Drift is an AI-powered conversational customer engagement platform that enables businesses to connect with customers and website visitors in real-time via chatbots and messaging. It's particularly beneficial for B2B companies, especially SaaS businesses and enterprise sales teams, looking to enhance their customer communication, lead qualification processes within their sales process, and overall workflow efficiency. Drift simplifies customer interactions and boosts engagement through effective conversational tools and optimization features designed to streamline workflows.
Drift addresses common pain points like delayed responses and inefficient customer interactions, serving sales and marketing teams within organizations. In this article, I'll cover Drift's features, pros and cons, use cases, and pricing, so you can decide if this software aligns with your specific communication and engagement needs and goals.
Drift Evaluation Summary
- Price upon request
- Free demo available
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
Drift Overview
From my perspective, Drift serves as a solid choice for those seeking a reliable conversational marketing platform. It shines with its core and standout features, offering intuitive chat functionalities and effective automation. However, onboarding and customer support could be more streamlined. For teams prioritizing immediate chat capabilities and integration with existing tools, Drift is worth considering. While it competes well against other chat software providers, some might find its learning curve slightly steeper initially. If your team values robust live chat interactions and customizable features, Drift can be a valuable addition to your customer service toolkit.
pros
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Your sales team can use Drift to personalize outreach and increase conversion rates throughout the sales process, streamlining the workflow.
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Drift's chatbot helps you automate responses and save your team time.
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You can engage customers and site visitors in real-time with Drift's live chat feature.
cons
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You may experience occasional issues with Drift's notifications system.
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Your team could face challenges with customization limitations.
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You might find the learning curve steep when first using Drift.
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SupportYourApp
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
Freshdesk
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
Hiver
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
How We Test & Score Tools
We’ve spent years building, refining, and improving our software testing and scoring system. The rubric is designed to capture the nuances of software selection and what makes a tool effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Below, you can see exactly how our testing and scoring works across seven criteria. It allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software based on core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money.
Core Functionality (25% of final scoring)
The starting point of our evaluation is always the core functionality of the tool. Does it have the basic features and functions that a user would expect to see? Are any of those core features locked to higher-tiered pricing plans? At its core, we expect a tool to stand up against the baseline capabilities of its competitors.
Standout Features (25% of final scoring)
Next, we evaluate uncommon standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality typically found in tools of its kind. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
We also evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Tools offering plentiful native integrations, 3rd party connections, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the tool. High scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use a tool with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the tool with no experience. High scoring solutions indicate little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Tools and companies that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more, for less, will score higher.
Core Features
Live Chat: Drift offers real-time chat capabilities that let your team engage with website visitors instantly, increasing lead conversion. You can customize chat windows to match your brand and provide personalized experiences.
Email Sequencing: You can automate follow-up emails, allowing you to nurture leads without manual intervention. This feature helps maintain consistent contact with prospects.
Conversational AI: Drift's AI assists you by automating responses to common queries, freeing up time for your team. It learns from interactions to improve over time.
Lead Routing: Automatically direct leads to the right sales reps based on predefined criteria, ensuring efficient follow-up. This keeps your sales process smooth and organized.
Meeting Scheduler: Drift's scheduler allows prospects to book meetings directly through chat, reducing back-and-forth emails. It integrates with your calendar for seamless scheduling.
Analytics Dashboard: You get insights into your team's engagement performance, helping you refine strategies. The dashboard provides data on chat interactions, response times, and more.
Ease of Use
Drift offers an intuitive interface, making it easy for your team to navigate and manage customer interactions. However, some users find the initial setup complex without proper guidance. The platform’s chat and AI features are straightforward, but customizing chatbots can be time-consuming. Despite these hurdles, its user-friendly design supports efficient workflow once you’re familiar with it, giving your team a valuable tool for engaging with leads in real-time.
Integrations
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk, Google Sheets, Marketo, ActiveCampaign, Shopify, Drift Segment, Pipedream, and Salesloft.
Drift Specs
- A/B Testing
- Analytics
- API
- Audience Targeting
- Automated Conversion
- Batch Permissions & Access
- Behavioral Tracking
- Brand Management
- Campaign Management
- Contact Management
- Contact Sharing
- Conversion Tracking
- CRM Integration
- Customer Management
- Dashboards
- Data Export
- Data Import
- Email Integration
- External Integrations
- Keyword Tracking
- Landing Pages
- Lead Management
- Lead Scoring
- Link Tracking
- Marketing Automation
- Multi-User
- Notifications
- Password & Access Management
- Social-Media Integration
