Best Live Chat for Higher Education

• Proactive chat invitations
• Canned messages
• Pre-/Post-chat survey
• Co-browsing
• Visitor segmentation and advanced routing
• Audio and video chat
• Website real-time visitor tracking
• Detailed reporting (by agent, dept., campaign, visitor segment)
• Multi-language auto-translation
• Multiple and dynamic campaigns
• Single sign-on
• Knowledge base
• AI Chatbot integration
• Taskbot integration
• Integrated platform with email, ticketing, social media & SMS.

Comm100 has a strong focus on usability with one of the highest Capterra ease of use scores among the live chat solutions we’re looking at, at 4.7 out of 5. Positive Capterra reviews note the user-friendly interface. Implementation and agent onboarding are reported to usually take an hour or less. While the visitor chat window can be fully customized, the agent console has only one theme.

• Data level: TLS/SSL encryption; Data obfuscation, Comm100 is one of the only vendors that does not store any payment information.
• Application level: Complex agent password policy enforcement; CAPTCHA verification.
• Compliances: ISO 27001; PCI DSS; SOC 2 Type II; TRUSTe® Privacy Certified; HIPAA; GDPR; PIPEDA compliant.

Comm100 has one of the highest overall Capterra scores for customer service among these solutions, at 4.7 out of 5. Comm100 offers 24/7 live chat support, as well as phone support, SMS and WhatsApp support during business hours. Users report quick response times, reliable support, and a willingness to work with customers to meet their needs. On-premise customers tend to have a longer wait for technical support.

Comm100 offers a 15-day free trial, alongside three various pricing packages depending on team size and needs:

• Live Chat Startup: $31/agent per month when paid annually
• Live Chat Plus: $55/agent per month when paid annually
• Live Chat Ultra: Quote-based pricing

• Student Management
• Transcripts/Chat History
• Activity Dashboard
• Polls/Voting
• API available
• Multi-Language
• Chatbot integration
• Proactive Chat
• Self Service Portal
• Customizable Branding
• Multi-channel Communication
• Third Party Integrations
• Reporting & Statistics
• Alerts/Notifications

Mainstay has a strong Capterra ease of use score at 4.9 out of 5, although with only 10 reviews and 2 of them verified, Mainstay’s scores should be approached with some reservation. Reviews note ease in developing message campaigns and ease of implementation and training, although at time of writing only 2 reviews have been left in the past 2 years.

Mainstay does not publish their security standards or compliances, stating only that “Mainstay takes data security very seriously” and that they take “commercially reasonable technical, physical, and administrative security measures.”

• Compliances: U.S.-EU Privacy Shield; Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield.

Mainstay has the highest Capterra Customer Service score of the solutions we’re looking at, although only 3 of the 10 reviews mention customer service directly. An engagement platform Support Center is offered, but not available with the least expensive plan. Priority Support is only available with custom pricing aimed at large organizations.

Mainstay offers 3 plans that include progressively more features for scale and outreach. Pricing details are limited, but include:

• Start: Starting at $6,000 with $2,500 in onboarding fees.
• Grow: Starting at $10,000 with $5000 in onboarding fees.
• Scale: Custom pricing and custom onboarding fees.

Add-ons

• Core Playbooks: $5000/each
• Specialized Playbooks: $2500/each
• Bot Training: $500/month
• Managed Services and Script Writing: starting at $1500

• AI chatbots
• Two-way texting
• Platform analytics
• Third-party integrations
• Flexible API
• Support for multiple languages
• Proactive chat
• Customizable branding
• Transfers / routing
• Screen sharing

Ease of use for Ocelot is rated among the highest of these live chat solutions on Capterra, at 4.7 out of 5. Reviews cite ease of implementation and use but note that it can difficult switching between, chatbot, video platform, and live chat.

Ocelot does not publish their security standards, stating only that “OCELOT is committed to respecting the privacy of the users of this website and the security of their personal information.”

• Compliances: SOC 2 Security Compliance, WCAG AA 2.1, California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA), Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Little information is available regarding support on Ocelot’s website, although third-party site Sourceforge.net claims that Ocelot offers support via “business hours, 24/7 live support, and online.” Ocelot does manage a high 4.9 out of 5 in Customer Service on Capterra, with reviews citing positive customer service interactions.

Pricing for Ocelot is quote-based and available upon request.

• Proactive chat invitations
• Co-browsing (add-on)
• Auto-translation (add-on)
• Basic reporting
• Canned messages
• Searchable chat transcripts
• Customizable chat window
• Agent availability
• Group agents by team
• Chat tagging
• Automated reports sent by email

Olark is among the highest ranking of these solutions in usability, at 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra. Positive reviews focus on the fast-learning curve and clean user interface. Criticisms include a lack of deep integrations and features outside of basic chat.

• Data level: AES encryption
• Application level: Ability to set agent data restrictions
• Compliances: U.S.-EU Privacy Shield; Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield

Olark has a high overall customer service score, at 4.6 out of 5 in Capterra reviews. 24/7 live chat and email support is offered, but no phone support. Positive reviews note the distributed support team across the world, providing responsive support.

Olark offers a single pricing plan with a 35% discount for a 2-year commitment. While no free plan is offered, a free 14-day trial is available.

• Billed monthly: $29/agent per month
• Billed bi-yearly: $18.85/agent per month

• Proactive chat invitations
• Pre-/Post-chat survey
• Website visitor tracking
• Canned messages
• Routing rules
• Detailed reporting
• Offline forms
• Customizable chat window and button
• Chatbots
• Agent availability
• Timeline (Jump back to different points of conversation history)
• Agent permissions

Zendesk has the lowest ease of use score among these solutions at 4.3 out of 5 on Capterra. Positives reviews note easy deployment and usability. Criticisms from reviews mention awkwardness in the interface and limited analytics capabilities.

• Data level: TLS/SSL encryption; IP restrictions
• Application level: Advanced password policy; 2-factor authentication
• Compliances: PCI DSS; ISO 27001:27018; SOC 2 Type II; Skyhigh Enterprise-Ready; Cloud Security Alliance (CSA); TRUSTe® Privacy; U.S.-EU Privacy Shield; U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor; HIPAA; SAS-70 Type II compliant

Zendesk has the lowest customer support score among these live chat solutions, at 4.3 out of 5 on Capterra. Zendesk offers live chat and email, but no phone support, and only provides support 5 days a week on non-Enterprise plans. Complaints note slow response times or difficulty escalating issues to the correct team.

Zendesk offers a 14-day trial of the Team plan but no longer offers their free Lite option. Their Zendesk for Service plans includes five pricing options that include progressively more features, storage, and support.

• Suite Team $49/agent per month
• Suite Growth $79/agent per month
• Suite Professional $99/agent per month
• Suite Enterprise $150/agent per month
• Customized Enterprise-plans $215/agent per month