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Customer engagement platforms help you build consistent, personalized interactions across the entire customer journey. The best platforms can help you drive retention, streamline communication, and turn engagement into a proactive strategy.

If your team is juggling multiple systems, or if your customers are slipping through the cracks between channels, you're not alone. Engagement isn't just about volume—it's about timing, context, and the ability to act in the moment.

I have vetted the best customer engagement platforms so you can find a solution that fits your CX ecosystem, scales with your needs, and helps your team foster loyalty and create meaningful connections.

Why Trust Our Software Reviews

We’ve been testing and reviewing customer service software since 2021. As CX professionals ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.

We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different customer experience use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our software review methodology.

The Best Customer Engagement Platform Summary Table

Overviews of the 20 Best Customer Engagement Platforms

Here’s a brief description of each customer engagement software to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a preview of the interface.

Best for customer ticket management + NPS surveys

  • 14-day free trial
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

SurveySparrow is a customer experience management platform tailored for businesses seeking to streamline customer feedback and ticket management. It caters to organizations aiming to improve customer satisfaction through effective feedback collection and management.

Why I picked SurveySparrow: This tool offers automated ticketing, which ensures that customer issues are addressed promptly, enhancing your team's efficiency. Its NPS surveys are customizable, allowing you to gather valuable insights specific to your needs. SurveySparrow's AI-driven analysis provides deep insights into the customer journey, helping you make informed decisions. The platform's ability to integrate with various business applications ensures that your data flows smoothly across systems.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include automated survey distribution, which ensures timely feedback collection without manual intervention. AI-powered sentiment analysis helps you understand customer emotions and improve service quality. The platform's dashboard provides real-time insights, allowing you to monitor key metrics effortlessly.

Integrations include Salesforce, Hubspot, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Slack, Zendesk, Intercom, Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Trello.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Automated feedback collection
  • Customizable user surveys
  • Comprehensive analytics tools

Cons:

  • Occasional integration issues
  • Requires setup time
  • Complexity for new users

New Product Updates from SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow's Enhancements to Survey Flows
SurveySparrow's new conversational forms interface.
September 21 2025
SurveySparrow's Enhancements to Survey Flows

SurveySparrow announced new updates, including enhancements in survey flows and user engagement. For more information, visit SurveySparrow's official site.

Best for AI-driven social media engagement

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $199/seat/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Sprout Social is a social media management platform designed for businesses looking to enhance their online presence. It's primarily used by marketing teams and social media managers to manage various social media accounts, track engagement, and analyze performance metrics.

Jose Joy, a communications specialist with Sprout Social experience, explains how the tool helps improve efficiency. “The AI analytics feature in the reporting platform helps us quickly understand various metrics. This saves time and makes reporting easier. It gives insights like what % of engagement or impressions changed over the reporting time or what platforms are performing better and by how much.

Why I picked Sprout Social: You can leverage its AI-driven tools to boost social media engagement effectively. These tools help you understand audience sentiments and optimize content accordingly. Additionally, with features like advanced analytics and automated scheduling, your team can save time and focus on crafting more engaging content. The platform's intuitive design ensures you won't need extensive training to get started.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include robust social media analytics that provide insights into your engagement metrics, helping you tailor your content strategy. You can also automate your posting schedule, ensuring your content reaches your audience at the optimal times without manual intervention. The platform's social listening tool allows your team to monitor brand mentions and industry trends in real-time, ensuring you're always in the loop.

Integrations include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google My Business, YouTube, and Reddit.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Scalable for large teams
  • Real-time social listening
  • AI-driven insights

Cons:

  • High cost per user
  • Initial setup complexity
  • Limited customization options

New Product Updates from Sprout Social

Sprout Social's New Design to Draft Integration
Export interface within Sprout Social's integration for preparing draft posts.
October 5 2025
Sprout Social's New Design to Draft Integration

Sprout Social now allows designs from Canva and Adobe Express to be sent directly as draft posts. This update offers a more efficient way of integrating design tools with your social media management processes. For more information, visit Sprout Social's official site.

Best for efficient team communication

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $25/user/month (billed annually, minimum 10 seats)
Visit Website
Rating: 5/5

Front is a customer engagement platform designed to facilitate efficient team communication. It's widely used by businesses looking to manage customer interactions across various channels effectively. The tool primarily caters to teams that require a structured and collaborative approach to handling customer inquiries.

