If you are running a Shopify store, offering your customers Shopify live chat support can be a revolutionary decision for your business.
Wondering how? We will definitely come to it!
But before that, let's think of a situation. You have bought a watch that looked so pretty while purchasing. But wait, as it got delivered and you unwrapped the package only to find that the watch was not working.
“Ugh!”😞
Now, do you really have the patience to wait in the long queue on call or send those follow-up emails repeatedly just to exchange the dysfunctional watch? We all have been there! And it feels more frustrating.
However, as a Shopify store owner, you must know how to save your customer from such situations. And that’s where customer service live chat apps come in! An AI-powered chatbot on your e-commerce store can handle all the mundane tasks. It can also offer discounts, shipping details and updates, show return policies, approve exchange requests, resolve product queries, and much more for your customers.
Check out the top 5 live chat apps that can help you boost engagement and conversions.
As your customers can reach your Shopify store support channel anytime and promptly get their questions answered, they always feel heard and valued. Even after having not so satisfactory shopping experience, they might stick with your business.
Long story short, when it comes to Shopify live chat, you can not trust any random live chat software, to offer your customers the experience they need. Especially when dozens of applications are available with different functionalities, you need to analyze all of them and choose the best live chat app for Shopify.
Here in this blog, we will help you with that particularly. While discussing the must-have features of a Shopify live chat application, we will create a list of top-rated Shopify live chat apps so you can choose the best for your store.
Let’s dig in!
What is Shopify live chat?
Live Chat apps for e-commerce work as a dynamic tool that enables real-time, back-and-forth conversations between you and your customers. You can embed the live chat feature right on your Shopify store and engage your customers in real time, with real-time resolutions to their queries under the same window.
However, with the advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing, a live chat tool is not just limited to customer support; Shopify store owners can use these Shopify live chat apps for chatbot marketing and to improve sales conversion.
Customers will be much happier When they receive immediate responses via a live chat as they can continue with their tasks immediately. This immediacy can make a real difference to customer retention and the sales number for your Shopify store.
In fact, the addition of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Chatsonic has made a huge paradigm shift in the customer support industry. Now, AI-powered customer service chatbots can offer automated human-like responses to your customers at the drop of a hat. That's, too, in multiple languages and often without any human intervention. All you need to do to create a chatbot is train these ChatGPT-enabled chatbots with your company knowledge base; they will take things forward from there.
Now that you understand what Shopify live chat is, we will delve deeper into the benefits of using live chat on your Shopify store.
The power of live chat in E-commerce: Why use live chat on your Shopify store?
1. Increase conversions and sales
Introducing a chatbot can significantly boost conversions and sales on your Shopify store. By providing personalized recommendations and answering queries instantly, chatbots can engage your customers in real-time. A study published on Gorgias shows that adding live chat to your e-commerce store increases conversion by 12%.
For example, a customer is browsing through a particular product category on your ecommerce platforms or store; the chatbot can suggest products based on their browsing history or simply show them the popular items in that category. This personalized interaction can persuade customers to eventually make a purchase. Moreover, chatbots can upsell or cross-sell products to drive sales further.
2. Improve customer service
Chatbots can drastically improve customer service by providing immediate, 24/7 support. They can handle common queries instantly, freeing up your customer service team to handle more complex issues.
62% of customers would rather use a live chat service instead of waiting for a human customer agent.
Chatbots can also be programmed to provide personalized responses, enhancing the customer's experience. For example, a chatbot can greet returning customers by name or remember their past purchases, making the interaction feel more personal and tailored to the individual.
3. Reduce cart abandonment
Cart abandonment often occurs when customers have unanswered questions or concerns about a product or the checkout process. A chatbot can address these issues in real-time. By providing immediate answers and reassurance, chatbots can reduce cart abandonment. For example, suppose a customer is unsure about shipping costs or return policies or simply can’t find the product he is looking for. In that case, the chatbot can offer instant assistance, encouraging the customer to complete their purchase.
4. Get valuable customer insights
Chatbots can collect valuable data about customers' behaviors and preferences. They can track which products a customer views, the questions they ask, and their purchasing patterns. This data can provide valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, enabling businesses to tailor their offerings and marketing strategies accordingly. For example, if a chatbot notices that a particular product is frequently viewed but rarely purchased, it might indicate that the product is priced too high or the product description is unclear.
5. Cost-Effective solution
Chatbots powered by ChatGPT for customer service offer a cost-effective solution. Let's face it while running a small business, it's impossible to have a large team only for customer support. It simply does not permit the budget. Chatbots can handle multiple queries simultaneously, reducing the need for a large customer service team. Hence, you can significantly reduce human resource costs by introducing live chat support through AI chatbots. This can improve the efficiency of your customer service team and reduce the time spent on each query, further reducing costs.
