Saturday, March 28, 2020

8 Best WordPress Chat Plugins Compared for 2019

Looking to add some WordPress live chat functionality to your website? Then read on (or click here to skip), as were taking a look at some of the best WordPress chat plugin options availableBrowsing the internet feels quite impersonal, doesnt it? To combat this feeling of isolation, try adding lots of personal touches to your website and reap the rewards youll enjoy much healthier conversion rates, for a start.Most bloggers recognize the benefits of taking the personal approach. Take a moment to look at your favorite blog to see what I mean. At a minimum, I bet it includes a contact form, email address, and social media profile links, am I right?However, if you want to crank the personal touch up a notch, nothing beats live chat.Live chat empowers you to provide exceptional customer service by resolving customer problems instantly. It can drive more conversions, too, as you can respond to sales queries in real-time, eliminate buyer friction, and provide a reassuring human presence u ntil customers are ready to pull out their wallets.Top 8 live chat plugins for WordPressIf you want to know how to add live chat to a WordPress website, read on. Today, Ill be introducing you to eight of the best live chat plugins for WordPress. Enjoy!1. LiveChatLiveChat is a very handy live chat solution as the name implies and its geared at providing everybody in the picture with something thats really easy to use. This goes both for your website visitors/customers and you (your agents).On the customer side, LiveChat greets people with a nice chat box at the bottom of the page. That box always remains in sight and can be accessed with just a single click. Then, after the conversation is done, your customers can leave feedback and grade their experience with your agent. They can also give you a shout-out on social media through the share buttons embedded in the chat box itself.Best for: customizable chat boxes, agent ratings, beautiful and functional dashboard.Customizable chat b ox: YESChat history: YESFree conversations per month: none (premium solution)Price: premium plans start at $16/month and you get 30% off for your first payment.However, where LiveChat really shines is the amount of cool features that it gives to you and your support agents.For instance, you can engage customers directly (instead of waiting for them to contact you). By making the first step towards a conversation, youre increasing the likelihood that the customer is going to walk out with a positive experience.You can customize the chat window.You get to control all conversations from a single dashboard even if you have LiveChat set on more than one site.Each customer interaction is marked with colorful circles indicating how long the person has been waiting (this allows you to react faster).You get full history of the previous chats.They offer a 14-day free trial for every new user, but you can get an exclusive 30-day extension if you sign up to LiveChat here.LiveChats WordPress pl ugin allows you to integrate your site with their solution easily. The chat window is also friendly and simple.Chat window demo: 2. OlarkOlark is a fully-featured live chat solution. While its not an ideal example of WordPress live chat plugins per se, it can be easily integrated with your WordPress website through a handy widget.Basically, you get a piece of code directly from Olark, which you can then embed wherever you wish. Simple stuff.Best for: advanced live chat solution that integrates with other elements of your business, like CRM, help desk, even salesCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: YESFree conversations per month: 20Price: premium plans start at $17/monthMore importantly, Olark offers really a lot with many of the features quite advanced:First off, you get chat reports you can track chat frequency, operator responsiveness, and customer satisfaction.Theres CRM Integration with Salesforce, Highrise, Nutshell, and many more CRMs.You can set rules to hide and show the chat box, automatically send messages, and assign chats to specific departments.Helpdesk integration with Groove, Desk.com, Zendesk, and more.You can group your operators by team, like a sales team and support team.You can search through the chat history and detailed transcripts of the talks.See what visitors have in their shopping carts to give more informed answers and close sales faster.White label feature remove Olarks branding.Each chat conversation box gets a detailed breakdown of the persons (your customers) activity on your site. You can see which pages theyve been to and what they did on those pages. And once the talk is done, the customer can leave their feedback and rating. But thats only the tip of the iceberg, as Olark has really a lot to offer, and particularly if your live chat needs are slightly more advanced, so to speak.Chat window demo: 3. Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim Live Chat) Zendesk Chat Author(s): ZendeskCurrent Version: 1.4.15Last Updated: May 7, 20 19zopim-live-chat.1.4.15.zip 80%Ratings 1,133,910Downloads WP 3.1+Requires Zendesk Chat is one of the most popular live chat services available to WordPress users. It is easily installed thanks to a dedicated WordPress plugin, available for free from the official repository. Zopims chat boxes are among the most stylish you will find, with beautiful, customizable layouts and themes.To respond to visitor messages, simply access the external Zopim Dashboard if you want to access chats on the go, you can install a dedicated Android or iPhone app, too. The dashboard is crammed with vital metrics that let you review chat performances, track chat history, and learn about your visitors in real-time.Best for: gorgeous, professional-looking chat boxes, with minimal restrictions for free usersCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: 14 days with free plans; unlimited for premium plansFree conversations per month: unlimitedPrice: premium plans start at $14/monthA free subscription with Zen desk Chat allows one chat agent to handle unlimited chats, though restricted to one at a time. If your website is small, this live chat plugin may well suffice.If, however, you want to upgrade, premium access starts at $14/month. This also unlocks cool additional features like chat triggers chat triggers let you specify certain conditions for the chat box to auto-launch, such as if a visitor is stuck on a page for more than a minute.Chat window demo: 4. Tidio Live Chat Tidio Live Chat Author(s): Tidio Ltd.Current Version: 3.5.0Last Updated: July 15, 2019tidio-live-chat.zip 98%Ratings 445,403Downloads WP 3.0+Requires Tidio Live Chat is one of the easiest live chat plugins to get up and running simply activate the plugin, and youre ready to go. The chat boxes come in three designs, which can be fully color customized to fit your branding.Chats are handled from a Tidio Chat tab, which is accessed right from your WordPress dashboard. You can also manage chats by installing a d edicated desktop, iOS, or Android app.Best for: one click installation, and direct emails sent to offline chat usersCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: unlimitedFree conversations per month: unlimitedPrice: premium plans start at $16.80/monthIf youre unable to chat for any reason, offline messages are sent direct to your inbox. Similarly, if a visitor leaves the chat, you can continue the conversation via email.The free version of Tidio allows you to have one agent and one chat open, with no other restrictions. Additional agents are added from $16.80/month, which also enables unlimited concurrent chats and automatic messages.Chat window demo: 5. Live Chat UnlimitedIf you find monthly fees off-putting with live chat plugins, look no further than the Live Chat Unlimited. Its available from CodeCanyon for a fee of $75.Chats are handled entirely from the WordPress dashboard ideal if you spend most of the day logged in. The chat boxes are simple but effective, with two colors for yo u to customize.Best for: no monthly fees, and chats handled from the WordPress dashboardCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: unlimitedFree conversations per month: none (premium plugin)Price: one-off $75 feeYou can handle an unlimited number of conversations at any given time, plus multiple operators can respond to the same query. If all operators are offline, the chat box is replaced by a contact form, so that visitors can email their questions directly.Chat window demo: 6. Formilla Live Chat Live Chat by Formilla Real-time Chat Plugin Author(s): Formilla.comCurrent Version: 1.2Last Updated: May 8, 2019formilla-live-chat.1.2.zip 96%Ratings 129,335Downloads WP 2.7+Requires Formilla is an excellent freemium live chat solution. If your website has modest traffic figures, you can try Formilla for free the free package allows one agent, one concurrent chat, and up to 30 total chats/month, all handled via Formillas bespoke interface.For those looking for live chat plugins th at can handle the volume, 30 chats/month wont be enough for everyone, though, so most of you will need to upgrade. For one agent handling unlimited chats, youll have to fork out an affordable $11.99/month.Best for: good feature set for free users, including proactive chatCustomizable chat box: only premiumChat history: unlimitedFree conversations per month: 30Price: premium plans start at $11.99/monthPremium users can access chats via Android or iOS apps, as well as the Formilla interface. Premium users can also benefit from customizable chat boxes and real-time visitor monitoring.Other impressive features include proactive chat, offline email forms, and chat queues for when operators are busy handling other queries.Chat window demo: 7. Pure Chat Pure Chat 100% Free Live Chat Plugin More! Author(s): Pure Chat, Inc.Current Version: 2.2Last Updated: August 9, 2019pure-chat.zip 84%Ratings 161,531Downloads 3.0.1Requires Pure Chat is one of my favorite live chat plugins because of the beautiful chat boxes it builds. Any part of the chat box can be customized, with unlimited colors, eye-catching animations, and custom images available.Beyond the eye candy, Pure Chat is also a very capable live chat tool. Functionality includes powerful analytics, multi-chat management, and proactive chat triggers.Best for: eye-catching chat boxes and powerful real-time visitor trackingCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: 30 days with free plans; premium plans start with 90 daysFree conversations per month: 15Price: premium plans start at $39/monthYou can also schedule when the live chat function is online and when offline, your live chat box converts into an opt-in form for any MailChimp email list.The free version of Pure Chat grants up to 15 chats/month. If you want more than this, plans start from $39/month, which includes four users and unlimited chats. Chats are handled via the Pure Chat dashboard or mobile apps.Chat window demo: 8. SendinBlueThis last solution is nt a WordPress live chat plugin per se, but its still more than easy to integrate with your site nonetheless. You basically get a simple embed code that you can put in your sites footer (can be done via WordPress Customizer).The main reason were including SendinBlue here is that its an interesting alternative