10 Best Customer Messaging Platforms for Businesses in the US in 2024

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful business operations. In this landscape, the role of customer messaging platforms in customer engagement has become paramount. But what are the top 10 customer messaging platforms in the US in 2024? 

This blog post is your comprehensive guide to the "10 Best Customer Messaging Platforms for Businesses in the US in 2024." From industry giants to innovative newcomers, we delve into the choices that will empower your organization to foster meaningful interactions, drive sales, and build lasting relationships. Read on & explore!

What Is a Customer Messaging Platform? 

A customer messaging platform is a powerful tool that revolutionises how businesses interact with their customers. It's the bridge connecting companies and clients through real-time conversations. This platform enables personalised, two-way communication, making customer engagement seamless.

At its core, a Customer Messaging Platform facilitates instant messaging, usually via text, across various channels like websites, apps, or even social media. Businesses can respond promptly to customer inquiries, offer support, and share important updates, enhancing customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, it allows automation, which means businesses can use chatbots and AI-driven responses to handle routine queries efficiently. Plus, it offers analytics, giving valuable insights into customer behaviour, preferences, and trends. By harnessing these insights, companies can tailor their services, improve customer experiences, and boost loyalty.

Benefits of Customer Messaging Platforms 

Customer Messaging Platforms empower businesses to create meaningful connections, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced digital landscape. Below listed are the top 10 benefits of customer messaging platforms:

1. Enhanced Customer Engagement

Customer Messaging Platforms enable real-time, personalized conversations, fostering stronger connections. Customers appreciate the convenience of direct business communication, leading to improved relationships.

2. Instant Support

These platforms offer swift responses to customer inquiries, reducing wait times and ensuring issues are addressed promptly, enhancing customer satisfaction and trust.

3. Convenient Accessibility

Customers can connect with businesses through their preferred channels, be it website, app, or social media, making it easy for them to reach out.

4. 24/7 Availability

Customer Messaging Platforms provide continuous support, meeting the expectations of today's always-on consumers, even outside regular business hours.

5. Automation

By implementing chatbots and automated responses, routine queries can be handled efficiently, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues and increasing productivity.

6. Data-Driven Insights

These platforms collect valuable data on customer behaviour, preferences, and trends, enabling businesses to personalize interactions and make informed decisions.

7. Cost-Efficiency

Efficient handling of customer inquiries and automation of routine tasks can significantly reduce support costs, improving the bottom line.

8. Improved Customer Loyalty

Exceptional service and personalized interactions build trust and loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend that business to others.

9. Competitive Advantage

Offering seamless and instant customer support sets your business apart, attracting and retaining customers in a crowded market.

10. Scalability

Customer Messaging Platforms can easily adapt to increasing customer needs as your business grows, ensuring the support system remains efficient and effective.

Top 10 Customer Messaging Platforms for Businesses in the US in 2024 

Below are the top 10 customer messaging platforms for businesses in the US in 2024. 

1. App0

App0 is an innovative, no-code, AI-powered messaging platform that helps businesses to automate custom communication. In banking, fintech, healthcare, insurance, retail, and eCommerce, it streamlines customer communication during onboarding and enhances promotional and retention marketing.

What sets App0 apart is its seamless fusion of conversational AI and text-based messaging, offering data-driven insights, lightning-fast No-Code solutions, and top-tier security and compliance. Using AI, it transforms notifications into meaningful two-way conversations, making customer experiences exceptional.

Request a Demo today to learn more about full-service messaging that can help in revenue generation and delightful customer experience.

Features  

• Customer interaction journeys using no-code: Craft intricate, multi-party interaction workflows effortlessly with App0's no-code/low-code flow builder.
• Data and AI: Leverage first-party customer interaction and behavioural data to enhance engagement.
• Simple and conversational client experiences: Choose from ready-made user-facing applications for appointments, payments, and marketing, or craft your own using App0's EasyApp studio for tailored interactions.
• Integrations: Accelerate your go-to-market strategy with prebuilt industry-specific integrations, ensuring swift implementation of your use cases.
• Enterprise-grade security: App0 offers adaptive authentication, providing a passwordless user experience while maintaining robust, enterprise-level security.
• Compliance: App0 is designed to adhere to various national and local regulations, ensuring comprehensive compliance for your operations.

2. Hubspot 

HubSpot is an American software powerhouse founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. Specializing in inbound marketing, sales, and customer service solutions, HubSpot boasts a comprehensive suite of tools. 

HubSpot covers everything from customer relationship management to social media marketing, content management, lead generation, web analytics, search engine optimization, live chat, and customer support. 

With a revenue of US$1.73 billion (2022) and a team of 7,433 employees, HubSpot is a leader in the industry. Beyond its software, HubSpot offers consulting services, an online academy, user group conferences, and certification programs, making it a one-stop destination for businesses seeking integrated digital solutions. It is one of the best customer messaging platforms for businesses in the US in 2024.

