Having live chat on your WordPress site allows visitors to get their questions answered and issues resolved in real-time. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and more conversions.
But with so many live chat plugins to choose from, how do you pick the right one for your WordPress site?
In this comprehensive guide, we compare the top 7 best WordPress live chat plugins based on key factors like features, ease of use, and pricing.
Why Live Chat is Essential for WordPress Sites
Here are some of the main benefits of having live chat on your WordPress site:
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Increases conversions – By answering questions and resolving issues faster, you remove friction during the buyer journey leading to more sales. According to SuperOffice, over 80% of customers say that live chat has a big influence on their purchase decision.
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Improves customer satisfaction – Live chat results in up to 73% higher satisfaction scores according to studies. Customers love getting quick resolutions to their problems from real agents.
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Lower support costs – Chat costs less compared to phone or email support. It also reduces back and forth messages by handling inquiries faster the first time.
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Works great for ecommerce – Product questions and order issues can be easily handled via chat vs making customers fill long forms or wait for email replies.
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Provides sales assistance – Agents can guide customers to the right product or upsell relevant items during live conversations.
Clearly, having live chat can greatly benefit most WordPress sites. But you need the right plugin to provide a smooth chat experience.
Next, let‘s compare the top options.
Top 7 WordPress Live Chat Plugins Compared
1. Chaport — Best Overall Chat Plugin
Key Features
- Seamless email transfers
- Chatbots & canned responses
- Visitor tracking
- Multi-channel support
- File sharing
- Customizable widget
- Reports & analytics
Benefits
- Very affordable but packed with features
- Easy to use even for beginners
- Chatbot helps reduce workload for agents
- Works great for WordPress, Joomla, and Ecwid
Chaport strikes the perfect balance between great features and ease of use at a very affordable price. For most small businesses, it will be the best pick.
The chatbot helps answer FAQs automatically so agents can focus on complex chats. You can bring emails into the chat workflow with seamless transfers. For larger teams, features like canned responses and chat transfer will help streamline operations.
Detailed reports help analyze chat metrics to further optimize support. Overall, Chaport provides immense value, especially at their pricing.
2. LiveChat — Most Feature Rich
Key Features
- Tagging & advanced routing
- File sharing
- Canned responses
- Custom chat forms
- Chat rating surveys
- WhatsApp integration
- iOS & Android apps
Benefits
- Very powerful features for large teams
- Excellent routing and collaboration capabilities
- Great integration with other tools
- Helps enhance customer experience
LiveChat shines when you need enterprise-level features at an affordable price. For large teams, the tagging, transfers, and collaboration capabilities help manage high chat volumes.
Tools like chat surveys, custom data collection forms, and WhatsApp integration allow enhancing the customer experience. You can also build an advanced Help Center integrated with the plugin.
The mobile apps allow taking chats on-the-go. The downside is the learning curve is higher, especially for its advanced features. But they provide excellent tutorials and 24/7 email support.
3. Brevo — Best Value
Key Features
- Lite live chat
- Shared team inbox
- Email marketing & forms
- Landing pages
- Affordable
Benefits
- Simple and very affordable
- Packed email marketing features
- Easy to install WordPress plugin
- Great introductory plan for new businesses
Brevo offers live chat functionality along with a suite of email marketing and lead generation tools starting at just $25/month.
For new entrepreneurs and small teams getting started, Brevo provides immense value. You get all essentials like email campaigns, landing pages, forms, and lite live chat in an easy-to-use interface.
While Brevo chat lacks advanced features, it covers the basics well. And its email marketing capabilities more than make up for it.
4. Intercom — Best for B2B Sites
Key Features
- Chatbots with workflows
- Custom bots
- Lead qualification
- Live chat
- Team inbox & assignments
- Messenger integration
Benefits
- Automate lead generation workflows
- Works great for complex sales
- Good platform integrations
- Powerful features like custom bots
Intercom is tailored for business-to-business sites with complex sales processes. Using Intercom bots and workflows, you can automatically nurture leads based on their actions.
The lead qualification and routing capabilities help teams manage high sales volume. Integrations with 150+ business platforms make it fit into complex tech stacks with ease.
For product demos and bespoke pricing, you need to request a custom quote. So Intercom works best for established mid-market B2B businesses.
5. Drift — Best for Conversational Marketing
Key Features
- Lead scoring
- Meeting scheduler
- Chat-to-call
- Real-time insights
- Conversation intelligence
Benefits
- Helps convert leads during chat
- Optimized for sales teams
- Integrates with marketing automation
- Provides actionable chat insights
Drift is focused on using live chat for boosting conversions rather than just customer support.
Using features like lead scoring and its proprietary Playbooks, agents can nurture prospects during chat itself. The sales CRM helps track deals won through chats.
Marketers will love the SEO and conversation intelligence tools that provide insights for better targeting. However, Drift lacks advanced support tools like Help Center or Knowledge Base.
Pricing also starts at a premium $400/month. So its best suited for well-funded startups and mid-sized companies.
