Today’s customers are more demanding than ever. We want an effortless experience and instant gratification. Quick and efficient customer service is definitely a big contributor to how we rate businesses and brands.
Many eCommerce and SaaS businesses tackle the issue of round-the-clock customer support by deploying customer service chatbots. In 2022 up to 85% of customer interactions are being managed without involving human agents.
We rounded up 9 of the best customer service chatbot software available on the market today, as well as what you need to consider when choosing the right one for your business.
What is a customer service chatbot?
A customer service chatbot is software that simulates human communication through instant messaging used to help businesses respond to customer queries efficiently.
Chatbots are programmed to assist website visitors without the need for a human operator. There are two kinds of customer service chatbots:
Rule-based bots: A rule-based bot can only comprehend a limited range of topics it has been programmed with. The bot can only respond to queries that fit its predefined rules.
AI-based bots: An AI chatbot is powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP). So, unlike a rule-based chatbot, it doesn’t use keywords but it will try to ‘understand’ the customer’s intent, and respond accordingly. The more it interacts with users, the better it will become at understanding the intent, including typos and grammatical mistakes. Chatting to an AI-based bot will feel much more natural and human-like. This type of bot is better suited for complex queries.
Can a chatbot replace customer service agents?
Chatbots are definitely not a replacement for a human customer support team. There isn’t a computer in the world that can replace real human interactions. However, chatbots can significantly help your support team do their jobs better. In particular, they save your team time by resolving simple matters quickly, freeing up the team’s time to take care of more complex issues.
How can a customer service chatbot help your business?
1. Available 24/7, everywhere
As we already mentioned, the eCommerce revolution led to people being able to shop at all hours of the day and night, from anywhere in the world. Unlike human support teams, chatbots don’t need rest and are available to answer customer questions 24/7. Such efficient and instant communication can definitely be the factor that ends up converting a passing website visitor into a paying customer.
2. Customer service chatbots can speak multiple languages
According to statistics, 75% of customers prefer to shop in their native language. Losing a customer over a language barrier would be a shame and chatbots can eliminate that pitfall. AI customer service bots running on NLP are able to understand different languages and respond to visitors accordingly.
3. Customer service chatbots can be integrated with many platforms
Whether you run an online store that operates on Shopify, WordPress, Wix, or another platform, you would be able to find a high-quality chatbot provider that can integrate with that platform. What’s more, the chatbot doesn’t have to only be available on your website. There are chatbot solutions that integrate with WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger so you can stay in touch with your customers on their channel of choice.
4. Adds a unique voice to your brand
To add real value to your business, the chatbot needs to talk to your customers, not at them. The best way to keep visitors chatting to your bot is by making them feel like they’re not talking to a robot, i.e adding a bit of personality. In fact, a study done by Tidio revealed that 53% of consumers form positive associations with a brand whose bots use witty comebacks. Your bot’s voice is an extension of your brand identity and can do a lot for brand loyalty, acquisition, and retention.
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Key features to look for in customer service chatbots
1. Natural language processing (NLP)
If you’re looking for an AI-powered chatbot, NLP is a must-have feature. It is essentially the technology that enables chatbots to process human language, ‘understand’ its full meaning, and respond accordingly.
2. Templates
Ideally, a good chatbot software will walk you through the most common scenarios and customer queries, and offer templates to get you started.
3. Analytics
Your chatbot software should provide you with chat statistics so you can extract common or repetitive issues and constantly improve.
4. Customization
The chat widget should look like a natural part of your website/app. A good chatbot software should allow you to design an experience that matches your brand.
5. Integration with live chat
As we already said, not even the smartest AI bot can totally replace live agents. Human representatives should be able to easily take over the conversation whenever needed.
Best customer service chatbots
1. Tidio
Tidio is a customer service platform that includes several features. Their flagship product is a live chat app powered by AI chatbots. It’s designed and built for small businesses therefore it’s super easy to use and intuitive. The chatbots will respond to customer queries in real-time, at any time, making your business available 24/7.
Benefits
- Tidio enables you to connect all your social channels – Messenger, Instagram, live chat, and email, and respond to all queries from one place.
- Easily integrates with all websites and platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Wix, and many others.
Pricing
- Free for 2 operators and up to 100 unique visitors
- Paid plans start from $39/month and come with a 7-day free trial
2. GoBot
Gobot is an AI-powered chatbot that allows eCommerce businesses to make relevant product recommendations and collect customer feedback. It comes with pre-built quizzes so customers can choose the best product option for them.
Benefits
- GoBot has a drag-and-drop chatbot builder, allowing you to easily customize your desired conversion flow.
- Integration options include Zendesk, Salesforce, and Gorgias.
Pricing
The first 5000 customer engagements are gree. Paid plans are customized for the needs of individual businesses.
