ChatBeacon vs. Intercom

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ChatBeacon
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
ChatBeacon (formerly SightMax) is a live chat tool from SmartMax Software headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.N/A
Intercom
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Intercom creates modern Customer Service software that aims to redefine how businesses support their customers. The platform connects businesses directly to customers using powerful messaging and automation. According to the vendor, Intercom enables teams to scale support without investing more resources - leading to happier customers and more efficient support teams.
$39
per month per seat
Pricing
ChatBeaconIntercom
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Essential
$39
per month per seat
Advanced
$99
per month per seat
Expert
$139
per month per seat
The Early Stage program
From $65 for 5 support seats
per month
Proactive Support Plus add-on
from $99
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ChatBeaconIntercom
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAI customer service features included in every plan. Intercom integrates Help desk, AI Chat bot, and Proactive support.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ChatBeaconIntercom
Top Pros
Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
ChatBeaconIntercom
Incident and problem management
Comparison of Incident and problem management features of Product A and Product B
ChatBeacon
-
Ratings
Intercom
8.1
111 Ratings
3% above category average
Organize and prioritize service tickets00 Ratings8.4101 Ratings
Expert directory00 Ratings8.068 Ratings
Subscription-based notifications00 Ratings7.767 Ratings
ITSM collaboration and documentation00 Ratings8.275 Ratings
Ticket creation and submission00 Ratings8.3104 Ratings
Ticket response00 Ratings7.8109 Ratings
Self Help Community
Comparison of Self Help Community features of Product A and Product B
ChatBeacon
-
Ratings
Intercom
7.3
115 Ratings
6% below category average
External knowledge base00 Ratings7.4114 Ratings
Internal knowledge base00 Ratings7.299 Ratings
Multi-Channel Help
Comparison of Multi-Channel Help features of Product A and Product B
ChatBeacon
-
Ratings
Intercom
8.2
111 Ratings
7% above category average
Customer portal00 Ratings8.589 Ratings
IVR00 Ratings7.736 Ratings
Social integration00 Ratings7.569 Ratings
Email support00 Ratings8.8105 Ratings
Help Desk CRM integration00 Ratings8.580 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ChatBeaconIntercom
Small Businesses
Gist
Gist
Score 9.6 out of 10
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Genesys DX (discontinued)
Genesys DX (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Agiloft Flexible Service Desk Suite
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Genesys DX (discontinued)
Genesys DX (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
SAP Service Cloud
SAP Service Cloud
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ChatBeaconIntercom
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(260 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(19 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(168 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.1
(10 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.5
(5 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
ChatBeaconIntercom
Likelihood to Recommend
SmartMax Software
ChatBeacon is a decent choice for on-premises chat support, but the clunky agent UI sparks no joy. If your organization can use a cloud-based solution, there are plenty of other fish in the sea
Read full review
Intercom
Well suited for real time customer support needs - that's where it really shines. Well suited for proactive outreach and the ability to gather feedback from customers + surveys. Less appropriate for a non techie company to set it up, basically any sort of changes in integration have to be done by an engineer.
Read full review
Pros
SmartMax Software
  • Easy to install and configure.
  • Easy for customers to use.
Read full review
Intercom
  • Intercom's ability to centralize customer communication is a game-changer.
  • Intercom's automation features have saved us time and streamlined workflows.
  • Help desk for users.
  • Intercom seamlessly integrates with a variety of other tools and platforms, enhancing its functionality and making it a central part of our tech stack.
Read full review
Cons
SmartMax Software
  • ChatBeacon is just SightMax with a fresh coat of paint.
  • The entire agent UI is remarkably worse than SightMax.
Read full review
Intercom
  • The AI tools should have a make shorter option
  • The research is difficult compared to other platforms such as Zendesk where it is easier to find stuff (accounts, emails, messages...)
  • I know that you could integrate better AI tools! The chatbot is amazing, so I'm just missing more AI tools to increase productivity
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
We have been and will be continuing our journey with Intercom and nothing too concerning has happened that I have experienced or heard of that has us on the edge yet. If it ever happens it will be something along the lines of "Outgrowing" the use of need of the platform.
Read full review
Usability
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
Everything is very straightforward and easy to see, explore, and use. Intercom provides walkthroughs and helps guides in case something is not apparent to the user and has their agents available to help. I always feel confident when exploring new features or making changes that I can have it accomplished due to the service they provide.
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Reliability and Availability
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
always there
Read full review
Performance
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
works perfect
Read full review
Support Rating
SmartMax Software
Support is a strong point for ChatBeacon - their support team is small, but you definitely get white-glove service. Zero complaints about ChatBeacon support!
Read full review
Intercom
Intercom is the premier customer support/engagement model and it definitely has one of the top tier customer support teams as well. I don't think I have ever waited more than 5 minutes to get the information I need or get help with an issue. They are incredible and I aim to model our customer service department after them.
Read full review
Online Training
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
Easy to know the learning path
Read full review
Implementation Rating
SmartMax Software
No answers on this topic
Intercom
The implementation was surprisingly easy but we are having to adapt from our old process to work well with Intercom.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
SmartMax Software
Before using SightMax (now ChatBeacon), we used AliveChat, which was an OK SaaS product, but the team operating the service would frequently restart the servers after maintenance and forget to start our instance back up. ChatBeacon(SightMax) as on-prem software eliminated this concern. We've been evaluating ChatBeacon vs. other products lately, and we really like how DeskPro stacks up vs. ChatBeacon - ChatBeacon is purely a chat product, and DeskPro does web chat/phone/email ticketing.
Read full review
Intercom
We've used both Drift and Salesforce chat at Owl Labs in the past, and I didn't find them to meet our needs or customer needs the way Intercom has been able to. Intercom ranks higher for us regarding Integrations offered, customization, AI functionality, and user-friendliness. In the past, if chat visitors would click around our website, they'd have to start their chat over again from the start and lose their communication history with us. We also found that Salesforce chat did not have enough customization that we needed. One small example is that in Intercom, you can see when another teammate is looking at a chat and tag them in notes to collaborate. We didn't have access to anything like that when using Salesforce chat. Intercom has made it easy to work alongside one another to be more efficient.
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Return on Investment
SmartMax Software
  • Using website chat (often with an agent:customer ratio of up to 1:3 or more ) vs. phone support (with an agent ratio of 1:1) has greatly reduced support costs in every business unit.
  • Providing realtime feedback and links (vs. phone calls) has greatly improved the turnaround on the sales and customer inquiry processes.
Read full review
Intercom
  • I like how easy it is to spot the user data needed to assist our members.
  • Love how easy it is to link articles on the chat that will help both us and the customers.
  • I like that the sales force or the tickets is already connected on the chat
Read full review
ScreenShots

Intercom Screenshots

Screenshot of Support Bots: Intercom brings upleveled support automation that scales support teams by resolving 33% of common questions.Screenshot of Shared Inbox: From quick to complex questions, the Intercom Inbox workflows helps resolve issues in real time and improve team efficiency—without sacrificing CSAT.Screenshot of Product Tours: Connect the dots from sign-up to success with Intercom' interactive product tours.Screenshot of Campaign Builder: Series, Intercom's visual campaign builder, lets users send cohesive messages across channels—inside the app and out.Screenshot of Intercom Surveys: In-context customer surveys, Intercom Surveys connects users to valuable customer insights—and then helps to turn those insights into action, automatically.Screenshot of The Intercom Messenger