6. Zendesk Chat — Best Integrated Suite
Key Features
- Proactive chat triggers
- Real-time visitor tracking
- Multi-channel support
- CRM integrations
- iPhone & Android apps
Benefits
- Works seamlessly with Zendesk Suite
- Good platform integrations
- Mobile apps for agents
- Helps increase sales conversations
Zendesk Chat is designed to perfectly complement the Zendesk sales and support tools. That includes their service desk, help center knowledge base, and support analytics.
By itself, Zendesk Chat provides all essential live chat capabilities. But having the full Zendesk Suite unlocks its full potential for enterprises relying on their platform.
This makes Zendesk better suited for larger businesses invested in their tools. For plain WordPress sites, a simpler and cheaper plugin can work just as well.
7. Tidio Live Chat — Most Beginner Friendly
Key Features
- Quick setup and install
- Chatbots
- Easy customization
- Mobile apps
- Basic features
Benefits
- Very easy to use
- Gets you started at no cost
- Good free plan available
- Mobile support for agents
Tidio stands out with its beginner-friendly dashboard that lets you set up live chat quickly even as a non-technical user.
Despite its simplicity, it packs features like chatbots, canned responses, real-time visitor tracking in the free version. This means new businesses can benefit from basic live chat support at zero cost.
The major limitation with their free plan is chat is limited to only two agents. But that should work fine for new entrepreneurs or developers managing their portfolio sites.
Key Factors to Consider For Picking Plugins
While comparing the features above, you need to keep certain factors in mind based on your specific requirements:
Your Website Goals
- What‘s the primary purpose of your live chat? Sales, support or both?
- Will you rely on it mainly for answering pre-sales questions or complex technical assistance?
- Do you need additional marketing features like lead generation and email marketing?
Aligning your goals to plugin strengths is vital for getting the best experience.
For example, Intercom with its lead nurturing bots works great for complex B2B sales. But for an informational site, a simpler plugin like Tidio will work better.
Your Budget
Live chat plugin pricing can range from $0 to hundreds of dollars per month. Factor in your budget constraints as well before deciding.
Plugins like Chaport, LiveChat, and Tidio have very affordable plans that work for most small businesses.
Tools like Intercom and Drift provide enterprise-level capabilities but at premium pricing, so weigh your needs.
Ease of Use
Assess your team‘s technical expertise before picking a solution. Plugins like Tidio with its simple dashboard are great for non-technical teams.
Solutions like LiveChat have a steeper learning curve with more powerful features. But their set up guides and 24/7 support alleviate technical challenges.
Platform Integrations
See what other marketing, sales, and support tools your website relies on. Certain live chat plugins like Zendesk Chat provide deep integration with such external platforms.
But plugins like Chaport provide Zapier integration allowing connections to hundreds of apps. So assess your overall stack before choosing.
Must-Have Features
Make a list of chat functionality that‘s essential for your business needs based on factors like:
- Expected chat volume
- Need for chatbots, canned responses
- Email/WhatsApp integration
- Advanced routing rules
- Mobile support
Prioritize must-have features first over nice-to-have capabilities.
Setting Up Your Chosen WordPress Live Chat Plugin
Once you‘ve picked a live chat plugin for your WordPress site based on factors above, here is an overview of the setup process:
Installation
- Install the plugin via the WordPress dashboard or manually upload files
- Alternatively install via the plugin provider‘s guide if available
User Permissions
- Set up user roles like administrator, agents, supervisors
- Configure capabilities like chat access, report viewing etc.
Customize Chat Widget
- Pick widget location – top right, bottom left etc.
- Customize colors to match brand
- Set up chat forms and offline messages
Enable Key Features
- Set up chatbots with rules and responses
- Create canned responses for common questions
- Enable visitor tracking, contact forms etc.
Integrate With Other Tools
- Connect to sales CRM, email marketing platform etc.
- Set up integrations with Zapier if unsupported
Following the guides provided by plugin providers is highly recommended for smooth setup.
Provide Exceptional Chat Support
Once your chosen WordPress chat plugin is set up, focus on delighting customers with your support.
Here are some tips:
Help Center
Set up a knowledge base, FAQ page or help center that addresses common questions so customers can self-serve information. Integrate it with your live chat workflow.
Train Support Reps
Invest in training your chat agents on domain expertise, troubleshooting common problems, and providing exceptional service.
Clear Support Processes
Define your workflows around chat handoffs, escalations, follow-ups to deliver seamless omnichannel experiences.
Track Key Metrics
Leverage chat analytics from your plugin to track key metrics like chat abandons, first response time, resolution time etc. Use these insights to optimize operations.
Deliver Real-Time Support to Grow Your Business
Providing live chat on your WordPress site is invaluable for boosting conversions and revenue by helping customers make purchases faster. Invest in the capabilities early on to maximize outcomes.
Hopefully, this guide has simplified your buying decision around the best WordPress live chat plugin for your needs. Leverage the features to not just address inquiries but also nurture leads and drive more sales.
With a feature-packed plugin like Chaport, you can manage high chat volumes across multiple channels as you scale your clientele. The All-inclusive plan starts at just $38 per month making it great value.
So get started with a free trial today to deliver real-time support that converts!