for those site owners who are looking for a multi-purpose tool that would handle more than just live chat.Best for: all-in-one solution for customer communication via multiple channels; including live chatCustomizable chat box: YESChat history: undisclosedFree conversations per month: undisclosedPrice: chat-enabled plans start at $66/monthSendinBlue is most known for their email marketing tools that are on par with the giants in the market. But perhaps its main strength is that you can use SendinBlue to replace a handful of other tools, all in one package.SendinBlue lets you:Send email newsletters and broadcastsSet up email marketing automationSend email via SendinBlues SMTPSet up and manage Facebook adsBuild landing pagesSend SMS messagesAnd, yes, youve guessed it, use live chatSendinBlue is a great solution for those who know that they will need to get tools to handle all of the above anyway, so why not get it done by just a single tool vs using multiple ones?The version of SendinBlue that gives you access to all of the features above starts from $66 / month, for which you can send up to 120,000 emails / month.Chat window demo: Go to topFinal thoughts on WordPress live chatThat concludes our roundup of eight of the best live chat plugins for WordPress. And because most of the live chat plugins featured include some form of free plan, you have no excuse not to give one a try!Using a different live chat solution? Let us know in the comments below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips. * This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the p roduct links and then purchase the product, well receive a small fee. No worries though, youll still pay the standard amount so theres no cost on your part.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

13 Skills You Need to Put On Your Resume

13 Skills You Need to Put On Your Resume You got skills. And you know how to use them. Presumably, that’s why you’re trying to get someone to pay you for them. Your resume is nothing if not a fancy package of your skills- but did you know that not all skills are created equally? Skills that helped you win your college ping pong championship are not necessarily the same ones that will land you the new job you want, so you have to be discerning. Here are 13  skill types, and how to use them on your resume if you have them.The Hard Skillsâ€Å"Hard† skills are the ones that can tie most directly to the job you’re seeking. They’re easy for a recruiter or an interviewer to recognize and quantify, and they tell a lot about you. These include:1. Foreign language fluency2. Specific certifications you may have3. Computer programming skills4. Typing speed (words per minute)5. Specific software proficiency and training6. Proofreading and copyediting skillsHard skills don’t leave a lot of wig gle room, so this is not an area you want to fudge. If you put on your resume that you speak excellent French, when your experience is really limited to 8th  grade lessons, you run the risk of interviewing with someone who spent a semester in Paris. And when that happens†¦c’est dommage, mon ami.Building hard skills is pretty straightforward as well. If you want to learn HTML coding to add it to your resume, you can take any number of online courses or tutorials. If you want to get your typing skills up to 80 words per minute, you can drill yourself until you get up to speed (ha). These are specific skills with specific goals.The Soft Skillsâ€Å"Soft† skills are less tangible abilities. They’re just as important, because they tell the resume reader more about what you could bring to the job on a day-to-day basis. Soft skills include things like:7. Teamwork/collaboration8. Time management9. Flexibility and adaptability8. Communication skills9. Problem solv ing10. Conflict resolution11. NegotiationUnlike hard skills, soft skills do often leave a bit of room for interpretation. You can adapt all sorts of real world scenarios to back them up. For example, if you brokered peace between feuding teams in your last job, boom- negotiation skills. Where hard skills tell the reader information right away, soft skills are more about showing. Always have specific examples of your soft skills in mind, so that you can come up with evidence on the spot if necessary.If you want to build soft skills, it might not be as easy as with the hard skills, but it can be done. You can take public speaking courses to improve your communication skills, or sign up to volunteer in order to gain experience. Another great way to boost soft skills is to pick a mentor, and work with that person on areas where you could use some enhancement/improvement. Downloading someone else’s expertise can help you see what you need, and can help you brainstorm ways to get t here.The Skills to AvoidRemember when I said not all skills are created equally in resume world? There are some skills that don’t necessarily belong on your resume, no matter how awesome you are at them. Unless they apply directly to the job at hand, there’s no reason to include skills like these:Personal/hobby skillsSports skillsAcademic skillsWhile these are all great, and probably show how well-rounded you are as a person, they undermine your resume as a lean, mean, job-specific machine. Unless you’re applying for grad school or a volunteer position based on your extra-professional hobbies, these types of skills shouldn’t be on your official resume.Your resume should be a snapshot of the best of your abilities, as they pertain to your next job opportunity. You already have a ton of skills, so it’s just a matter of rounding them up and figuring out which ones make for the best applicant package.