Features

1. SMS automation: Send personalized text messages directly from HubSpot, streamlining customer communication and leads effortlessly.
2. Live chat integration: Integrate live chat communications seamlessly into your shared inbox, ensuring a unified approach to managing and responding to customer inquiries.
3. Shared inbox for all customer interactions: HubSpot's shared inbox consolidates customer conversations, allowing sales, marketing, and customer service teams to view, manage, and respond to all interactions in one centralized location.
4. Advanced reporting and analytics: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) in marketing, sales, and service through HubSpot's advanced reporting and analytics, leveraging data-backed visualizations for informed decision-making and strategy refinement.
5. CRM messaging for personalized text messages to customers and leads: Utilize HubSpot's CRM messaging feature to send personalized text messages to customers and leads directly from the platform, facilitating quick, hassle-free communication tailored to individual needs.

Notable Customers 

Accenture, Mollie, TrustPilot, Airstream, and Zendesk

Pricing 

The service plan for the customer service section of Hubspot includes powerful tools and support integration. The offerings of the plan include:

1. Free Tools: At $0, Hubspot offers many free tools support, including marketing sales, CMS, commerce and operations. The part is that you don't need a credit card to sign up for the free plan. 

2. Starter: The starter pack is best if you want to explore more but have a little pocket size. It starts at $18 per month and allows 2 paid users. One can add more users after paying extra. This plan offers live chat features, meeting scheduling, and email and in-app support. 

3. Professional: At $450, this plan offers 1000 custom properties per object. With 5000 email templates, it can be a powerful support. 

4. Enterprise: The enterprise plan costs $1200 monthly, including 10 paid users. It includes some premium features of professional plans and increases the shared inbox size. 

Pros

1. Marketing Automation: HubSpot's robust marketing automation simplifies and enhances marketing efforts, allowing businesses to achieve more with less manual effort.

2. All-in-One Tool: Managing various aspects of your business is made easy with HubSpot's all-in-one solution, providing integrated tools for marketing, sales, and customer service.

3. Customer Service Excellence: The Service Hub offers a cloud-based customer service solution featuring customer success managers and teams to elevate the customer experience.

4. Integration Options: With over 800 integration options in its marketplace, HubSpot enables seamless connectivity with other tools and services, enhancing overall business efficiency.

5. Email Reporting: HubSpot provides comprehensive reporting on email communication, offering insights into sends, engagement, bounce rates, scan data, and click-through rates.

Cons

1. Expense: HubSpot's pricing can escalate quickly, and its contracts lack flexibility, making it a costly choice for some businesses.

2. Usability Challenges: Some users find HubSpot challenging to navigate, especially when not utilizing it as an all-in-one tool, potentially leading to a steeper learning curve.

3. Multinational Complexities: The HubSpot CMS supports languages aligned with the HubSpot CRM, posing challenges for multinational businesses operating in diverse linguistic environments.

4. Limited Language Support: HubSpot CRM's support for a restricted number of languages may be a drawback for businesses with operations spanning multiple countries, limiting its global applicability.

3. Zendesk 

Zendesk, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, is a Danish-American company with a mission to transform customer support, sales, and communication. Founded in Copenhagen in 2007, it has become an industry leader, assisting more than 160,000 businesses worldwide. 

Zendesk streamlines customer interactions by consolidating them into a unified platform. Whether through phone, chat, email, or social media, Zendesk keeps all support requests in one place for efficient tracking and quick responses.

This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform simplifies setup and provides a suite of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. Zendesk allows businesses to focus on delivering exceptional customer service. It is one of the best sms customer service platforms in the US in 2024.

Features 

• Complete Messaging Solution: Zendesk offers messaging on websites, mobile apps, social channels, and business platforms.
• Proactive Messaging: Customize outbound notifications on WhatsApp and SMS to boost customer engagement and prevent escalations.
• Group Messaging: Add Zendesk messaging to popular social channels like WhatsApp and Facebook for instant support.
• Zendesk Chat: Live chat solution to engage website visitors and increase sales conversions.
• Zendesk Connect: Customer communication management software that enhances cross-channel communication and customer experiences.
• Ticketing System: Multi-channel support, including email, social media, chat, phone, and SMS.
• Zendesk Messaging: Conversations on messaging apps are centralized for efficient channel switching.
• Customization Tools: Zendesk messaging is highly customizable, including outbound notifications for engagement.

Notable Customers 

L’oreal, Fossil, Airbnb, Bolt and Vimeo.

Pricing 

Regarding optimizing customer support and sales processes, Zendesk offers many pricing options, each tailored to meet specific business needs. 

1. Zendesk Support: The Zendesk Support option, for instance, covers users starting at just $19 per user per month with the Support Team plan, which includes basic ticketing, a knowledge base, and a community forum. 

