat Systems. People frequently confuse customer service and informational live chat systems, but the main difference is that customer service focuses on assisting customers with problems rather than answering questions. This is why they are run by technicians and IT departments. Their feature set is far more advanced than that of informal services, and they frequently allow you to get help from a distance.

Apart from these, small business live chat software is divided into two categories based on the channels:

  • Text Only. The only way for agents and customers to communicate with each other using this type of Live Chat Software for Small Businesses is through chat. Most chat widgets on websites allow users to initiate conversations.
  • Video or voice. Live chat solutions allow you to make voice or video calls. These are especially useful when customers have difficult-to-explain problems that necessitate a lengthy conversation.

Key Features of Live Chat Software for Small Businesses

According to our in-depth comparisons, your next live chat system should include the following key features:

  • API Application Programming Interface (API). They are not usually industry-specific because each company has a different software infrastructure with which to integrate the system. Instead, they provide developers with a set of open APIs that can be used to connect the system to any third-party platform manually.
  • Co-browsing. This is the same as screen sharing, a feature that allows you to observe how visitors behave, track what they do, and direct them to do what you want them to do. As you might expect, this is a very useful tool to have when you think a little contact might be beneficial.
  • Email Transcripts. All of your chats are converted into full transcripts by good live chat systems and saved in the platform’s database for later use. The best ones, however, are powerful enough to send the information directly to your email address.
  • File-sharing. Like chat boxes on social networks, corporate live chat systems should have a way to share files. The system should ideally be able to handle files of various sizes and formats.
  • Mobile Device Support. This is one of those features that should not go unnoticed because it is so important when doing business online. You should not make your customers wait until they have access to their computers before contacting you. Instead, go for a solution that includes a mobile app so they can contact you anytime.
  • Social Media Integration. The sooner you link your social media accounts to your live chat system, the better. People look for you first on social media, so include a chat button on your profile page and import that information into your live chat system.
  • Surveys and Feedback. One of the benefits of directly communicating with customers is that you can conduct surveys based on their responses and use the results to gauge how well your company is doing.
  • Ticketing. You might think that live chat systems don’t need a ticketing system, but for the most part, they do. For one thing, an agent might not be available to answer right away or be dealing with a complicated issue that needs to be sent to technical support. Customer preferences can also play a role. Some people, for example, prefer not to speak with an agent and instead submit a ticket.
  • Visitor Monitoring. Visitors are monitored by visitor monitoring systems on live chat platforms so that they can get help immediately. This informs agents about how visitors arrive at the website, which pages they visit, and how long they spend on each section. As a result, they can provide personalized assistance and even find new customers.
  • Analytics. Live chat solutions provide data on how well the customer service team is performing. With this information, team leaders can determine where they need to improve in order to provide the best service possible.

Benefits of Live Chat Software for Small Businesses

According to our Live Chat Software for Small Business reviews, the following are the primary benefits for businesses that use this type of system:

  • Support costs are lower. Because each agent can only handle one call at a time, phone support is expensive. Live-chat agents, on the other hand, can handle multiple conversations at the same time, allowing them to assist more customers in the same amount of time as phone support agents.
  • Increase sales. Metrics tell online stores how customers interact with their website, which helps them increase sales. They can use live chat software for small businesses to direct visitors to pages with less popular products, answer any questions they may have, and use co-browsing to suggest products that visitors might be interested in purchasing.
  • Improved customer service. Many businesses provide self-help tools such as a knowledge base and frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages, but customers may be unfamiliar with how to use them. Along with self-service tools, these businesses can provide live chat assistance to customers to help them get the most out of them. This can make customers happier while lowering the company’s phone support costs.
  • Increasing the number of visitors. Some businesses use their website for advertising their products or services, hoping visitors will contact them. However, prospective clients may be hesitant to contact businesses such as law firms, insurance agencies, and car dealerships until they have received answers to their questions. These businesses can use live chat to answer the most common questions that may be preventing customers from contacting them.
  • Ideas for R&D. When customer service representatives talk to customers, they can learn what they need and what they expect from the company’s products or services. The organization can then use the feedback to generate new ideas.

