We Tried the Top 10 AI Chatbots for Customer Service

Customer service has come a long way—more and more businesses are swapping call centers and traditional customer support methods for AI-powered chatbots.

According to a Gartner survey in early 2022, 54% of businesses are jumping on the AI chatbot bandwagon for handling some or all of their customer inquiries. If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that you’re considering implementing an AI chatbot for your business as well.

In this Chatling guide, we introduce you to five AI customer support chatbots with the potential to transform your customer service game. From Chatling to Intercom’s Fin AI, we’ll help you choose the right chatbot for your business needs.

What Are AI Chatbots for Customer Service?

AI customer service chatbots are tools that use AI technologies (NLP and ML) to respond to customer inquiries without human input. 

Most of these chatbots train on data that you provide—like your FAQs, knowledge base, website, and internal documents. They then use that information to answer customer questions conversationally and accurately.

Take Chatling, for example.

Our chatbots train themselves on documents, websites, sitemaps, and more. You can easily embed them on any website to provide quick, accurate support to your customers.

10 Best AI Chatbots for Customer Service

1. Chatling
2. Netomi
3. Intercom’s Fin AI
4. Einstein GPT by Salesforce
5. Ada
6. Salesloft Drift
7. Freshchat
8. LivePerson
9. TARS
10. Kore.ai

1. Chatling

Chatling is an AI chatbot that trains on your data to provide fast, accurate, round-the-clock customer support.

The setup process is incredibly simple—just connect the data sources (websites, knowledge bases, documents, etc.) you want Chatling to learn from, customize the chatbots look and personality, and add the code snippet to your website.

Chatling has helped 2,000+ businesses improve their resolution rates by an average of 53% and decrease resolution times by an average of 250%.

Key Features

• Customizable Training: Train your chatbot on websites, documents, knowledge bases, FAQs, and more.
• Easy Setup: Add the code snippet to any website or integrate with platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and PrestaShop to get up and running in minutes.
• 24/7 Availability: Offer round-the-clock support to your customers with Chatling's chatbot available anytime, anywhere.
• Multi-Language Support: With support for any language, Chatling can communicate with customers from all around the world.
• Analytics and Reporting: Track chatbot performance, customer interactions, and collect valuable insights to continuously improve your chatbot's effectiveness.

Pros & Cons

Pros 

• Easy to set up and deploy chatbots without any coding expertise
• Provides instant responses
• Automates customer support
• Quick in answering questions and releasing new features
• Integrates with Zapier for added functionality

Cons

• Limited features for filtering or searching conversations

2. Netomi

Netomi provides effortless and conversational support across multiple channels.

Netomi's AI is trained with distinct customer intents, historical context, and current sentiment, contributing to heightened customer satisfaction. Additionally, it seamlessly integrates with live agents and other business systems.

Key Features

• Predictive Analytics: Use predictive analytics to anticipate customer needs and provide proactive support.
• Omnichannel Support: Netomi's AI can handle inquiries across various channels, including email, chat, social media, and more.
• Advanced Natural Language Understanding (NLU) Engine: Enables the chatbot to grasp contextual meaning from unstructured textual data, providing valuable insights.

Pricing

Contact sales for a quote.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Great contextual understanding
• Proprietary AI model
• Omnichannel support

Cons

• No publicly available pricing
• Reports aren’t customizable

3. Intercom’s Fin AI

Intercom's Fin AI is an extension of Intercom’s well-known customer service platform.

Fin AI is designed to understand and respond to customer inquiries conversationally, route inquiries to the appropriate team or individual, and provide insights on customer behavior.

Key Features

• Intent Analysis: Detect customer intent and communicate it with human agents during the routing process to speed up resolutions.
• Instant Answers from Multiple Sources: Provides instant answers sourced from various platforms, including Intercom articles, Zendesk help center, public URLs, PDFs, and text-based snippets. This helps agents respond quickly and accurately to inquiries.
• Conversation Insights: Analyze customer conversations to identify trends, recurring issues, and other insights that can inform business decisions.

Pricing

Intercom offers three pricing plans—Essential ($39/user/month), Advanced ($99/user/month), and Expert ($139/user/month).Fin AI costs $0.99 per resolution per month.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Excels at comprehending and engaging with complex queries
• Allows precise content targeting for relevant information delivery
• Efficiently triages and transitions complex problems to the support team
• Integrates with teammates' tools

Cons

• Limited complex query handling
• Dependent on existing content
• Requires some time for information ingestion from existing Intercom or Zendesk help center

4. Einstein GPT by Salesforce

Einstein GPT by Salesforce is an AI chatbot that integrates Salesforce's proprietary AI with OpenAI's popular GPT language model.

