Let’s be real, keeping customers happy online feels like trying to hold water in your hands. You’re dealing with tons of emails, social media, and support requests, and things slip away. As someone who has managed hundreds of customer relationships, I’ve seen how a disconnect with customers can hold back even the best businesses.
This is precisely why an effective customer engagement platform is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
In 2025, customers want personal attention and quick replies. They want to know you care. This is where a customer engagement platform helps businesses interact with customers in real-time through live chat, messaging, and automated responses, ensuring quick replies and a more personalized experience.
That’s why I’ve curated a list of 9 platforms that stand out in their ability to streamline communication, automate critical tasks, and drive customer loyalty. Ready to transform your customer experience? Let’s dive in and explore the best tools to elevate your business!
What Is a Customer Engagement Platform (CEP)?
So, what exactly is a Customer Engagement Platform (CEP)? If you’re new to the concept, think of a CEP as a centralized solution that helps businesses manage customer interactions across all channels—whether it’s email, chat, social media, or phone.
Let’s say a customer messages you on chat and then follows up with an email about the same issue. Instead of juggling through different platforms, a CEP lets you see both conversations in one spot, making it so much easier to respond quickly.
And it doesn’t stop there. A CEP has features like automation to send follow-up messages for you, segmentation to organize customers by their needs, and analytics to track how well you’re engaging with them. All of this helps you deliver a more personalized experience.
In short, a customer engagement platform streamlines your communication process, helping you manage customer relationships more effectively—all while saving time.
Want to see how a CEP actually works in action? Watch this quick video:
Why Use Customer Engagement Software?
Staying connected with your customers is key to building loyalty and driving growth. That’s where customer engagement software steps in—it helps you manage every interaction, from the first hello to long-term support.
Here’s why it’s worth using:
- Keeps all your customer interactions in one place—no more tool-hopping
- Helps you respond faster and more personally across chat, email, and social media
- Reduces missed follow-ups and improves customer satisfaction
- Builds stronger relationships that lead to repeat business
- Gives you insights into what your customers need and when
- With the right customer engagement solutions, you can stay connected and grow trust at every touchpoint
Which Is the Best Customer Engagement Software?
Based on my experience with the tools listed above, I can recommend the top three options that you should consider-
1. BIGContacts: BIGContacts is a powerful tool that helps you manage your contacts with ease. It provides detailed analytics on how emails are performing, which enables you to optimize your marketing campaigns. It also lets you automate customer engagement management workflows to help you stay organized.
2. Freshdesk: Freshdesk lets you provide contextual help to customers based on the web page they are currently viewing, which helps you deliver personalized support. With the software’s AI capabilities, you can automate workflows to eliminate redundancy or optimize support operations with the analytics feature.
3. ProProfs Chat: Nothing beats the live-chat-and-chatbot combo when it comes to engaging customers. ProProfs Chat lets you automate support experiences and engage website visitors – all in a free plan. Its AI chatbot can save hours by answering repetitive questions and keep customers engaged even when you’re unavailable.
List of Top 9 Customer Engagement Software
To compile this list, I evaluated each tool based on its ease of use and scalability, ensuring they cater to various startup needs. My assessment is based on personal experiences, insights from trusted reviews, and feedback from industry peers.
| Software | Best For | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| BIGContacts | Contact Management & Email Marketing for Small & Medium Businesses | Forever free for small teams. Paid plan starts at $9.99/month. |
| ProProfs Chat | 24/7 Delightful Customer Support With AI Chatbots | A Forever-free plan is available. Team plan starts at $19.99/user/month. |
| Freshdesk | Omnichannel Customer Support | Starts at $15/user/month. |
| Zendesk | Sales Pipeline Management | Starts at $25/user/month. |
| HubSpot | Centralizing Sales, Marketing, & Support Operations | Starts at $15/user/month. |
| Zoho Desk | Multi-Channel Ticket Management | Starts at $15/user/month. |
| Salesforce | Large & Complex Sales Organizations | Starts at $25/user/month. |
| ServiceNow | Digital Workflow Automation | Custom pricing. |
| Outreach | Sales Engagement Automation | Custom pricing. |
1. BIGContacts – Best for Contact Management & Email Marketing for Startups & Small & Medium Businesses
I’ve been using BIGContacts CRM for a couple of years now, and it’s been quite helpful when it comes to keeping my contacts organized and running effective email marketing campaigns.
The platform’s sales pipeline feature made it so much easier for me to track where each of my leads was in the process.