For those needing more advanced features like reporting and multilingual content, the Support Professional plan at $55 per user per month is recommended. The Support Enterprise plan, priced at $115 per user per month, offers the ultimate support experience, complete with custom roles, permissions, and round-the-clock support.

2. Zendesk Sell: For businesses focusing on sales and customer support, Zendesk Sell provides a range of options. Starting with the basic Sell Team plan at $19/user per month, which includes lead and deal management, and going up to the Sell Elite plan at $169/user per month, boasting AI-powered insights and forecasting, there is a suitable fit for every business need.

3. Zendesk Suite: Zendesk Suite, on the other hand, offers an all-in-one solution. Beginning at $55 per agent per month with the Suite Team plan, users get essential features like ticketing and a knowledge base. As your business scales, the Suite Growth, Professional, and Enterprise plans provide advanced features and support options. The Suite Elite plan offers custom integrations, dedicated support, and a service-level agreement for businesses with the most demanding requirements.

Pros  

1. All-in-One Solution: Zendesk is a lead generation and customer service platform that streamlines your operations.

2. Unified Communication: It integrates chat, phone, email, and social media, ensuring customer interactions are in one place.

3. Customization: Zendesk offers extensive customization options, allowing you to tailor it to your needs.

4. Robust Analytics: The platform provides powerful reporting and analytics to track and improve customer interactions.

5. Third-Party Integration: Zendesk seamlessly integrates with third-party applications and systems, enhancing functionality.

6. Multilingual Support: It supports multiple languages, catering to a global customer base.

7. Cross-Channel Tracking: Zendesk can track customer history across various mediums or departments.

Cons 

1. Pricing Complexity: Zendesk's pricing plans can be complicated, potentially leading to a high price tag.

2. Usability Challenges: Some users may find Zendesk difficult to navigate and use effectively.

3. Centralized Chat: Centralized chat is only available through the Messaging app, which incurs additional costs for setup, potentially increasing expenses.

4. Twilio

Twilio is one of the prominent omnichannel cloud communications platforms which empowers businesses to redefine customer interactions. As a leading platform, Twilio offers versatile services and tools to elevate communication strategies. 

Twilio boasts robust APIs, enabling businesses to construct, integrate, and manage various communication channels. It delivers omnichannel solutions, encompassing the SMS customer service platform and the MMS, voice, video, and email, all seamlessly integrated through enterprise-grade APIs. This includes programmable SMS (Short Message Service) MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), and chat messages. 

Through Twilio's messaging or SMS APIs, businesses can engage with customers via text-based conversations, notifications, and alerts. With a million-plus user base of top brands and developers, Twilio's communication API facilitates messaging, voice, and video interactions, fostering seamless application-to-application communication. 

Features 

• Programmable Messaging: Send and receive messages via SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp, enabling businesses to connect through preferred messaging channels.
• Lookup: Verify and enrich customer data in real-time, reducing fraud and enhancing customer experience.
• Twilio Autopilot: Build conversational bots that understand natural language and automate customer support, enhancing the customer experience.
• Marketing Campaigns: Create and manage marketing campaigns across multiple email, SMS, and social media channels.
• WhatsApp Business API: Reach customers on WhatsApp securely and reliably, leveraging the world's most popular messaging app.
• Channel APIs: Communication APIs for SMS, MMS, voice, video, and chat to connect with customers.
• Message Scheduling: Schedule messages for future delivery, ensuring timely communication and campaign planning.
• Link Shortening and Click Tracking: Shorten links and track clicks for campaign analysis and improved ROI.
• Studio: Drag-and-drop builder for application creation, management, and automation of communication workflows.
• Proxy: Anonymize text and voice conversations to protect customer privacy and comply with data protection regulations.

Notable Customers 

Shopify, Netflix, Twitter and Spotify

Pricing 

Regarding communication solutions, Twilio stands out not only for its powerful capabilities but also for its versatile pricing model. Twilio's pricing is designed to cater to a wide range of users, offering three distinct and flexible options to meet various needs.

1. Pay-as-you-go: This option is a lifesaver for businesses that prefer to pay for what they use. With the "Pay-as-you-go" model, Twilio charges based on the actual consumption of communication channels. Whether phone calls, video messages, or text messaging APIs, users only pay for what they use. The cost varies depending on the message type, destination, and sender's number.

2. Volume Discounts: Twilio provides an enticing solution for high-volume users with "Volume Discounts." As the user's communication needs grow and they send more messages, their savings increase. This means the more the user uses Twilio, the more cost-effective it becomes. It's a perfect choice for businesses looking to scale their outreach efficiently.

3. Committed‑use Discounts: Twilio's "Committed‑use Discounts" are the way to go if an organisation has long-term communication needs. Businesses can secure substantial discounts by committing to Twilio services for one or three years. This option saves them money and guarantees access to Twilio's robust services for the long haul.

Pros 

1. Customization: Twilio empowers businesses with robust customization options, enabling personalized messaging campaigns across various preferred channels. This level of customization fosters stronger customer relationships.