What are the key features to look for in a Shopify live chat app?
When it comes to choosing the best live chat apps for your Shopify store, there are several key features that you should definitely keep an eye on. These features not only enhance the user experience but also contribute to increasing your sales and customer satisfaction. Let's dive into these essential features:
1. Real-time chatting
This is the core feature of any Shopify live chat app. It allows your customers to interact with your support team in real time, leading to a quicker resolution to their problems. For instance, think of a customer browsing your Shopify store and asking about a product's specifications. With real-time chatting, they can get their answer immediately without leaving the site or waiting for an email response. This instant gratification can lead to higher customer satisfaction and potentially a quicker purchase decision.
2. Chat transcripts
A top-notch live chat app should provide chat transcripts. This feature allows both the customer and the business to review previous customer conversations. Let's say a customer had a detailed discussion about a product's usage with your support team a week ago. Now, they can't remember some of the details. Instead of contacting support again, they can refer to the chat transcript, saving their time and your support team's resources.
3. Automated responses
Automated responses can be a lifesaver during peak hours or when your support team is offline. They can handle simple queries or guide the customer to helpful resources, ensuring that the customer is never left without support. For example, your support team might be overwhelmed with queries during a big sale. But through canned responses, they can handle common questions like "What are the sale hours?" or "What is the return policy?" freeing up your team to handle more complex issues.
4. Customizable interface
The live chat interface should be customizable to match your brand's aesthetics. This helps maintain brand consistency throughout the customer's shopping experience. Let's say your brand identity is unique with vibrant color scheme. A customizable live chat interface must allow you to maintain this scheme in the live chat widget or window, providing your customers with a consistent and immersive brand experience.
5. Mobile-friendly
With the increasing number of mobile shoppers, the live chat app must be mobile-friendly. This ensures that customers can reach out to your support team regardless of their device.
We can take the example of a customer who prefers shopping on their smartphone during their commute. A mobile-friendly live chat ensures they can reach out to your support team just as easily as a desktop user, providing a seamless shopping experience across devices.
6. Integration with CRM and other tools
The live chat app should seamlessly integrate with your CRM and other tools. This allows for efficient information flow, enabling your support team to provide personalized support.
If a regular customer contacts support, integration with your CRM can provide the support agent with the customer's purchase history. This allows the agent to provide personalized support, enhancing the customer's experience.
7. Multi-Language support
If you cater to a global audience, multi-language support is a must. This feature ensures that language barriers do not hinder the customer support process.
If a non-English speaking customer visits your Shopify store, multi-language support ensures they can still receive effective customer support. This can lead to a broader customer base and higher customer satisfaction.
These features form the foundation of a robust live chat app and can significantly enhance your customer support efforts. Therefore, when choosing the best chatbot or live chat app, you must keep these in mind.
Best live chat apps for Shopify: A comparison table
10 Best Shopify Live Chat Apps
Now, let's jump into a detailed review of each top-ranked live chat app.
1. Botsonic
Powered with the super potion of GPT-4, Botsonic is a real game-changer for ecommerce businesses and the customer service industry. It is the best live chat app for Shopify. Botsonic's AI capabilities are what give this ChatGPT-powered customer support bot the number-one spot on our list. The versatile AI chatbot builder is designed to offer better customer engagement and boost sales on your Shopify store.
Baked by NLP technologies, the AI chatbot offers automated human-like responses in real time. Be it product queries, shipping updates, or personalized product recommendations, Botsonic can delight your customers 24/7. Additionally, the platform supports 24+ languages, making it an absolute choice for Shopify stores serving across different geo-locations and time zones. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, you can easily train this ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot on your own data and enhance customer experiences.
You can implement this Shopify chat app in your store simply by embedding the code or the API key to the backend. Also, the direct Botsonic integration from the Shopify App Store will be available soon.
Pros
- A simple user interface makes it easy to use and train on your own data
- Leverage the power of ChatGPT with AI-Powered Chatbot
- Use automated canned responses for prompt resolution
- Offer multilingual customer service in 24+ languages.
Botsonic is completely free to build your first live chat app. If you are planning to have multiple live chat apps, then you can use this free version to test out Botsonic features and compatibility.
After you are wowed with Botsonic, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans starting from $49 per month.
2. Zendesk
Zendesk has to get the second spot on our list of best live chat apps for Shopify. After all, it's not just a live chat tool but an omnichannel customer service workflow management platform with loads of other capabilities. Zendesk has been operating in the market for more than a decade now. Not just for the Shopify e-commerce store owners but with its high customizability, the application is popular among all business types.
You can use Zendesk on your Shopify store to offer real-time customer support, track customer journeys, and conduct CSAT surveys. Additionally, Zendesk lets you integrate a pre-chat form with the live chat interface. You can use the form to collect valuable information about the customer before initiating a conversation and offer personalized responses.
