Best SaaS Live Chat Software 2023

Looking to transform your website for the better in 2023? Adding the best live chat software to your site will help build a better business that ultimately gains increased conversions and greater client loyalty. Sound good? Then read on…

In this guide to the best online chat software for 2023, we will answer all of your key questions, including but not limited to;

• What is saas live web chat software?
• Why should you add live chat software to your business website?
• What should you look for in your web chat software?
• What is the best live chat software in 2023?
• What is instant message for business?

What is chat for website software?

Saas live chat software, also known as web chat software, is defined by experts at Business Wire as a tool that allows businesses "to interact directly with visitors on their applications and websites through the combination of survey forms, instant messaging for business, or chat". It is now a key feature of a modern company's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy.

The software places an instant messenger chat box sometimes called a chat widget on a company's website. The pop-up chat box enables a website user to connect with a customer care operator directly from your website homepage (or other pages). In many cases, website managers configure the website chat software so that an automated welcome message pops up to explain that an agent is available to answer their questions.

What are the benefits of using live chat software in 2023?

Live chat software is now used by millions of websites and the is growing at a CAGR of 8.8 and set to surpass $1.7bn by 2030. However, the fact that other companies are using this type of customer care tool isn't the only incentive for adding web chat software to your company.

The truth is that it is an upgrade that can deliver a wealth of benefits for your business. Here's why you should look to use live chat software ASAP;

• It allows you to provide an affordable approach to customer care as operators can handle interactions via the instant messaging software.
• A huge 80% of consumers are happy to pay more for a better customer experience, and live web chat can support this.
• Many customers will feel that a brand is more professional when it has live chat software on its site.
• Live chat software makes consumers 38% more likely to convert as a result of those above factors.
• The use of online web chat software can open the door to 24/7 customer care, even if your stores are shut at these times.

Given that your website is the greatest marketing and customer care facility at your disposal, those benefits can translate to a better bottom line. But only if you select the right provider.

What to look for in live chat software services?

With 19 in 20 consumers citing customer service as a key factor in their choice of brand and loyalty, finding the right web chat software is crucial. Before navigating the minefield, you must know what you're looking for. The key attributes for most businesses are;

• Value for money,
• Compatibility with your CMS,
• Ease of use for multiple agents,
• The company's reputation,
• Functional capabilities and features.

The best web chat software for business in 2023

With literally hundreds of options to choose from, many business owners will either use the first product they find or abandon the idea altogether. Thankfully, our experts have done the hard work for you to create a shortlist of 10 brilliant options for 2023 and beyond.

While every business has unique requirements and should find the software that aligns with their needs, we've ranked the best options based on the criteria above. Here's everything you need to know:

#1. Click4Assistance

Having launched in 2006, Click4Assistance is one of the longest-running online live chat software providers on the planet. While predominantly focused on the UK market, the software is used by companies around the globe from a range of business verticals. And it is firmly as the premier service for startups and organizations alike.

The software is used by a variety of high profile clients including the NHS, Which?, and UK Power Networks. If that doesn't underline the professionalism and trustworthiness of the software, an uptime rate of 99.98% certainly will.

Click4Assistance offers a range of incredible features. Coni the chatbot can manage the initial interaction before transferring the visitor to a real agent quickly and smoothly. The intelligent systems can manage a team of multiple advisors with ease while it can be integrated with social media. It is also easily installed onto all popular CMS and website builders.

Its functional features include a truly customizable design that can be modified through HTML or CSS, thus enabling website owners to truly reflect the colour scheme of their brand. It is also possible to facilitate video chat or voice interactions so that customers can seek support in whichever method they prefer. The ability to track user interactions ensures that agents can pick up the conversation, thus leading to increased visitor satisfaction levels.

Both the Standard (£21.95 per month) and Professional (£32.95 per month) packages allow businesses to incorporate web chat software for around a pound a day. Better still, packages are offered on a 30-day rolling contract - although annual plans are available with a 10% discount - and do not have any setup fees. The customisation capabilities are further shown by the fact that owners can build their own packages too.