Why I picked Front: Front offers a unique shared inbox feature that helps your team collaborate on customer emails seamlessly. With its real-time collaboration tools, you can ensure that no message goes unanswered. It also provides detailed analytics to help you assess communication performance. The platform integrates email, live chat, and SMS into one unified interface, making it ideal for teams needing efficient coordination.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include shared inboxes that help your team manage emails collaboratively, ensuring everyone stays informed. You can also automate repetitive tasks with no-code automation, saving time and reducing errors. Advanced analytics provide insights into team performance, helping you make data-driven decisions.

Integrations include Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Intercom, Asana, Trello, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, and Zendesk.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • No-code automation
  • Real-time collaboration tools
  • Efficient shared inbox management

Cons:

  • Premium features locked behind higher tiers
  • Limited customization options
  • Learning curve for new users

New Product Updates from Front

Dynamic Workflow Enhancement with Branching Rules
Build dynamic workflows with branching rules in Front.
October 12 2025
Dynamic Workflow Enhancement with Branching Rules

Front has introduced branching rules to create dynamic workflows from a single trigger, consolidating actions and improving efficiency. For more information, visit Front's official site.

Best for AI support engagement

  • 7-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $25/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

Tidio is an AI-powered customer engagement platform that helps businesses connect with their customers across multiple channels. It combines live chat, chatbot automation, and a help desk to provide real-time support and personalized experiences. 

Why I picked Tidio: One reason I chose Tidio is its Lyro AI Agent. Lyro uses your existing support content, like FAQs and help center articles, to provide instant, human-like responses across live chat, email, and social media. I also like Tidio's Flows, which allow you to create automated chatbot conversations tailored to your business needs, whether it's to guide customers through processes, answer frequently asked questions, or collect leads. By automating routine interactions, your team can focus on providing personalized support where it's needed most.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a unified inbox that consolidates messages from live chat, email, and social media platforms like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, allowing your team to manage all customer interactions in one place . Tidio also offers a help desk with ticketing capabilities, enabling you to track, prioritize, and resolve customer issues efficiently. 

Integrations include Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace, WIX, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Zendesk.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Multichannel support, including for chats, emails, and social media
  • Lyro AI handles a significant portion of customer inquiries
  • Provides insights into team performance and customer satisfaction

Cons:

  • Many automation features limited to higher tier plans
  • Limitations when integrating with certain third-party tools

Best for global rewards distribution

  • Free demo available
  • Free to use + 3% fee for credit card purchases
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Tremendous helps your team distribute digital and physical incentives globally to participants in your customer engagement programs. With the operational details handled for you, your team can focus on creating meaningful connections.

Why I Picked Tremendous: I chose Tremendous because it centralizes global reward distribution so your engagement campaigns run smoothly. The platform’s catalog offers over 2,000 payout options in more than 230 countries, giving recipients the ability to choose rewards that resonate with them. You can customize each reward experience with your company’s logo, colors, and messaging, and deliver payouts by email, SMS or physical gift cards.


Live reporting and order tracking dashboards provide real time visibility into what your team has sent and spent, while multi‑layered security and fraud protection safeguard your funds.


Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include a bulk upload tool for sending tens or thousands of rewards at once, customization of the recipient experience with branded messaging and automatic currency conversion, and live reporting dashboards with W‑9 collection and reconciliation via the dashboard or API. The service also offers multiple delivery methods such as email, SMS, reward links and physical cards, and automatically handles language translations and global tax requirements.

Integrations include Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Zapier, Airtable, Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Slack, Gmail and many more via Zapier. An API is available for custom integrations.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Quick setup for managing rewards and gift cards
  • Excellent customer support makes rewarding effortless
  • Intuitive interface simplifies reward fulfillment

Cons:

  • Needs more diverse regional reward options
  • No consolidated monthly report for shipments

Best for boosting user activation rates

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $174/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

UserGuiding is a customer engagement tool that primarily serves product managers and customer success teams. It facilitates creating interactive product tours and onboarding flows, helping users better understand and engage with digital products.

