LiveChat

What is LiveChat?

LiveChat is a customer communication platform focused on real-time website chat, combining live messaging, chatbots, ticketing, and customer engagement tools. Website visitors initiate chats through a customizable widget, connecting with support agents in real-time conversations. The platform includes features for proactive chat invitations (triggered by visitor behavior), canned responses, file sharing, chat ratings, and conversation tagging. LiveChat extends beyond reactive support to include sales assistance, lead qualification, and customer engagement. Integration with CRM, e-commerce, and marketing tools creates seamless workflows connecting chat interactions with customer data and business processes.

Best for

LiveChat serves e-commerce businesses wanting to assist shoppers in real-time, answer product questions, and reduce cart abandonment through proactive engagement. SaaS companies provide instant product support and guide trial users through onboarding. Service businesses (web design, consulting, agencies) use it to qualify leads and book consultations. Small-to-medium businesses prioritize immediate customer connection over complex ticketing systems. Sales teams leverage proactive chat to engage high-value visitors and accelerate conversions. The platform suits teams where real-time conversation directly impacts sales or customer satisfaction, though organizations needing comprehensive omnichannel support may require broader platforms like Zendesk or Intercom.

Key Features

How does LiveChat handle agent routing?
Intelligent routing distributes chats based on agent skills, availability, workload, or visitor properties. Queue management shows wait times and estimated response. Agents transfer chats to specialists, and supervisor monitoring enables quality assurance and intervention.

Can LiveChat proactively engage visitors?
Yes, customizable triggers initiate chats based on visitor behavior—time on page, pages visited, cart value, exit intent, or custom events. Targeted messages address specific customer segments. A/B testing optimizes engagement messaging and timing.

What chatbot capabilities does LiveChat offer?
Visual bot builder creates automated conversation flows handling FAQs, collecting information, and qualifying leads before agent handoff. Bots operate 24/7 for off-hours support. Integration with ChatBot.com provides advanced conversational AI capabilities.

Does LiveChat include help desk features?
Yes, tickets convert from chats requiring follow-up, email inquiries, or complex issues. Ticketing includes assignment, status tracking, private notes, and SLA management. Unified inbox combines live chats and tickets for comprehensive support management.

Pricing & Plans

Free Trial: 14-day trial with full feature access to evaluate platform before purchasing.

Starter ($20/agent/month billed annually, $24/monthly): Basic live chat, chat history (60 days), canned responses, basic customization, and mobile apps. Suitable for small teams.

Team ($41/agent/month billed annually, $49/monthly): Advanced reports, chat tagging, work scheduler, staffing prediction, multiple chat widgets, and longer history (unlimited).

Business ($59/agent/month billed annually, $69/monthly): Staffing prediction, work scheduler, product cards for e-commerce, and advanced customization options.

Enterprise (Custom pricing): Dedicated account manager, custom integrations, service level agreements, and advanced security. Requires sales consultation.

Pricing per agent with annual billing providing savings. All plans include core chat functionality.

Getting Started

Start with a 14-day trial to test LiveChat with full features. Install the chat widget on your website using provided code, customize chat widget appearance and behavior to match branding, set up canned responses for common questions, configure chat routing rules based on your team structure, integrate with CRM or e-commerce platform, and create proactive engagement triggers. LiveChat provides setup guides, best practices, and chat strategy resources.

Limitations

• No permanent free plan limits testing before purchase commitment
• Starting price ($20/agent/month) adds up for larger support teams
• Focused primarily on live chat, less comprehensive than full help desk platforms
• Advanced features (staffing prediction, work scheduler) require expensive Business tier
• ChatBot capabilities basic on core LiveChat; advanced AI requires separate ChatBot.com subscription
• Best suited for website chat; other channels (email, social) less developed
• ROI dependent on chat volume and conversion impact