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{{short description|Online customer service software}}
{{UPE|date=August 2019}}
{{UPE|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox software
{{Infobox software
| name = LiveChat
| name = LiveChat
| logo = LiveChat logo.png
| logo = [[File:LiveChat logo.svg|200px]]
| developer = [[Livechat Software|LiveChat Software S.A.]]
| developer = [[Text (company)|Text]]
| operating_system = [[Web application|Web-based]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[OS X]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[iOS]]
| operating_system = [[Web application|Web-based]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[OS X]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[iOS]]
| language = 41 languages
| language = 41 languages
Line 9: Line 10:
| license = Proprietary ([[Software as a service|SaaS]])
| license = Proprietary ([[Software as a service|SaaS]])
| website = [https://www.livechat.com livechat.com]
| website = [https://www.livechat.com livechat.com]
| released = {{start date and age|2002|01|10}}<ref>[http://www.crunchbase.com/product/livechat LiveChat CrunchBase profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616020558/http://www.crunchbase.com/product/livechat |date=2011-06-16 }} Crunchbase</ref>
| released = {{start date and age|2002|01|10}}{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
}}
}}
'''LiveChat''' is an online customer service software with [[online chat]], [[help desk|help desk software]], and [[web analytics]] capabilities.
'''LiveChat''' is an online customer service software with [[online chat]], [[help desk|help desk software]], and [[web analytics]] capabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wauters |first=Robin |date=2011-10-24 |title=LiveChat Founders Buy Out Investor Naspers, Regain 60% Stake |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/10/24/livechat-founders-buy-out-investor-naspers-regain-60-stake/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>


It was first launched in 2002<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Patent and Trademark Office - TEAS Plus Application |url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85970090&docId=FTK20130629071705#docIndex=18&page=1 |website=United States Patent and Trademark Office}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shelley |first=Ed |date=2016-06-13 |title=LiveChat’s Story: Zero to 15K customers with no sales team |url=https://chartmogul.com/blog/livechat-story/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=ChartMogul |language=en}}</ref> and is currently developed and offered in a SaaS ([[software as a service]]) business model by [[Text (company)|Text]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Text - AI-powered technology for customer service software |url=https://text.com |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=text.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Quality |first=Compounding |title=Text SA: Another Compounding Machine |url=https://www.compoundingquality.net/p/text-sa-another-compounding-machine |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=www.compoundingquality.net |language=en}}</ref>
It was first launched in 2002<ref name=launch>[http://www.crunchbase.com/product/livechat LiveChat CrunchBase profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616020558/http://www.crunchbase.com/product/livechat |date=2011-06-16 }} Crunchbase</ref> and is currently developed and offered in a SaaS ([[software as a service]]) business model by [[Livechat Software|LiveChat Software S.A.]].


Companies use LiveChat as a [[Service desk (ITSM)|single point of contact]] to manage from one software all [[customer service]] and [[e-commerce|online sales]] activities that normally are provided using different channels (chat, [[email]] and [[social media]]) and multiple tools.<ref>[http://enterprise-chat-software-review.toptenreviews.com/livechat-review.html LiveChat Review] Enterprise Chat Software Reviews, 2011.</ref> LiveChat is used by over 27,000<ref>{{cite web |title=StockWatch: PM on Idea Bank; LiveChat IT on client count; Getin Holding financials & ZE PAK power on results; |url=http://biznes.pap.pl/pl/news/pap/info/2717431,stockwatch:-pm-on-idea-bank--livechat-it-on-client-count--getin-holding-financials-&-ze-pak-power-on-results- |website=biznes.pap.pl |publisher=[[Polish Press Agency]] |accessdate=16 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516182348/http://biznes.pap.pl/pl/news/pap/info/2717431,stockwatch:-pm-on-idea-bank--livechat-it-on-client-count--getin-holding-financials-%26-ze-pak-power-on-results- |archive-date=16 May 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> paid customers from over 150 countries.<ref name="technadu">{{cite web |last1=Axton |first1=David |title=10 Intercom Alternatives 2019: Live Chat & Customer Support for Businesses |url=https://www.technadu.com/intercom-alternatives/55062/ |website=Technadu |accessdate=16 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
Companies use LiveChat as a [[Service desk (ITSM)|single point of contact]] to manage from one software all [[customer service]] and [[e-commerce|online sales]] activities that normally are provided using channels (chat, [[email]] and [[social media]]) and multiple tools.<ref>[http://enterprise-chat-software-review.toptenreviews.com/livechat-review.html LiveChat Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424025454/http://enterprise-chat-software-review.toptenreviews.com/livechat-review.html |date=2014-04-24 }} Enterprise Chat Software Reviews, 2011.</ref>
| first = Stuart
| last = Rogers
| date = 2015-11-17
| title = Web hosting firms win customers’ hearts with live chat, but automotive is failing
| url = https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/17/web-hosting-firms-win-customers-hearts-with-live-chat-but-automotive-is-failing/
| publisher = [[VentureBeat]]
| accessdate = 2015-12-29
}}</ref>


