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If you’ve ever waited too long on hold, or sent an email that went ignored, you know how frustrating it is to have your questions go unanswered. Live chat, a real-time instant messaging–type service conducted through your website, connects you and your staff with your customers, helping them to get a response quickly—and hopefully securing a sale as an end result. Before deciding on a live chat option, there are several important factors to consider:
Do you have the need for it?
If your website has low traffic, live chat may be unnecessary and go unused. Many live chat software programs offer analytics, which give you the ability to see where users are coming to your site from, where they’re located geographically, and what they’re looking at in real time.
Do you have the staff for it?
Most live chat options don’t come with their own operators, which means you’ll have to train a member your team on how to answer the questions that come in. Make sure their spelling, grammar, and typing speed is up to scratch.
Do you have the space for it?
While some live chat software is hosted in the cloud, some software requires hosting on your own servers.
If you’ve decided that live chat is for you, below are a few popular options to try. Many services offer a free trial before you commit to a payment plan or contract.
Starts from: $52.95 per month, or $499.95 per year
Free trial: 10 days
Features: Velaro, one of the most popular and well-reviewed live chat platforms, offers plenty of features and customization options. They’re well known for their great customer service support.
Starts from: $17 a month, $180 per year
Free trial: 14 days
Features: Olark, known for its simple use and clean design, can be embedded in your website with a few lines of JavaScript. The company also offers a free plan, which is limited to one operator and 20 conversations per month.
Starts from: Free
Free trial: 14 days, after which you’re automatically switched to their free plan
Features: Zopim’s free option is one of the best, as it offers an unlimited number of chats (although only two can take place at one time) which is great for businesses with lower site traffic. Their paid plans start at a reasonable $9 a month.
Starts from: $37.95 per month
Free trial: 30 days
Features: ChatStat’s standout is its ability to do live translation in 16 languages, with sub-dictionaries on specific topics, which is perfect for companies that have international clients or are looking to expand to different countries.
Starts from: $29.95 per month
Free trial: 10 days
Features: Alive Chat’s chat box can be embedded directly into your site, which eliminates potentially messy-looking pop-ups. There are also mobile options for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android and other devices, so you can still chat even if you’re not at your desk.
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Michelle Court is the associate editor at The New York Enterprise Report. She can be reached at mcourt@nyreport.com.
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