Top 10 Smith.ai Alternatives to Boost Your Customer Support

Smith.ai is a popular, efficient customer support platform known for its quick handling of customer queries. However, the tool’s overreliance on AI may sometimes cause businesses to look for alternatives because AI isn’t always the best at connecting with customers on a deeper level and gathering insights.

If you are one of them, I have just the perfect blog for you!

This is a curation of the top 10 Smith.ai alternatives that you’ll find your right fit by the time you are done reading through!

Which Is the Best Smith.ai Alternative for You?

Here’s a brief overview of my top 3 picks before we get into the details.

Option A: ProProfs Chat

If you’re in need of a comprehensive customer support solution, ProProfs Chat is an option. It offers customizable features, proactive support, smart chat routing, and AI-driven chatbots to meet all your customer service requirements. With ProProfs Chat, you can ensure that your customer support needs are taken care of completely and hassle-free.

Option B: Tidio

Tidio is a customer support software that provides seamless communication between businesses and their customers. With its user-friendly interface, live chat, chatbots, and email marketing features, Tidio enables businesses to offer exceptional support, engage users in real time, and streamline customer interactions, all from a single platform.

Option C: Zendesk

Zendesk is a versatile customer support software that offers a range of unique features. From ticketing and live chat to knowledge base and analytics, Zendesk provides businesses with comprehensive tools to streamline customer inquiries. Its innovative features, like AI-powered chatbots, multi-channel support, and self-service options, ensure personalized and efficient customer service experiences.

List of the Top 10 Smith.ai Alternatives

This list is backed by my personal experience with these tools. Additionally, I’ve incorporated recommendations from experts in the field and trusted review sites.

1. ProProfs Chat

Best for AI-aided customer support chat

I have been using ProProfs Chat for quite some time now, and I’m thoroughly impressed.

The AI chatbots have been a lifeline for my customer support. They automate initial chat responses and intelligently route conversations to the appropriate operators or departments. This not only saves me time and resources but also ensures that my customers receive prompt and efficient service.

I love that I can customize the chat widget to match my brand and website design, but what truly stands out are the visitor tracking capabilities.

It’s a fantastic way to engage with potential customers in a targeted and personalized manner. I can track their activity, such as the pages they view, their location, and how long they stay, letting me identify potential leads and send proactive chat invitations based on their behavior and interests. 

All these features empower businesses to offer exceptional customer support, tailor-made for their unique requirements. ProProfs Chat’s all-encompassing solution makes it a perfect alternative to Smith.ai.

What you’ll like:

• Canned responses for faster responses.
• Automated greetings and announcements for proactive engagement.
• Chat routing report to view the complete chat journey from start to end.
• Post-chat surveys to collect customer feedback and improve support efforts.

What you may not like:

• Frequent updates on the AI chatbot can get overwhelming for new users.
• The free plan is limited to a single operator.

Pricing: Forever-free for a single operator. Team plan starts at $19.99/operator/month.

2. Olark

Best for accessible user interface

Olark is an incredibly effective customer support solution, making it easy to engage with website visitors and provide them with an exceptional experience.

The live chat feature allows for instant communication, with a customizable pre-chat form ensuring that the support staff has all the information needed to assist the customer effectively. You can also automate and set up triggered messages to pop up on specific pages or after a certain amount of time spent on the website.

The standout feature, however, is how the website pays attention to accessibility! The UI conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring that the content is perceivable, operable, and understandable for people with visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, or neurological impairments.

Olark also offers offline messaging options, enabling visitors to send messages even when the chat team is unavailable. These messages are then automatically converted into tickets that can be viewed and responded to by the team, ensuring that no customer is left unanswered.

Moreover, the real-time chat dashboard allows support teams to monitor and manage multiple chats at the same time, ensuring that all customers get the support they need at all times.

What you’ll like:

• Real-time chat for engaging customers, answering questions, and gathering feedback.
• Organize customer data by storing structured notes and chat transcripts in Olark or your CRM.
• Apply live chat insights to optimize your products and services using customer input.
• Custom pre-chat forms, triggered messages, and offline messaging for improved customer communication.

What you may not like:

• Frequent crashes occur due to bugs
• Cannot send images to customers as additional attachments

Pricing: Starts at $29/month.

3. LiveAgent

Best for multi-channel customer communication

I discovered LiveAgent after receiving recommendations from multiple trusted sources, and here’s why I believe it is a fantastic alternative to Smith.ai. 

First off, the tool’s robust multi-channel communication capabilities and user-friendly interface make it a top choice for businesses looking to provide exceptional customer support.

But what it truly excels in is its ability to streamline and manage customer communication across multiple channels, including live chat, calls, social media, and more. By consolidating all customer interactions in one platform, businesses can efficiently handle inquiries and ensure a seamless customer experience.

