Many surveys that have been conducted on consumer behavior have come up with the same conclusion; customers prefer live chat rather than social media or email when it comes to customer support. 

The reason for this is usually due to the speed, efficiency, and convenience of some of the latest live chat support systems. On the business side, live chat has a wide range of benefits for support teams, such as:

• Helps with customer acquisition and onboarding
• Increases customer engagement
• Provides 24/7 support
• Improves the support experience
• Boosts customer service team’s productivity
• Reduces repetition
• Allows agents to build rapport with customers

There are many options when it comes to choosing live chat software for customer support. One of these is Intercom, which is well-known and used by many small business owners. This article will look at some of the software options that can be great alternatives to Intercom.

Introduction to Intercom

Intercom provides AI Chatbot, Help Desk, and proactive customer support to make managing customer needs a lot easier for your support team. It also streamlines the communication process to keep customers happy and feeling valued.

However, Intercom has some limitations, such as having clunky and confusing navigation systems. As such, some businesses may find it worthwhile to look for an alternative live chat platform to meet their needs. 

Factors to Consider Before Choosing Intercom Alternatives

When looking for an Intercom alternative, you will come across a wide range of options, some of which may not be suitable for your business. It is important to consider the important factors carefully before settling on any option, such as the pricing structure, range of features, social media integration, and customer reviews on reliable platforms.

In that regard, consider the following Intercom alternatives for 2024:

Alternative 1: Chatway

Chatway is a plugin that can help you increase the level of customer satisfaction that your clients experience by providing personalized customer support that caters to the needs of each client.

• Overview and Key Features

One of the key features that make Chatway so special is its wide range of social integrations. No matter which social media platforms your customers prefer to use, Chatway will give you a direct path of communication.

This live chat platform has a smooth and easy interface that helps support teams better understand the needs of their customers. When faced with a tricky problem, they can use the collaboration features to work together until the customer is fully satisfied. 

Features, such as knowledge base, advanced analytics, and automation are planned to be added to the platform in the near future.

• Reviews and Ratings

Chatway has a 4.4 rating of Capterra, although this is from a rather small pool of reviews. Nonetheless, it is a platform that has shown its capabilities to be a worthy Intercom alternative.

• Pricing Plans

You can install Chatway on your browser and access its many specialized features for free. Paid plans may be available in the future, together with a free forever plan. 

Alternative 2: Chaty

The impressive list of key features that Chaty has makes it one of the most popular alternatives to Intercom that are available.

• Overview and Key Features

Once Chaty is installed, you will have access to its many great features, such as unlimited social media channels, unique chat layouts, access to multiple agents, and advanced targeting.

This platform is designed to help you easily generate important customer data by tracking various predefined metrics that will help you better address the needs of your customers.

• Reviews and Ratings

Chaty has a perfect 5.0 rating on Capterra, which is a sign of just how many businesses depend on this useful tool for their day-to-day functions.

• Pricing Plans

You can opt for the free version on Chaty, or go for the more advanced pricing structures that offer you many more features for $15 to $79 per month.

Alternative 3: LiveChat

LiveChat is an all-in-one customer support platform that provides businesses with a wide range of features that they can use to better interact with customers.

• Overview and Key Features

This platform has a selection of chat tools that make communication a lot easier, such as message sneak-peaks, canned responses, and chat transfers. You will also have access to various messaging channels and widgets that can integrate with many types of social media platforms.

LiveChat provides essential reports and analytics that will give you a deeper insight into the needs of your customers. Such customer data can be used to boost your sales by addressing specific customer queries. 

• Reviews and Ratings

Out of over 1,600 reviews, LiveChat has a Capterra rating of 4.7. One of the things customers appreciated was its ease of use compared to other Intercom alternatives.

• Pricing Plans

You can install LiveChat for as little as $20 per month or as high as $59 per month when billed annually. 

Alternative 4: Tidio

Tidio is a live chat app that offers superior levels of customer support to small businesses. 

• Overview and Key Features

In terms of key features, Tidio gives you a lot of options to choose from, such as AI Chatbot widget, file sharing, chat history, email notifications, and social media integration.

The platform offers real-time engagement which is an essential part of providing effective customer support. With Tidio, you can retain your current customers while opening the doors to new business opportunities.

• Reviews and Ratings

Tidio has a rating of 4.8 on Capterra and 442 reviews.

• Pricing Plans

Tidio’s pricing plans includes a Free plan, Starter Plan- $29/month, Growth $59/month and Tidio+ – Starts at $398/month.

Alternative 5: Gorgias

Gorgias is a customer support tool whose ability lies in helping businesses provide high levels of support to customers.

• Overview and Key Features

To help you reach your business targets, Gorgias offers a wide range of features, such as live chat, social media integration and AI Chatbot.

• Reviews and Ratings

Gorgias enjoys an impressive 4.7 rating on Capterra, out of a pool of over 110 reviews from happy customers. 

• Pricing Plans

Gorgias’s pricing plans includes Starter- $10/month, Basic- $60/month, Pro- $360/month, Advanced $900/month and Enterprise which requires you to contact sales.

Alternative 6: Smartsupp

Smartsupp is designed to help businesses drive their online sales using the power of engagement and conversation to talk to their existing and potential customers. 

• Overview and Key Features

Smartsupp allows you to access various live chat tools and automate your interactions using a Chatbot. This makes lead generation a lot easier and can result in a huge boost in sales. 

The conversational AI is designed to meet the needs of the customer as if they were interacting with a real human being. Using Smartsupp has been shown to lead to at least a 50% reduction in repetition. 

• Reviews and Ratings

The power of Smartsupp when it comes to helping businesses connect with customers has resulted in the platform getting a 4.7 rating on Capterra.

• Pricing Plans

Smartsupp has a free version to help those who want to give it a try before deciding. After that, various pricing options range from $19.50 to $48 per month.

Conclusion

The search for the ideal live chat software to enhance customer support presents a variety of viable alternatives to Intercom. Each of these Intercom alternatives brings unique features and benefits tailored to different business needs. From seamless social media integration and advanced analytics to AI-powered engagement, these tools are designed to elevate customer support. Their varying pricing from free to paid plans, cater to a wide range of budgets, ensuring that businesses can find a suitable solution.

The key takeaway for businesses is to carefully assess their specific customer support needs, considering factors such as feature range, integration capabilities, user reviews, and budget constraints. By doing so, companies can select a live chat software that not only aligns with their operational requirements but also significantly enhances customer satisfaction and engagement.

If you want to boost your sales through effective customer engagement and support consider giving Chatway a try.

Get Started With Chatway Today.