Why I picked UserGuiding: This tool offers easy-to-implement onboarding guides and interactive walkthroughs, which directly contribute to enhancing user activation rates. Its user interface is designed to be intuitive, allowing you to create guides without any coding required. The analytics feature lets you track user progress and engagement, helping your team identify areas for improvement. With UserGuiding, your team can focus on optimizing the user journey, ensuring users find value from the start.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a drag-and-drop editor that simplifies the creation of interactive guides. You can also set up user segments to tailor experiences to different user groups. The tool provides comprehensive analytics to monitor user engagement and success.

Integrations include popular platforms like Google Analytics, Slack, Intercom, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Segment, Zapier, WordPress, and Amplitude.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • No coding required
  • Quick setup process
  • Effective user segmentation

Cons:

  • May need supplementary tools for advanced analytics
  • Limited customization options
  • Basic reporting features

Best for gamification

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Braze is a customer engagement platform that serves businesses by facilitating personalized marketing strategies. Its main users include marketers looking to connect with customers meaningfully and engage them across different channels. The key business function it performs is enhancing customer interactions through data-driven insights and personalized messaging.

Why I picked Braze: Braze excels in gamification, setting it apart from other customer engagement platforms. With its AI-driven insights, Braze provides your team with the tools to create engaging and interactive customer journeys. Features like Canvas Orchestration and personalized messaging capabilities enable you to design strategies that keep your audience hooked. The platform's ability to integrate first-party data ensures a tailored approach to customer engagement, making it a standout choice for gamification.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include real-time data insights that allow you to understand customer behavior better. The platform's AI-powered personalization helps you craft messages that resonate with your audience. Additionally, Canvas Orchestration provides a way to visualize and manage customer journeys effectively.

Integrations include Salesforce, Google Cloud, Amplitude, Segment, mParticle, Looker, Mixpanel, Snowflake, Adjust, and AppsFlyer.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Scalable performance for all business sizes
  • AI-driven insights
  • Personalized messaging

Cons:

  • Limited customer service in some regions
  • Some complexity in initial setup
  • Requires technical expertise for full utilization

Best for ease-of-use

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Pendo is a customer engagement platform designed for product teams to improve user onboarding, gather product insights, and increase user adoption. Its primary users include product managers, UX designers, and customer success teams. Pendo aids businesses in understanding user behavior and enhancing product experiences.

Why I picked Pendo: Pendo excels in offering ease-of-use through its intuitive interface, which is crucial for teams aiming to quickly implement and derive value from the platform. You benefit from features like in-app guides and analytics that provide insights without needing extensive technical know-how. Pendo's capabilities include user segmentation and personalized messaging, which are straightforward yet powerful tools for engaging users. The platform's ability to collect direct feedback from users ensures that your team can make informed product decisions effortlessly.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include in-app messaging, which allows you to communicate directly with users within your application. You can also utilize the product analytics feature to track and analyze user interaction, providing valuable insights into user behavior. Additionally, its feedback collection tool enables you to gather user opinions directly, facilitating a user-driven approach to product development.

Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zendesk, Marketo, Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Segment, Amplitude, and Intercom.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Effective feedback collection
  • Intuitive in-app messaging
  • Strong user analytics

Cons:

  • Limited customization options
  • Higher pricing for advanced features
  • Some users report integration challenges

Best for customer surveys

  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Qualtrics Customer Experience is a comprehensive platform designed for businesses looking to gather and analyze customer feedback effectively. It primarily serves marketing teams, customer experience professionals, and researchers. The tool's principal function is to facilitate the creation, distribution, and analysis of customer surveys, assisting users in making data-driven decisions.

Why I picked Qualtrics Customer Experience: Qualtrics excels in offering a range of features tailored specifically for customer surveys, setting it apart from other platforms. You can create highly customized surveys that cater to specific audience segments. It offers advanced analytics capabilities that help in interpreting survey data with ease. Your team can also leverage its real-time feedback collection to quickly address customer issues as they arise. The ability to seamlessly integrate with various channels ensures that you reach respondents wherever they are.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include robust survey design tools that allow you to create visually appealing and engaging surveys. You can use its advanced logic features to dynamically tailor survey questions based on previous answers. Additionally, its reporting tools offer in-depth insights that help you understand customer sentiment and behavior comprehensively.

Integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Analytics, SAP, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Marketo, and ServiceNow.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Multichannel distribution
  • Real-time feedback collection
  • Deep survey customization

Cons:

  • Complex setup process
  • Limited template variety
  • High learning curve

Best for chat automation

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $80/month for up to 10K targeted sessions
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Twik is a versatile customer engagement platform designed to enhance how businesses interact with their customers. It primarily serves marketing teams and customer service departments, providing tools for creating and managing customer surveys to gather valuable insights.

Why I picked Twik: Twik offers unique capabilities that set it apart in the realm of customer engagement. Its customizable survey templates allow you to tailor questions to your specific needs, making it easier to gather precise feedback. You can also utilize its real-time analytics to quickly interpret survey results and make data-driven decisions. The platform's integration with various CRM systems ensures that your survey data is seamlessly incorporated into your broader customer relationship strategies. Additionally, Twik's user-friendly interface facilitates an efficient survey creation process for your team.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a drag-and-drop survey builder that simplifies the creation process, allowing you to focus on what matters most. Twik also provides automated follow-up emails based on survey responses, ensuring timely engagement with your audience. You can monitor survey performance with detailed analytics dashboards that offer insights into response rates and trends.

Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zendesk, Slack, Shopify, Google Analytics, Marketo, Zoho CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Automated follow-up emails
  • CRM integration
  • Customizable survey templates

Cons:

  • Limited customer support hours
  • Basic design options
  • Limited AI features

Best for omnichannel loyalty and advocacy

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request

Annex Cloud helps your marketing and customer experience teams design loyalty and referral programs that resonate with your audience. It solves the challenge of engaging customers consistently and encouraging repeat engagement.

Why I Picked Annex Cloud: I picked Annex Cloud because it supports omnichannel loyalty and advocacy for your brand. You can build tailored loyalty, referral and advocate programs that reward specific customer actions. The platform offers segmentation tools to deliver targeted rewards to different customer groups. It also provides analytics to help refine your engagement strategy over time.

Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include customizable loyalty tiers, referral and advocacy tools, and gamified interactions like badges and achievements. It supports real time collection of customer data to personalize engagement and encourages user generated content such as ratings and reviews. Your team can configure a variety of reward types, such as points, discounts or experiences, to motivate repeat purchases.

Integrations include Shopify, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, SAP Customer Data Cloud, Adyen, Klaviyo, Qualtrics, PassKit for digital wallets, commercetools, NetSuite and Salesforce, and an API is available.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust reporting and omnichannel customer experience
  • Seamless integration with eCommerce and POS systems
  • Customizable and flexible loyalty program options

Cons:

  • Complexity in setting up advanced features
  • Limited functionality for unique business operations

Best for gamified customer engagement & loyalty

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request

PUG's Picnic helps customer experience teams design playful engagement journeys that drive loyalty. The platform uses game mechanics to motivate users to interact with your brand across apps, websites or loyalty programs. It’s aimed at marketing and product teams seeking to nurture deeper relationships.

Why I Picked PUG’s Picnic: I picked it because it builds emotional connections through adaptive quests and narrative challenges. The platform lets you design milestones, badges, and customizable challenges to drive users up a loyalty pyramid. Its segmentation and analytics tools give you insights into each customer’s motivations. With these tools, your team can create experiences that feel more like a game than a transaction.


Standout Features & Integrations

Features include advanced campaign segmentation, narrative-driven quests, and integrated mini games and contests that make engagement fun. You can build custom rules to trigger rewards like badges, virtual goods and points, and track progress through leaderboards and status tiers. The platform also offers social community tools such as likes, follows and tagging, plus adaptive questing to personalize each user’s journey.

Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Square, Shopify, WordPress, Snowflake, Dynamics 365, loyalty points services, prize fulfillment systems, and an open API for custom connectors.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent onboarding and very supportive team
  • Easy to configure and edit gamification rules
  • Scales smoothly under heavy user loads

Cons:

  • Initial platform setup feels extremely complicated
  • Dashboard could be more user friendly

Best for real-time customer feedback insights

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request

Designed for enterprise and mid size teams, Medallia helps you listen to customer voices across surveys, digital touchpoints, and social reviews.  

It gives your team a central hub to capture experiences and turn them into actionable insights. If you’re aiming to strengthen relationships through real-time engagement, this platform addresses gaps in understanding your customers.  

