Looking for website chat client

December 3, 2006 2:09 PM

I run a web design company, and want to set up a website based chat client so I can see when someone is perusing my site and pop up a chat window to help them with any questions...

My hosting service offers this service now. Problem is the free version is quite limited and the pay version is $10/month. I probably would pay for this, but I don't see why it needs to be a pay per month expense, as opposed to a one-time fee or free software install.

So I've searched the web and the only other one I've found to do what I am looking for, is http://www.boldchat.com/ But I run into the same problems, the free version is too limited and the pay service is minimum $30/month. Anybody know of a free version that I can customize and host on my own server? Or even a purchasable version that I can customize and host myself?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

PS Not looking for an embedded IM client or chat room. Looking for personal chat client that will pop up on an end users computer screen w/o the need of any downloads, for product based support.

posted by wile e to computers & internet (12 comments total)

So are you looking for something that you (as the webmaster) would initiate, and not something the user would initiate?

I can't provide any guidance, but I can tell you that I'd probably flee any site that popped up a chat client on my screen without my consent. One of the reasons people (by which I mean "I") like shopping on the web is the absence of pushy salesmen, which it kind of sounds like you're trying to bring back to the table (no offense).

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to your question, but a clarification is probably in order, as a webmaster-initiated chat client is probably a long shot.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 2:17 PM on December 3, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

I agree with the above. Any site that starts popping up windows is one to quickly flee.

By all means, allow users to initiate a chat, but please, don't you init one. That's incredibly creepy.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:24 PM on December 3, 2006

Just the thought of this cracks me up. I can just imagine my reaction to the little chat window poppin up and seeing a message saying "hey!"..

haha.. *Click*
posted by 0217174 at 2:34 PM on December 3, 2006

I'll agree with everyone before me - any website initiated chat would have me clicking the close button about as fast as I could. If i have questions then I'll initiate my own communication, tyvm.

However, chances are I wouldn't see the chat window anyway, with popup blockers and the like.

Sorry I don't have an answer to your specific question, however.
posted by cgg at 2:34 PM on December 3, 2006

Alright. I suppose I need to clarify a little. It would not be a pop up with a "hey" on it. I am actually a bit surprised nobody on here has had experiences with this. It would be a button available on the website that states something like "For questions or assistance please press here to chat with a sales associate" or something a wee bit more professional sounding.
posted by wile e at 2:49 PM on December 3, 2006

You need Meebo Me. Very slick little widget that I have on my own blog. Here's the description:

meebo me is an embeddable IM window you can drop onto any personal webpage – it lets you chat with site visitors in real time from meebo.com. Visit meebome.com to build a customized meebo me widget. You’ll be chatting with people on your site in no time!
posted by dendrite at 2:53 PM on December 3, 2006

thank you dendrite, but I am looking for something a bit less instant messenger like, and a little more professional looking.
posted by wile e at 3:12 PM on December 3, 2006

I saw it on a hosting site. Everytime I would spend more than a minute or two on the site some sales guy would try talk to me. So I closed the window.

I'd also say $30 per month really isn't much for the service... get one web site per month from pestering, I mean advising, your visitors and then it's paid for itself no end.
posted by twistedonion at 3:26 PM on December 3, 2006

Oh, just realised your host offers it for $10 per month.... cheapskate ;-)
posted by twistedonion at 3:29 PM on December 3, 2006

Do you mean something like LivePerson?
posted by bink at 7:14 PM on December 3, 2006

PHPLiveSupport offers the support initiated chat box as well as the "click here to initiate chat".

I've purchased and used it in a small business environment in the past. It's a pretty solid web app at a reasonable price, has a free trial and it's customizable too.
posted by sonicgeeza at 7:15 PM on December 3, 2006

I don't see why it needs to be a pay per month expense, as opposed to a one-time fee or free software install.

One time fees tend to work for software purchases, with the knowledge that you'll be paying them for the next version, so they have a reason to update the software and fix bugs. This generally doesn't work for web-based software, which is usually updated or fixed on an ongoing basis. Also, because this is run off of a server there are ongoing costs that would not be easily covered by a one time fee. And, realistically, how much would you be willing to pay up front -- probably no more than $30-40, right? But it really *is* worth it to you to keep the service, so you'll gladly pay $10 a month. And that's not you being ripped off -- that's you paying an ongoing fee for an ongoing service that's worth the price to you.

It's not a free software install because it costs your hosting company money and resources to offer it. If you can find a good, professional freeware or open source solution you're welcome to it. The open source community makes a few kinds of software remarkably well, but it seems to be picky about which projects it shines at doing and which it doesn't. There are some open source live chat projects out there if you look for them, none of which look pretty. If you want to go ahead and install them on your server and fiddle with them until they work (assuming you have root-like access to your web server), then you're free to do so. But unless your time is very cheap and your money dear, $10 a month is a super bargain.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:58 PM on December 3, 2006