The option to schedule a demo and avoid long-term contracts means there is nothing to lose.

• It's easy to install and easily customisable on any CMS.
• Video chat and Click2Call audio chat features offer multifaceted client care.
• Connections to clients are reliable, and far cheaper for businesses.
• Meeting rooms allow collaboration between agents and multiple guests.
• Packages, including tailor-made solutions, cater to all businesses.

• The emphasis on UK businesses may cause some issues for international customers, although many overseas businesses still use it.

#2. ZenDesk Chat

With prices starting at $49 per month per agent (and rising to $70 or $99 for more advanced packages), many business owners will instantly turn away from ZenDesk Chat. But don't be so hasty. While it might not be one of the cheaper options on the market, it does offer some of the best value for money.

ZenDesk Chat is naturally a fantastic solution for anyone that uses the Zendesk software for managing sales but can also integrate with Shopify, WordPress, and other popular website and eCommerce tools. Its AI chatbots are intelligent, responsive, and capable of initiating customer interactions when their website behaviours or actions hit certain triggers. Moreover, a centralised approach to support allows you to combine sales enquiries and general enquiries with ease. Ticketing systems may be used when agents are unavailable, which can bring convenience for users.

You can also set the tool to filter messages and categorise different clients based on their trends. In truth, it will take a lot of effort to do while many users will need to undergo training too. However, once you unlock the full potential of the software, it is one of the most efficient on the market. Not least because you can use post-interaction guest surveys to gain valuable feedback to improve your customer care services further.

In particular, the categorisation aspects are very effective when you have a large business with multiple departments as it is possible to build knowledge bases that can be utilised by your live agents and customers. In turn, this can prevent delays and promote fast solutions.

• Some of the most powerful tools to combine sales and general enquiries.
• You can filter messages with just a few clicks and automation,
• It integrates with a large range of apps and is very customisable,
• The tool supports customer care agents as well as customers.

• Expensive, especially if you want all the features.
• Very technical, from setup to ongoing management.

#3. Gorgias

Gorgias is another software that, like the two above, can combine chatbots and live chat agents while simultaneously delivering a range of additional features to customer communications to provide an all-in-one solution where you can manage live chat, chat bots, calls, emails, texts, and social media interactions from a single dashboard.

The pop p widget can be added to your homepage (and other pages) within minutes. This allows you to solve issues without needing to use email tickets, although they can be used too when agents aren't available. Interactions can be routed to the right agent, manually or through automation tools that are available as an add-on. The tools are particularly useful when wanting to provide immediate responses to the most commonly asked questions

Like many of the best live chat software solutions on the market, it also introduces a degree of self-service, which is wanted by 81% of consumers. The aforementioned instant responses can guide visitors through order returns, troubleshooting questions, and order enquiries.

Gorgias is used by over 11,000 brands daily.

• Add-on automations allow interactions to be rerouted with ease.
• It features an email capture feature, which is highly beneficial for winning new leads.
• Starting at $10 per month for the starter package, it can scale with the company.
• Support reporting, surveys, and live data are all great features.

• Not the best website chat software for UK businesses
• Some of the customised features are only available on Enterprise plans.

#4. LiveChat

LiveChat is used by over 33,000 websites and there are at least two very good reasons. Firstly, the name of the software means it is one of the first to show up on most searches for the best live chat facilities. Secondly, it integrates very well with WordPress websites, which is the most popular hosting and CMS solution by far.

The software is also used by big companies like CBS, IKEA, and Lexus. It can also integrate with over 200 digital tools such as Shopify, Whatsapp, and Mailchimp. While it might not be a great option for non-WordPress sites, it is a user-friendly option for new website owners in particular. While the customisation and personalisation options aren't great, it does mean you get to use the software quickly.

LiveChat is more expensive than many other tools on the market, with business packages costing $59 per month. Moreover, the pricing model shows a clear focus on the US market. Nevertheless, features like the ability to add a feedback survey at the end of the chat interaction are welcomed.