==Technology==
==Technology==
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| url = https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385582,00.asp
| url = https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385582,00.asp
| publisher = PC Magazine
| publisher = PC Magazine
| accessdate = 2011-06-02
| access-date = 2011-06-02
}}</ref> Once the criteria is met, LiveChat displays a chat invitation with a customized message.<ref>[http://blog.livechatinc.com/2010/08/triggers-automated-and-personalized-customer-support/ Triggers: automated and personalized customer support] LiveChat blog, Aug 25, 2010.</ref> During the chat session, agents close the sales, which results in increasing the overall conversion rate.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> Once the criteria are met, LiveChat displays a chat invitation with a customized message.<ref>[http://blog.livechatinc.com/2010/08/triggers-automated-and-personalized-customer-support/ Triggers: automated and personalized customer support] LiveChat blog, Aug 25, 2010.</ref> During the chat session, agents close the sales, which results in increasing the overall conversion rate.<ref>{{cite web
| first = Stefany
| first = Stefany
| last = Moore
| last = Moore
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| url = http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/05/27/online-apparel-retailer-scottevest-gains-sales-live-chat
| url = http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/05/27/online-apparel-retailer-scottevest-gains-sales-live-chat
| publisher = Internet Retailer
| publisher = Internet Retailer
| accessdate = 2011-06-02
| access-date = 2011-06-02
}}</ref>
}}</ref>

In areas unrelated directly to the product, LiveChat relies on 3rd party services. This includes Postmark for the delivery of transactional emails,<ref>[https://postmarkapp.com/customers/livechat Postmark helped LiveChat scale to 10,000 customers] Postmark, Retrieved 2015-12-30.</ref> Recurly for subscription billing,<ref>[https://recurly.com/case-studies/livechat/ LiveChat more than doubles its subscribers in 18 months with the help of Recurly.] Recurly, Retrieved 2015-12-30.</ref> [[Pingdom]] for performance monitoring and uptime tracking<ref>[https://www.pingdom.com/company/customers/livechat How LiveChat uses Pingdom.] Pingdom, Retrieved 2015-12-30</ref> and Upscope for instant screen sharing with customers.<ref>https://upscope.io/integrations/livechatinc/</ref>


==Features==
==Features==
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| url = http://telepresence.tmcnet.com/topics/telepresence/articles/176779-livechat-unveils-triggers-conversion-meter-features.htm
| url = http://telepresence.tmcnet.com/topics/telepresence/articles/176779-livechat-unveils-triggers-conversion-meter-features.htm
| publisher = TMCnet
| publisher = TMCnet
| accessdate = 2011-06-02
| access-date = 2011-06-02
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