Why I Picked Medallia: I picked Medallia because it gives you a single view of your customer journey, so your team can capture feedback in real time across surveys, reviews, and digital channels.  

It uses AI to surface patterns and themes in unstructured comments, exposing root causes behind satisfaction or churn. Predictive insights then highlight which customers need attention and suggest next steps. Role-based dashboards keep your teams focused on the issues that matter most.  

Standout Features & Integrations  

Features include predictive analytics that score customers on the likelihood of loyalty or churn, text analytics with sentiment and theme detection, and risk scoring that flags at risk accounts. It also offers organisational hierarchy modelling and flexible data permissions so each team sees the insights that apply to them. Real time synchronization connects feedback to your operational workflows, and pre-built survey templates speed up program launches.  

Integrations include Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk, Zoom, Jira Service Management, Shopify, Help Scout, Geckoboard, Olark, and Jira Software Cloud. An API is available.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Robust analytics provide actionable customer insights
  • Seamless integration with multiple business systems
  • User-friendly interface with intuitive dashboards navigation

Cons:

  • Reporting tools require a steep learning curve
  • AI limitations hinder unstructured feedback analysis

Best customer journey orchestration

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request

MoEngage is a customer engagement platform designed to orchestrate personalized and timely customer journeys across multiple channels. It primarily serves marketing teams looking to enhance customer engagement and retention. The platform allows brands to use real-time insights to tailor interactions based on individual customer behaviors and preferences.

Why I picked MoEngage: MoEngage's platform excels in real-time data analysis and AI-powered identity management, which enhances customer journey orchestration. It enables your team to personalize interactions by leveraging real-time insights, ensuring each customer touchpoint is meaningful. The integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 allows you to export customer segments easily for omnichannel engagement. MoEngage's AI engine, Sherpa, aids in creating precise customer journeys, making your engagement strategies more effective.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include MoEngage's AI-powered identity management, which helps you create precise customer journeys by analyzing real-time data. You can tailor customer interactions with personalized messaging across various channels, enhancing engagement. The platform also supports cross-channel marketing solutions, activating customers at key lifecycle points.

Integrations include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Segment, Google Analytics, and Zendesk.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Multi-channel communication
  • AI-powered personalization
  • Real-time data analysis

Cons:

  • Limited free plan features
  • Learning curve for new users
  • Complex initial setup

Best for CX analytics & reporting

  • 7-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $224/month (billed yearly)

Delighted is a customer feedback tool designed for businesses aiming to enhance their customer experience analytics and reporting. It primarily serves teams that need to gather and analyze customer feedback efficiently. Delighted's core functions include collecting real-time feedback through surveys and providing insights via analytics dashboards.

Why I picked Delighted: Delighted offers a straightforward way to collect customer feedback and generate reports, which is crucial for businesses focusing on customer experience. Its unique selling point lies in its ability to provide comprehensive analytics for customer feedback, setting it apart from other platforms. You can utilize survey templates like NPS, CSAT, and CES, which are integral for customer experience metrics. The tool's integration capabilities with platforms like Slack and Shopify enhance its functionality, providing seamless data flows for your team.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include survey templates that cater to different feedback types, from NPS to CSAT. You can easily customize branding to align the surveys with your company's identity. The platform also offers advanced reporting tools that help you make data-driven decisions based on customer insights.

Integrations include Slack, Shopify, HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and Segment.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good integration options
  • Flexible survey templates
  • Intuitive user interface

Cons:

  • Lacks advanced resource management
  • May require additional tools for in-depth analytics
  • Basic reporting features

Best workflow automation

  • 3-day free trial
  • From $179/month

Zingle is a customer engagement platform designed to facilitate effective communication between businesses and their clients. Its main user base includes hospitality and service-oriented industries, where timely and personalized customer interaction is key. Zingle's primary function is to manage customer interactions through real-time messaging, making it an ideal tool for enhancing customer service and satisfaction.

Why I picked Zingle: Zingle excels at streamlining customer communication, offering a multi-channel messaging platform that integrates SMS, email, and social media interactions in a single dashboard. This helps your team manage all customer inquiries efficiently. With features like automated responses and message templates, Zingle allows you to maintain consistency and speed in customer interactions, aligning perfectly with its USP of being best for customer surveys. The tool also offers detailed analytics to help you understand customer engagement levels, enabling data-driven decisions to improve service quality.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include automated messaging that saves your team time by sending instant responses to common inquiries. Zingle's analytics feature delivers insights into customer interactions, helping you tweak services for better satisfaction. The platform's multi-channel support ensures you can handle customer queries from various platforms seamlessly.

Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Slack, Zendesk, Shopify, Microsoft Teams, Google Analytics, Facebook, and Twitter.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Automated response options
  • Multi-platform integration
  • Real-time messaging capabilities

Cons:

  • Potential learning curve
  • May require technical setup
  • Integration complexity

Best competitive benchmarking

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Birdeye is a customer engagement platform primarily designed for local businesses to manage their online reputation and engage with customers across various social media platforms. It serves businesses looking to enhance their online presence and customer experience through features like review management and social media monitoring.

Why I picked Birdeye: It offers a unique set of tools that cater specifically to local brands aiming to maximize their online reputation. With features like automated review requests and social media management, you can manage your online presence efficiently. The platform also provides insightful analytics to help you understand customer feedback better. Its AI-powered capabilities further enhance the customer engagement experience, setting it apart from other solutions.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include review generation and management, which allows you to automatically request and manage reviews from customers. Social media management is another key feature, enabling you to oversee and respond to engagements on multiple platforms from a single dashboard. Additionally, Birdeye offers insightful analytics that help you gain a deeper understanding of customer feedback and behavior.

Integrations include Google, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, QuickBooks, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, and Square.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Comprehensive social media management
  • AI-driven features
  • Detailed customer insights

Cons:

  • Complexity in integration setup
  • Limited customization options
  • Learning curve for new users

Best knowledge base creation

  • 15-day free trial available
  • From $7/operator/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

Zoho SalesIQ is a customer engagement platform designed for businesses of all sizes, offering live chat, visitor tracking, and lead scoring functionalities. It is primarily used by sales teams and customer support departments to engage with website visitors and convert them into customers.

Why I picked Zoho SalesIQ: This tool provides comprehensive visitor insights and engagement strategies. Unlike other platforms, Zoho SalesIQ focuses on privacy by using its own tracking tools rather than third-party software, ensuring user data is secure. Its integration capabilities with platforms like WordPress and Zoho CRM enhance its utility across various industries. The inclusion of chatbots and AI-driven suggestions makes it a strong contender in the customer engagement space.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include live chat sessions that allow you to engage with your website visitors in real-time. Chatbots are available to automate responses and handle queries when you're offline. The mobile SDK helps integrate chat capabilities into your mobile app, providing a seamless customer experience.

Integrations include WordPress, Zoho CRM, Mailchimp, Shopify, Salesforce, Slack, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk, and Twilio.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Real-time visitor tracking
  • Wide range of integrations
  • Customizable chatbots

Cons:

  • Some advanced features cost extra
  • Learning curve for new users
  • Limited free plan features

Best for AI-powered customer engagement

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $49/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Zendesk is a customer engagement platform designed to help businesses manage customer relationships across multiple channels. It provides a unified workspace for your team to handle inquiries, automate responses, and deliver personalized customer experiences.

Why I Picked Zendesk: I picked Zendesk because of its AI-powered agents that can automate routine customer interactions, allowing your team to focus on resolving complex issues. Its centralized knowledge base ensures both agents and AI have quick access to accurate information, improving resolution times. Additionally, Zendesk’s robust analytics and reporting capabilities give you insights into customer behavior and team performance, helping you make informed decisions.

Standout Features & Integrations

Features include real-time messaging and live chat, a customizable help center for customer self-service, and an AI-powered Copilot that assists agents with contextual recommendations. Zendesk also offers advanced data privacy tools to protect sensitive information and industry-specific solutions tailored to unique business needs.

Integrations include Zoom, Slack, HubSpot, Marketo, Twilio, BombBomb, Thinkific, Zapier, Geckoboard, eWebinar, Klaus, TypeGenie, Nicereply, Hootsuite, Mailchimp, PandaDoc, Trello, Jira, Harvestr, and Dialpad.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Unified ticketing system for multiple channels
  • Strong analytics for performance insights
  • Wide range of third-party integrations

Cons:

  • Advanced features locked behind higher tiers
  • Limited customization on basic plans

Other Options

Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list.