2. Scalability: Twilio is a scalable solution regardless of business size. Whether the user has a startup or a corporate giant, the platform can seamlessly adapt as the business expands.

3. Cost-effectiveness: Twilio's pay-as-you-go pricing model is a financial boon. Companies only pay for the features they utilize, giving them unprecedented control over their communication and programming budgets.

4. Immediate Development: Twilio eliminates the need to set up extensive infrastructure, streamlining the development process. This allows businesses to concentrate on effective communication with employees, clients, and partners.

5. Reliability: Twilio ensures message delivery reliability, a crucial factor in maintaining customer satisfaction.

6. Regional Distribution: Businesses operating in multiple regions benefit from Twilio's regional distribution capabilities, facilitating seamless interconnectivity.

Cons 

1. Steep Learning Curve: Twilio's complex user interface may challenge some users. Technical expertise or professional assistance may be required for a smoother implementation process.

5. Podium 

Podium is a leading provider of customer messaging platforms for businesses in the US, empowering companies to communicate with their customers and drive growth effectively. Its robust platform and innovative features, Podium revolutionizes customer interactions by enabling seamless and convenient text-based conversations. 

By leveraging Podium's texting services, businesses can engage with customers in real time, provide instant support, and gather valuable feedback. With a user-friendly interface and powerful integrations, Podium offers a comprehensive solution for businesses across various industries, including retail, healthcare, automotive, and more. Through its advanced analytics and automation capabilities, Podium helps businesses enhance customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and build strong, lasting relationships with their audience.

Features 

• Web-based Platform: Podium offers a web-based platform that allows businesses to send and receive text messages conveniently from any computer or mobile device.
• Two-Way Messaging: With Podium, businesses can engage in two-way conversations with their customers, enabling real-time communication and fostering stronger relationships.
• Review Generation: Podium provides tools to generate and manage online reviews, helping businesses improve their online reputation and attract more customers.
• Team Collaboration: The platform facilitates team collaboration by allowing multiple team members to access and respond to text messages, ensuring efficient and coordinated customer interactions.
• Automated Campaigns: Podium enables businesses to create and automate text message campaigns, delivering personalized messages to targeted customer segments for improved marketing effectiveness.
• Integration with CRM: Podium integrates with popular CRM systems, synchronizing text message conversations and customer data for a comprehensive view of customer interactions.
• Analytics and Reporting: Podium provides detailed analytics and reporting features, allowing businesses to track message engagement, review performance, and measure the effectiveness of their communication strategies.
• Multi-Location Support: Podium caters to businesses with multiple locations, providing features to manage and streamline text messaging across different branches or offices.
• API Integration: Podium offers API integration capabilities, allowing businesses to connect their existing software and systems with the texting service for enhanced workflow integration and efficiency.

Notable Customers 

Imago Med Spa, Ag-Pro, Budget Blinds of Salt Lake and Davis Counties, MINT Dentistry and York Jewellers. 

Pricing 

Podium's pricing starts at around $399 per month for its basic plan, which includes essential features such as text messaging, review management, and webchat. The pricing may increase based on additional features, customizations, and the number of users or locations.

For businesses seeking more advanced capabilities, Podium offers higher-tier plans, such as their Premium or Enterprise plans. These plans provide access to additional features like team collaboration tools, advanced analytics, and multi-location management. The pricing for these plans is typically customized based on the business's specific requirements.

Pros  

1. User-Friendly Interface: Text Magic stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for businesses to navigate and utilize its features. An intuitive design simplifies the process of responding to customer messages, even offering a mobile app for convenient communication when the user is away from the office.

2. Conversation Assignment Feature: One of the standout features of Text Magic is its ability to assign conversations to specific team members. This feature ensures seamless customer support, allowing designated staff to answer queries, provide information, and schedule appointments promptly. It enhances efficiency and streamlines customer interactions.

3. Review Collection and Company Growth: Text Magic offers the advantage of gathering reviews, enabling businesses to monitor and enhance their reputation. The ability to receive feedback and watch the company grow through positive reviews is a significant benefit. This program allows businesses to engage with customers and actively build a positive brand image.

Cons

1. Unreliable Phone App: One major drawback of Text Magic's texting services for business is its poor phone app performance. The app is plagued with constant glitches, making navigating and finding conversations difficult. It often experiences errors, stops working, and fails to provide reliable alerts or overwhelms users with excessive notifications.

2. Payment Portal Issues: Another concern with Text Magic's software lies in its payment portal. Some users have reported dissatisfaction with the payment process, highlighting issues or inconveniences. This service aspect could benefit from improvements to enhance user experience and streamline payment transactions.

6. Messagely

Founded in 2019, Messagely is a powerful customer support software and messaging platform. This user-friendly platform empowers online businesses to thrive, seamlessly integrating with a host of external tools, including Stripe, Slack, and Google Analytics, to name a few.

