In today’s oversaturated market, keeping customers engaged and loyal to one brand is an uphill task.
But that can be changed – thanks to customer engagement software solutions.
Still, here comes the next hurdle –
How do you know which tool is the right fit for your unique needs?
After all, there are hundreds of them claiming to be the best in the game. But don’t worry about that. I have done the math for you because, in this blog, you’ll get to know about the best software solutions to boost your engagement rates.
Here are the top 11 customer engagement tools that I have covered in this blog-
| Product Name | Best For | Pricing (Starts From) |
|---|---|---|
| BIGContacts | Contact Management & Email Marketing | $5/user/month |
| ProProfs Chat | Live Chat & AI Chatbot | $19.99/operator/month |
| Zendesk | Help Center | $19/agent/month |
| HubSpot CRM | Customer Portal | $18/month |
| Salesforce | AI-Powered Automation | $25/user/month |
| Zoho CRM | Omnichannel Customer Engagement | $14/user/month |
| Freshdesk | Contextual Support | $15/agent/month |
| Kustomer | Customer Support | $89/user/month |
| Front | Shared Inbox & Team Collaboration | $19/seat/month |
| ServiceNow | Customer Service Management | Custom Pricing |
| Outreach | Conversation Intelligence | Custom Pricing |
List of the 11 Best Customer Engagement Software
Over the years, I got the chance to test plenty of customer engagement solutions offered by different vendors.
The tools I have included in this list are the ones that I highly recommend or use even today. Some of these are suggested by friends in the industry or based on user testimonials.
1. BIGContacts – Best for Contact Management & Email Marketing
I’ve been using BIGContacts for quite some time now, and the results have been nothing short of exceptional. This customer database software is like having a super-organized repository containing all my customer info, interactions, and future plans.
With BIGContacts, managing my contacts becomes a breeze.
I can easily track contact details, previous touches, and upcoming events. It also lets me automate customer engagement management workflows to help me stay organized.
Another great feature of BIGContacts is its email marketing capabilities. I can craft targeted emails that feel like they’re exclusively for that person. I also like the ability to set up templates for emails that I frequently send.
And guess what? I can even set custom triggers to send these emails without having to click ‘send’ each time. BIGContacts also provides detailed analytics on how emails are performing, which helps me optimize my marketing campaigns.
What You’ll Like:
- Detailed contact records with a wide variety of custom fields
- Personalized drip email campaigns to improve customer engagement
- Integration support with any email program – such as Gmail, Outlook, etc.
- Detailed calendar views and to-do lists to keep track of upcoming meetings/events
- Effective segmentation capabilities, including static and dynamic contact lists
What You May Not Like:
- Getting used to the extensive range of advanced features might require a bit of exploration
- Search functionality for email templates needs improvement
Pricing:
- Forever free plan for startups with 100 contacts.
- Paid starts at $9.99/month with a 15-day free trial.
2. ProProfs Chat – Best for Live Chat & AI Chatbot
Image Source: ProProfschat
ProProfs Chat is a powerful live chat software and AI chatbot platform that has helped me automate support experiences, engage website visitors, and convert them into loyal customers.
Currently, I’m using the free plan. It lets me connect with visitors in real-time and answer their questions immediately.
It also comes with an AI chatbot, which helps me save hours by automating customer engagement. I use it to provide instant answers to repetitive questions and keep customers engaged even when my chat operators are unavailable.
But that’s not all. ProProfs Chat has plenty of other customer engagement features like custom greetings, announcements, popups, etc., which further improve the customer experience.
What You’ll Like:
- Announcements let you promote new products or upcoming events
- The ability to see detailed info about website visitors, their visited pages, etc.
- Automatic chat routing direct conversations to the most appropriate agent
- Chat invitation popups to encourage website visitors to chat with you
- Pre and post-chat surveys help collect relevant information from customers
What You May Not Like:
- The chat routing capability needs to have more options
- You may get lots of updates to the chatbot tool that might seem overwhelming
Pricing:
- A FREE-forever plan is available for single operators. Paid plans start from $19.99/operator/month.
3. Zendesk – Best for Help Center
Image Source: G2
Zendesk is a powerful customer engagement platform. I have used it for over a year and can vouch for its help center.
It has a 24×7 knowledge base that empowers customers to find answers to their questions independently. I can add images, videos, and other content to make my articles more engaging. This frees up my time so I can focus on more complex tasks.
Apart from Zendesk Service, it also offers Zendesk Sell. Pipeline management is a prominent feature of that. It helps me engage with the right people at the perfect time, making meaningful connections.
What You’ll Like:
- The ability to engage with customers on their preferred channels – live chat, email, social media, etc.
- Reporting tools provide valuable insights into customer needs
- AI bots automate customer support tasks and provide basic troubleshooting
- You can improve business productivity by automating repetitive tasks like creating tickets
- Routing intelligence ensures customers receive help as quickly as possible
What You May Not Like:
- No multi-language support in the basic plan
- Zendesk’s customer support is slow and unresponsive
Pricing:
- Starts from $19/agent/month.
4. HubSpot CRM – Best for Customer Portal
Image Source: G2crowd
As someone who has used HubSpot CRM extensively, I can tell you that its customer portal feature is quite a deal breaker.
For starters, it’s like a secure haven where customers can access the help they need exactly when they need it. No more waiting around for replies!
Now, here’s the kicker – the portal is directly linked to the shared inbox within HubSpot. My customers appreciate being in the loop about how we’re tackling their issues and what progress is being made.
The platform also offers built-in reporting to gain better insights into engagement performance. With these insights, you can connect with customers at the most appropriate time with relevant solutions.
What You’ll Like:
- Automatically enrich contact records with data from social media, website activity, etc.
- A universal inbox where team members can access conversations across channels
- The ability to create bots that book meetings, answer customer questions, etc.
- A library of pre-built templates to create professional emails
- Instant alerts to stay ahead of the curve and respond to prospects quickly
What You May Not Like:
- HubSpot can be ineffective when you don’t use its range of products as an all-in-one tool
- It does not offer A/B testing on lower plans
Pricing:
- Starts from $18/month (billed annually). A free plan is available with certain limitations.
5. Salesforce – Best for AI-Powered Automation
Image Source: Salesforceben
In my experience, Salesforce has the power to weave together your sales, marketing, support, and operations teams – enabling consistently reliable customer engagement experiences.
The magic lies in its AI-powered automation capabilities.
For example, you can use AI to send personalized email campaigns that are more likely to be opened. Apart from that, it can also automate tasks – such as sending follow-up emails, qualifying leads, etc.
The software connects your sales, marketing, support, and operations teams. This allows you to streamline your processes and create a more efficient workflow.
What You’ll Like:
- A 360° view of your interactions with a contact – from their first email to their last purchase
- Automation of tasks frees up time so you can focus on more important tasks
- Reports identify areas where you need to improve customer service
- Sending targeted emails to customers based on their interests and demographics
- Mobile app to access data and interact with your customers on the go
What You May Not Like:
- The UI has a steep learning curve
- The software gets a lot of screen refreshes sometimes, losing progress in between
Pricing:
- Starts from $25/user/month.
6. Zoho CRM – Best for Omnichannel Customer Engagement
Image Source: G2
Zoho CRM is a top recommendation I often get for its omnichannel customer engagement solutions. It lets you craft personalized customer experiences that resonate on every platform they interact with.
Another standout feature, in my opinion, is the powerful automation capabilities. The software takes care of repetitive tasks, allowing your team to focus on more important things.
But what truly sets Zoho apart is how it turns data into meaningful interactions. This helps you understand customer’s preferences and behavior to deliver targeted solutions.
What You’ll Like:
- A single view of customer interactions helps in understanding their needs and preferences
- Identify the most promising opportunities by analyzing data and identifying patterns
- Customer segmentation to deliver personalized messages and improve engagement
- A central data repository enhances collaboration between team members
- Real-time notifications about important events to respond to customers quickly
What You May Not Like:
- Its email marketing feature is not as robust as some other CRM solutions
- Customer support is not responsive sometimes
Pricing:
- Starts from $14/user/month.