One of the most noticeable features is the fast loading times thanks to the responsive pop-up wizard. As long as the company is supported by the right live chat agents, LiveChat is a very good choice for WordPress site owners.

• It offers a good UX for WordPress site owners.
• Live chat agents can access the plugin on computers, smartphones, or tablets.
• Administrators can easily manage the different live chat agents.

• Although used by UK companies, it doesn't necessarily feel tailored for them.
• Customisation options are limited to the templates.
• Does not work as a good option outside of WordPress.

#5. Smith.ai

Smith.ai is a full service virtual receptionist and lead intake solution that incorporates live web chat software as a core feature. Smith.ai can subsequently be used for live web chat, SMS responses, call answering and redirection functions, lead screening, and appointment scheduling. However, many businesses will focus solely on the live chat items.

One of the best features of Smith.ai is the fact that real-time data is supported by visualisations to help your agents make data-driven decisions with ease. While it's hardly exclusive to this web chat software, Smith.ai does it better than most. The dashboard allows you to see the big picture relating to interactions with the individual user as well as the company's objectives.

It is a tool that will help you get more out of this growing sales funnel, largely thanks to its simplicity. The software can integrate easily with your CRM and will record text conversations via the CRM or email. You can also connect the live chat software to your billing software. Easy installation and syncing create a much better UX than most tools on the market.

All packages offer AI and live chat, starting at $140 per month (starter), $300 per month (basic) or $600 per month (pro). All packages can have additional add-ons at an extra cost while a pay-as-you-go service provides the AI and live chat care for $10 per chat.

• Live data is visualised well for a beginner-friendly solution.
• It also includes the optional add-on virtual receptionists to make calls on your behalf.
• Unlimited Q&As let you use automated knowledge bases to great advantage.

• Expensive if you exceed your plan limits.
• Custom programming costs.
• While it has a lot of integrations, Smith.ai doesn't support as many tools as others.

#6.ChatBot

Primarily designed for WordPress and WooCommerce, the ChatBot tool is another very popular choice that is helped by a very strong SEO presence. Crucially, it does not require any coding, which makes it a very good choice for novice website owners. You simply drag and drop the bot responses to create a flow of automated responses that will save you time and money by handling 24/7 customer interactions.

Easy user functions are at the heart of the ChatBot tool, which is evidenced further by the plethora of templates available. This includes discount templates, restaurant templates, and various others that allow you to provide automated responses with ease. While the automated features do play a key role, human advisors can be added with a few clicks too.

Data is reported in real-time while all interaction are said so that you can build individual customer profiles and spot trends through the ChatBot web chat software. This can even extend to ideas like seeing when your busiest periods are, which allows you to make data-driven decisions even on scheduling your team rotas.

The ChatBot live chat software is best suited for small firms that cannot have lots of live chat agents available at once, especially if most customers ask the same questions. When this is the case, the AI tools will guide them through the buying or booking an appointment processes.

• One of the best web chat software tools for restaurants due to dedicated templates.
• The chatbot testing tool lets you try things out before hitting publish.
• Templates save you valuable time.

• Low limits on starter packages, which are also quite expensive.
• The AI still isn't as advanced as tools like Click4Assistance.
• Not great for non WordPress or WooCommerce sites.

#7.SendInBlue

SendInBlue is another powerful tool that, despite having limited features compared to some of its competitors, can help businesses deliver impactful real-time customer experiences. It is designed to work as a WordPress plugin, which means you can download and install it to your site in just a few clicks.

While the nature of a WordPress plugin does limit some of the customisation opportunities, SendInBlue does allow for some flexibility relating to design and function. Automated chat bots can provide users with answer to their queries or redirect them to a chat agent with a smooth transition. Moreover, all interactions can be managed under one dashboard, which includes social media interactions on Facebook or Instagram.

Boosting customer happiness can relate to increased conversions and average spending. The dashboard allows agents to easily navigate between different client interactions across multiple channels. It is also possible to add items like post-interaction surveys by adjusting the settings from within the WordPress widget.