 

  • Automatic Response. Automated responses allow you to still inform customers when chat agents are unavailable. As a result, they know that their problems cannot be resolved immediately and must wait a certain amount of time.
  • Chatbots. Even if a customer service representative cannot speak with the customer, a chatbot can. Customers can use this to quickly solve simple problems.
  • Screen sharing. This is now available in some small business live chat software. Customers can show support agents their desktops, and agents can do the same for them. As a result, representatives can better understand the issue and devise the best solutions.

Potential Issues

  • Mobile Device Responsiveness. Businesses must consider how well their small business live chat software works on mobile devices. People like to do many things on their phones, so the live chat widget needs to be easy to use. In either case, a business might miss out on new leads or lose customers they already have.
  • Agents’ Tone. It can be hard to tell how either the customer service rep or the customer feels through chat. So, agents have to work hard to look friendly so customers don’t lose interest. They must choose their words and punctuation marks with great care.
  • Integrations with third-party services. Information sharing can help with sales, marketing, and customer service solutions. It can be a problem if a live chat app doesn’t work well with other platforms. Businesses could miss important information that could help them improve their products or services.

List of Live Chat Software for Small Business Companies

Order by:

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  • Newest
  • Score
  • User Score
Product name:
Category:
Smart Score:
Price:
User Satisf.
User reviews:
Freshdesk Messaging reviews

Freshdesk Messaging

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.2
$15
96%
Smith.ai reviews

Smith.ai

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.8
$140
96%
Zendesk reviews

Zendesk

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.6
$19
98%
HelpCrunch reviews

HelpCrunch

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.7
$12
100%
Salesforce Live Agent reviews

Salesforce Live Agent

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.1
By quote
92%
Drift reviews

Drift

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.9
By quote
100%
Freshchat reviews

Freshchat

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.2
$15
96%
Podium reviews

Podium

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.1
by quote
95%
Intercom Live Chat reviews

Intercom Live Chat

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.8
$49
88%
Velaro reviews

Velaro

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.7
$64.95
91%
Pure Chat reviews

Pure Chat

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.6
$99
97%
Smartsupp reviews

Smartsupp

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.6
$8
100%
Zoho SalesIQ reviews

Zoho SalesIQ

Live Chat Software for Small Business
9.0
7
100%
Olark reviews

Olark

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.7
$12
98%
Zendesk Chat reviews

Zendesk Chat

Live Chat Software for Small Business
8.5
$11.20
100%

Things to consider when you invest in a SaaS

SaaS software offers many benefits such as easy setup, access, and integration as well as data security. To select the perfect system for your needs, you need to do your homework thoroughly. To start, begin with the following suggestions to consider and analyze the various products:

Know your needs: First, be clear about your firm’s needs and requirements. Why do you need to invest in a SaaS system? What tasks and goals do you intend to achieve with the system? If you are clear about your needs, you can easily find an apt solution that fulfills them.

Compare features and price: Make a shortlist of SaaS systems that offer the functionality you need and are within your budget. Peruse online reviews of the shortlisted solutions to get an idea of what each one offers.

Use the free trial and extend it if necessary: Subscribe to the free trials of the shortlisted solutions and check out their tools firsthand. This will help you to understand if the software offers what you need to boost your firm’s effectiveness and productivity. Ask for an extension of the free trial if the time is too short to learn about the app’s effectiveness.

Talk to the vendor: Finally, talk to each provider about the assistance and support they can offer. Try to negotiate the fee and get discounts. Ask about the training and consultation they provide to assist you to utilize the app efficiently.

Frequently asked questions about Live Chat Software for Small Business

What is the best live chat software for small businesses?

The best live chat software for small businesses is Freshchat, formerly Freshdesk Messaging. This AI-powered messaging software makes customer service easy. It is designed for digital customers and maintains conversations across all messaging channels to address all customer concerns. Thus, companies can provide excellent customer service and gain customer trust.

Freshchat provides personalized customer service via customers’ preferred messaging channels without requiring conversations. Meanwhile, its unified inbox lets users manage conversations and use any messaging app, thus improving response time and team KPIs.

