LiveAgent Review & Tutorial (Including Twilio Setup) [AppSumo 2019]

Introduction [00:00]

In this comprehensive review and tutorial, we’ll be diving deep into LiveAgent, a powerful multi-channel help desk solution that offers support for email, social media, and even voice. LiveAgent isn’t just about live chat; it’s a complete package that can revolutionize the way you handle customer support. Throughout this video, we’ll explore the entire platform, showcasing each feature and demonstrating how they work, so you can make an informed decision about whether LiveAgent is the right investment for your business. We’ll also walk through the process of setting up Twilio, a popular VoIP service, to enable voice support within LiveAgent. By the end of this review, you’ll have a clear understanding of LiveAgent’s capabilities and how it can benefit your customer support efforts. So, let’s get started!

Features [00:58]

LiveAgent offers an impressive array of features that cater to various aspects of customer support:

• Universal Inbox: A standard feature for help desks, allowing you to have one unified email address for all your support inquiries.
• Real-Time Chat: Enables proactive chat invitations, real-time typing, and chat distribution among agents.
• Social Media Integration: Supports Facebook and Twitter integration, allowing you to manage customer interactions across these platforms.
• Call Center Software: A unique feature that allows you to link LiveAgent with a VoIP provider and handle phone calls directly within the platform.
• Reporting and Gamification: Provides insights into agent performance and support metrics, with gamification elements to keep agents motivated.
• Branding and Customization: Allows you to turn off LiveAgent branding and customize the look and feel of your chat widgets and customer portal.

LiveAgent Setup [03:22]

Getting started with LiveAgent is relatively straightforward, but there are a few areas where the user interface could be improved:

• Inconsistent Getting Started Guides: LiveAgent provides two different getting started guides on the same page, which can be confusing for new users.
• Logo Upload: The platform doesn’t provide clear guidelines on the ideal resolution or format for uploading a logo, which may require some trial and error.
• User Roles: LiveAgent offers three user roles – agents, administrators, and owners – each with different levels of access and permissions.
• Email Integration: You can either use the provided LiveAgent email address or connect your own domain for unlimited email accounts and tickets.

LiveAgent Chat Button [07:29]

Adding a chat button to your website is a crucial step in enabling live chat support:

• Button Templates: LiveAgent offers a variety of button templates, including bubbles, side buttons, and corner buttons, as well as the option to upload custom HTML or images.
• Button Placement: You can choose where the chat button appears on your website, with options for the side, corner, or inline placement.
• Pre-Chat Form: Customize the pre-chat form to collect visitor information before initiating a chat, such as name, email address, and a brief description of their issue.
• Offline Button: Configure the offline button to display when no agents are available, allowing visitors to submit a contact form instead.

Chat Button Customization [09:33]

LiveAgent provides extensive customization options for the chat button:

• Animation and Positioning: Choose from various entry animations and precisely position the button on your website using the provided settings.
• Colors and Gradients: Customize the button colors to match your brand, including gradients and individual color settings for different button elements.
• Hover Effects: Select a hover effect for the chat button, although there may be a minor bug with the preview not accurately reflecting the chosen effect.
• Mobile Appearance: Decide how the button should appear on mobile devices, with options to scale down, hide, or maintain the same appearance as on desktop.

Key Takeaways

• LiveAgent offers a wide range of customization options for the chat button, allowing you to tailor it to your brand and website design.
• Animations, positioning, colors, and hover effects can be easily customized to create a unique and engaging chat button.
• The mobile appearance of the chat button can be optimized to ensure a seamless experience for users accessing your website on mobile devices.
• While there may be minor bugs in the preview, the customization options work well once the chat button is implemented on your website.

Chat Window Customization [12:16]

The chat window is where the actual conversation between visitors and agents takes place, and LiveAgent offers several customization options:

• Window Placement: Choose whether the chat window should appear as an embedded element on the page or as a pop-up window.
• Window Size: Set the dimensions of the chat window to ensure it fits well within your website layout.
• Design Templates: Select from a variety of design templates, such as Material, Classic, or Square, to change the overall look and feel of the chat window.
• Custom CSS: For advanced customization, you can add custom CSS to fine-tune the appearance of the chat window.

Summary

• The chat window is a crucial component of the live chat experience, and LiveAgent provides ample customization options to ensure it aligns with your website’s design and user experience.
• You can choose the placement and size of the chat window, select from predefined design templates, and even add custom CSS for more advanced customization.
• The design templates offer a range of styles, from modern and minimalistic to classic and functional, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your brand.
• By carefully customizing the chat window, you can create a seamless and engaging experience for your website visitors, encouraging them to interact with your support team.