LiveChat is available in 41 languages: Armenian, Azeri, Bulgarian, Catalan, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian (bokmål), Norwegian (nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Tamil.
LiveChat is available in 48 languages: Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Bulgarian, Catalan, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malagasy, Malaysian, Norwegian (bokmål), Norwegian (nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Modify chat widget language {{!}} LiveChat Help Center |url=https://www.livechat.com/help/how-to-modify-chat-window-language/ |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=LiveChat |language=en}}</ref>


==Customer Service Platform==
==Customer service platform==
First available as closed solution, LiveChat has turned over time into an open and scalable customer service platform.<ref name="Guta">{{cite web |last1=Guta |first1=Michael |title=LiveChat’s New Community Platform Helps Your Business Offer Better Customer Service |url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/11/livechat-community.html |website=SmallBizTrends |accessdate=16 May 2019}}</ref> It created an own ecosystem of applications, companies and services supporting business communication with tools such as:
First available as closed solution, LiveChat has turned over time into an open and scalable customer service platform.<ref name="Guta">{{cite web |last1=Guta |first1=Michael |title=LiveChat's New Community Platform Helps Your Business Offer Better Customer Service |url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/11/livechat-community.html |website=SmallBizTrends |date=8 November 2018 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> It created an own ecosystem of applications, companies and services supporting business communication with tools such as:
* '''[[API]] documentation and multiple points of integration''' within the application and communication protocol,<ref>[http://www.livechat.com/enwiki/api/ API documentation] LiveChat</ref>
* '''[[API]] documentation and multiple points of integration''' within the application and communication protocol,<ref>[http://www.livechat.com/enwiki/api/ API documentation] LiveChat</ref>
* '''Community''' - for connecting users and 3rd party developers, partners and experts,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Minsker |first1=Maria |title=LiveChat’s Community Platform: Where Crowdsourcing Meets Customer Service |url=http://www.smartcustomerservice.com/Articles/News-Features/LiveChats-Community-Platform-Where-Crowdsourcing-Meets-Customer-Service-128461.aspx |accessdate=16 May 2019 |date=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Guta" />
* '''Community''' - for connecting users and 3rd party developers, partners and experts,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Minsker |first1=Maria |title=LiveChat's Community Platform: Where Crowdsourcing Meets Customer Service |url=http://www.smartcustomerservice.com/Articles/News-Features/LiveChats-Community-Platform-Where-Crowdsourcing-Meets-Customer-Service-128461.aspx |access-date=16 May 2019 |date=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="Guta" />
* '''Partner Program''' - for app and service monetization,
* '''Partner Program''' - for app and service monetization,
* '''Marketplace''' - for distribution of applications and experts' services.
* '''Marketplace''' - for distribution of applications and experts' services.

==Awards==
In the Fall 2015 Grid℠ report for live chat software published in August 2015 by business [[software review]] site [[G2 Crowd]], LiveChat was called a High Performer of the industry. It also earned the highest overall satisfaction score among all listed companies.<ref>[https://www.g2crowd.com/press-release/best-live-chat-software-fall-2015/ G2 Crowd publishes Fall 2015 rankings of the best live chat software, based on user reviews.] G2 Crowd, Retrieved 2015-12-30.</ref>

Later that year, [[Gartner]]-owned business [[software review]] site GetApp released its quarterly research, 2015 Q3 GetRank, including top cloud-based customer service applications. LiveChat has been listed 2nd in the research<ref>[http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/11/prweb13063532.htm GetApp Announces the Top Customer Service Software in its Q3 GetRank.] PR Web, Retrieved 2015-12-30.</ref> and the report ‘Customer Success in the Cloud: Key Trends for 2015’ which highlights the most important trends in the customer management space to help choose the cloud-based [[Customer-relationship management|CRM]], [[Customer service|Customer Service]], or [[Call centre|Call Center]] applications for business.<ref>[https://www.getapp.com/customer-service-support-software/customer-service/#research GetRank Q3 Research for Customer Service.] GetApp, Retrieved 2015-12-30.</ref>