In addition to these, LiveAgent also offers a range of features that make it an excellent Smith.ai alternative. These include its advanced ticketing system, a built-in call center, a knowledge base for self-service options, and integrations with popular tools like WordPress, Shopify, and Mailchimp.

With LiveAgent, you can provide efficient, high-quality customer support while saving time and resources.

What you’ll like:

• Ticketing system with agent collision detection and automated ticket distribution.
• Comprehensive contact management with custom fields, contact groups, and company organization.
• Advanced ticket management options like merging, splitting, and mass actions for efficient workflows.
• Robust live chat capabilities with chat history, chat invitations, and real-time visitor monitoring.

What you may not like:

• The statistics and reporting capabilities need improvement
• Unopened emails are sometimes automatically marked as read due to glitches

Pricing: Starts at $9/agent/month.

4. Tidio

Best for automated chat support

Tidio is an exceptional alternative to Smith.ai, offering a seamless and robust customer support solution. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Tidio empowers businesses to enhance customer interactions and increase productivity.

Tidio’s AI-driven chatbots provide immediate responses to customer queries, ensuring 24/7 availability and prompt assistance. While offering real-time chat functionality, Tidio’s chatbots can handle repetitive tasks, freeing up agents’ time to focus on more complex customer inquiries.

Other noteworthy features that make Tidio stand out as an all-in-one customer support solution  include customization options, a comprehensive CRM system to manage customer information effectively, proactive chat invitations to engage with customers, and real-time visitor monitoring for a deeper understanding of customer behavior.

What you’ll like:

• Powerful AI-driven chatbots that can automate up to 70% of customer inquiries.
• Multichannel support to manage messages from all communication channels in a single dashboard.
• Helpful insights through actionable analytics to keep track of an agent’s performance and improve customer service.
• More than 120 integrations with popular tools like Shopify, WordPress, and Messenger for added flexibility.

What may not like:

• Tidio does not allow users to manage client chats via WhatsApp, Instagram, or Twitter
• When a new conversation comes in, it may sometimes offer delayed notifications

Pricing: Starts at $29/month.

5. Freshdesk

Best for intuitive and contextual support

Freshdesk is an excellent alternative to Smith.ai, offering a comprehensive customer support solution that combines simplicity and effectiveness. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Freshdesk empowers businesses to provide exceptional customer service.

The tool’s smart automation and AI capabilities ensure that customer queries are handled efficiently and accurately. It can automatically categorize and prioritize tickets based on their content, ensuring that agents can provide personalized and timely responses.

Plus, Freshdesk offers a range of other functionalities that make it a compelling Smith.ai alternative. These include a robust ticketing system for effective ticket management, multi-channel support to unify customer interactions from various platforms, a knowledge base for self-service, and comprehensive reporting and analytics to track performance and identify areas for improvement.

What you’ll like:

• Efficiently track and resolve tickets by prioritizing, categorizing, and assigning them.
• Collaborate as a team to efficiently solve customer problems.
• Manage support-related communications from multiple channels on one platform with omnichannel support.
• Increase productivity with built-in capabilities to automate repetitive helpdesk tasks.

What you may not like:

• The implementation process is haphazardly managed
• Could include training programs to ease the learning curve

Pricing: Starts at ₹999/agent/month, billed annually

6. Zendesk

Best for improving customer experience

Zendesk is an excellent alternative to Smith.ai, offering powerful features and seamless integration options.

With Zendesk, businesses can enhance their customer experience by providing exceptional support and personalized interactions.

Its best use case lies in improving customer satisfaction and loyalty through efficient ticket management, live chat support, and a comprehensive knowledge base.

Furthermore, Zendesk boasts advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing businesses to gain valuable insights into customer interactions and optimize their support processes.

What you’ll like:

• Powerful ticketing system for efficient issue management and resolution.
• Integrated messaging and live chat for real-time customer interactions.
• Comprehensive help center and knowledge base for self-service support.
• Advanced data analytics and reporting for valuable insights and decision-making.

What you may not like:

• Poor customer service
• UI could be updated to look more modern

Pricing: Starts at $55 per agent/month.

7. LiveChat

Best for capturing leads

LiveChat is an excellent alternative to Smith.ai, as it offers a seamless and interactive platform for connecting with customers in real time.

Going beyond just providing top-notch support to existing customers, LiveChat also excels at bringing in new leads. The tool engages website visitors proactively, addressing their queries and offering personalized assistance. By capturing visitor information and nurturing conversations, LiveChat becomes a powerful tool for lead generation and conversion.

Other notable features include robust customization options to match branding and design preferences, powerful analytics, robust integrations, and secure data encryption to ensure privacy and compliance. 

