14 Companies that use live chat for better customer service

Customers expect fast, convenient support, and live chat delivers exactly that. As digital interactions continue to grow, companies across industries rely on live chat to answer questions instantly, resolve issues efficiently, and guide customers at key decision points. From e-commerce and SaaS to healthcare and finance, live chat has become a core customer experience channel.

This article explores why companies use live chat, how adoption varies by industry and company size, and how real businesses successfully use it to improve satisfaction, trust, and overall performance.

Overview of industries using live chat

Live chat adoption continues to rise as businesses respond to growing customer demand for fast, real-time communication. Recent data shows that 67% of B2C companies and 58% of B2B companies now use live chat, confirming its role as a standard customer engagement channel. This trend reflects a broader shift toward instant support across digital touchpoints.

Certain industries show especially strong adoption because live chat directly impacts conversions and customer satisfaction. Common examples include:

• E-commerce and retail, where live chat helps answer product questions and reduce cart abandonment.
• SaaS and technology, using chat for onboarding, troubleshooting, and product guidance.
• Finance and insurance, handling account inquiries and pre-purchase questions securely.
• Travel, hospitality, and education, managing high volumes of booking and enrollment-related requests.

Live chat usage also varies by company size, but adoption is growing across the board:

• Large enterprises: 78% use live chat as part of an omnichannel strategy.
• Mid-sized companies: 61% rely on chat to balance efficiency and personalization.
• Small businesses: 47% now offer live chat to improve responsiveness without scaling teams.

Together, these patterns show that live chat is widely used across industries and company sizes as a reliable way to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

14 real companies using live chat to boost customer experience

Here are 14 real companies whose success stories show how live chat helped them elevate customer experience and drive measurable results.

Decathlon

Decathlon is a global sports retailer known for its extensive catalog of athletic gear and apparel. Faced with high support volume and complex technical questions about product fit, compatibility, and performance, Decathlon implemented Chatty‘s AI-powered live chat to automatically handle customer inquiries.

The tool was trained on the full product database, including specifications and sizing relationships, enabling accurate automated answers around the clock. It intelligently handoffs personalized consultations to human experts when needed.

Within seven days, the AI handled over 2,000 conversations, achieved a 96.6% resolution rate, and contributed nearly €10,964 in assisted revenue while improving shopping flow and reducing support pressure.

Stonehenge Health

Stonehenge Health is a U.S. wellness brand offering specialized supplements across multiple health categories. Struggling with an inadequate legacy AI that misinterpreted intents and required heavy upkeep, they adopted Chatty‘s AI live chat integrated directly with Shopify.

The system automatically learned the product catalog, including ingredients, use cases, and stock levels, and provided contextually smart recommendations to customers asking questions like “Which supplement supports brain fog?”

Instead of deflecting to FAQs, the chatbot resolved 71.33% of chats autonomously and maintained a 99.9% resolution rate. Over seven months, it generated around $75,000 in revenue and freed human agents for complex consultations, improving conversion and support efficiency.

Warby Parker

Warby Parker operates in the eyewear and retail industry and uses live chat to guide customers through online shopping and post-purchase support. Live chat is embedded on its website and mobile experience, allowing shoppers to ask questions about frames, lenses, prescriptions, and virtual try-on features.

The company combines human agents with smart routing to address sales and service inquiries efficiently. Agents provide personalized style advice, order tracking help, and returns assistance in real time. This conversational approach reduces hesitation during purchase and increases confidence in buying eyewear online. It also delivers a high-touch retail experience without requiring customers to visit physical stores.

Wayfair

Wayfair is an e-commerce company specializing in home goods and furniture, using live chat to support complex purchasing decisions. It enhances live chat by combining human sales agents with a generative AI assistant called Agent Co-Pilot. Customers can chat with digital sales agents for help choosing furniture, understanding policies, or finding complementary products, while Co-Pilot works behind the scenes.

Instead of replacing agents, the AI suggests context-aware responses in real time by analyzing product data, company policies, and conversation history. This allows agents to respond faster and with greater confidence without searching multiple systems.

Wayfair uses detailed performance metrics, including handle time and conversion rates, to refine the experience. Early results show reduced response times and more efficient, personalized customer interactions at scale.

Nike

Nike operates in the global sportswear and apparel industry and uses live chat through its Nike Experts program to enhance personalized shopping. Available exclusively in the Nike App, live chat connects members with style-forward, sport-smart human experts. Customers can ask real-time questions about fit, sizing, trends, and product recommendations.

Nike uses this expert-led chat strategy to replicate in-store expertise digitally while strengthening membership engagement. By limiting access to logged-in members, Nike maintains service quality and brand exclusivity. The outcome is deeper customer loyalty, higher purchase confidence, and a more interactive, premium shopping experience tailored to individual athletic and lifestyle needs.

HubSpot

HubSpot operates in the B2B software and SaaS industry, using live chat to support marketing, sales, and customer service users. Live chat is integrated into its website, knowledge base, and customer portals, often starting with automated bots that route inquiries efficiently. Human agents handle product setup, troubleshooting, and billing questions in real time.

HubSpot’s strategy blends self-service education with conversational support, ensuring users get fast answers without disrupting workflows. This approach shortens resolution times, improves product adoption, and supports customers at different stages of growth, helping businesses fully leverage HubSpot’s platform while maintaining a scalable support model.

Atlassian

Atlassian operates in the enterprise software industry and uses live chat to support users of products like Jira and Confluence. The Atlassian Support AI chatbot provides immediate assistance by referencing documentation, community content, and known issues. For more complex needs, conversations can escalate to human agents through Jira Service Management, where chats can be converted into support tickets.

Atlassian’s strategy emphasizes conversational ticketing, allowing seamless transitions from real-time chat to structured issue tracking. This reduces friction for technical users and speeds up problem resolution. The outcome is more efficient support workflows and improved satisfaction among developers and enterprise customers.

Shopify

Shopify operates in the e-commerce platform industry and uses live chat to support merchants managing online stores. Live chat is accessed through the Shopify Help Center, where users typically interact with an AI assistant before escalating to human support advisors. Available 24/7, chat assists with billing, store setup, technical troubleshooting, and account issues.

Shopify also offers Sidekick, an AI assistant inside the admin, focused on operational guidance rather than support. This layered chat strategy balances automation with human expertise, helping merchants resolve issues quickly while scaling globally. The result is reduced downtime for stores and stronger merchant retention.

Betterment

Betterment operates in the digital investment and robo-advisory industry and uses in-app live chat to support account holders. Live chat is available after logging into a Betterment account and is primarily focused on portfolio questions, account management, and general investing guidance. The chat experience emphasizes secure, contextual support within the app environment rather than public-facing assistance.

Betterment uses this approach to protect sensitive financial data while offering timely, personalized help. By integrating chat directly into the account dashboard, Betterment reduces support friction and builds trust with users, leading to smoother self-directed investing experiences and higher confidence in long-term financial planning.

American Express

American Express operates in the financial services industry and uses live chat through the Amex mobile app under the “Ask Amex” feature. Available 24/7, this in-app live chat allows cardholders to communicate directly with customer service for transaction questions, card issues, and account management.

Users initiate chat by tapping a chat icon within the app, with push notifications supporting real-time responses. The strategy focuses on convenience and immediacy while keeping support within a secure environment. This reduces reliance on phone support, speeds up issue resolution, and enhances cardholder satisfaction by delivering reliable, always-available assistance on mobile.

BMW

BMW operates in the automotive industry and uses live chat to support vehicle research, sales, and customer inquiries. