Drift

Puntos a favor

Drift is a robust, clean platform that is relatively simple to work. The caveat to that is that you have to get the hang of it first! The previous chat builder was tough to work with - not very intuitive and lots of scrolling up and down, back and forth (think vertical, with everything jumbled together). They've just introduced a new version that is easier to work with, but still complex.

When implemented on the website, it looks clean. You can also modify your icon, which is a fun and creative aspect. The "playbook" you build can also be as simple or complex as you want - due to the complex nature of our products, we use ours as more of a "reach out to us, we can help" chatbot. But you can go much, much further.

Puntos en contra

The main thing I dislike about Drift isn't actually the platform - it's the onboarding process.

The onboarding process at Drift is a bit aggressive. The onboarding teams have a very set mindset in what will make Drift work for you - no matter what your business is, or how many times you let them know your business' unique needs. They are almost 100% focused on getting live chat involved, which at the start isn't always the best option. I'd recommend that they start listening more closely to their clients, rather than bopping them over the head with their "this will be best for you" mindset.

Puntos a favor

- The design of the chat widget is gorgeous. It works on any browser and every mobile phone, I've tried, like a charm. With other chat widgets, I had lots of issues that it hasn't been displayed always correctly.
- Advanced bot and automation capabilities based on tags and other attributes
- Live view of prospects on your website with direct contact via web chat functionality
- Outbound marketing (sending sequences and tracking of emails) with their drift Gmail extension.

Puntos en contra

- Drift is quite expensive for what they offer. I'm one of the happy customers, which has gotten a startup license of the pro plan for a fraction of the normal price. Even with the pro plan, you have unnecessary restrictions like customization of the chat widget with CSS and using the smaller version. Most of the enterprise features as account-based marketing are great for any startup. Why isn't just the support by Drift and the quantity of usage restricted? Why do I have to see the restrictions within your account always and cannot just hide them if I cannot afford? Are they in need of that kind of marketing?
- The calendar cannot be completely translated into the language of your choice and you can't use a custom domain.
- Help center is branded with drift, even if your plan support branding free chat widget.
- I've received lots of emails from Drift about their Hypergrowth Conference (at least 10 in the last few months), which is quite annoying, no matter how personal and funny they have been written.
- I receive quite some emails regarding extensions of the core product like Drift Signature and Drift Help Center, but I've never gotten an update what has changed in the core product. After a while looking into the bot creation section, I've been flabbergasted that the whole design of the visual builder has changed, without me receiving any message about the advantages the new design and process brings with it.

Puntos a favor

Super easy to implement, great onboarding process and support team (who are also very proactive in outreach). The tool itself is simple to use, with great analytics (although things get a big exaggerated when it tells me big names at Amazon, Walmart, etc are looking at my site - but obviously traffic can come form anywhere and doesn't ALWAYS mean it's a business inquiry - this is balanced by it letting you see how people are actually engaging with you, source of the chat, etc). Love the automated bots that you can set up - very flexible too. Built-in scheduling and appointment setting functionality and key integrations. VERY frequent software updates.

Puntos en contra

Under the old view, if you're not careful, managing all the conversations can get messy even if you know to switch folder/category and close conversations. This is improved in a new view they just implemented. And some of it wasn't as straightforward initially as I thought it was (but their support team is good).

Puntos a favor

Drift is an easy way to bring chat to your site - especially when people are less and less willing to browse your site for answers and don't trust you'll ever respond to your "contact us" form. We've enjoyed using Drift and really like how seamlessly it integrates in with HubSpot.

Puntos en contra

The only complaint I have about drift is some of the functionality that's behind a paywall. I understand they need to make money, but some functionality that seems like a basic requirement to me is behind a paywall and eliminates itself from the conversation of some smaller businesses that don't always have someone able to answer immediately at all times. That being said, even Drift's paywall is easily justifiable for the benefit it provides.

Puntos a favor

Drift is easy to use and pretty straightforward. Installing it on your website is super easy and they provide good support. The support team is very responsive. Couple things I like :

- Send chat by email when the visitor closed the window/website
- Notification settings
- Chat window is simple but yet effective
- Support team is friendly and responsive
- Pricing (we started with the free version for a year)
- Auto-responder

Puntos en contra

When you have high traffic websites like we do, it's absolutely crucial to keep your chat logs organized. Would have liked to have more flexibility on this end (different folders, important chats, etc.).