Top 10 alternatives to Olark as an omnichannel communications platform for small business owners
An omnichannel communications platform can really drive your business. But there are many tools and software like Olark. out there. What is the best solution for you as a small business owner and what to look for in a omnichannel communications platform provider? We compare the top 10 omnichannel communications platform solutions on the market in this article.
What exactly is an omnichannel communications platform?
Before we move on, let’s explore what an omnichannel communications platform is. Providers like Olark offer an inbox solution to manage customer service. Channels like live chat, email and social messaging channels like Instagram DM, WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook Messenger are integrated to manage multiple channels in one place. Chatbots are often used as a first line support to answer questions.
Why does my business need an omnichannel communications platform?
Providers like Olark are important to your business because they help you with providing great customer service. With an omnichannel communications platform solution, you can provide customer service in an easy, quick and time efficient manner.
By having different messaging channels in one place, you can build and create true omnichannel experiences for your customers. Basically, it doesn’t matter whether a customer reaches out to your brand via live chat or sends you a Facebook message. They all end up in one and the same inbox.
Omnichannel communications platform solutions like Olark time savers as well. With chatbots and Conversational AI, they help you to automate your first line of support. Easy questions like “Where is my package?” or “Are you open on Sunday?” can be automated. More complicated questions that a chatbot can’t understand are seamlessly handed over to a real human being.
Omnichannel communications platforms offer integrations with other solutions as well. Integrations with solutions like Shopify or WooCommerce for eCommerce or Salesforce or HubSpot for CRM help you as a small business owner to save time. Such an integration allows an omnichannel communications platform like Olark to pull information like an order status or push information about a conversation with a customer.
An omnichannel communications platform like Olark often builds up customer profiles as well. These customer profiles help you as a small business owner to better understand your customers and to manage your customer relationships. Valuable data that helps you make customers more profitable for your small business.
The more advanced omnichannel communications platforms can also be used to reach out to customers pro-actively. For example, when somebody on your website is having issues at the sign-up page, a pop-up proactively appears to offer support. This type of pro-activeness helps increase conversation rates.
How omnichannel communications platforms compare
Let’s move into the comparison. We compare and rank different omnichannel communications platform providers like Olakr, Intercom, LivePerson, Kustomer, Manychat, Gorgias, Saysimple, Tidio, Trengo, Drift, Messagebird and Table Duck.
We compare and rank omnichannel communications platform providers based on features, price, whether the offer a free plan or not and market segment. Let’s list them.
Olark
One app to manage all your customer service channels: live chat, email, social media,
- Features: Live chat, chatbots, shared inbox
- Price: Starting from $ 29 per month
- Free plan available: No
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Intercom
Intercom is complete customer communications platform with bots, apps, product tours, email, messages, and a help center.
- Features: Live chat, chatbots, shared inbox, product tours
- Price: Unknown
- Free plan available: Unknown
- Market segment: Mid-sized to enterprise businesses
LiveChat Inc
LiveChat Inc is a complete customer service platform that delights your customers and fuels your sales.
- Features: Live chat, chatbots, shared inbox, product tours
- Price: Starting from $ 16/month
- Free plan available: Unknown
- Market segment: Mid-sized to enterprise businesses
Kustomer
Kustomer is an omnichannel CX platform with everything you need to engage seamlessly with customers in a single timeline
- Features: Customer service, self-service, CRM
- Price: Unknown
- Free plan available: Unknown
- Market segment: Mid-sized to enterprise businesses
LivePerson
LivePerson offers a complete solution to create, manage & optimize Conversational AI. Message with consumers on the most popular digital channels
- Features: Conversation Builder, Intent Manager, Analytics
- Price: Unknown
- Free plan available: Unknown
- Market segment: Enterprise businesses
Tidio
Tidio combines live chat and chatbot tools to help you provide superb customer service and generate more sales.
- Features: Live chat, chatbots, shared inbox
- Price: Starting from $ 39 per month
- Free plan available: Yes
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Drift
Brings your go-to-market teams together to deliver personalized customer experiences in real time.
- Features: Live chat, chatbots, Conversational Marketing
- Price: Unknown
- Free plan available: Unknown
- Market segment: Mid-sized to enterprise businesses
Manychat
ManyChat is a Facebook Messenger chatbot that automates getting and keeping customers happy.
- Features: Chatbot, social messaging
- Price: Starting from $ 15 per month
- Free plan available: Yes
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Gorgias
The all-in-one helpdesk + live chat, designed for ecommerce stores
- Features: Shared inbox, self-service
- Price: Starting from $ 60 per month
- Free plan available: no
- Market segment: Mid-sized businesses
Trengo
Collaborate with your team. Automate conversations. Create amazing customer experiences.
- Features: Team collaboration, live chat, shared inbox
- Price: Starting from $ 15 per month
- Free plan available: No
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Saysimple
Saysimple powers communication between businesses and their customers on any channel.
- Features: Multichannel inbox
- Price: Starting from $ 15 per month
- Free plan available: No
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Messagebird
A communications platform, where talking with a business is as easy and natural as talking to a human being.
- Features: Live chat, shared inbox, flow builder
- Price: Starting from $ 45 per month
- Free plan available: Yes
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Table Duck
Table Duck is an omnichannel communication platform to manage and automate all your customer conversations in one place.
- Features: Live chat, shared inbox, chatbots
- Price: Starting from $ 19 per month
- Free plan available: Yes
- Market segment: Small to mid-sized businesses
Which omnichannel communications platform fits best for my business needs?
Choosing the right omnichannel communications platform really depends on the needs of your business. Some tools like Olark focus mid-sized companies and larger enterprises, whereas Table Duck services especially small business owners.
