A customer engagement platform is a suite of tools that track, manage, and enable interactions with customers.
With customer engagement platforms you can engage users across various touchpoints and channels, for example, in-app, through social media, or email.
They aim to support users, help them achieve their goals, and create positive experiences.
12 Best Customer Engagement Platforms for SaaS Companies
With numerous platforms offering a wide array of features, we’ve compiled a list of 12 top customer engagement platforms ideal for SaaS companies.
Let’s dive in!
1. Userpilot – Best In-App Customer Engagement Solution for Web Apps
Userpilot is a product growth platform specializing in user onboarding and product analytics.
The platform is geared towards mid-size SaaS companies and enterprise businesses.
Key Features
Here’s a brief overview of Userpilot’s customer engagement capabilities:
- UI Patterns for Interactive Tours: Userpilot offers various UI patterns to enhance customer engagement, including modals, checklists, tooltips, slideouts, banners, and hotspots. These patterns can be used individually or combined to create interactive walkthroughs.
- Contextual Triggers: Set up in-app events (such as clicks, hovers, or a combination) to trigger engagement flows. You can also segment users based on behavior and deliver highly relevant, contextual messages.
- AI Writing Assistant: Enhance and personalize in-app messages with AI assistance to boost engagement, improving message clarity and readability.
- Feature Tags and Heatmaps: Track customer interactions by tagging specific UI elements. The heatmap tool visually displays engagement levels through color-coded data.
- A/B and Multivariate Testing: Test different variations of in-app messages to determine the best combination of elements for maximizing conversions.
Pricing
- Starter: Starts at $249/month, including segmentation, product analytics, reporting, NPS feedback, and customization.
- Growth: Priced at $749/month, offering advanced event-based triggers, unlimited feature tagging, AI content localization, and more.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing with added features like premium integrations, priority support, security audits, and compliance.
2. UserGuiding – Best Customer Interaction Platform for Small Businesses
UserGuiding is a no-code product adoption tool that allows users to create in-app guides, making it a budget-friendly option for smaller companies.
Key Features
- Interactive Guides: Create product tours, tooltips, and pop-ups to engage users and ensure they complete the onboarding process.
- Onboarding Checklists: Prompt new users with checklists to guide them through key actions, customizable to match your brand.
- Resource Center: Centralize all product educational materials within the app to provide timely customer support and enhance engagement.
Pricing
- Basic: $89/month for up to 2,500 MAUs.
- Professional: $389/month for up to 20,000 MAUs, without the UserGuiding watermark.
- Corporate: Starting at $689/month, including personalized coaching.
3. Pendo – Best Customer Engagement Tool for Mobile Apps
Pendo is a product experience software with robust customer engagement tools, particularly suited for mobile applications.
Key Features
- Auto-Generated Guides: Use AI to automatically generate in-app product tours, customizing the number of steps and tone of voice.
- Flow Triggers: Set activation conditions for onboarding flows based on user actions, device types, specific URLs, or user segments.
- AI Chatbot: Integrated into Pendo’s resource center, the AI chatbot answers FAQs and retrieves relevant support documents from the knowledge base.
Pricing
- Freemium Version: Limited to 500 MAUs with restricted features.
- Starter Plan: Begins at $7,000/year for 2,000 MAUs, with prices increasing based on usage, potentially reaching $35,000/year for 10,000 MAUs.
- Growth and Portfolio Plans: Both offer custom pricing based on specific needs.
4. MoEngage – Best AI-Powered In-App Messaging Platform
MoEngage is a customer engagement platform that provides tools for omnichannel interactions across various channels.
Key Features
Here’s a breakdown of MoEngage’s engagement features:
- Website Personalization Tools: MoEngage offers no-code tools that personalize website experiences, creating relevant content even for anonymous visitors.
- Omnichannel Messaging Campaigns: Build messaging campaigns across channels like SMS, email, push notifications, and in-app messages.
- AI-Powered Campaign Optimization: MoEngage’s AI helps you choose the best content variant based on customer behavior and optimizes the timing of messages to increase engagement.
Pricing
MoEngage offers a free Starter plan for up to 10,000 monthly tracked users (MTUs) and two paid plans, Growth and Enterprise, based on the number of MTUs.
5. Whatfix – Best Employee Engagement Platform
Whatfix is a digital platform designed for user onboarding and employee engagement.
Key Features
Here’s an overview of Whatfix’s employee engagement tools:
- Interactive Walkthroughs: Guide users through the product with step-by-step instructions, providing relevant support when they need it most, making it ideal for training remote employees.
- On-Demand Support: Through “Smart Tips,” users can access support directly from your knowledge base or FAQs by clicking on a help widget for contextual guidance.
- Pop-Ups and Beacons: Use standalone messages to notify users of updates, promote campaigns, and enhance engagement.
Pricing
Whatfix offers three paid plans (Standard, Premium, and Enterprise), which vary depending on whether it is used internally (for employees) or externally (for customers).