I loved how I could customize fields to store specific details about my clients, which helped me stay on top of important follow-ups. As for email marketing, I found it really useful for setting up automated campaigns, which saved me a lot of time.
I was able to send personalized emails to clients based on their engagement, keeping them interested without having to manually follow up all the time. It also worked really well as a client engagement platform and helped me nurture relationships with ease through its simple automation tools and task reminders.
What You’ll Like:
- Automated email campaigns to engage customers without extra effort
- Customizable fields that help track detailed client information
- A clear sales pipeline with drag and drop interface that helps track leads from start to finish
- Webforms for lead capture, which automatically adds new leads to your CRM, improving lead management and saving time
- Awesome human support 24/7 via phone, chat, and knowledge base
- The interface is user-friendly and makes navigation super easy
What You May Not Like:
- No downloadable or on-premise version
- No dedicated account manager for the free plan, unlike the paid
Pricing:
- Forever free for small teams. Paid starts at $9.99/month.
By switching from spreadsheets to CRM, Innergy Yoga streamlined its client management. They minimized missed opportunities and ensured follow-ups were never overlooked. This improved both efficiency and client relationships.
Here’s what Lynn Cameron, CEO of Innergy Yoga, has to say about BIGContacts –
2. ProProfs Chat – Best for 24/7 Delightful Customer Support With AI Chatbots
Since I implemented ProProfs Chat into my workflow, my customer support operations have been completely transformed. The AI-powered chatbots can answer routine questions instantly, even when my team is offline.
The proactive chat invitations helped me connect with visitors before they had a chance to reach out.
As a customer engagement platform, ProProfs Chat brought together multiple channels like Facebook and WhatsApp to manage everything from a single dashboard. I could quickly route conversations to the right team members, improving response times.
The canned responses made answering frequent queries faster and more consistent. ProProfs Chat helped me maintain excellent customer relationships with minimal effort, offering seamless, around-the-clock support.
What You’ll Like:
- Pre-designed templates for lead generation, sales, customer service, ticket management, and more
- Support for multiple languages to connect with customers in their preferred language
- Chatbot performance analytics to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the bot
- Tracking visitors in real-time to analyze customer behavior and offer immediate support
What You May Not Like:
- Lacks an on-premise version
- Dark user interface option is not available
Pricing:
- A Forever-free plan is available. Team plan starts at $19.99/user/month.
3. Freshdesk – Best for Omnichannel Customer Support
Image Source: Freshdesk Customer Success
I remember when I started using Freshdesk for customer support – it completely changed the way I managed inquiries. Instead of using multiple platforms, I could now handle email, live chat, phone support, and social media all from one dashboard.
Freshdesk quickly became my go-to tool for managing customer interactions, helping me keep everything organized and making sure no conversation was missed. The automated ticket routing and AI-powered suggestions were huge time-savers, helping me respond faster and solve issues more efficiently.
It was easy to customize workflows and track support tickets in one place. Plus, the self-service portal gave my customers the freedom to handle simple issues themselves.
What You’ll Like:
- Omnichannel support combining email, live chat, phone, and social media
- AI-powered ticket suggestions for faster responses, helping reduce manual effort
- Self-service portal for customers to resolve issues independently
- Automation features for ticket routing and prioritization to manage workflows and ensure high-priority issues are addressed promptly
What You May Not Like:
- The support system can be slow and unresponsive, leading to frustration when urgent issues arise
- Freshdesk falls short in areas like billing and project management, and its integration with other tools could be improved.
Pricing:
- Starts at $15/user/month.
4. Zendesk – Best for Sales Pipeline Management
Image Source: Zendesk Help
Zendesk stands out for its ability to organize the entire sales journey, from the first contact to closing deals. With its integrated communication tools, like email and live chat, users can stay connected with potential clients, while automated follow-ups increase efficiency.
The platform’s reporting features provide valuable insights, helping to identify bottlenecks and optimize strategies. Key features, such as unified customer profiles, a ticketing system, and the ability to track customer history, significantly enhance customer management.
Customer engagement automation plays a critical role in streamlining processes, while integrations with other business tools, such as email marketing platforms, extend its functionality.
What You’ll Like:
- Centralized dashboard for managing sales and support activities
- Powerful automation tools for task and ticket routing
- Multi-channel communication support (email, chat, social media) to manage all customer interactions in one place
- In-depth analytics and reporting to track performance
What You May Not Like:
- The lack of comment referencing in Zendesk makes it challenging to track client history
- Offers limited customization options for ticket fields, restricting flexibility in managing support requests
Pricing:
- Starts at $25/user/month.