  1. Augeo

    For enterprises

What are Customer Engagement Platforms?

Customer engagement platforms (CEPs) are tools that enable businesses to connect with customers across multiple channels in a consistent, personalized, and timely way. They help unify communication, automate interactions, and track behavior to support better customer experiences and stronger relationships.

Customer Engagement Platforms Selection Criteria

When selecting customer engagement platforms (CEPs), it's essential to evaluate functionality and specific use cases that align with your business needs. Having personally tried and researched these tools, I can provide criteria that matter most for effective customer engagement. These criteria relate directly to software buyer needs, addressing pain points and ensuring the software is used effectively.

Core Functionality (25% of total weighting score):

Key use cases for CEPs include:

  • Omnichannel communication
  • Personalized messaging
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Integration with existing systems

Additional Standout Features (25% of total weighting score):

Identifying unique features and functionality not offered by the competition:

  • Advanced AI Capabilities: Tools that leverage AI for predictive analytics and customer insights, such as sentiment analysis.
  • Real-Time Interaction: Platforms that offer live chat and real-time notifications.
  • Seamless Integrations: Extensive integrations with CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools.
  • Customization Options: Highly customizable workflows and dashboards.
  • Innovative Engagement Tools: Unique features like gamification or augmented reality interactions.

Usability (10% of total weighting score):

Evaluating power and complexity vs ease of use:

  • Intuitive Interface: Clean and easy-to-navigate UI.
  • Drag-and-Drop Functionality: For creating customer journeys and campaigns.
  • Role-Based Access: Easy configuration for different user roles.
  • Mobile Accessibility: Full functionality available on mobile devices.

Onboarding (10% of total weighting score):

Evaluating quick, simple, and easy onboarding:

  • Training Resources: Availability of training videos, templates, and interactive product tours.
  • User Assistance: Chatbots and webinars for ongoing support.
  • Migration Tools: Ease of migrating data from previous systems.

Customer Support (10% of total weighting score):

Evaluating customer support against the competition:

  • 24/7 Support: Round-the-clock assistance availability.
  • Multichannel Support: Access to support via phone, email, and live chat.
  • Knowledge Base: Comprehensive self-help resources.
  • Dedicated Account Managers: Personalized support for enterprise clients.

Value For Money (10% of total weighting score):

Evaluating pricing against the competition:

  • Transparent Pricing: Clear and straightforward pricing models.
  • Scalability: Flexible plans that grow with your business.
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis: Assessing the features offered relative to cost.
  • Discounts and Offers: Availability of discounts for long-term commitments or bundled services.

Customer Reviews (10% of total weighting score):

Evaluating customer reviews against the competition:

  • Overall Satisfaction: High average ratings from users.
  • Feature-Specific Feedback: Positive feedback on specific features relevant to your needs.
  • Support and Usability: High marks for customer support and ease of use.
  • Case Studies and Testimonials: Success stories from businesses similar to yours.

How to Choose a Customer Engagement Platform

It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:

FactorWhat To Consider
ScalabilityEnsure the platform can grow with your business. Check if it handles increased customer interactions without compromising performance.
IntegrationsLook for seamless integration with your existing systems like CRM and email marketing tools to streamline processes.
CustomizabilityYour team should be able to tailor the platform to fit your specific workflows and branding needs.
Ease of UseOpt for a user-friendly interface that reduces training time and boosts productivity for your team.
BudgetEvaluate the total cost, including hidden fees, to ensure it aligns with your financial plan.
Security SafeguardsVerify robust security measures to protect sensitive customer data and comply with industry regulations.
Support OptionsChoose a platform that offers reliable customer support, including live chat, phone, or email assistance.
AnalyticsEnsure it provides comprehensive analytics to track engagement and make data-driven decisions.

Customer engagement platforms are evolving to meet the dynamic needs of businesses and their customers. Here are some key trends to watch in 2025.

AI-Powered Personalization

AI-driven personalization is enhancing customer experiences by delivering tailored content. This trend is important as it increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. Businesses leveraging AI see higher engagement and conversion rates.

Omnichannel Integration

Omnichannel integration allows seamless communication across various channels. This trend ensures consistent messaging and interaction, regardless of the platform. It is crucial for maintaining a unified customer experience.