However, not being just a Shopify store live chat application has its own downside. Often users find Zendesk super complex to use. Especially for beginners, it's difficult to set up and navigate through its layout. Apart from that, being a customer support suite, Zendesk can't do justice to its own customers. Many users have reported that it takes days (even months in some cases) to get your queries resolved by the Zendesk customer support team either.
Pros
- Comes with a comprehensive customer support platform.
- Easy to integrate with Shopify and multiple other platforms.
- Provides analytics and reporting features.
Cons
- It can be expensive for small businesses.
- New users might have to go through a steep learning curve.
- Unresponsive customer support
3. Richpanel
The next best Shopify live chat support tool that makes it to our list is the Richpannel. With a self-service portal, the platform can auto-resolve 60% of user queries without any intervention from your support agents. Richpanel comes with a unified dashboard, Agent CRM, that integrates social media, SMS, phone calls, email, and live chat under a single view.
This Shopify live customer service tool makes tracking your support team's performance very easy. Richpanel has a comprehensive support dashboard that gives you a clear overview of customer queries, agents’ performance, and the revenue generated through customer service.
But, with all these features, the platform is far from being user-friendly. Though the app interface is nice to look at, if you generally have to resolve a long list of customer queries every day, you might not find things to be organized. Also, if you are a beginner setting up the self-service automations might be challenging for you.
Pros
- Richpanel offers a live chat platform specifically designed for Shopify users.
- Allows automation of common customer queries through a self-service portal.
- Has impeccable customer support.
Cons
- For smaller businesses, it can be expensive.
- Has fewer integrations compared to other established players.
4. Tidio
Tidio not only offers a live chat facility but sets itself apart with its dedicated chatbot application that seamlessly works with Shopify stores. For starters, the platform offers unlimited live chat conversations and chat history making it one of the best free live chat apps for Shopify.
Apart from that, Tidio also has a message intent recognition feature and can be customized with canned responses. Therefore, integrating it into your Shopify support chat can be a great option for offering real-time assistance. Also, you can use the application to ensure a personalized shopping experience for your customers.
However, when it comes to Shopify integration, users often complain about not having the smoothest experience with some major CRM tools such as Hubspot. Not only that, but the pricing policy of Tidio is pretty much confusing. Since customers are charged based on the number of features they are using, users often end up paying more than what they would have with some other Shopify chat apps.
Pros
- Offers both live chat and chatbot functionalities.
- Provides integrations with popular platforms like Shopify.
- Comes with a free plan with unlimited conversations.
Cons
- Customization options might be limited in the free plan.
- Can be difficult to integrate with your existing CRM tools.
5. GrooveHQ
Similar to Zendesk, GrooveHQ is not just a live chat application but a fully functioning help desk platform dedicated to small businesses and startups. The application comes with a contact widget and knowledge base widget, along with a self-service chatbot. Using these features, you can easily automate your Shopify live chat messaging, freeing up to 5 agents at a time.
Also, the application is highly customizable; you can customize your live chat support bot as per your store colors and use the same font as well.
But being a feature-rich product GrooveHQ comes with a higher price tag that can be somewhat unaffordable for small businesses. Also, beginners might find the application difficult to start with. Apart from that, several users have reported that they often find it difficult to read support tickets raised by customers because of the cluttered layout.
Pros
- Offers a comprehensive customer support platform with live chat, email, and knowledge base.
- Provides reporting and analytics.
- Allows for team collaboration.
Cons
- It can be expensive for small businesses.
- It might have a steep learning curve for new users.
6. LiveChat
Supporting 37,000+ businesses spread across 150 countries, LiveChat is one of Shopify's most popular and best live chat support tools. Apart from Shopify, the application offers easy integration with over 200 tools. LiveChat comes with pre-chat forms which you can integrate with your Shopify live chat portal.
From the pre-chat forms, your support agents can gather insightful details about the customers and understand the context before starting a conversation. Also, the platform offers detailed CSAT reports and key metrics for tracking your support agents' performance.
LiveChat has a tricky learning curve; many users find the chatbot’s active scheduling feature confusing. Apart from that, at times, the LiveChat app lags, causing delays in receiving chat messages which can cause unnecessary problems.
Pros:
- Offers a robust live chat platform with many customization options.
- Provides reporting and analytics.
- Integrates with many other platforms.
Cons:
- No free plan is available.
- It can be expensive for small businesses.
- Limits the number of visitor invites making things difficult for large organizations.
7. Tawk.to
Looking for a free live chat app for your Shopify store? Tawk.to can be your perfect companion. The live chat tool comes with dedicated applications for iOS and Android users so that you can access your Shopify live chat portal from wherever you want without interruption.
