For any business, Communication, and feedback are extremely important. The lack of these can be compared to practicing without a theory that is known to be blind. Satisfaction of customer needs is the key to success in any business. And how can you better know these needs, if not in personal communication? On the other hand, we have to face critical, sometimes unflattering remarks. But in fact, it is also a chance — a chance to become better. You just need to use it right.
The modern global economy and e-commerce have led to the fact that feedback should also be at the global level. Selling goods to different countries of the world, you will not be given a contact phone number in your country!
Fortunately, the technologies themselves provide a solution to this question. For the organization of feedback, you can use e-mail, a page on popular social networks, create, and finally, a forum on the site. But, probably, none of these ways can compare with live chat. It’s hard to come up with faster, anonymous, and more confidential communication! Especially if you just need to click the icon in the corner of the page to start the conversation. No registrations, installation of instant messengers, no additional actions.
Assuming that for your site you have chosen the best and most popular WordPress platform, we will consider how you can organize live communication on a site running WordPress. This is done with the help of add-ons (or plugins), which, as usual, are great. And in order to help you with the choice let’s review the best and the most popular ones.
We would like to start with a beautiful plugin that does not have a monthly subscription. This is a simple and clean WordPress chat plugin that just does its job. It helps to launch online chat and provide the greatest support for your customers.
This is a multifunctional plugin. And we do not overestimate it.
LiveChat is a business. It has a wide range of functions from different categories, and all of them are aimed at improving CRM and UX. You will receive Team Management (distribution of agents and much more), a feedback interface (with built-in ratings, comments, statistics, etc.), security settings (2FA and Google Login with IP blocking and visitor tracking), special Internet trading features (information on sales, share settings, etc.), full user support features, easily integrated API (works with marketing automation, analytical tools) … we can list for a long time.
Pay attention to this plugin, if you are not scared of such a large-scale tool. Once you learn how to manage all this in UI LiveChat, you will realize that it’s worth it.
The WordPress chat plugin provides a huge amount of features. Formilla allows your support agents to communicate simultaneously with multiple clients, through stunning applications for iOS, Android, and PC. You will also get features such as tracking visitor activity, offline status (along with user messages, mail forms, and visitor statistics), chat queue management, answering machine, etc.
And the main advantage is the integration with CRM for business transactions and sales management directly from your WordPress site. This includes a rather fun and interactive user support system via email, phone, and support.
If you know about online support chat plugins, then you surely heard about Zopim. This is a great example.
A masterpiece from Zendesk, Zopim is a plugin with a rich set of features that include smart triggers, chat icons, offline status (messages to users and email forms), integration with social networks, visitor tracking, SSL support, IP blocking, avatars and Gravatar, sound notification and translation, complex analytics, and much more.
It is easy to configure and integrate with any WordPress website (regardless of niche, industry, or scale), brilliantly managed (thanks to the advanced administrative screen embedded in the plugin), and feels free with any device and browser.
Its flat design is perfect for a modern WordPress website. You will get a simple and understandable thing with Tidio — a lot of highly customizable chat applications and widgets with an answering machine, working hours, built-in user polls, feedback forms, visitor tracking, improved analytics, and API for further integration (only for very ambitious and creative coders). And this is only the beginning. Beginners are often shocked by its variety of hardcore features. However, if you are looking for a more personal approach, you can always consider top phone answering services that could be the solution to all your needs.
Price: Premium plans start from $39 per month (monthly payments).
We know that your heartbeat has increased from the look at the price, but Casengo is worth it. And that is why: the plugin comes with a normal and elite list of functions, for example, chat/email/WhatsApp support, unlimited mailbox (and simple letter management), lead generation (built-in feedback form), technical support, cross-platform compatibility (several applications for various mobile OS), and multi-platform integration (independent CMS).
Casengo is an online all-in-one chat plugin with business management features.
FrescoChat
Fresco Chat
Price: Premium plans start from $5 per month.
Formerly known as FlexyTalk, Frescochat is a small plugin, simple, understandable, and perfectly suited for beginners.
You can easily configure this plugin with a number of simple settings — set working hours (with additional “offline” messages to users and a bar in the chat, hiding functions, etc.), group agents (based on user roles), pop-up triggers, chat queue management, status display.
What we particularly like about this plugin is the preliminary integration with Google Analytics, geo-location and targeting functions, social networks, advanced search in chat archives, and other powerful (but easy-to-use) functions. The design is very easy to set up (with built-in templates and custom CSS).
Ideally suits websites that are serious about technical support.
This plugin works as a service with cloud servers and secure encryption of SSL Web sites. You can restrict access based on the user’s role, monitor user activity, moderate chats, block potentially malicious IP addresses, add chats, chat privately, download media files, and scramble through a carefully saved chat log.
This plugin is adaptive, looks great, and comes along with the ability to translate and customize the design settings.
This is a classic WPMUDEV solution — simple, bold, and powerful.
Chat Pro (available as a free version in the WordPress.org plugin library) provides you with accessible and simple functions, for example, adding a chat, built-in style options, avatar support (and Gravatar), simple transcription, IP blocking, chat moderation, logging in via social networks and much more.
The plugin comes with a lot of applications that your agents can use, and compatibility with BuddyPress. Whatever tasks this plugin performs, it does it well.
Price: the license for one domain starts from $39.95
WP Live Chat is worth the money.
When you purchase this plugin, you get a great, easily configurable chat widget, with a lot of features, for example, an unlimited number of agents, fast (and automatic) response, multilingual interface, white marking, message and chat records, visitor number tracking, IP blocking and much more.
You can get more with a developer license, for example, a Premium Experience rating and other famous premium plugins.
Tawk.to is designed to support agents, with a kilometer list of functions that help them manage everything from design to personalization widgets (language, nicknames, usernames, etc.). You, the administrator, can work with chat triggers, watch chat entries, instruct the editor teams to create an FAQ, set up audio and video micro-interactions, and notifications, track visitors in real-time, and enable IP blocking functions. And this is only the beginning.
The plugin works on a number of excellent applications for the main mobile platforms and computers. Great set so far, as for a free plugin.
All these plugins are really great to provide support on your WordPress website. Which WordPress chat plugin is your favorite one?
I am a Co-Founder at WPOven INC currently living in Vancouver, Canada. My interests range from Web Development to Product development and Client projects. I am also interested in web development, WordPress, and entrepreneurship.