7. Freshdesk – Best for Contextual Support
Image Source: Freshdesk
I think Freshdesk can be a great pick if you’re looking for customer engagement software that offers contextual support. So what does that mean, exactly?
Well, you can provide help to customers based on the webpage they are currently viewing – something like offering personalized support.
With the software’s AI-powered automation capabilities, you can easily eliminate redundancy and enable your engagement strategy to run on autopilot.
Freshdesk’s analytics feature is helpful in optimizing engagement rates. It surfaces potential issues and optimizes those operations with proactive AI-driven insights.
What You’ll Like:
- The omnichannel help desk manages all support-related communications from one place
- Generative AI assists agents in delivering accurate resolutions
- Empowers agents to engage with the right experts to deliver faster service on complex inquiries
- Social media integration to manage your company’s Facebook page from within the helpdesk
What You May Not Like:
- The free plan lacks automation capabilities
- Some users feel that the reporting module can be improved
Pricing:
- Starts from $15/agent/month (billed annually). A free plan is available with certain limitations.
8. Kustomer – Best for Customer Support
Image Source: Capterra
I recommend Kustomer because it’s a customer service platform that isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about delivering exceptional experiences while keeping costs in check.
The software lets you manage customer interactions across various channels. Think email, chat, social media, and more – all accessible from one screen!
Kustomer’s AI-powered automation is where the real game-changer lies. Imagine tasks like categorizing incoming messages, suggesting responses, and even handling simple chats – all automated.
Armed with AI and historical data, you can orchestrate tailored engagement, automate service interactions, and ensure faster resolutions.
What You’ll Like:
- Omnichannel messaging connects customers through preferred channels like email, chat, SMS, etc.
- Incident management features streamline ticketing and service restoration processes.
- The ability to display interactions, events, etc., in a single timeline view.
- Complex routing capabilities distribute work across a team with different skill sets.
- Powerful bots deliver personalized experiences and drive faster resolutions.
What You May Not Like:
- Kustomer’s plans are expensive for small businesses
- Businesses with multiple customer interactions might find it difficult to set up the software
Pricing:
- Starts from $89/user/month.
9. Front – Best for Shared Inbox & Team Collaboration
Image Source: Techcrunch
Using Front has been a game-changer for me in optimizing customer interactions. It helps me streamline conversations across various channels, all from one shared inbox.
The shared inbox feature keeps my entire team on the same page. No more back-and-forth emails or confusion about who’s handling what.
However, what’s truly remarkable is how the software offers actionable insights into the effectiveness of my engagement efforts. I can fine-tune my strategies, ensuring that I’m delivering exactly what my customers need.
What You’ll Like:
- Unified customer view for all customer data and interactions
- Omnichannel messaging helps reach customers on their preferred channels
- Detailed insights and analytics show how customers feel about your business
- Automatically route customer inquiries to the right team member
- Allows support teams to craft a personal response every time without sacrificing speed or efficiency.
What You May Not Like:
- The starter plan lacks AI capabilities
- Some users complained that archiving customer emails leads to losing them
Pricing:
- Starts from $19/seat/month.
10. ServiceNow – Best for Customer Service Management
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 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
- Social media integration handles customer inquiries on these platforms
What You May Not Like:
- The platform can be laggy and slow at times
- Users complain of unresponsive customer service
Pricing:
- Custom Pricing.
11. Outreach – Best for Conversation Intelligence
Image Source: G2
Looking for a tool to manage customer engagements and drive sales success, I came across Outreach.
The most unique feature I like about it is conversation intelligence. I’ll simplify it for you briefly.
Well, it’s like a personal coach who helps me analyze customer conversations, decode what works, and fine-tune my approach.
But that’s not all – Outreach is a pro at data synchronization.
It’s got this knack for automating data updates across various platforms, leaving no room for inconsistencies in my customer engagement efforts. That means my messages are always on point, no matter where they land.
What You’ll Like:
- Insights into buyer behavior show which prospects are most likely to close deals
- A/B test email templates to optimize engagement efforts
- Automated engagement workflows keep prospects engaged and increase the chances of closing deals
- An intuitive meeting scheduler can book meetings with clients quickly
- You can send personalized email outreach to prospects 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.
