If you’re tasked with picking a live chat tool for your B2B team, you know the drill: everyone promises “seamless engagement,” “AI magic,” and “360-degree visibility.” But at the end of the day, you just want a system that works for your reps and doesn’t make your buyers’ eyes glaze over. This guide is for sales, support, or ops folks who want a straightforward way to compare Freshchat with the rest of the pack—think Intercom, Drift, LiveChat, and the like—without getting lost in marketing fluff.
Let’s get practical. Here’s how to actually compare these tools and come away with something that fits your team, your budget, and your sanity.
1. Get Clear on Why You’re Adding (or Switching) Chat
Before you deep-dive into product features, nail down your real goals. Are you:
- Trying to qualify leads faster?
- Offering support for existing customers?
- Looking to reduce email/call volume?
- Or just keeping up with competitors?
Pro tip: Write down your top 2-3 must-haves and share them with your team. This cuts feature-chasing later.
What to Ignore
- “AI-powered” everything: Unless you have a real use case for bots, don’t pay extra for bells and whistles you won’t use.
- Overly vague promises: If it’s not clear how a feature helps your workflow, move on.
2. List the Key Features That Actually Matter
B2B teams need different stuff than B2C or e-commerce. Focus on things that will make your reps’ (and customers’) lives easier.
Core Features to Check:
- Routing & assignment: Can you send chats to the right person or team (sales vs support, enterprise vs SMB)?
- CRM integration: Does it connect cleanly with Salesforce, HubSpot, or your stack?
- User identification: Can you see who’s chatting (name, company, account status), or is it just anonymous?
- Chat history & context: Do reps see past conversations, or do customers have to repeat themselves?
- Reporting: Can you actually measure what matters—like lead response time, rep performance, or conversion rates?
- Bot/automation: Is the bot actually useful, or does it just frustrate prospects?
- Mobile & desktop apps: Will your team use it wherever they work?
Bonus Points For: - Scheduled meetings or hand-off to calendar - Tagging & notes for account-based sales - Customizable branding (so it doesn’t scream “off-the-shelf”)
What Usually Doesn’t Matter: - Emoji packs and chat bubble animations - Dozens of integrations you’ll never use - “Gamification” badges for reps
3. Compare the Real User Experience (for Both Sides)
You’ll see flashy screenshots, but most demos don’t show what it’s like day in and day out.
Check:
- For reps: Is the inbox cluttered? Can they respond fast? Is it easy to switch between chats and see context?
- For customers: Does the widget pop up at the right time? Is it easy to start a conversation, or do you have to jump through hoops?
- Speed: How quickly does the chat load on your site? (You’d be surprised how many slow things down.)
How to Test:
- Sign up for a free trial and use your real team, not just a random admin account.
- Have a couple of people pretend to be new prospects and existing customers. See if they get stuck or annoyed.
Avoid: - Letting the vendor “drive” your demo. Click around yourself. If something feels clunky, it probably is.
4. Dig Into Integrations and Workflow Fit
No chat tool lives alone. If it can’t talk to your other key systems, you’ll be in copy-paste hell.
Key Questions:
- Does it push chat transcripts automatically into your CRM, or do you have to export/import?
- Can you trigger workflows (like creating a lead) straight from chat?
- Does it integrate with your knowledge base or help desk, if you have one?
- Is there an open API if you need to build something custom later?
Watch Out For: - “Integrates with X” often means “basic Zapier connection” and not much more. - Some tools charge extra for integrations that should be standard.
5. Compare Pricing—But Watch for Hidden Costs
The sticker price is almost never the full story. B2B-focused chat tools love pricing tiers—and surprises.
What to Actually Compare:
- Is pricing per user, per contact, per conversation, or something else?
- Are bots/add-ons included, or are they extra?
- How do prices change as you grow (e.g., more reps, more monthly chats)?
- Is there a minimum contract or annual lock-in?
Gotchas to Look Out For:
- Overages or “fair use” policies that kick in with higher chat volume
- Basic features (like reporting or integrations) hidden behind premium plans
- Onboarding or setup fees (sometimes not obvious upfront)
Pro tip: If you’re comparing Freshchat and, say, Intercom, get a sample invoice for your actual usage. Don’t just rely on the pricing page.
6. Don’t Overvalue AI and Automation (Yet)
Here’s the truth: most B2B teams get the most value from real conversations, not from bots pretending to be people.
- Test any “AI” or automation features with your actual customer questions.
- See if the bot can really route or answer anything useful, or if it just annoys people.
- Don’t pay extra for bots unless you have a clear, measurable use case (like after-hours triage).
What’s Worth Testing: - Simple routing (“Are you a customer or a prospect?”) - Qualification (“What’s your company size/budget?”) before getting to a real rep
What’s Not: - Overcomplicated “AI” that breaks down with B2B jargon or context
7. Evaluate Support and Reliability
If your chat tool goes down or gets buggy, you’ll hear it—fast. Make sure the vendor can keep up.
- Check their status page and recent outage history.
- Submit a support ticket during your trial and see how fast (and helpful) the response is.
- Look for an active help center with clear, current documentation (not a graveyard of old articles).
Red Flags: - Support only via email or tickets, with no live help - Slow responses (more than a business day is a bad sign) - Frequent complaints about reliability in online forums
8. Get Buy-In from the People Who’ll Actually Use It
You can pick the “best” tool on paper, but if your reps or support folks hate it, adoption will tank.
- Have a few team members test-drive the top contenders.
- Ask what they like, hate, or find confusing.
- Pay attention to the small stuff (too many clicks, clunky notifications, etc.).
Ignore: - Executive opinions from people who’ll never touch the tool - Fancy features nobody asked for
9. Make the Decision—Then Set a Timeline to Review
Pick your winner, but don’t treat the decision as permanent. These tools change fast, and what’s “best” this year might lag behind next.
- Set a 6- or 12-month review date to see if it’s still working.
- Track a few key metrics (response time, lead conversions, customer satisfaction).
Quick Comparison: Freshchat vs. The Rest
Here’s an honest snapshot of where Freshchat tends to shine (and where it doesn’t):
Strengths: - Clean interface and solid routing for B2B use cases - Integrates decently with popular CRMs and help desks - Flexible pricing that usually beats the big players for mid-sized teams
Weak Spots: - Automation/bots are OK, but not as advanced as Intercom or Drift - Some integrations require more tinkering than you’d hope - Reporting is good, but power users may want more customization
Who Shouldn’t Bother: - Teams that want ultra-advanced AI or marketing automation - Orgs with highly unique/complex workflows that need heavy customization out of the box
Keep It Simple—Then Iterate
Don’t overthink it. Find a tool your reps don’t hate, that fits your workflow, and doesn’t break the bank. You can always revisit in a year—no chat solution is forever. Test with real people, ignore the hype, and focus on what’ll actually help your customers and team. That’s how you win.