With Messagely's intuitive features, setting up live AI chatbots is a breeze, boosting lead conversion rates in no time. This SMS customer service platform helps you reach clients via SMS, email, and push notifications while turning signups into loyal customers.

It has a shared inbox feature streamlining customer support, ensuring efficient agent-specific communication and real-time issue resolution. Messagely boasts a customizable interface and a rich offline knowledge base. This powerful tool simplifies customer interactions, offering easy segmentation and integration with platforms like Salesforce, Slack, and more.

Features 

1. Live Chat
2. Targeted Messages
3. Shared Inbox
4. Knowledge Base
5. Chatbots
6. Live View
7. iOS & Android Apps
8. 750+ Integrations
9. Modern Tool
10. Designed for Online Businesses

Notable Customers 

Birchbox, Hubble Contacts, Peugeot, Candid and Birdeye

Pricing 

Regarding the Pricing of Messagely, this live chat software offers a range of options to cater to specific needs. Their pricing plans are budget-friendly and packed with features that can elevate customer engagement.

1. Basic Plan: Starting with the Basic Plan at just $29 per month, users get a solid package that includes live chat, targeted messages, and reliable email support. With the Basic plan, users can manage up to 1,000 contacts and have one dedicated seat to handle all the incoming queries.

2. Plus Plan: For those looking for a bit more, the Plus Plan steps in at $49 per month. It encompasses all the Basic plan features and throws in chatbots, integrations, and even phone support. It offers the flexibility to manage 2,500 contacts and has two seats for enhanced collaboration.

3. Pro Plan: But if users aim for a top-notch experience, the Pro Plan, priced at $79 per month, has them covered. It builds upon the Plus plan by adding advanced analytics, custom branding, and priority support. Users can manage up to 5,000 contacts and have three seats to ensure efficient customer interactions.

It's important to note that Messagely also provides options for expanding the plan with additional contacts and seats at competitive rates. For the full breakdown of Messagely's pricing structure, users can check out their website or explore software review platforms. With Messagely, customers are in control of their budget and equipped with the tools needed to provide stellar customer service.

Pros  

1. Boosts Productivity: Messagely keeps all communication channels in one place, streamlining desk support and enhancing productivity.

2. Improves Customer Engagement: The live chat feature in Messagely facilitates real-time conversations with website visitors, leading to increased engagement and higher conversions.

3. Centralizes Customer Interactions: Messagely provides a shared inbox, centralizing all customer interactions and communications for sales, support, and customer success teams in one convenient location.

4. Offers Targeted Messaging: Businesses can send targeted messages in Messagely, leveraging customer behaviour, preferences, and other criteria.

5. Provides a Knowledge Base: Messagely offers a knowledge base feature, allowing businesses to create and manage a library of articles and FAQs to assist customers in finding answers to their questions.

6. Supports Chatbots: Messagely includes chatbot support, automating responses to common customer inquiries and freeing up human agents to address more complex issues.

Cons

1. Limited Channels: Messagely primarily focuses on instant messaging channels such as live chat, email, social media, and SMS, which may not cover all communication avenues.

2. May Not Offer Advanced Features: Some advanced features, like automation tools, may not be available in all customer messaging platforms, including Messagely.

3. May Require Training: To use Messagely effectively and efficiently, businesses may need some training to harness its full potential.

7. MessageBird

MessageBird is a cutting-edge cloud communications platform founded in 2011 and headquartered in Amsterdam. MessageBird has evolved into a global force, connecting over 15,000 customers across 170 countries. Their suite of APIs empowers developers and enterprises to engage customers effortlessly through SMS, voice, chat, and email. 

In 2023, MessageBird soared to a $500 million revenue run rate, backed by $1.1 billion in funding. While dominating Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, MessageBird's innovative solutions are making waves globally. Experience the future of communication with MessageBird, where connectivity meets innovation. It is one of the best sms customer service platforms in 2024.

Features

• SMS Customer Service Platform: Seamlessly send and receive messages globally with MessageBird's powerful SMS API through a user-friendly REST interface.
• Sticky VMN's: Ensure message consistency by using Sticky VMNs, guaranteeing that the same Sender phone number is selected every time your web application sends an SMS to a specific recipient.
• Status Levels: Stay informed about your messages with three detailed status levels: Status, Status Reason, and Error Code, giving you comprehensive insights into the delivery process.
• Email API: Leverage MessageBird's Programmable Email API to effortlessly send and receive emails using your domain, enhancing your communication capabilities.
• REST API: Identify each message uniquely through a random ID with MessageBird's REST API, providing users a reliable way to track and manage their messages.
• Flow Builder: Empower non-technical team members to create customer communication workflows using MessageBird's intuitive Flow Builder, freeing up developer resources.
• Inbox Functionality: Streamline customer communication with MessageBird's Inbox functionality, ensuring quick and efficient interactions between businesses and their customers.
• Tiered Messaging: Optimize outreach with MessageBird's tiered messaging, allowing companies to send targeted messages to a specific number of customers daily for effective communication.