3. Drift
Drift is the best choice for customer support teams whose priority is to have real-time conversions with website visitors. This tool is designed to help companies identify the qualified leads that should be transferred to interaction with human agents.
Benefits
Each plan comes with a customer success manager, strategy reviews, onboarding, and chat support.
Pricing
Paid plans are customized for the needs of individual businesses, but broadly speaking they start at $40/month + $20/additional seat as needed. Additionally, early-stage startups with fewer than 50 employees can apply for a custom-built plan with a higher discount.
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4. Intercom
Intercom is known as the go-to messaging software for SaaS businesses. The services are divided into three broad categories: conversational support, conversational engagement, and conversational marketing. Add-ons include product tours, WhatsApp, and surveys.
Benefits
Businesses of different sizes need a high degree of customization, which Intercom allows. Other important features include:
- A/b testing,
- Account-based assignments
- Easy access on mobile devices
- Performance reporting
Pricing
The cheapest Intercom plan “for very small businesses” starts at $74/month billed annually. Moreover, Intercom offers a discounted plan for early-stage startups – eligible companies can access the product’s advanced features for $65/month for up to one year.
5. HubSpot Chatbot
HubSpot offers a chatbot builder as part of its Sales Hub. The chatbot builder is easy to use and doesn’t require any coding knowledge. It works alongside the live chat software, which is where qualified leads are passed on to human agents.
Benefits
- You can create chatbot windows that are consistent with your website and product aesthetics
- natural sequences and personalized messages using data you pull directly from the CRM system
Pricing
The cheapest Sales Hub plan begins at %50/month, however, it doesn’t offer chatbot features other than in the free plan. Once you upgrade to a Pro plan you get access to a broad sophisticated CRM solution, which includes additional chatbot features. The pro plan starts at $500/ month, 5 users included.
What does that mean?
The basic chatbot builder features – ticket creation, leading qualification, and automated meeting booking – are available for free. Additional features like advanced targeting and custom branching logic are only available in the pro plan.
The bottom line – Hubspot Chatbot Builder could be the right choice for your company if:
a) you’re looking for a comprehensive enterprise-level CRM solution for your sales and customer support teams, in which case the pro plan is worth it.
b) you need a free chatbot without further plans for scaling, in which case the free plan will suffice.
If you’re looking solely for an AI chatbot that is both advanced and affordable, you’ll be better off opting for one of the other options on this list.
6. Ada
Ada is an AI-powered automation platform that includes chatbot functionality. The AI chatbot is designed to answer customer queries for enterprise-level companies in the eCommerce, fintech, and SaaS industries.
Benefits
- According to Ada’s customers, the chatbot is easy to implement, highly customizable, and scalable.
- Ada can fully automate over 80% of brand interactions
- Provides insightful performance reports
Pricing
Pricing information is provided on demand.
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7. WP Chatbot
If you have a WordPress website, WP Chatbot could be a very convenient option for you. It’s essentially a plugin that allows you to engage with your customers and website visitors using Facebook Messenger.
Benefits
The use of Facebook Messenger reduces the need for a separate CRM, plus team members can access conversations right through Facebook and all conversation history stays in a user’s Facebook inbox.
Pricing
The free plan is available for 1 user and up to 1000 credits per month. The pro plan starts at $14.25/month.
8. Chatbot
Chatbot is a dedicated chatbot platform (you guessed it), that offers tools for building and optimizing customer service chatbots. It is built by live chat software provider LiveChat. Note that to combine the chatbot with a human agent experience you’ll need to integrate those two apps, and unfortunately, pay for each one separately. As it integrates with Shopify and WordPress, Chatbot is a convenient choice for eCommerce businesses.
Benefits
- Chatbots includes templates for marketing, sales, and support and has many helpful team collaboration features
- Provides chatbot analytics, including a heatmap presenting the busiest time
- Integrates with Messenger, Slack and WordPress
Pricing
Paid plans start at $50/month. In the starter plan you can run up to 1,000 chats per month and have one active chatbot. Chatbot offers a 14-day free trial.
9. Chatfuel
Chatfuel is a chatbot builder software for customer support, lead generation and sales personalization. It’s best suited for small-to-medium businesses because it enables teams to deliver exceptional customer service at an affordable price point. Note that it is a rule-based chatbot that isn’t powered by AI. However, you can integrate your account with a dedicated AI solution like Dialogflow.
Benefits
- Simple to implement
- Allows you to analyze repetitive conversations
- Affordable solution for a small business looking to streamline the customer journey with a basic chatbot
Pricing
Users can access all the platform’s features and run up to 50 conversations for free. Paid plans start at $14.99/month.
Final Thoughts
Chatbots help businesses to take their customer service to the next level by providing better communication and 24/7 availability. They can also help you save money and give your brand a unique voice. There are a lot of options to choose from and each one has its own pros and cons. Therefore it’s important to outline businesses’ specific paint points, needs, and budgets so you can weigh your options wisely.