6. HubSpot – Best Customer Relationship Management Platform
HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales software that helps build and manage customer relationships.
Key Features
Here’s a summary of HubSpot’s customer engagement tools:
- Centralized Customer Engagement: HubSpot’s omnichannel service tool enables teams to communicate with customers across multiple channels, with a centralized inbox for efficient issue management and relationship-building.
- Automated Customer Service: Automate ticketing and prioritize high-priority tickets, allowing customer service teams to address critical issues more quickly.
Pricing
HubSpot offers three paid Service Hub plans, starting with the Starter plan at $15/month per seat (billed annually) and going up to the Enterprise plan at $130/month per seat. A free plan is also available with CRM, live chat, and analytics tools for up to five users.
7. Zendesk – Best Omnichannel Engagement Platform
Zendesk is a top customer engagement platform that focuses on customer service, brand loyalty, and creating a seamless experience.
Key Features
Here’s a look at Zendesk’s customer engagement features:
- Integrated Voice Software: Zendesk Talk allows customers to directly call customer service and sales reps.
- Conversational CRM Systems: Zendesk’s CRM adopts a conversational approach to live chat, personalizing customer interactions with AI-powered and omnichannel messaging tools.
Pricing
Zendesk offers three paid plans, starting with the Suite Team plan at $55/month per agent (billed annually) and going up to the Suite Professional plan at $115/month per agent. An enterprise plan is available upon request, and a 30-day free trial is offered for the Suite Professional tier.
8. Drift – Best Customer Engagement Software for Sales and Marketing Teams
Drift is a conversational marketing platform designed to enhance customer relationship management with AI-driven tools.
Key Features
Here’s a snapshot of Drift’s tools for sales and marketing teams:
- Customer Prospecting: Drift helps teams close leads more efficiently with AI-powered insights to identify high-intent customers and omnichannel outreach for communication, making it a top sales tool.
- Live Chat and Chatbots: Drift’s AI-enhanced chatbots and live chat streamline customer support, resolving common issues so human reps can focus on more complex cases.
Pricing
Drift offers three paid plans: the Premium plan starts at $2,500/month (billed annually), while the Advanced and Enterprise plans use custom pricing.
9. Kangaroo – Best Customer Engagement Platform for Loyalty Programs
Kangaroo is an excellent customer engagement software focused on fostering loyalty throughout the customer journey.
Key Features
Here’s a summary of Kangaroo’s tools:
- Gamification: Easily set up contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways to create engaging marketing campaigns.
- Marketing Automation: This tool allows small businesses to run effective marketing campaigns without needing a large team.
Pricing
Kangaroo has four paid plans, starting from the Loyalty Essential plan at $59/month and going up to the Ultimate Plus plan at $299/month.
10. Intercom – Best Chatbot Tool for Driving Engagement
Intercom is a customer engagement and service platform that heavily incorporates AI to boost customer interaction.
Key Features
Here’s a look at Intercom’s chatbot features:
- Multilingual Support: With support for 45 languages, Intercom’s Fin AI broadens your customer reach, allowing communication in various languages from a unified inbox.
- Seamless Handoff: Intercom’s AI handles routine inquiries and passes more complex issues to human agents when needed.
- Help Center: Build a comprehensive help center with resources from your database or Intercom’s library.
Pricing
Intercom offers three paid plans, starting from the Essential plan at $39/month per user to the Expert plan at $139/month per user. A 14-day free trial is also available.
11. Sprout Social – Best Social Media Engagement Software
Sprout Social is a top-tier social media management tool that specializes in social media marketing and customer engagement.
Key Features
Here’s a summary of Sprout Social’s social media tools:
- Brand Monitoring: The sentiment detection tool tracks social media mentions of your brand and uses AI to categorize them by sentiment, enabling teams to respond appropriately.
- Case Assignment & Message Tagging: These tools help organize inquiries and automate responses, prioritizing urgent messages.
Pricing
Sprout Social offers three paid plans, starting with the Standard plan at $199/month per user and going up to the Advanced plan at $399/month per user (billed annually). A 30-day free trial and an enterprise plan are also available.
12. Pushwoosh – Best Push Notification Platform for Driving Customer Engagement
Pushwoosh is an omnichannel engagement platform known for its push notification features.
Key Features
Here’s an overview of Pushwoosh’s tools:
- Push Notifications: Pushwoosh’s core feature allows for re-engaging customers through push notifications, along with SMS and email support.
- In-App Messaging: A no-code editor offers teams the flexibility to create in-app notifications without needing technical expertise.
- Customer Journey Builder: Its drag-and-drop interface helps visualize customer journeys and set triggers for messages across channels.
Pricing
Pushwoosh offers a subscription plan starting at $49/month, with custom plans available upon request.
Conclusion
Customer engagement is crucial for business growth. By fostering meaningful interactions with your product, customers can fully experience its value and seamlessly integrate it into their daily lives.