This powerful combination allows for highly accurate and natural language understanding, making it an ideal solution for businesses that deal with complex customer inquiries.

Key Features

• Article Recommendations: Suggests relevant articles from a company's knowledge base to help customers find answers quickly.
• Case Classification and Routing: Efficiently categorize and direct customer cases to the right channels or support staff.
• Prediction Builder: Use AI to predict conversation outcomes and provide personalized responses for a more human-like interaction.

Pricing

There are four plans available for Einstein GPT for Service—Essentials ($25/user/month), Professional ($75/user/month), Enterprise ($150/user/month), and Unlimited ($300/user/month).

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fully integrated into the Salesforce platform
• Combines proprietary and third-party AI models
• Ensures sensitive customer data isn't retained by the AI models

Cons

• Requires technical expertise for setup
• Lacks pre-trained models

5. Ada

Ada is known for its capability to automate and deflect routine customer service tickets.

It recommends self-service solutions that allow customers to manage account information, schedule appointments, and make payments without increasing the workload of our support team.

Key Features

• AI Training Insights: Provides analytics and suggestions to enhance the chatbot's performance and customer interactions.
• Ticket Automation: Automates ticket creation and seamless handoff of complex issues to human agents when required.
• No-Code Bot Builder: Allows easy creation and customization of the chatbot without programming expertise.

Pricing

Contact sales for a quote.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Praised for user-friendliness
• Supportive team
• Continually updated with new features
• Advanced AI capabilities
• Requires minimal technical intervention

Cons

• Limited analytics dashboard
• Difficulties in sending images and videos properly

6. Salesloft Drift

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that leverages AI to engage website visitors in real-time, aiming to convert them into qualified leads and enhance customer support experiences.

Key Features

• Real-Time AI Chatbots: Drift's AI chatbots engage visitors instantly, providing personalized responses and capturing lead information around the clock.
• Intelligent Lead Routing: Automatically directs conversations to the appropriate sales or support teams based on predefined criteria, ensuring timely and relevant interactions.
• Analytics and Reporting: Offers comprehensive analytics to track chatbot performance, customer interactions, and conversion metrics, aiding in continuous improvement.

Pricing

Drift offers customized pricing based on business needs. Interested parties can request a demo to receive tailored pricing information.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Enhances customer engagement with real-time, personalized interactions.
• Streamlines lead qualification and routing processes.
• Provides valuable insights through detailed analytics and reporting.
• Integrates well with popular CRM systems for seamless workflow.

Cons

• Limited customization options for out-of-the-box templates
• Chatbot responses may lack context in complex inquiries

7. Freshchat

Freshchat is an AI-powered messaging platform from Freshworks designed to enhance customer support through real-time, omnichannel engagement.

Key Features

• Multichannel Messaging: Engage customers across web, mobile, email, SMS, and social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger from a unified inbox.
• AI-Powered Chatbots: Utilize Freddy AI to automate responses, qualify leads, and provide 24/7 support without human intervention.
• Freddy AI Copilot: Assist agents with AI-driven suggestions and real-time insights to improve response times and customer satisfaction.

Pricing

Freshchat offers four plans: Free for small teams, Growth at $19 per agent per month, Pro at $49 per agent per month, and Enterprise starting at $79 per agent per month, each with increasing features and functionality.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Seamless integration across multiple messaging channels.
• AI-driven automation reduces agent workload.
• No-code chatbot builder for quick deployment.
• Scalable to accommodate business growth.

Cons

• Freddy AI occasionally lacks personalization
• Users have reported occasional delays in email delivery and synchronization with CRM systems.

8. LivePerson

LivePerson is a conversational AI platform that enables businesses to engage customers through messaging, voice, and chatbots across various channels. Their Conversational Cloud® integrates AI and human agents to deliver personalized, real-time interactions at scale. 