==Criticism==
==Criticism==
Line 86: Line 72:


==Research==
==Research==
Since 2014 LiveChat has been publishing ''Customer Service Report'' - an annual study of customer satisfaction and analysis of online business communication trends. It includes research of thousands of companies and millions of customer service email and live support interactions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hazelton |first1=Pamela |title=Using Facebook Messenger Chatbots to Support Live Chat |url=https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-facebook-messenger-chatbots-to-support-live-chat |website=Practical Ecommerce |accessdate=16 May 2019}}</ref> Insights and advice from customer service and ecommerce experts and top-performing companies are also included.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zwierz |first1=Daria |title=How Better Service Can Reverse the Trend of Declining Customer Satisfaction |url=http://customerthink.com/how-better-service-can-reverse-the-trend-of-declining-customer-satisfaction/ |accessdate=16 May 2019}}</ref>
Since 2014 LiveChat has been publishing ''Customer Service Report'' - an annual study of customer satisfaction and analysis of online business communication trends. It includes research of thousands of companies and millions of customer service email and live support interactions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hazelton |first1=Pamela |title=Using Facebook Messenger Chatbots to Support Live Chat |url=https://www.practicalecommerce.com/using-facebook-messenger-chatbots-to-support-live-chat |website=Practical Ecommerce |date=23 April 2019 |access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[ChatBot]]
* [[Livechat Software|LiveChat Software]]
* [[Text (company)|Text]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.livechat.com Official website]
* [https://www.livechat.com Official website]
* [https://www.livechat.com/customer-service-report/ Customer Service Report]


[[Category:Business software companies]]
[[Category:Business software companies]]
[[Category:Cloud applications]]
[[Category:Cloud applications]]
[[Category:CRM software companies]]
[[Category:Customer relationship management software companies]]
[[Category:Customer relationship management software]]
[[Category:Customer relationship management software]]
[[Category:Help desk]]
[[Category:Help desk]]

Latest revision as of 06:55, 17 December 2024

LiveChat
Developer(s)Text
Initial releaseJanuary 10, 2002; 22 years ago (2002-01-10)[citation needed]
Operating systemWeb-based, Windows, OS X, Android, iOS
Available in41 languages
TypeOnline chat, e-commerce, web analytics, ticketing system
LicenseProprietary (SaaS)
Websitelivechat.com

LiveChat is an online customer service software with online chat, help desk software, and web analytics capabilities.[1]

It was first launched in 2002[2][3] and is currently developed and offered in a SaaS (software as a service) business model by Text.[4][5]

Companies use LiveChat as a single point of contact to manage from one software all customer service and online sales activities that normally are provided using channels (chat, email and social media) and multiple tools.[6]

Technology

[edit]

Technically, LiveChat is a proprietary software built with the use of multiple technologies, including JavaScript, Node.js, MySQL, ElasticSearch, C++ and Erlang.[7] The entire platform consists of two main elements:

LiveChat application viewed as agent
  • Website chat widget - embedded on customer's website and seen by the end users (website visitors) as a small chat box, traditionally displayed in the bottom right corner of the web browser. Chat widget is visible on desktop and mobile devices, either in the browser or as a part of mobile application.
  • Agent application - used by the company employees to respond to questions asked by the customers. Usually agents use the web-based application, which allows employees to log in and conduct a chat with website visitor using any browser. However, there are desktop applications available for Windows and Mac OS X and mobile apps for Android and iOS. BlackBerry and Windows Phone mobile apps used to exist in the past, but are no longer developed. Agent application is enhanced with user interface tools that make one-to-many communication quicker and more efficient. Examples of such tools include: canned responses, keyboard shortcuts, typing indicator with customer message sneak-peek, geolocation, tags system for categorization, etc.

