Customer engagement software is a platform that facilitates and enhances interactions between a business and its customers across various channels. The software combines tools such as live chat, email, SMS, social media, chatbots, and more.
This software can enable your business to build a solid relationship with your audience ,leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
But first, you need to identify and choose the right customer engagement tool for your commercial team.
And this time around, we’ll show you all you need to know about these tools.
In this article, we explore the following customer engagement solutions:
| Customer engagement tool | Rating from G2 | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidio | 4.7/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | AI-powered chatbots |
| HubSpot | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Marketing automation tools |
| Zendesk | 4.3/5 ⭐️ | Free trial | Conversational AI capabilities |
| Intercom | 4.5/5 ⭐️ | Free trial | Interactive voice response |
| Help Scout | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | Free trial | Shared inbox |
| Zoho | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Automated ticketing system |
| Freshdesk | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | Free trial | Omnichannel platform |
| Drift | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | Conversational marketing features |
| Salesforce | 4.3/5 ⭐️ | Free trial | Generative knowledge responses |
| Kustomer | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | AI-powered CRM |
| Pendo | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ❌ | In-platform product guides |
| ConvertKit | 4.4/5 ⭐️ | ✅ | Trigger email sequences |
Let’s jump right in—
Top 12 customer engagement platforms
A successful customer engagement strategy focuses on providing value to your audience through personalized experiences and interactions. To achieve this, you need to find suitable software for your team.
We did the heavy lifting for you and reviews the best options on the market, analyzing their reviews, pros, cons and pricing.
Without further ado, here’s a list of twelve tools for engaging customers we have reviewed for your consideration.
1. Tidio
Ratings: 4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,530+ reviews)
Tidio is a popular AI-powered software that supports a range of ecommerce and other online businesses to improve customer service. It offers customer engagement tools like live chat for sales teams and chatbots for lead generation. The software’s focal user engagement tool is its AI chatbot known as Lyro. It’s designed to enhance sales and customer service for SMBs. Also, the chatbot brings automation to your service processes, increasing customer satisfaction.
Moreover, Lyro can identify and answer questions about product availability, shipping policy, order status, and more. Consequently, you can free up your service team from mundane tasks by leaving them to the bot. Instead, you and your team can focus on user engagement.
But you can find out more on your own—
Sign up for a Tidio free account and test it out!
Main features:
- AI and NLP chatbots
- Chatbot builder
- Website visitor tracking software
- Lyro, conversational AI
- Multichannel customer service
Enhance customer engagement with Tidio
Read more: Check out how a luxury suit and tuxedo rental company automated up to 85% of its customer support using Lyrio.
2. HubSpot
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (2,340+ reviews)
HubSpot is a customer engagement software that combines a help desk, CRM, and sales hub. The software supports interactions between businesses and consumers throughout the entire customer lifecycle. You can track service requests, manage consumer communications, nurture sales leads, create email marketing templates, and more.
Pros:
- Omnichannel functionality
- Customer self-service portal
- AI chatbots
Cons:
- Limited contact selection tools
- Basic analytics and reporting features
- Free version available
- Starter ($20/mo/seat)
- Professional ($100/mo/seat)
- Enterprise ($150/mo/seat)
Read more: Discover the best HubSpot alternatives for your online business.
3. Zendesk
Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (5,860+ reviews)
Zendesk is a user engagement software designed to help enterprises deliver support services across multiple channels. The platform empowers service teams to manage support inquiries in a single location by consolidating all major channels including live chat, email, SMS, voice, and social media. Support teams can access several chatbot types to provide consumers with responses.
Pros:
- Social media bots for Facebook and Slack
- Proactive live chat for SMS and mobile app channels like WhatsApp
- Unique messaging integrations like live location maps or custom bots
Cons:
- The steep learning curve for new users
- Slow customer support
- Free 6-month trial for startups
- Basic plan ($19/mo/agent)
- Suite Team ($69/mo/agent)
- Suite Growth ($115/mo/agent)
- Suite Professional ($149/mo/agent)
- Suite Enterprise → Talk to sales
Read more: Compare the reviews about the best Zendesk alternatives and select a tool suitable for your website.
4. Intercom
Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (3,020+ reviews)
Intercom is a preeminent client engagement software that provides proactive customer service through in-app messaging, chat conversations, and chat surveys. The software offers standard engagement tools for customer support teams like shared inboxes and virtual AI assistants. Users can design chatbots that automate consumer interactions and support chats in several languages.
Pros:
- AI knowledge base
- Multichannel campaigns with Intercom series
- 350+ third-party integrations
Cons:
- Requires more email customization options
- Delayed push notifications to agents on customer responses
- Free 14-day trial
- Essential ($39/mo/seat)
- Advanced ($99/mo/seat)
- Expert ($139/mo/seat)
Read more: Learn about the best Intercom alternatives that can improve your customer support processes.
5. Help Scout
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (400+ reviews)
Help Scout is a shared inbox software that consolidates all customer communication management tools in a central workspace. It offers engagement software solutions that allow agents to manage multiple email addresses and live chat sessions. Service agents can use tools like conversation assignments for team members, private notes and mentions, organization tags, and more.
Pros:
- Collision detection for incoming tickets
- User-friendly interface
- Beacon chat widget
Cons:
- Challenges in directly creating service level agreements (SLAs)
- Overlap between internal and external conversations
- Free 15-day trial
- Standard ($25/mo/user)
- Plus ($50/mo/user)
- Pro→Contact us
Read more: Find the best Help Scout alternatives to help grow your company.
6. Zoho
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (5,615+ reviews)
Zoho Desk is a SaaS help desk tool that enables service teams to manage customer relationships. The customer engagement software is known for its automated ticketing system which auto-assigns tickets to service agents. Consumers can switch between different communication channels at different touchpoints of the customer’s journey.
Pros:
- Guided conversations feature for developers and users
- CRM functionality
- In-built email marketing templates
Cons:
- Cluttered user interface
- Glitches can occur when integrating into third-party apps
- Free version available
- Express ($9/mo/agent)
- Standard ($18/mo/agent)
- Professional ($30/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($45/mo/agent)
Read more: Check out the reviews about the best Zoho alternatives, compare the pros and cons, and choose an option suitable for your enterprise.
7. Freshdesk
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (3,125+ reviews)
Freshdesk is a comprehensive customer engagement platform that combines AI-powered live chat functionality and ticketing system features. Service agents can resolve issues promptly through help desk workflow automation tools. You can also create and deploy conversational AI chatbots across social media channels including TikTok and Instagram.
Pros:
- Custom chatbot APIs to connect to existing systems
- Availability of professional messaging tools (Microsoft Teams and Slack)
- Customer segmentation tools for marketing teams
Cons:
- The search functionality needs improvement
- Lacks the capability to upload screenshots
- Free 14-day trial
- Growth ($35/mo/agent)
- Pro ($83/mo/agent)
- Enterprise ($131/mo/agent)
Read more: Review our list of the best Freshdesk alternatives, their features, and pricing options.
8. Drift
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (1,195+ reviews)
Drift is an advanced customer engagement solution that combines live chat and conversational AI capabilities. The tool offers web self-service chatbot flows for users and enables your website to connect to external knowledge base systems. By installing its chat widget on your site, you can capture customer information, share targeted messaging, and provide proactive support.
Pros:
- Landing page builder
- In-app meeting scheduler
- Engagement score for website visitors
Cons:
- Prone to unexplained bugs and errors
- Automatic routing of conversations
- Premium ($2,500/mo)
- Advanced → Get more details
- Enterprise → Get more details
Read more: Check out the list of the best Drift alternatives and competitors we have compiled for you.
9. Salesforce
Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐️ (3,850+ reviews)
Salesforce is a cloud-based customer segmentation software and sales tool that provides businesses with a 360-degree view of their consumers. The software leverages AI to provide actionable insights to service reps, concerning customer behavior and trends. With this information, businesses can engage prospects in real time using email, voice, and social media channels.
Pros:
- CRM extension for a sales engagement platform
- Automatic prospecting
- AI-powered recommendations for buyers
Cons:
- Confusing user interface
- Needs to improve its email functionality
- Free 30-day trial
- Starter Suite ($25/mo/user)
- Professional ($80/mo/user)
- Enterprise ($165/mo/user)
- Unlimited ($330/mo/user)
- Einstein 1 Service ($500/mo/user)
Read more: Check out the best complaint management software on the market.