Real-Time Customer Insights

Platforms are increasingly providing real-time analytics and insights. This trend helps businesses make immediate, data-driven decisions. It is essential for staying competitive in fast-paced markets.

Enhanced Data Privacy

There is a growing focus on data privacy and security within CEPs. This trend addresses customer concerns and regulatory requirements. Ensuring data protection builds trust and compliance.

Gamification in Engagement

Gamification elements are being integrated into customer interactions. This trend makes engagement more interactive and enjoyable. It drives higher participation and fosters a deeper connection with the brand.

Key Features of Customer Engagement Platforms

I’ve worked with many customer engagement platforms and identified the features that truly make a difference. Here are the key features to look for:

  1. Engagement analytics: Allows users to analyze and understand customer data to create action plans that can improve customer satisfaction. 
  2. Automation: Automates simple tasks such as responding to emails or web chat queries, so customers receive immediate responses.
  3. Surveys: Enable users to create surveys and understand results to determine areas where customers are dissatisfied and require improvement. 
  4. Customer journey orchestration: Ensures that customers receive assistance throughout the entire customer lifecycle to help foster brand loyalty. 
  5. Omnichannel Communication: Connect with customers across multiple channels seamlessly.
  6. Personalized Messaging: Deliver customized content to individual users based on their preferences and behavior.
  7. Customer Journey Mapping: Visualize and plan the customer’s path from initial contact to conversion.
  8. Real-Time Analytics: Access up-to-date data and insights to inform decisions quickly.
  9. Automated Workflows: Streamline tasks and processes through automation.
  10. Integration Capabilities: Connect with existing systems and tools for a cohesive workflow.
  11. AI-Powered Insights: Use artificial intelligence to gain deeper understanding and predict customer behavior.
  12. Segmentation: Group customers based on various criteria for targeted marketing.
  13. Feedback Management: Collect and analyze customer feedback to improve services.
  14. Security and Privacy: Ensure customer data is protected and compliant with regulations.

These features are essential for any business looking to engage effectively with its customers and improve overall satisfaction.

Benefits of Customer Engagement Platforms

Customer engagement platforms offer significant advantages for businesses looking to improve their interactions with customers. Here are the primary benefits that potential buyers should consider:

  1. Enhanced Customer Experience: Provides personalized and consistent communication across all channels, improving overall customer satisfaction.
  2. Increased Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks and workflows, allowing your team to focus on strategic activities.
  3. Data-Driven Decisions: Delivers real-time analytics and insights, enabling informed decision-making and strategy adjustments.
  4. Improved Customer Retention: Builds stronger relationships through targeted engagement, leading to higher customer loyalty and retention rates.
  5. Scalability: Adapts to your growing business needs, ensuring continuous support and engagement as your customer base expands.

Using a customer engagement platform can transform how you interact with your customers, making your business more efficient and customer-focused. These benefits highlight the value and impact of implementing such a platform.

Costs And Pricing Of Customer Engagement Platforms

Customer engagement platforms typically offer a range of pricing plans to accommodate businesses of various sizes and needs. Understanding these plans and their costs can help you make an informed decision. Here are the common plan options and their pricing details.

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features
Free$0Basic engagement tools, limited channels, minimal analytics
Basic$50/monthCore features, omnichannel communication, basic automation
Standard$150/monthAdvanced automation, customer journey mapping, integrations
Professional$300/monthReal-time analytics, AI-powered insights, segmentation
EnterpriseCustom PricingFull feature set, dedicated support, advanced security

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about customer engagement platforms:

The Takeaway

Loyal customers ensure that your business will have reliable sources of sales for years to come, and keeping them engaged is the best way to keep them loyal to your products and your company. With the help of the customer engagement platforms above, you can craft optimized user engagement programs that can immediately turn even new customers into loyal ones. 

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Tim Fisher
By Tim Fisher

Tim brings over two decades of experience leading at the crossroads of tech, editorial, and AI innovation. From launching and scaling Lifewire into a top-ranked tech site, to spearheading AI operations at People Inc., he’s spent his career building systems that connect people with smarter solutions. His favorite problems are the ones that unlock new possibilities when properly solved. For Tim, problems are just undiscovered opportunities, and AI has opened the door to solving challenges once thought immovable. When he’s not tinkering with large language models, Tim is either re-reading Project Hail Mary, or eating Mexican food.