5. HubSpot – Best for Centralizing Sales, Marketing, & Support Operations
Image Source: HubSpot
Honestly, I was surprised by how HubSpot helped me to connect all my customer interactions into one cohesive experience. It wasn’t just a CRM; it was a complete business platform.
I created targeted marketing campaigns and then tracked those leads directly into my sales pipeline. The service hub’s ability to manage customer tickets and provide detailed support was incredibly efficient.
I built automated email sequences that nurtured leads through the sales funnel and then used the same platform to provide ongoing customer support.
The shared inbox feature ensured that my team never missed a customer inquiry. The feature to segment customers based on their behavior and interactions personalized my outreach. I used the built-in meeting scheduler to easily book appointments with clients.
Plus, customer engagement service features like knowledge bases and feedback forms are invaluable for building customer loyalty.
What You’ll Like:
- Visual deal pipelines with drag-and-drop functionality for effortless deal tracking
- Integrated live chat and conversational bots to provide instant customer support
- Automated Workflow Builder to manage repetitive tasks across sales, marketing, and service teams
- Social Media monitoring and publishing for enhancing brand engagement
What You May Not Like:
- HubSpot gets pricey as your team and contact list grow, which can be tough for smaller businesses
- Template customization options can be limited
Pricing:
- Starts at $15/user/month.
6. Zoho Desk – Best for Multi-Channel Ticket Management
Image Source: Zoho
Zoho Desk stands out for its ability to transform a chaotic support system into something well-organized and manageable. With features like ticket assignment and tracking in one place, managing support becomes significantly easier.
The platform’s automation is particularly helpful handling routine tasks like ticket assignments and adhering to SLAs, which allows teams to focus on more critical issues. The knowledge base provides self-service solutions, reducing the overall workload.
Another standout feature is the Blueprint, which helps users map out clear processes and automate support workflows. The Zia AI bot efficiently handles common queries, improving response times. Additionally, customer satisfaction surveys offer valuable insights, helping businesses continuously improve their support services.
What You’ll Like:
- Blueprint automation for visual support process management
- Service Level Agreement (SLA) timers to ensure timely responses and accountability
- Ticket Collision Detection to prevent duplicate agent responses
- Comprehensive knowledge base creation and management
What You May Not Like:
- Some users have expressed frustration with the limited formatting options within the Knowledge Base feature
- Occasionally, Zoho Desk can misinterpret emails, leading to ticket organization problems
Pricing:
- Starts at $15/user/month.
7. Salesforce – Best for Large & Complex Sales Organizations
Image Source: Salesforce Admins
Salesforce is a powerful solution for managing complex sales processes. While it can feel overwhelming at first, once users become familiar with it, it provides the tools necessary to streamline operations.
The platform offers impressive customization options, helping users to create tailored sales processes and reports. Automation features, especially with workflow rules, significantly save time and improve efficiency.
The Service Cloud enables businesses to manage customer support across multiple channels, ensuring a smooth experience for all customers. The Marketing Cloud facilitates targeted campaigns, while the Commerce Cloud simplifies the management of online sales.
One of the standout features is Einstein AI, which provides valuable insights to guide decision-making. Chatter fosters easy team collaboration, and overall, Salesforce helps elevate customer engagement.
What You’ll Like:
- Einstein AI for predictive sales and service insights
- Service Cloud Omni-Channel Routing to efficiently distribute support requests
- Marketing Cloud Journey Builder to create complex, automated customer journeys
- Extensive AppExchange marketplace for integrations
What You May Not Like:
- Customization often requires technical expertise or developer assistance
- The cost of storing large amounts of data within Salesforce can escalate significantly
Pricing:
- Starts at $25/user/month.
8. ServiceNow – Best for Digital Workflow Automation
Image Source: Esgtoday
ServiceNow is designed to bring front, middle, and back offices together to resolve customer issues proactively. It is a cloud-based customer engagement software.
I heard about this from one of my peers, who was pretty impressed with its customer service management (CSM) feature. With CSM, you can automate customer requests, proactively address issues, and deliver effortless experiences.
The software also provides real-time reporting, data integrity, enhanced ITSM (Information Technology Service Management) tracking, and multiple other features. It also has a shared inbox where you can collaborate internally and keep everyone on the same page.
What You’ll Like:
- Customer service automation to enable your team to focus on more complex issues
- A single view of all customer interactions to easily track customer issues
- Knowledge base reduces support tickets and improves customer satisfaction
- AI and machine learning identify patterns and predict customer behavior
What You May Not Like:
- The platform can be laggy and slow at times
- Users complain of unresponsive customer service
Pricing:
- Custom pricing.