What you’ll like:

• Omnichannel messaging for seamless communication across different channels.
• Integration with 200+ tools, including popular platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and HubSpot.
• AI-powered chatbots for lead engagement, qualification, and segmentation.
• Powerful analytics to track performance, monitor customer behavior, and make data-driven decisions.

What you may not like:

• Often suffers from glitches and crashes
• The ticket management is a little confusing sometimes ( tickets can go unresolved due to poor notifications)

Pricing: Starts at $20/month.

8. JivoChat

Best for chat service through messenger apps

When it comes to finding the top alternatives to Smith.ai, JivoChat is a strong contender. With its intuitive interface and comprehensive features, JivoChat truly enhances customer engagement and helps businesses thrive in the competitive landscape.

JivoChat’s standout feature is its ability to provide chat service through various messenger apps. Whether it’s WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram Direct, JivoChat allows businesses to connect with customers on their preferred platforms, ensuring efficient and personalized interactions.

The tool’s other features include advanced chatbot capabilities for automating responses, comprehensive analytics to track performance and derive insights, agent performance monitoring, and customizable chat widgets for branding consistency. 

What you’ll like:

• Integration with Google Analytics to analyze your goals.
• Team collaboration to share chats and notes with colleagues.
• Chat metrics such as incoming chats, missed chats, and proactive invitations.
• Chatbots to answer common questions and collect contact information.

What you may not like:

• Slow customer support.
• Occasional bugs and glitches that hamper the tool’s performance.

Pricing: Starts at $38/month.

9. Intercom

Best for AI-enhanced, cost-effective chat support

After having used Intercom for a considerably long time, I truly believe the tool is a great alternative to Smith.ai. It offers a comprehensive suite of features that empower businesses to provide exceptional customer service.

Intercom’s best use case lies in its AI-enhanced, cost-effective chat support. With its breakthrough AI chatbot, businesses can resolve up to 50% of customer questions instantly while reducing support volume. The built-in safeguards ensure accurate answers and seamless human handoff for a trustworthy and personalized customer experience.

Plus, Intercom offers customizable messenger experiences, omnichannel messaging, proactive support with product tours and outbound messages, and a powerful platform that integrates all customer data and tools seamlessly.

These features make Intercom a top choice for businesses seeking a Smith.ai alternative that enables efficient customer support and enhanced engagement.

What you’ll like:

• AI chatbot that instantly resolves 50% of customer questions with accurate answers.
• Proactive support with automated messages to onboard, educate, and notify customers.
• Customizable messenger with infinite design options and omnichannel messaging capabilities.
• Single, easy-to-use platform with integrated automation, ticket management, and comprehensive reporting.

What you may not like:

• Customer support could be improved
• Updates may be lost due to glitches and bugs

Pricing: Starts at $39/agent/month.

10. Chatra

Best for real-time customer support with screen sharing

I used Chatra for a few months for my website and found it an excellent tool. It was easy to set up, affordable and had all the essential features for seamless communication with visitors and customers on my website.

Chatra’s best use case lies in its ability to facilitate real-time customer support with screen sharing. This feature allows businesses to effectively troubleshoot and resolve customer issues by visually guiding them through the solution. It enhances communication and shortens resolution times, resulting in improved customer satisfaction.

In addition to real-time support, Chatra offers other valuable features that make it a strong alternative. These include the ability to communicate with customers over email, Instagram, and Facebook from a single multichannel dashboard, comprehensive visitor monitoring with real-time browsing history, and the option to use chatbots for routine tasks and quick FAQ responses.

If you are looking for a tool that can streamline your support processes, increase conversions, and provide a seamless and personalized customer experience, Chatra is the tool for you.

What you’ll like:

• Chatbots to collect contact information and generate leads.
• A unified multichannel dashboard to manage all your conversations.
• Targeted messages and triggers based on user actions on the website.
• Conversation history of all your chats to optimize future performance.

What you may not like:

• No option to archive conversations.
• No spell check on the mobile version of the software.

Pricing: Paid plan starts at $17/agent/month.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. 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 Smith.ai Alternatives

Q. What is Smith.ai?

Smith.ai is a company that provides AI-powered virtual receptionists and live chat services for businesses.

Q. Why do you need a Smith.ai alternative?

You may need a Smith.ai alternative if you are looking for different pricing options, additional features, or a better fit for your specific business needs.

Q. What features should you look for in Smith.ai alternatives?

When looking for Smith.ai alternatives, you should consider features like real-time chat, visitor monitoring, chatbot capabilities, integration options, and multichannel communication to enhance your customer support and engagement.

Q. Are there any Smith.ai alternatives that integrate with popular CRM platforms?

Yes, there are alternative solutions to Smith.ai that offer integration with popular CRM platforms. Some examples include Chatra, LiveChat, and Intercom, which seamlessly integrate with CRM systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk.