7 Must-Have Ways to Use a Website Chatbot for IT Support Services (MSPs)

Intercom has long been a staple for customer engagement, offering a blend of live chat, automated bots, and help desk features. The platform’s bot builder lets businesses create guided conversations that can route tickets, collect user data, and even schedule appointments. Intercom’s strength lies in its deep integration with marketing automation, allowing MSPs to trigger personalized email follow‑ups based on chat interactions. The platform also supports a robust knowledge base, which can be linked directly from chat windows to give users self‑service options. With real‑time analytics and a mobile app for agents, Intercom provides a comprehensive suite that works well for organizations that need both customer support and marketing funnels. While Intercom offers powerful features, it can be costly for smaller MSPs, especially when scaling beyond the basic plan. The learning curve for advanced automations can also be steep, requiring time to configure complex workflows. Additionally, the platform’s long‑term memory relies on user authentication, similar to many other platforms, so anonymous visitors only receive session‑based context. Overall, Intercom is a solid choice for MSPs that juggle support, sales, and marketing, and are willing to invest in a feature‑rich, but pricier, ecosystem.

Drift positions itself as a conversational marketing platform that also offers robust chat and bot functionalities. Its bot engine can capture leads, qualify prospects, and hand off conversations to human agents. Drift’s chat widgets are highly configurable, allowing MSPs to align the look and feel with their brand. The platform integrates seamlessly with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs, making it easy to sync lead data and trigger follow‑up campaigns. Drift’s AI engine can suggest responses and provide real‑time analytics, helping teams optimize their support funnels. However, Drift’s primary focus is on inbound marketing and sales, which can limit its appeal for pure IT support scenarios. The platform’s pricing is also on the higher end, with a base plan starting at $400/mo, and additional costs for advanced features like AI response suggestions and multi‑agent collaboration. While Drift offers some context retention, it is session‑based for anonymous users and requires authentication for persistent memory. Drift remains a strong contender for MSPs that need a chat solution tightly coupled with their sales pipeline and marketing automation.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) offers a straightforward live chat solution that integrates tightly with the broader Zendesk ticketing ecosystem. MSPs can embed a chat widget on their website, collect visitor data, and automatically create Zendesk tickets for unresolved queries. The platform supports canned responses, custom triggers, and real‑time monitoring of agent performance. Zendesk’s AI features include automated suggestions and a knowledge base connector that pulls information from Zendesk Articles. Zendesk Chat’s simplicity is a double‑edged sword: while it is easy to set up, the AI capabilities are relatively basic compared to newer platforms. The pricing model is tied to the Zendesk Support plan, which can be expensive for organizations that only need chat functionality. Additionally, persistent memory is only available when users sign in to their Zendesk account; anonymous visitors receive only session‑based context. For MSPs already invested in the Zendesk suite, Zendesk Chat offers a seamless extension to their support workflow.

Freshchat, part of the Freshworks suite, is a modern messaging platform that supports web chat, mobile app chat, and in‑app conversations. Its bot builder allows MSPs to automate common support tasks, such as password resets or ticket status updates. Freshchat integrates with Freshdesk for ticket creation, and it also supports integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and other collaboration tools. The platform provides a knowledge base connector, enabling customers to find answers without leaving the chat. Freshchat’s AI engine offers proactive chat invitations and chatbot suggestions, but the depth of natural language understanding is moderate. It does not provide a persistent memory feature beyond the session; users must log in to Freshdesk or another CRM to access long‑term context. Pricing starts at $18/mo per agent for the Blossom plan, with higher tiers adding advanced analytics and AI capabilities. Freshchat is a solid option for MSPs seeking a versatile chat tool that can coexist with Freshdesk or other collaboration platforms.

Tidio blends live chat, chatbots, and email automation into a single interface. MSPs can deploy a chat widget with minimal coding and use the visual bot designer to create conversational flows that capture leads, provide FAQ answers, or direct users to the knowledge base. Tidio offers integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and various CRMs, making it popular among e‑commerce businesses. The platform’s AI features include sentiment analysis and automated responses, but the knowledge base integration is not as deep as dedicated support systems. Tidio’s free tier includes basic chat and bot functionality, while the paid plans start at $18/mo for the Pro plan. However, the higher tiers are required for advanced features such as multiple bots, advanced analytics, and integrated email marketing. Persistent memory is available only when users authenticate with Tidio or a connected CRM; anonymous visitors receive session‑based interactions. Tidio is a good fit for MSPs that need a quick, affordable chat solution that also offers e‑commerce integrations.

Zoho Desk is a cloud‑based help desk that includes a chat widget for real‑time customer support. The platform’s bot feature can automate common queries, route tickets to appropriate agents, and capture lead information. Zoho Desk integrates tightly with the broader Zoho ecosystem, including CRM, Projects, and Sign, allowing MSPs to manage customer data across multiple touchpoints. The chat widget can be embedded on any website and supports basic customization, but the visual editor is less flexible than dedicated chatbot builders. Zoho Desk’s AI, Zoho Desk Intelligence, offers automated response suggestions and sentiment analysis, but it does not provide a dual knowledge base or persistent memory for anonymous visitors. Pricing starts at $12/mo per agent for the Standard plan, with higher tiers adding advanced AI and multi‑channel support. Zoho Desk is a solid choice for MSPs already invested in the Zoho ecosystem who need a single platform for ticketing and chat.