Offline Button Customization [18:23]

When your support agents are unavailable, the offline button allows visitors to submit a contact form instead of initiating a live chat:

• Button Appearance: Customize the offline button’s appearance, including colors, animations, and hover effects, similar to the chat button customization options.
• Contact Form: Configure the contact form that appears when visitors click the offline button, specifying the title, description, and confirmation message.
• Form Fields: Customize the fields in the contact form, such as name, email address, and message, to collect the necessary information from visitors.

Customer Portal Setup [20:56]

LiveAgent’s customer portal is a comprehensive solution that includes a knowledge base, FAQ, feature suggestions, and feedback:

• Portal Theme: Choose a theme for your customer portal, such as Classic, Minimalist, or Montana, and customize the colors to match your brand.
• Knowledge Base: Create and organize articles to help customers find answers to common questions and issues.
• FAQ: Compile a list of frequently asked questions and their answers to provide quick support to visitors.
• Feature Suggestions: Enable customers to submit ideas and vote on new features they’d like to see in your product or service.
• Feedback: Collect valuable feedback from customers to improve your offerings and support.

Social Pages Setup [25:36]

Integrating your social media pages with LiveAgent allows you to manage customer interactions across multiple channels:

• Facebook Integration: Connect your Facebook pages to LiveAgent to respond to posts, messages, and comments directly from the platform.
• Twitter Integration: Link your Twitter account to LiveAgent to monitor mentions, replies, and direct messages, and engage with customers on the platform.
• Filter Options: Set up filters to monitor specific keywords, hashtags, or competitor mentions on social media, enabling you to proactively engage with potential customers.

Voice Support Setup [28:16]

One of LiveAgent’s standout features is its voice support capabilities, which can be set up using video chat platforms or phone calls:

• Video Chat: Enable video chat support by creating a “Call Us” button and configuring the video chat window’s appearance and behavior.
• Call Button: Add a call button to your website, allowing visitors to initiate a voice call with your support agents directly from their browser.
• VoIP Integration: Connect LiveAgent with a VoIP provider, such as Twilio, to enable phone call support and manage calls within the platform.

Twilio Setup [32:36]

To set up voice support using Twilio, follow these steps:

1. Create a Twilio account and set up a new phone number.
2. Configure the SIP trunk settings in Twilio, including the termination SIP URI and credentials.
3. Set up the origin URI in Twilio, pointing it to your LiveAgent account.
4. Add the Twilio phone number in LiveAgent and configure the dial-out prefix.
5. Test the integration by making a test call to ensure everything is working correctly.

User Interface [39:36]

LiveAgent’s user interface is feature-rich but could benefit from some improvements in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use:

• Dashboard: Provides an overview of all help desk activity, including tickets, chats, and calls.
• Email, Chat, and Phone Sections: Dedicated areas for managing email tickets, live chats, and phone calls, with reporting and configuration options for each channel.
• Knowledge Base Management: Create and organize articles, forums, and feedback boards to provide self-service support to customers.
• System Configuration: Access various settings, including plugins, sound configuration, and domain setup, to customize your LiveAgent instance.

Key Takeaways

• LiveAgent’s user interface offers a comprehensive set of features for managing multiple support channels, including email, chat, phone, and social media.
• The dashboard provides a centralized view of all help desk activity, allowing managers to monitor performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Dedicated sections for email, chat, and phone support enable agents to focus on specific channels and access relevant reporting and configuration options.
• The knowledge base management tools allow you to create and organize self-service content, reducing the workload on your support team and empowering customers to find answers independently.
• While the user interface is feature-rich, it could benefit from some improvements in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use, particularly for new users.

Conclusion [47:48]

LiveAgent is a powerful and feature-rich help desk solution that offers support for multiple channels, including email, live chat, social media, and voice. Its extensive customization options and robust integrations make it a compelling choice for businesses looking to streamline their customer support efforts.

However, the platform’s user interface could benefit from some improvements in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use. Despite these minor drawbacks, LiveAgent’s comprehensive feature set and affordable lifetime deal make it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.

If you’re considering purchasing LiveAgent, be sure to click on the referral link in the description to support the channel and access the exclusive deal. With its powerful capabilities and extensive customization options, LiveAgent has the potential to revolutionize your customer support and take your business to the next level.