Notable Customers 

Lufthansa Airlines, Heineken, Hugo Boss, Uber, Deliveroo, and Facebook Messenger

Pricing 

MessageBird is a communications platform that offers a range of products with associated costs. The pricing of MessageBird varies depending on the product and usage. Here are some of the pricing details for MessageBird:

1. Email

• Cloud Sending: Ensure reliable email delivery at scale.
• Email Design System Studio: Collaborate seamlessly on email production.
• Starting at $0, MessageBird's email services empower your communication strategy.

2. WhatsApp

• Seamlessly send and receive global messages.
• Affordable at $0.005 per message, enhance your global reach effortlessly.

3. Messenger

• Connect with 1.3 billion users globally.
• Enjoy the first 1000 monthly messages for free, with a minimal charge of $0.005 per additional message.

4. Google Business Messages

• Avail the first 1000 monthly messages for free.
• Subsequent messages are priced at a competitive USD 0.005 each, optimizing your business conversations.

5. Instagram Direct

• Engage with followers effectively.
• Initial 1000 monthly messages free, followed by a nominal $0.005 per additional message.

6. Inbox

• Begin with two free seats and add more at USD 30 per additional seat.
• Tailor your team size as your business grows.

7. Chat Widget

• Enhance website engagement with free chat widget usage.
• Initiate conversations effortlessly with your online visitors.

Pros

1. Easy Integration: MessageBird has seamless integration capabilities. With user-friendly APIs and SDKs, the platform ensures a hassle-free fusion with existing applications.

2. Excellent Customer Support: MessageBird's customer support has great assistance. They turn problem-solving into a delightful experience and are swift, helpful, and knowledgeable.

3. Competitive Pricing: MessageBird offers a financially supportive service. It is a cost-effective choice for businesses of all sizes.

4. Automation Capabilities: The platform empowers businesses with automation capabilities, streamlining messaging workflows. Ideal for handling large volumes of messages, it's a productivity booster.

Cons

1. Complicated User Interface: It may be a little complicated while navigating the MessageBird user interface. A slight learning curve may be daunting for some users.

2. No Control over WhatsApp APIs: MessageBird falls short of complete control in the WhatsApp domain.

8. Gorgias 

Revolutionising customer experience, retention, and conversion for online stores, Gorgias is an all-in-one helpdesk solution. Picture centralising customer interactions seamlessly: email, social media, live chat, voice, and SMS, all in one place. Boosting efficiency, Gorgias offers Macros, a knowledge base, and a self-service menu, ensuring swift and personalised customer service. 

Their journey, which started with a Chrome extension, has evolved into a global force with over 250 team members. Gorgias boasts a track record—a 60% increase in new customers and nearly 2x higher match rates for paid media. The league of satisfied merchants, including Steve Madden, Glossier, and BruMate, benefited from Gorgias' prowess. 

Features

• Omnichannel Support: Gorgias plans to boast comprehensive omnichannel support, encompassing email, live chat, and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. 
• Deep Integration: Deep integration capabilities with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento. 
• Automation Add-on: Leverage Gorgias' Automation Add-on for instant, automated responses to frequently asked questions via email, Help Center, and chat widget. 
• Task Automation Rules: Gorgias simplifies tedious tasks through automation rules, handling functions like tagging, routing, and simple replies. 
• Customer Order Portals: Empower customers with order portals to handle FAQs, request returns, edit orders, and track shipments in real time through the convenient chat widget or Help Center.
• Reporting and Analytics: Utilize Gorgias' powerful reporting and analytics tools to generate insightful reports on support performance and revenue from support activities.
• Powerful Templates: Streamline customer interactions with powerful templates that offer instant, personalized responses. 
• AI-powered Features: Benefit from AI-powered features that automatically tag tickets based on AI-detected contact reasons. Support agents can also receive assistance through AI in translating, summarizing, or adjusting the tone of a reply. 
• Simple User Interface: Gorgias stands out with its simple user interface, earning praise for its clean design and user-friendly experience. 

Notable Customers 

PureFilters, SmartyPits, Popov Leather, Bundleboon, and ByteStand

Pricing

1. Starter Plan: At $10 per month, it offers 3 user seats, SSO, 1 e-commerce platform available (Shopify), and unlimited social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).

2. Basic Plan: The basic plan starts at $30 monthly. It includes full onboarding, Gorgias Academy, support by email and chat, office hours, a dedicated Success Manager, custom services, 3 user seats, and much more.

3. Pro Plan: At $360 per month, the plan includes full onboarding, Gorgias Academy, support by email and chat, office hours, a dedicated Success Manager, custom services, and 5 user seats.

4. Advanced Plan: The advanced plan covers support by email and chat, office hours, a dedicated Success Manager, custom services, and 10 user seats. The plan offers everything at $900 per month. 