10. Kustomer
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (420+ reviews)
Kustomer is an AI customer support software that provides a personalized user experience. The software empowers agents with a central customer view across all channels while maximizing user engagement. Furthermore, the solution utilizes customer data to anticipate customer needs before they reach out.
Pros:
- Conversational chat assistant
- Efficient controls and permissions
- Customer surveys and reports
Cons:
- The knowledge base software lacks a visual edit interface
- Mobile SDKs need to be updated
- Enterprise ($89/mo/user)
- Ultimate ($139/mo/user)
Read more: See the best AI helpdesk solutions for stellar customer service.
11. Pendo
Ratings: 4.4/5 ⭐️ (1,420+ reviews)
Pendo is a customer experience software for companies looking to consolidate all their communication channels into one. The system is capable of creating in-app guides within your product, which are essential for client onboarding. You can also measure user sentiment through in-platform surveys and facilitate database segmentation.
Pros:
- Session replay software
- AI-generated content and guides
- Workflow suggestions
Cons:
- Limited customization features
- Challenges in dashboard management
- Base → Request pricing
- Core → Request pricing
- Pulse → Request pricing
- Ultimate → Request pricing
12. ConvertKit
Ratings: 4.4/5⭐️ (200+ reviews)
ConvertKit is a customer engagement software and an email marketing platform that is a favorite for creatives like podcasters, photographers, etc. You can use its no-code email designer and text editor to create unlimited email templates. In addition, you can engage your audience through its customizable landing pages, link pages, and sign-up forms.
Pros:
- Visual builder to map out customer segmentation
- Custom email sign-up forms
- Creator network recommendations for newsletter mailing list
Cons:
- Limited integrations
- Creating landing pages can be challenging for new users
- Free version available
- Creator ($29/mo/2 users)
- Pro ($59/mo/unlimited users)
Now that we know the best user engagement tools, let’s learn how they work.
How does a customer engagement platform work?
Customer engagement software is essentially a hub that consists of multiple tools:
- Help desks and shared inboxes—for customer-facing teams to manage and track customer inquiries and requests
- Social media management—for creating, scheduling, posting content, and responding to comments across various social media platforms
- Live chat app —for real-time communication with current and potential customers
- Chatbots—AI-powered or pre-programmed software for handling straightforward customer requests
- Knowledge bases—Repositories of information, internal or external, to help customers find answers independently.
- Feedback tools—for delivering surveys, requesting customer feedback, and analyzing the results for improvements
- Email marketing tools —to help teams create and manage email marketing campaigns
As a result, a customer engagement platform provides a 360-degree view of your end users. It offers in-depth reporting and analytical insight so you can get a full picture of your customers and at what point they are in the customer journey. On top of that, it enhances agent productivity as service teams can eliminate some of the repetitive tasks by automating workflows, thus freeing them up to scale their service efforts.
With this in mind—
Let’s identify the features your customer engagement software should have.
What to look for in customer engagement software
If you are having trouble deciding on a customer engagement software for your website, here are some of the main features you need to consider:
- Omnichannel communication tools—customer engagement software should include relevant communication channels like live chat, email, social media, voice, and more. A report on retail trends has shown that over 50% of consumers feel it’s important to enjoy personalized experiences across all communication channels within a brand.
- User feedback collection—a good engagement platform allows your service teams to solicit, collect, analyze, and respond to consumer feedback. A survey shows that companies that successfully engage consumers receive a 55% higher profitability.
- Customer segmentation features—identify software that can segment your audience according to metrics such as demography, location, and behaviors. This allows you to personalize communications to consumers, increasing your chances of engagement. A study shows that personalization influences over 38% of online revenue.
Get your support to another level with customer engagement software
Finding the right customer engagement software is crucial to connecting your business to consumers. With the help of the right tool, you’ll be able to offer better service delivery and ultimately boost client engagement and satisfaction.
Tidio enhances customer support across multiple channels and streamlines operational efficiency by deploying chatbots and helpdesk workflows. As a result, your customers are more engaged, which consequently leads to more customer retention and loyalty.
Why not give it a try today?
Improve client communication with stellar customer engagement tools