Apart from that, the tool support 45+ languages. However, when it comes to tracking and analytics of your customer conversation history, Tawk.to lacks some serious features. As it does not have a reporting feature, you might miss out on essential consumer data.
Pros:
- Completely free live chat app.
- Provides visitor tracking and chat analytics.
- Offers mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Cons:
- Does not offer chatbot or automation features.
- Frequent lags and freezes.
8. DelightChat
DelightChat is an omnichannel customer service platform that integrates with various social media platforms and email, providing a shared inbox for Shopify stores. A standout feature of the application is its use of the official WhatsApp API to send broadcasts to your customer list. You can use the feature for WhatsApp marketing and ensure a great return on investment for your marketing spending.
With all the advanced features, DelightChat is somewhat difficult to use. In fact, if you are a newbie, you might find them pretty overwhelming. Also, as per several users’ reports, the application has some major bugs that make it crash pretty often. Apart from that, the customer support from DelightChat is not good and needs some major improvements.
Pros
- Combines email, social media, and live chat in one platform.
- Allows for team collaboration.
- Provides automation and reporting features.
Cons
- It might be more expensive than standalone live chat solutions.
- It may not be ideal for businesses that only need a simple live chat solution.
9. Chatra
Specifically designed for small businesses and retailers, Chatra is one of the most popular and highly rated live chat applications for Shopify. The application offers multi-lingual support along with several other essential live chat features such as group chat, chat notes, etc.
Chatra has a very simple yet intuitive interface. Even if you are just starting your days as a Shopify store owner and using a chatbot for the first time, you will find the UI fairly easy to navigate. Also, Chatra live chat app comes with a live typing insights feature. This feature lets you see what your customers are typing while interacting with live chat on your Shopify store. The insight can help support agents anticipate customer queries more precisely and prepare for the best response.
However, when it comes to the free plan, Chatra has very limited features. Also, several users have complained about lags and frequent crashes.
Pros:
- Provides live chat and chatbot functionalities.
- Offers features for cart abandonment recovery.
- Has a free plan with basic features.
Cons:
- Advanced features require paid plans.
- Customization options might be limited in the free plan.
10. JivoChat
If you get a lot of customer queries for the Shopify store from social media platforms, using JivoChat as your Shopify live chat support partner can be the ideal choice for you. Primarily the application aims to offer a platform to integrate all your social media messenger chat and in-store queries within the live chat.
The application allows you to store customer communication helping your support agents understand the context before participating in any conversation. Also, you can easily analyze lead sources directly from the interface. But as some users reported, the application lags and freezes a lot and often misses out on informing the customers when a conversation has ended.
Pros:
- Offers a robust live chat platform with many customization options.
- Provides reporting and analytics.
- Integrates with many other platforms.
Cons:
- Often lags and freezes and creates unnecessary issues
- It can be expensive for small businesses.
Final Thoughts: Enhancing Shopify Customer Service with the Right Live Chat App
Choosing the right live chat app for your Shopify store is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your own customer experience, service quality and overall sales. The best live chat apps offer real-time chatting, provide chat transcripts, and can offer automated and AI-powered human-like responses with a customizable interface.
Botsonic ticks all the boxes when it comes to these essential features. With Botsonic, you can offer real-time support to your customers and leverage the power of AI to offer personalized, context-aware responses. Remember, every Shopify store is unique, and the best live chat app for you will depend on your specific needs and the nature of your business. However, with its comprehensive feature set and AI-powered capabilities, Botsonic is worth considering in searching for the perfect live chat app.
FAQs
1. What is the best chatbot for Shopify?
Built with the power of ChatGPT, the Botsonic AI-powered customer support chatbot is best for Shopify. You can train the chatbot with your own data to offer real-time automated assistance to your visitors.
2. Does Shopify have bots?
No, Shopify does not have a built-in chatbot feature for store owners. However, you can integrate chatbot applications such as Botsonic into your Shopify store to offer round-the-clock support to your customers. Not only that, but you can also use the bot to share marketing messages, craft personalized greetings, and offer product recommendations to your website visitors too.
3. How do I set up a chatbot on Shopify?
Setting up a chatbot on your Shopify store is straightforward. All you need to do is,
- Create a Botsonic account.
- Train the ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot with your business data.
- Customize the AI chatbot according to your brand appearance.
- Embed the chatbot code to your Shopify e-commerce store.
Check out this guide on how to add live chat to a Shopify store for a clear understanding of the steps.
4. Is there any free live chatting app for Shopify?
Yes, the Shopify Inbox app and some other live chat applications are available for free on the Shopify App Store. But, they lack some must-have features that are crucial for engaging your audience in real-time.
However, you can use the Botsonic trial version. It offers up to 10000 words of chat generation for free. This way, you can easily understand how smoothly things work when you have an AI-powered chatbot on your Shopify store to resolve your customer queries.
