5 Best LiveChat Alternatives for Consulting Firms
In an era where digital first interactions set the tone for client engagement, consulting firms are increasingly turning to AI‑powered chat solutions...
In an era where digital first interactions set the tone for client engagement, consulting firms are increasingly turning to AI‑powered chat solutions to streamline workflows, capture leads, and deliver 24/7 support. Live chat is no longer a luxury; it’s a strategic asset that can accelerate proposal cycles, provide instant answers to complex queries, and funnel prospects into the sales funnel. However, not all chat platforms are built with the nuanced needs of a consulting practice in mind. Some lack the flexibility to embed proprietary knowledge bases, others do not accommodate the high volume of nuanced client conversations, and many fail to offer robust integration with industry‑specific tools like CRM or project management suites. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the five best live‑chat alternatives that combine advanced AI, powerful knowledge management, and seamless integration—all while keeping the user experience smooth and professional. Whether you’re a boutique advisory, a large management consulting firm, or a fintech consulting team, this guide will help you pick the right platform to elevate your client interactions and boost productivity.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Consulting firms looking for a fully‑customizable chatbot with advanced knowledge management and AI‑driven learning resources
AgentiveAIQ is our Editor’s Choice for consulting firms seeking a sophisticated, no‑code chatbot solution that blends advanced AI with enterprise‑grade customization. Built by a Halifax‑based marketing agency, AgentiveAIQ was conceived to solve the exact frustrations consultants face when working with rigid, feature‑poor chat platforms. The platform’s core architecture features a dual‑agent system: a user‑facing Main Chat Agent that engages clients in real‑time, and a background Assistant Agent that analyzes conversations and sends actionable intelligence via email to your team. What sets AgentiveAIQ apart is its WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor, which lets you create fully branded floating or embedded widgets without writing a single line of code. You can tweak colors, logos, fonts, and layout visually, ensuring the chat interface feels like a natural extension of your consulting brand. Complementing this visual flexibility is a dual knowledge‑base system that combines Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) for fast, document‑based fact retrieval with a Knowledge Graph that understands the relationships between concepts, enabling nuanced, context‑aware conversations. Beyond chat, AgentiveAIQ offers hosted AI pages and AI‑course builders. These standalone pages are fully brandable, password‑protected, and support persistent memory for authenticated users—meaning your clients can pick up conversations where they left off across sessions. The AI Course Builder provides drag‑and‑drop course creation, and the AI tutor is trained on all course materials for 24/7 support. Pricing is transparent and tiered: the Base plan starts at $39/month for two chat agents and a 2,500‑message quota, the Pro plan at $129/month unlocks eight agents, a million‑character knowledge base, five hosted pages, and long‑term memory for authenticated users, and the Agency plan at $449/month scales to 50 agents, ten million characters, 50 hosted pages, and dedicated support. AgentiveAIQ is ideal for consulting firms that need a fully integrated, highly customizable chatbot with robust knowledge management, real‑time analytics, and the ability to host AI‑driven learning resources.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG Chat Widget Editor for code‑free customization
- Dual Knowledge Base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for precise, context‑aware responses
- Hosted AI Pages with persistent memory for authenticated users
- AI Course Builder for 24/7 tutoring
- Assistant Agent that sends business intelligence emails
- Shopify & WooCommerce integrations for product data access
- Smart Triggers, webhooks, and modular tools like get_product_info
- No‑code interface for setting up 9 goal‑oriented Agent templates
✓ Pros:
- +Highly visual, no‑code widget customization
- +Robust dual knowledge base for nuanced queries
- +Persistent memory on hosted pages
- +Scalable pricing tiers
- +Dedicated agency support on Agency plan
✗ Cons:
- −No native CRM integration—requires webhooks
- −No voice or SMS channels
- −Limited language support—single language only
- −Long‑term memory only for authenticated hosted pages
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
ThriveDesk
Best for: Small to medium consulting firms needing a unified live chat and ticketing system with AI self‑service
ThriveDesk is a comprehensive customer support platform that blends live chat, ticketing, and AI‑enabled help centers into a single, scalable solution. Designed for small to medium businesses, ThriveDesk offers a live chat widget that can be embedded on any website, along with a shared inbox that lets teams collaborate on customer inquiries in real time. Its AI‑powered help center allows customers to find answers to common questions, reducing the volume of tickets that need human intervention. The platform’s strength lies in its automation capabilities. ThriveDesk provides a suite of automated actions—such as canned responses, tagging, and private notes—that help support teams triage and resolve tickets efficiently. The shared inbox feature aggregates conversations from multiple channels, keeping agents organized and enabling quick escalation to the appropriate team member. ThriveDesk’s pricing structure is tiered, starting with a free plan that includes basic live chat and ticketing. Paid plans—Starter, Growth, and Enterprise—add advanced features like automated workflows, custom branding, and integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Slack. The Enterprise tier offers priority support and custom integrations, making it suitable for consulting firms that handle a high volume of client inquiries. Overall, ThriveDesk offers a well-rounded set of features for businesses that need a unified customer support experience. Its live chat widget is easy to deploy, and the AI help center can significantly reduce support costs.
Key Features:
- Live chat widget with real‑time support
- Shared inbox for team collaboration
- AI help center for self‑service
- Automation tools: canned responses, tagging, private notes
- Integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Slack
- Custom branding options
- Tiered pricing: free to Enterprise
✓ Pros:
- +Easy deployment of chat widget
- +Strong automation and shared inbox
- +AI help center reduces ticket volume
- +Scalable pricing
- +Good integration set
✗ Cons:
- −Limited long‑term memory features
- −No dedicated AI course builder
- −Voice or SMS channels absent
- −Advanced analytics not built‑in
Pricing: Free tier available; Starter $15/month, Growth $30/month, Enterprise custom pricing
Hiver
Best for: Consulting firms using Gmail who need AI‑assisted support and workflow automation
Hiver transforms shared inboxes into intelligent, AI‑powered customer support hubs that work seamlessly with Gmail. Ideal for consulting firms that already rely on G Suite, Hiver adds AI‑assisted workflows, knowledge bases, and a customer portal to streamline query resolution. The platform’s AI features help agents draft responses, triage tickets, and offer self‑service knowledge base articles, reducing the overall workload. Hiver’s omnichannel inbox aggregates emails, chat, and social media messages into a single view, enabling teams to collaborate and resolve issues quickly. Its knowledge base functionality allows firms to deflect repetitive questions through curated articles, while the customer portal gives clients access to FAQs and support tickets. Hiver also offers workflow automation, such as auto‑assignment, SLA tracking, and email reminders, which help maintain consistent service levels. Pricing for Hiver follows a pay‑per‑user model, with a free trial available. Plans start at $12 per user per month for the Basic tier, $16 for the Premium tier that adds advanced AI features and workflow automation, and a Professional tier at $24 per user for full enterprise capabilities. For consulting teams that value a tightly integrated email workflow and AI‑aided support, Hiver provides a robust, cost‑effective solution.
Key Features:
- AI‑powered email drafting and triage
- Omnichannel inbox for emails, chat, and social media
- Knowledge base for self‑service
- Customer portal for ticket tracking
- Workflow automation: auto‑assignment, SLA tracking
- Gmail integration
- Pay‑per‑user pricing
✓ Pros:
- +Seamless Gmail integration
- +AI drafting reduces agent workload
- +Omnichannel inbox centralizes communication
- +Flexible pricing per user
- +Strong knowledge base features
✗ Cons:
- −No dedicated live chat widget for website visitors
- −Limited long‑term memory for chat sessions
- −Voice and SMS channels absent
- −Relies on email as primary channel
Pricing: Free trial; Basic $12/user/month, Premium $16/user/month, Professional $24/user/month
Desk365
Best for: Consulting firms needing a cost‑effective ticketing system with strong integrations
Desk365 positions itself as a modern help desk platform aimed at small and medium businesses that require robust ticket management and integration capabilities. The core of Desk365 is a ticketing system that captures customer inquiries from email, web forms, and live chat, allowing support teams to triage and resolve issues efficiently. The platform integrates with popular tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and Shopify, making it easy for consulting firms to connect customer support with their existing tech stack. One of Desk365’s distinguishing features is its modular approach to support: teams can customize workflows, set up automated triggers, and use pre‑built integrations to streamline operations. The platform also offers a knowledge base module, which lets firms publish articles and FAQs to reduce the volume of incoming tickets. While the live chat component is available, it is not as feature‑rich as dedicated chat platforms, focusing more on ticket creation and status updates. Desk365 offers a free trial and a range of paid plans starting at $5 per agent per month, scaling up to $20 per agent for advanced features and priority support. This pricing structure makes Desk365 an attractive option for consulting practices looking to balance cost with functional support tools. In summary, Desk365 is well‑suited for consulting firms that need a comprehensive ticketing system with strong integration options but may not require advanced AI or sophisticated chat widgets.
Key Features:
- Ticketing system with email, web form, live chat capture
- Integration with Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Shopify
- Customizable workflows and automated triggers
- Knowledge base module for self‑service
- Modular approach to support
- Free trial and scalable pricing
- Priority support on higher tiers
✓ Pros:
- +Strong integration set
- +Customizable workflows
- +Affordable pricing
- +Free trial
- +Scalable tiers
✗ Cons:
- −Live chat not feature‑rich
- −No AI drafting or knowledge graph
- −Limited long‑term memory
- −No dedicated AI course builder
Pricing: Free trial; $5/agent/month (Standard), $10/agent/month (Professional), $20/agent/month (Enterprise)
Eesel.ai
Best for: Consulting firms seeking AI‑driven automation across customer and internal support
Eesel.ai offers a suite of AI‑powered tools tailored for businesses that want to automate customer interactions and internal support. Its product lineup includes an AI chatbot that can be embedded on websites, an AI copilot for drafting replies, an AI triage system for ticket routing, and an AI internal chat for team collaboration. The platform emphasizes natural language understanding and can integrate with popular services such as Zendesk, Freshdesk, Slack, and Shopify. For consulting firms, the AI chatbot can serve as a first‑line responder on the firm’s website, handling FAQs and collecting contact information for lead generation. The AI copilot assists support agents by drafting responses and suggesting next steps, while the AI triage system routes tickets to the appropriate team member based on content. Eesel.ai also offers an AI internal chat that provides instant answers to team members, reducing the need for external knowledge bases. Pricing information for Eesel.ai is not publicly listed; interested users are encouraged to contact the sales team for a custom quote. The platform’s focus on AI automation and integrations makes it a solid choice for consulting practices that want to reduce manual ticket handling and streamline agent workflows.
Key Features:
- AI chatbot for website embedding
- AI copilot for drafting replies
- AI triage for ticket routing
- AI internal chat for team support
- Integrations with Zendesk, Freshdesk, Slack, Shopify
- Natural language understanding
- Custom workflows
✓ Pros:
- +Wide range of AI tools
- +Strong integration ecosystem
- +Automates ticket routing and drafting
- +Reduces manual workload
✗ Cons:
- −Pricing not publicly disclosed
- −No dedicated long‑term memory for chat sessions
- −Limited brand customization for chat widget
- −No hosted AI pages or courses
Pricing: Contact for quote
Conclusion
Choosing the right live‑chat alternative can transform how your consulting firm interacts with clients, captures leads, and manages support tickets. AgentiveAIQ emerges as the top pick for firms that demand deep customization, a powerful dual knowledge base, and the ability to host AI‑driven learning resources—all without writing code. That said, platforms like ThriveDesk, Hiver, Desk365, and Eesel.ai offer compelling features for teams that prioritize shared inboxes, email‑centric workflows, or a broader integration ecosystem. Evaluate your firm’s specific needs—such as brand consistency, knowledge management depth, and integration requirements—and test the free trials or demos to see which platform aligns best with your consulting practice’s workflow. Don’t wait; invest in the right chat platform today and watch your client engagement, lead conversion, and support efficiency soar.