9. Outreach – Best for Sales Engagement Automation
Image Source: G2
Outreach is a powerful tool designed to manage customer engagements and drive sales success. One of its standout features is conversation intelligence, which acts like a personal coach. This feature helps users analyze customer conversations, identify what strategies work best, and refine their approach accordingly.
By decoding conversations, users can continuously improve their communication, leading to better outcomes in customer engagement. Another key strength of Outreach is its data synchronization capabilities.
It automates the process of updating data across multiple platforms, ensuring that information is consistent and up to date. This eliminates any discrepancies in customer interactions and ensures that messages are always tailored and accurate, no matter where they are delivered.
What You’ll Like:
- A/B test email templates to optimize engagement efforts
- Automated engagement workflows to keep prospects engaged and increase the chances of closing deals
- An intuitive meeting scheduler to book meetings with clients quickly
- Personalized email outreach feature to generate leads
What You May Not Like:
- The basic plan lacks pipeline movement reporting features
- If used incorrectly, the automation features can lead to overly impersonal outreach
Pricing:
- Custom pricing.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:
- User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
- Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
- Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
- Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
- Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
- Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.
How Does a Customer Engagement Tool Work
Let me show you how a customer engagement tool works and how it can transform your interactions with customers
- Centralized Communication: All customer conversations are gathered in one place. No more switching between email, chat apps, and social media. Everything you need is right in front of you.
- Real-Time Interaction: You can respond instantly to customers, whether they’re chatting with you on your website or messaging you on social media. It keeps everything in real-time, so you never miss an opportunity to engage.
- Automated Follow-Ups: The tool can send follow-up messages to you automatically. For example, if a customer asks a question, it can send them a response without you having to do anything. It saves you time!
- Customer Segmentation: The tool helps group customers based on their behavior or preferences. For example, you can create separate lists for people who are interested in a specific product or service. This allows you to tailor your communication to each group.
- Personalized Engagement: The tool can track customer interactions and provide insights into their preferences. With this information, you can send more personalized messages and recommendations, making customers feel valued.
- Analytics & Reporting: A good customer engagement tool will also show you how well you’re doing. It gives you reports on things like how many conversations you’ve had, how quickly you’re responding, and how satisfied customers are. These insights help you improve your strategy.
- Integration with Other Tools: Most customer engagement tools can connect with other tools you’re already using, like your CRM or email marketing platform. This creates a more unified approach and keeps all your data in sync.
What Is the Difference Between CRM and Customer Engagement Platforms?
While both CRM and CEP are designed to help businesses improve customer relationships, they have different functions. Let’s break down the key differences to help you understand them better.
| Feature | CRM (Customer Relationship Management) | Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) |
|---|---|---|
| Main Focus | Primarily manages customer data, interactions, and sales pipeline. | Focuses on real-time communication and engagement across various channels. |
| Purpose | Helps store and organize customer information for better relationship management. | Helps you engage customers, respond to their queries, and manage interactions in real-time. |
| Automation | Automates tasks like sales tracking and follow-ups. | Automates communication, such as follow-up emails or chat responses. |
| Data Usage | Focuses on tracking customer data, sales history, and progress. | Uses customer behavior data to engage with them personally and interactively. |
| Integration | Mainly integrates with sales tools and marketing software. | Integrates with multiple channels like email, chat, and social media. |
| Customer Interaction | Primarily focused on storing information from past interactions. | Focuses on ongoing, real-time interactions and proactive engagement. |
| Customer Insights | Provides insights based on historical data (e.g., sales trends). | Provides insights on current interactions and engagement patterns. |
To put it simply – CRM vs. CEP—while both tools help you manage customer relationships, a CRM is more about tracking data and organizing information, while a CEP focuses on engaging customers across multiple channels in real time.
Key Features of the Customer Engagement Platform
When you’re looking at a Customer Engagement Platform, there are a few things you definitely want to see. Think of these as the must-haves for building strong customer relationships:
1. Omnichannel Communication
This means the platform lets you talk to your customers wherever they are. Emails, social media, live chat, even text messages – it handles it all. It’s like having one central hub for all your conversations.
2. Customer Data Management
This is where the magic happens. The CEP keeps track of all your customer information in one place. It remembers what they bought, what they asked, and what they like. This helps you personalize every interaction.
3. Automation
This feature saves you tons of time. You can set up automatic emails, follow-ups, and even social media posts. It’s like having a robot assistant who handles the routine stuff so you can focus on the important things.