Ultimately, customers get answers even without waiting for a live agent. Intelligent chatbots solve problems and gather customer data. Contextual agent handoffs reduce Average Handle Time, and chatbots answer repeated questions. Users can communicate with customers on mobile, web, in-app, Apple Business Chat, and more. Ultimately, Freshchat lets your business improve customer service and lower costs by switching to messaging.

 

 

 

 

What are the benefits of live chat software for small businesses?

Responding to clients’ needs after the deal is closed is just as crucial as answering their questions before the sale is made. This is why the market for live chat software for SMEs exists. It may cater to multiple groups’ requirements while meeting the public’s expectations. Here are some of the specific advantages it offers:

  • Precision service delivery. Live chat software for SMEs allows support staff to notice in real time when a customer needs help. They are notified of any new messages on the platform.
  • Reduced maintenance costs. Businesses can save money on support-related costs by switching to a live chat system. This is made feasible by software allowing agents to juggle multiple chats simultaneously.
  • Aid with R&D efforts. The needs and wants of consumers can be a minefield for new product development. To improve their offerings, businesses might use this information.

 

What are the features of live chat software for small businesses?

Live chat features in small business software facilitate communication with current and potential clients. Features such as these can be particularly useful:

  • Social media connectivity. This is becoming standard in live chat software. As a result, your agents can answer questions right away, even when they aren’t logged into the platform from where they originated.
  • Ticketing. Because of this, the live chat platform can generate a ticket in the event that an agent is not immediately accessible to assist a consumer. This will allow support staff members to respond to and address customer concerns as soon as they are posted when they log on.
  • File-sharing. File sharing is possible in some live chat programs. This paves the way for CSRs to provide customers with files that can be used to fix their issues.
  • Transcripts of conversations. Live chat software for small businesses allows for the recording of all conversations between agents and customers. Thus, any potential conflicts can be addressed more effectively.

 

 

What is the easiest live chat software for small businesses to use?

When making a decision about which live chat software to utilize, a small business will prioritize how intuitive and simple the interface is. This can be difficult, though, due to the abundance of platforms that all boast of being simple to use. To assist you with this, we have provided a list of the three most user-friendly live chat solutions:

  • Freshchat. This highly regarded system is often used because of its intuitive design. It’s also easy to use, so people won’t have any trouble figuring out what to do next.
  • LiveChat.This software has all the bells and whistles yet is surprisingly simple to use. Also, it may be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, eliminating the need for any complex set-up procedures.
  • LiveAgent. Because of its potency and ease of use, this solution is frequently used by businesses needing a live chat system. The components are neatly laid out on display, making them simple to access.

 

 

 

What is a good free live chat software for small businesses?

Affordable live chat software is available for small enterprises. To get their enterprises off the ground, small firms can use the following three examples of fundamental assistance tools:

  • Freshchat. There can be up to ten people using the site at once. Even with the free plan, you can connect your social network accounts.
  • LiveAgent. The basic edition of the software already provides you with a trustworthy AI assistant. On top of that, you’re allowed an infinite number of conversations.

 

 

 

 

Nestor Gilbert

By Nestor Gilbert

Nestor Gilbert is a senior B2B and SaaS analyst and a core contributor at FinancesOnline for over 5 years. With his experience in software development and extensive knowledge of SaaS management, he writes mostly about emerging B2B technologies and their impact on the current business landscape. However, he also provides in-depth reviews on a wide range of software solutions to help businesses find suitable options for them. Through his work, he aims to help companies develop a more tech-forward approach to their operations and overcome their SaaS-related challenges.

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FinancesOnline is available for free for all business professionals interested in an efficient way to find top-notch SaaS solutions. We are able to keep our service free of charge thanks to cooperation with some of the vendors, who are willing to pay us for traffic and sales opportunities provided by our website. Please note, that FinancesOnline lists all vendors, we’re not limited only to the ones that pay us, and all software providers have an equal opportunity to get featured in our rankings and comparisons, win awards, gather user reviews, all in our effort to give you reliable advice that will enable you to make well-informed purchase decisions.

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