5. Enterprise: This plan is custom with custom ticket volume. To avail this, the customer needs to contact their official team. 

Pros

1. Versatility for All Business Sizes: Gorgias caters to businesses of all sizes, providing a powerful tool for delivering enhanced customer service and support.

2. Integrated Features: Boasting seamless integration with Shopify and an intuitive CSAT system, Gorgias ensures businesses can access a suite of features that streamline operations.

3. Customer-Centric Interface: Gorgias prioritizes customer orders as the primary interaction target, offering an email-esque interface that facilitates smooth communication and order management.

4. Automation Advancements: The platform empowers businesses with automation capabilities, promising significant improvements when strategically implemented.

Cons

1. E-commerce Exclusivity: Gorgias's tight focus on e-commerce customers may limit its applicability for businesses outside this niche.

2. Pricing Model Considerations: High call volume customers should be cautious, as Gorgias's pricing model could impact overall costs.

3. Limited Reporting Features: The reporting features are confined to canned reports, limiting the depth of analytics for businesses seeking comprehensive insights.

9. Drift 

Drift is a pivotal conversational marketing and sales technology company headquartered in Boston, USA. Established in 2015, Drift has witnessed remarkable growth and, as of 2023, boasts a substantial revenue run rate of $120 million. This company endeavours to redefine the online business landscape by injecting a human touch, personalization, and innovation into the digital purchasing journey.

At the core of Drift's offerings lies the Conversation Cloud—a comprehensive solution empowering businesses to establish meaningful connections with their audience precisely at crucial junctures. Leveraging channels such as chat, email, video, and more, Drift enables enterprises to engage with their website visitors and customers in a manner that transcends conventional online interactions.

With an expansive market presence of 150,000 customers, Drift's suite of tools is instrumental in enhancing how businesses interact with their online audience, fostering more effective and impactful engagements. It is one of the best customer messaging platforms in the US in 2024.

Features

• Pop-up Chat: Customize live chat widgets for seamless integration on websites and apps.
• Targeted Emails: Send personalized emails based on customer behaviour for effective communication.
• In-App Messaging: Communicate directly within your app using Drift's in-app messaging feature.
• Chat Bots: Utilize AI-powered chatbots to automate customer interactions and enhance efficiency.
• Drift for Salesforce App: Integrate Drift with Salesforce to manage leads and contacts seamlessly within the Salesforce platform.
• Fastlane Playbooks: Automate common sales and marketing tasks with Drift's Fastlane Playbooks.
• Conversation Histories: Archive and easily search past conversations to provide better customer support.
• Email Campaign Automation: Automate email campaigns based on customer behaviour, ensuring targeted and relevant communication.
• End-to-End Encryption: Ensure secure messaging with Drift's end-to-end encryption feature for enhanced data protection.

Notable Customers 

AirDNA, Square, Okta, and Formlabs

Pricing

 The pricing plans of Drift come in 3 bundles designed for small businesses to big enterprises. The plans including: 

1. Premium: The monthly premium plan starts at $2500, designed for small businesses. It supports live chat, custom chatbots, conversational landing pages, etc. 

2. Advanced: The advanced plan is a custom plan. The customer needs to contact the official team to design personally according to the requirements. It offers Fastline, A/B testing, Flex Routing and almost everything from premium plans.

3. Enterprise: The enterprise plan is also a custom plan. Most features are hidden; they will be set according to your requirements. 

Pros

1. Strategic Connectivity: Drift ensures businesses connect with their audience at the right time and place, fostering meaningful conversations that drive results.

2. Enhanced Lead Conversion: Drift goes beyond traditional approaches, significantly boosting lead conversion rates by creating a dynamic and responsive environment.

3. Data Organization: The platform's bots proficiently collect and organize visitor information, empowering sales teams to engage potential customers who intend to purchase proactively.

Cons

1. Learning Curve: Drift, especially for novices, requires a learning curve. Users may invest time to harness its capabilities fully.

2. Refund Process Uncertainty: The refund policy lacks clarity; at times, support responsiveness during refund requests may be suboptimal.

10. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is an online customer service help desk software encompassing diverse features to enhance operational efficiency. Its offerings include advanced ticket management, versatile multi-channel support, self-service portals, automation capabilities, SLA management, and comprehensive reporting tools. Designed to empower businesses in their customer service endeavours, Zoho Desk provides a holistic approach to managing every facet of the customer service process. It is a top customer messaging platform in 2024.

Facilitating seamless integration, Zoho Desk boasts compatibility with over 200 of the most widely-used third-party app extensions and more than 45 native apps. This interoperability ensures a streamlined connection with various software applications employed by your team.

Founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas, Zoho Desk has established a global presence with operations in seven locations. As of 2021, it maintains 12 offices spanning nine countries, including prominent locations such as China, Singapore, and Japan. Noteworthy financial standing is exemplified by Zoho Corporation's net worth of ₹2,749 crore (US$340 million) as of 2022. Furthermore, the organization boasts a dedicated workforce, with over 16,000 employees contributing to its success as of 2024.