SendInBlue also offers a range of marketing plugins that cover email marketing, SMS marketing, landing pages, signup forms, sales CRM, and much more. While building a larger package may be needed to unlock the full potential of the platform, many startups will find that their live chat needs are catered for by the live chat software alone.

• Ideal for beginners and small teams working on WordPress
• Switching between the different communication channels is simple.
• Automated answers can be provided for an introduction to self-support.

• The features are limited while it can only support 10 agents.
• More expensive than some items when using 10 (or close to 10) agents.
• It encourages you to use the SendInBlue marketing and sales CRM at a cost.

#8. Salesforce

Salesforce is one of the world's best-known cloud-based software companies and delivers a hugely powerful all-in-one CRM solution that includes web chat software. Founded in 1999, it has grown to become the largest enterprise software company on the planet. Its tools are certainly capable of helping businesses improve their approach to customer care.

It might not be the most user-friendly solution for beginners because there are a lot of elements to master. In truth, it could be a long time before new businesses need them all. While pricing plans, which start at £20 per month are fair and flexible, it can feel as though some features are overkill.

Nevertheless, the ability to create a fully customised designs that can appear on your website or business app is pleasing. Moreover, it allows your chat bot to initiate the interaction based on the actions that your visitors has made since starting theri session. This means data-driven trends can be identified and potential solutions can be offered to help visitors that may be a little lost in finding what they need.

As is the case with other services like Click4Assistance, agents can also build a customer profile, which includes the past interactions. You can also route chats to specific agents to support the visitor further.

• A lot of features such as connecting users to specific agents.
• Building customer profiles facilitates personalised client care.
• Connecting live chat to CRM data puts you in a position of power.

• Catered primarily for the North American market, although many UK firms still use it
• Other tools can make Salesforce daunting and confusing for newer users.
• Premium versions are relatively costly.

#9. LiveZilla

LiveZilla is a full help desk solution that includes a reliable life chat software package. A one-off cost makes it a good choice for small businesses that wish to avoid ongoing expenses while it can also be scaled by adding extra features (again with a one-off cost) to reflex your changing needs.

The web chat software is easy to install and includes various features like co-browsing, visitor targeting, agent scheduling, and offline ticketing forms for when your live chat teams aren't available. The help desk also offers ticket management, client routing, and community forums to take your customer care game to the next level.

Customisation options are available for branding purposes, although they aren't as plentiful as some alternatives, but the user interface could be improved. Once you get over that, though, it is a powerful tool that can combine live chat and chat bot facilities effectively.

While limited, a free version is available to help users test the waters before making a commitment.

• Although an outlay is required, the one-time cost offers long-term value.
• The responsive visitor tracking helps agents know what page a visitor is on.

• The interface is a little clunky.
• Third-party integrations are limited, although social media sites are included.
• If you have to re-install the software, your previous knowledge base will be lost.
• The customer support team isn't as responsive as some others.

#10. Intercom

The best live chat software solutions support businesses throughout the entire customer lifecycle, and Intercom does this very well. Its impressive tailored messages depending on different triggers supported by responsive redirection to live agents makes the chat bot elements very effective. Meanwhile, you can easily manage a large team of live chat advisors.

An emphasis on the customer is further shown by the inclusion of modern communication tools like GIFs and emojis, which can be used by customers and agents. It can have a positive impact on the client experience while the popup wizard can be configured to start the conversation too. With automated responses, users can be taken through the buyer process.

The intuitive solution also has typing indicators so that users can see when the live agent is in the process of responding. It finds a nice line between sophisticated function and simplistic designs. While others may have greater customisation, this is a reliable option.

With prices built around your needs, you should not be left paying for unwanted elements either.

• It is easy to use both the live chat and chat bot elements.
• Interactions reflect the modern consumer.

• You need to request a price.
• Arguably focused on sales rather than customer support.
• Big businesses or growing businesses may find that features are a little limited.
• Customer support teams are slow to respond.

Conclusion

Whether it's a text-based only solution or one that incorporates voice and video calls, the best online chat software can significantly upgrade your customer support services for new leads and loyal clients alike.

To learn more or request a demo, contact our experts today.