Adding live chat to your website has never been easier or cheaper. Many small businesses stand to gain from implementing this customer service option, because it is currently preferred by most users. The plugins that we will list in this article have free and paid versions, with the free version offering most of the features you will need if you have a small volume of customer service requests. However, as your business grows, you may want to invest in a paid version, or build a custom live chat solution that allows you to specifically target your user base’s needs.
1. Tawk.to
Tawk.to is a great option for many businesses, because it has a full-suite of features, while still being free. The installation process is as straightforward as it gets: simply add a code snippet to your website and you are good to go. It does have a paid version, with the basic setup offering an unlimited number of sales agents, mobile support, canned responses and integration with a wide variety of other tools. The premium version allows you to remove the tawk.to branding from the live chat tool, and it offers several other quality-of-life features.
2. MyLiveChat
This is another robust free option that offers a series of features including unlimited chat volume, multi-language support, quick setup, email chat transcripts and chat responses. The free version will often prove itself to be enough for very small businesses. MLC also has the advantage of promoting lead generation because it always asks for email addresses before the user can launch a customer service request. The paid option adds several new features, along with the option to remove the MLC branding.
3. WP Live Chat Support
The WP here stands for WordPress, and it is a great option if you have a website build on that platform. It is a free plugin that allows you to manage your chats directly from the WP admin dashboard. This removes the need to install and log into an extra software tool in order to interact with your clients. There are a ton of features here, from the ability to customize how the chatbox looks, to the ability to create offline custom messages. Another great benefit of this tool is that it does not come with a “powered by” branding. The premium version has many more features such as the ability to initiate chats with your users, and better reporting tools.
4. LiveSupporti
Another free tool that is easy to set up, and which comes with a host of features such as offline messages, mobile support, unlimited chats, and unlimited concurrent chat windows. For $5/month, you can update to the paid plan, and take advantage of extra features such as the ability to support multiple agents, extra customization options, and multilingual support, along with the removal of the LiveSupporti branding.
Is a Custom Live Chat Chicago Option Better?
A free option may be great initially, and the paid version is a quick shortcut to more powerful features, but custom solutions are best for larger customer support needs. A custom option allows you to tailor the Chicago live chat tool to your exact needs, and implement best practices in terms of scalability. From lower expenses, to higher customer convenience and features that accurately target your unique sales funnel, the custom option is the best investment. If you’d like to find out more about how you can benefit from custom live chat in Chicago, contact us today. We are the top-ranked Live Chat digital marketing agency in Chicago.