Key Features

• Omnichannel Messaging: Supports communication via SMS, WhatsApp, Apple Business Messaging, Facebook Messenger, and more, ensuring businesses can meet customers where they are.
• Conversational Intelligence: Offers insights into customer interactions, helping businesses understand intent, sentiment, and areas for improvement. ​
• Customizable Workflows: Provides tools like Conversation Builder® and LivePerson Functions for creating tailored conversational journeys without extensive coding. ​

Pricing

LivePerson offers custom pricing based on business needs. Prospective customers can request a demo to receive tailored pricing information. ​

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Supports a wide range of messaging channels.​
• Advanced AI capabilities for automation and insights.​
• Seamless integration with existing systems and CRMs.​
• Real-time data-driven insights

Cons

• Limited flexibility for non-technical users
• Can be resource-intensive to set up initially

9. TARS

TARS is a no-code conversational AI platform designed to enhance customer engagement through interactive chatbots and conversational landing pages. It enables businesses to automate lead generation, customer support, and marketing workflows without requiring coding expertise. ​

Key Features

• No-Code Chatbot Builder: Utilize a drag-and-drop interface to create and customize chatbots tailored to your business needs. ​
• Multichannel Deployment: Deploy chatbots across various platforms, including websites and WhatsApp, to engage customers where they are. ​
• AI-Powered Conversations: Leverage AI and natural language processing to understand and respond to user inputs effectively.

Pricing

TARS offers three plans: Freemium at $0 per month, Pro at $20 per month with advanced tools and models, and Business at $30 per month with added compliance, team features, and dedicated support.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• No-code interface suitable for teams without technical expertise.​
• Supports multiple deployment channels, including WhatsApp.​
• Provides AI-driven conversational capabilities and detailed analytics.​
• Offers integration with various tools to enhance functionality.​

Cons

• Occasional issues with handling high volumes
• Some users have reported occasional delays in email delivery and synchronization with CRM systems.

10. Kore.ai

Kore.ai is a comprehensive conversational AI platform designed to automate and optimize customer and employee interactions across various channels. It offers a no-code environment for building intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) and integrates seamlessly with enterprise systems. 

Kore.ai is particularly suited for large organizations seeking to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

Key Features

• Omnichannel Support: Deploy virtual assistants across multiple channels, including web, mobile, voice, email, and messaging platforms, ensuring consistent user experiences. ​
• Advanced NLP Capabilities: Utilize multi-engine natural language processing (NLP) to understand and process user intents accurately. ​
• Enterprise Integrations: Connect with enterprise systems such as CRM, ERP, and HR platforms to provide contextual and personalized interactions. ​

Pricing

Kore.ai offers a free trial for users to explore the platform's capabilities. Pricing details are not publicly disclosed; interested parties are encouraged to contact Kore.ai directly for a personalized quote. ​

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Enterprise-grade security and compliance features.​
• Scalable architecture suitable for large organizations.​
• Comprehensive support for various deployment models, including cloud and on-premise.​

Cons

• Complex workflow setup for highly customized needs
• Occasional difficulty with integrating specific third-party systems

Why Listen to Us?

At Chatling, we've helped 2,000+ businesses implement effective AI chatbots. Chatling has facilitated over a million conversations and reduced resolution times by an impressive 250%.

The bottom line? We know AI chatbots—and in this guide, we'll share that expertise with you.

Benefits of Using AI Chatbots for Customer Service

24/7 Customer Service

AI chatbots let you offer 24/7 customer support. This makes them ideal for global businesses with customers spanning multiple time zones. Customers can reach out for support whenever an issue arises, and receive instant assistance from the chatbot.

Scalable Support

Scaling support has traditionally been a very costly process. With AI chatbots, this isn’t an issue—one chatbot can serve an essentially limitless number of customers without skipping a beat. This translates into immediate cost savings, but also fewer errors and faster response times.

Personalized Customer Experiences

AI chatbots can use collected personal data to provide more tailored experiences in real time. From recommending products based on previous purchases to providing personalized messaging and support, AI chatbots can make customers feel valued and understood.

Criteria for Choosing the Right AI Chatbot for Customer Service

Ease of Integration

The chatbot should be easy to integrate with every channel you need it to work on. This includes your website, social media platforms, messaging apps, and more. It should also be easy to integrate with your existing customer service tools and systems.

For example, Chatling makes it easy to integrate with any website—just add the code snippet and start automating customer conversations.

Scalability

The chatbot should scale alongside business growth—easily adapting to increased volumes of customer interactions. 

Einstein GPT from Salesforce is a scalable solution that can handle large volumes of customer conversations and provide personalized responses based on the context of the conversation.

Security

For handling personal information or engaging with international customers, the chatbot needs to adhere to privacy regulations to ensure data security. Look for chatbots that are compliant with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

Conclusion

AI chatbots are changing the way businesses deliver personalized support at scale. You don’t need to respond to every single routine FAQ question that comes your way—your chatbot can handle it for you.

At Chatling, we offer businesses a powerful AI chatbot solution designed to streamline support with minimal setup and maintenance. You can train and embed your bot on any website in minutes, and free up your team to focus on bigger issues.

Get started for free and see what Chatling can do.