Features

• Live chat: Zoho Desk provides instant availability to customers through live chat.
• Contextual AI: Supercharge the team with contextual AI that enhances support processes.
• Reply Assistant: Agents can access relevant solutions from the Knowledge Base for efficient ticket responses.
• Quick help: Enable customers to find quick answers through a DIY approach, promoting self-service.
• Instant messaging (IM) platform: Reach customers on WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE, WeChat, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
• Customer info tracking: Track customer contact info, ticket details, cross-channel conversation history, and attachments for context.
• Interactive message templates: Increase customer engagement through interactive message templates, especially on WhatsApp.
• Response editor: Use a rich text-supported response editor for enhanced communication.
• Advanced search: Expedite ticket resolution with advanced search capabilities for quick access to relevant information.

Notable Customers 

HDFC Life Hyundai, Ikea, The India Cements Ltd, AllianzDaimler, CumminsVolkswagen, and USHA Toyoto

Pricing

Zoho Desk helps businesses of all sizes manage customer service. It offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. Here are the pricing plans for Zoho Desk:

1. Free Plan: Ideal for minimal support requirements, covering up to 3 agents. This plan includes fundamental features like email ticketing and a private knowledge base. However, it limits add-on light agent support and provides solely email support from Zoho.

2. Express Plan: Starting at $7 per user per month, this plan incorporates advanced elements such as spam ticket handling, suggested article support, and ticket cloning.

3. Standard Plan: Priced at $14.00 per user per month, this plan encompasses essential features like ticket management, blueprint dashboard, and telephony. It accommodates 5 agents and 100 light agents.

4. Professional Plan: At $23.00 per user per month, this plan includes all Standard Plan features, with additional perks like multi-department support, custom reports, and customer happiness ratings. It supports 25 agents and 250 light agents.

5. Enterprise Plan: For $40.00 per user per month, unlock the pinnacle of Zoho Desk's capabilities. Enjoy all Professional Plan features, extras like Zia AI, 24/7 support, and field-level access control. This plan supports unlimited agents and 50 light agents monthly. Select the plan that aligns seamlessly with your support requirements.

Pros

1. Stability and Reliability: Zoho Desk boasts a cloud-based infrastructure that has proven stable, with no reported outages or data issues.

2. Cost-Effective: Compared to its counterparts, Zoho Desk stands out for its affordability, making it an attractive option for businesses seeking value.

3. Feature-Rich: Offering a plethora of features, including ticket management, multi-channel support, self-service portals, automation, SLA management, and robust reporting, Zoho Desk is a one-stop solution.

4. User-Friendly: The intuitive interface and well-designed dashboard for ticketing make Zoho Desk user-friendly. Plus, prompt and helpful customer support adds to its appeal.

5. Integration Capabilities: Zoho Desk seamlessly integrates with other Zoho applications, enhancing flexibility and overall efficiency.

Cons

1. Complex Customization: Customizing Zoho Desk can be intricate, posing a challenge for users seeking tailored solutions.

2. Integration Challenges: Some users have reported difficulties integrating Zoho Desk with other systems, requiring extra effort and troubleshooting.

3. Desktop Limitations: Lack of a desktop application and the need for substantial system modifications can be drawbacks for those preferring a desktop-centric approach.

4. Limited Alert Customization: Users may need more granular customization options for alerts and notifications within the platform.

Conclusion 

In customer-centricity, the significance of choosing the right messaging platform cannot be overstated. The power of effective communication cannot be underestimated. Whether it's the seamless integration of features, responsive customer support, or the ability to adapt to evolving market trends, your choice today will resonate through your business's success tomorrow. 

The path to superior customer engagement begins with an informed decision. Harness the potential of these platforms, and watch your business flourish through meaningful connections.

When it comes to simplifying your retail and eCommerce marketing without the need for coding, App0 is the ultimate solution. It offers several advantages for incorporating conversational-based features into your products:

1. Effortless Product Launch: App0 provides an intuitive low-code workflow automation system, pre-built EasyApps, and tailored integrations across different industries to expedite your market entry.

2. Developer-Friendly SMS APIs: With well-crafted SMS APIs suitable for all skill levels, App0 makes it easy to access and utilize them effectively.

3. Improved Customer Interactions: Transform standard notifications into engaging two-way conversations, enhancing the overall experience for your clients.

4. Seamless Expansion: App0 allows you to connect with end-users on their preferred platforms while maintaining a sharp focus on specific use cases. It's a powerful tool for expanding your reach.

App0 is used by leading financial services, retail & eCommerce companies to provide exceptional CX with messaging. It is undoubtedly one of the best Klaviyo alternatives in the US market. Request a Demo today to learn more about full-service messaging that can help in revenue generation and delightful customer experience.

Customer Messaging Platforms: FAQs