There are two ways of having an online chat session between the agent and website visitor:

  • Passive communication, started when the website visitor clicks on the chat button or widget displayed on the page.
  • Active communication, initiated manually by the agent or automatically by the LiveChat system as soon as the visitor meets the predefined criteria (i.e. searched keyword, time on website, encountered error, etc.).[8] Once the criteria are met, LiveChat displays a chat invitation with a customized message.[9] During the chat session, agents close the sales, which results in increasing the overall conversion rate.[10]

Features

[edit]

Apart from website chat, other core features include: real-time website traffic monitoring, built-in ticketing system and agents' efficiency analytics.

System identifies the best prospects visiting a website based on data gathered from the purchasing decisions of 65 million buyers.[8] Statistics section allows calculating the conversion from chat invitations into chat sessions and then into sales.[11]

LiveChat is available in 48 languages: Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Bulgarian, Catalan, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malagasy, Malaysian, Norwegian (bokmål), Norwegian (nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese.[12]

Customer service platform

[edit]

First available as closed solution, LiveChat has turned over time into an open and scalable customer service platform.[13] It created an own ecosystem of applications, companies and services supporting business communication with tools such as:

  • API documentation and multiple points of integration within the application and communication protocol,[14]
  • Community - for connecting users and 3rd party developers, partners and experts,[15][13]
  • Partner Program - for app and service monetization,
  • Marketplace - for distribution of applications and experts' services.

Criticism

[edit]

Among generally positive reviews, there are comments that emphasize the high cost of the product, especially when compared to cheap or free solutions available on the market. Lack of freemium version and expensive pricing are mentioned by customers who also admit that "range of features & services" justify the price.[16][17]

Critical reviews claim that "bigger businesses may find the price minimal considering the benefit the product brings, but for start-ups or smaller businesses, it may put LiveChat out of their financial reach".[18]

Research

[edit]

Since 2014 LiveChat has been publishing Customer Service Report - an annual study of customer satisfaction and analysis of online business communication trends. It includes research of thousands of companies and millions of customer service email and live support interactions.[19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wauters, Robin (2011-10-24). "LiveChat Founders Buy Out Investor Naspers, Regain 60% Stake". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  2. ^ "United States Patent and Trademark Office - TEAS Plus Application". United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  3. ^ Shelley, Ed (2016-06-13). "LiveChat's Story: Zero to 15K customers with no sales team". ChartMogul. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  4. ^ "Text - AI-powered technology for customer service software". text.com. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  5. ^ Quality, Compounding. "Text SA: Another Compounding Machine". www.compoundingquality.net. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  6. ^ LiveChat Review Archived 2014-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Enterprise Chat Software Reviews, 2011.
  7. ^ Use Cases: LiveChat Elastic, Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  8. ^ a b Lynn, Samara (2011-05-19). "LiveChat Livens Up Its Features". PC Magazine. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  9. ^ Triggers: automated and personalized customer support LiveChat blog, Aug 25, 2010.
  10. ^ Moore, Stefany (2011-05-27). "No mindless chatter here: Online apparel retailer ScotteVest gains sales via live chat". Internet Retailer. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  11. ^ Wolf, Tammy (2011-05-19). "Telepresence - LiveChat Unveils Triggers and Conversion Meter Features". TMCnet. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  12. ^ "Modify chat widget language | LiveChat Help Center". LiveChat. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  13. ^ a b Guta, Michael (8 November 2018). "LiveChat's New Community Platform Helps Your Business Offer Better Customer Service". SmallBizTrends. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  14. ^ API documentation LiveChat
  15. ^ Minsker, Maria (9 November 2018). "LiveChat's Community Platform: Where Crowdsourcing Meets Customer Service". Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  16. ^ LiveChat Reviews G2 Crowd, Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  17. ^ Top Ten Best Live Chat Softwares for Online Support 123Chat Agents, Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  18. ^ LiveChat Review Comparakeet Best Wix Apps 2016, Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  19. ^ Hazelton, Pamela (23 April 2019). "Using Facebook Messenger Chatbots to Support Live Chat". Practical Ecommerce. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
[edit]
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