Convert More Leads With CRM Marketing Automation
4. Personalization
This is key to making your customers feel special. The CEP lets you tailor your messages and offers to each individual. It’s like knowing your customers’ favorite order and always having it ready.
5. Analytics and Reporting
You need to know how well your engagement efforts are working. The CEP gives you reports and dashboards that show you what’s working and what’s not. It’s like having a report card for your customer relationships.
6. Customer Segmentation
This feature helps you group your customers based on shared characteristics. This allows you to create targeted campaigns and make your communication more relevant. For example, you can group customers based on location, purchase history, or demographics.
7. Integration Capabilities
The CEP needs to play well with your other tools. It should connect seamlessly with your CRM, email marketing software, and other systems. This keeps all your data in sync and makes your workflow smoother.
What Are the Benefits of Leveraging Customer Engagement Solutions?
User engagement is the key to unlocking sustainable growth in all industries. Here’s how customer engagement solutions can make a real difference:
1. Reduce Churn, Build User Loyalty
By understanding user behavior and providing personalized support, you can keep users engaged and reduce churn. This translates to consistent revenue and a stable user base.
2. Increase Upselling and Cross-selling
Analyzing user data allows you to identify opportunities to offer relevant upgrades or add-ons. This increases average revenue per user and maximizes customer lifetime value.
3. Optimize Support and Lower Costs
Automation and self-service tools streamline support, reducing the need for manual intervention. This lowers operational costs and improves response times.
4. Improve Product Development with User Insights
Engagement data provides valuable feedback on user behavior and preferences. This informs product development decisions, ensuring your SaaS platform meets user needs.
5. Personalized Touch
Customers want to feel like you know them. With segmentation and tailored messaging, you can deliver personalized experiences that keep them coming back for more.
6. Drive Organic Growth Through User Advocacy
Satisfied users are more likely to recommend your SaaS platform to others. This organic growth strategy expands your customer base and strengthens your brand.
7. Collaborate Like a Pro
These solutions make team collaboration a breeze. Share information, assign tasks, and solve problems together—all within one platform. No more miscommunication or delays.
8. Create a Consistent User Experience
A centralized customer engagement solution ensures a seamless experience across all touchpoints. This builds trust and reinforces brand loyalty.
How BIGContacts Customer Engagement Platform Caters to Different Industries
BIGContacts understands that “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t work when it comes to customer engagement. They’ve designed their platform to be adaptable, offering industry-specific solutions that address unique needs. Here’s how they cater to various sectors:
1. For Sales-Driven Industries
BIGContacts provides effective CRM features that streamline sales processes. This includes lead management, pipeline tracking, and sales automation. Industries like real estate, software sales, and retail benefit from the platform’s ability to manage complex sales cycles and improve conversion rates.
2. For Service-Oriented Industries
Businesses in sectors like consulting, professional services, and customer support rely on BIGContacts for its contact management and communication tools. The platform facilitates organized client interactions, appointment scheduling, and task management.
3. For Marketing-Focused Industries
Agencies, marketing firms, and e-commerce businesses utilize BIGContacts for its email marketing integration and contact segmentation capabilities. This allows them to create targeted campaigns and track their effectiveness.
4. For Small Businesses and Startups
BIGContacts offers a user-friendly interface and affordable pricing plans that cater to the needs of smaller businesses. They provide essential CRM and contact management features that help startups build and nurture customer relationships.
5. Adaptable Customization
Regardless of the industry, BIGContacts allows for customization of fields, workflows, and reports. This adaptability ensures that businesses can tailor the platform to their specific requirements.
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Customer Engagement Software: FAQs
Is CRM also considered customer engagement software?
Yes, you can consider CRM as customer engagement software. It helps you manage customer relationships by tracking interactions and data. By centralizing information, you personalize communications and offer tailored services. This focus on personalized interaction builds stronger connections and improves customer satisfaction. So, while CRM handles more than just engagement, its core purpose directly involves fostering customer relationships.
To learn more about how CRM can benefit small and medium businesses, check out this quick video:
Is compliance ensured in customer engagement platforms?
Compliance varies across customer engagement platforms. Reputable platforms prioritize data security and adhere to regulations like GDPR. However, you must verify specific compliance features. Ensure the platform offers data encryption, access controls, and audit trails. Your business remains responsible for compliant data handling, even with such tools.
How much training is required to use customer engagement software?
The amount of training required to use customer engagement software depends on the software and the user’s familiarity with such a product. However, it also depends on how intuitive and clutter-free the software is. For example, while some products like BIGContacts have an easy-to-understand interface, others like HubSpot or Salesforce have a steep learning curve that requires extensive training.
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