How to Choose the Best Customer Engagement Software
There is no one-size-fits-all customer engagement platform. The tools you read above are all suitable for businesses of different niches.
To help you determine what to keep in mind when choosing the right tool, I have listed some factors below –
#1 Business Objectives
A deep understanding of your company’s customer database, budget limitations, integration requirements, and more will help you find the most appropriate tool.
Here are some important questions to consider-
- Do you want a tool that has a free plan or a generous trial period to test-drive before you buy it?
- What are your budget restraints?
- Do you want the tool to have specific integration support with CMS, knowledge base, social media, etc.?
- How much do you want to customize the tool to fit your needs? (Some software providers may charge extra for complete white-labeling.)
#2 Personalization Capabilities
Did you know that companies that incorporate personalization can increase their revenues by 40%?
With personalization, you can provide a tailored experience to customers. For that, you should get a reliable engagement tool that keeps tabs on customers’ purchase history, account details, support interactions, and preferences.
#3 Omni-Channel Engagement
With omnichannel engagement, you can connect with customers across channels – like websites, apps, social media, etc. It’s like having many doors to your business, each leading to the same place. This helps customers choose how to interact. It makes things easier for them, and that boosts engagement.
#4 Automation Capabilities
Automation plays a crucial role in a customer engagement tool – you can provide instant responses for quick assistance or schedule messages/emails to be sent at the most appropriate time. But that’s not all.
It also lets you automate workflows like conversation routing, ticketing, lead nurturing, etc. – so that you can save time and focus on more important tasks.
Which is the Best Customer Engagement Software?
In today’s overcrowded market, customer engagement software plays a decisive role in helping you engage with clients at the right time, provide fast responses, resolve pain points, etc.
Based on my experience with the tools listed above, I can recommend the top three options that you should consider-
Option A: 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.
Option B: 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.
Option C: 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.
To conclude, the best software overall is the one that meets your unique requirements. I’d keep BIGContacts as my top recommendation based on how it is capable of handling both engagement and marketing. I suggest you opt for a free trial of any software you choose before investing.
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.
Learn More About Customer Engagement Software
What is customer engagement software?
Customer engagement software is a tool that enables you to attract, engage, support, and retain customers across multiple channels throughout their lifecycle.
Such software is responsible for managing customer interactions – via a number of touchpoints as well as challenges. An engagement software should be able to revolutionize how you provide customer support, offer self-service solutions, or gather data from various interactions to understand customer preferences and behavior.
What are some of the necessary features of customer engagement software?
The most necessary features any customer engagement software must have are:
- Customer journey analytics to show who you should be interacting with and when
- Segmentation based on customer interactions with your product
- Reporting capabilities to track the success of your customer engagement efforts
- Customer support solutions to deliver instant responses when required
- Automated engagement to provide a consistent experience to everyone
- Omni-channel engagement to interact with customers across platforms from one place
What are the top benefits of customer engagement software?
Customer engagement tools should offer the following benefits –
- Improved Customer Satisfaction: Provide a more personalized and timely customer experience by identifying pain points to increase customer satisfaction.
- Increased Customer Loyalty: Build customer loyalty by providing a consistent and positive experience across all touchpoints.
- Reduced Churn: Identify patterns that are causing customers to leave and boost retention with automated feedback forms.
- Increased Sales & Revenue: Close more deals by upselling and cross-selling to existing customers to boost sales.
- Improved Operational Efficiency: Automate tasks, such as scheduling appointments, sending invoices, marketing campaigns, and responding to customer queries, to free your team to focus on more strategic tasks.
Is CRM also considered customer engagement software?
Yes, CRM is considered customer engagement software. That’s because it helps you manage complex customer relationships. Also, engagement software is a tool that helps you analyze customer behavior at every stage of their journey.
Both CRM software and engagement software collect data and help you improve your relationships with customers.
Do customer engagement software providers offer tiered plans to accommodate different business needs and budgets?
Yes, customer engagement software providers offer tiered plans to accommodate different business needs and budgets.
For example, BIGContacts offers:
- Forever free plan for startups with 100 contacts. Paid starts at $9.99/month.
It also offers a free trial for 15 days so that you can try the product before buying it.
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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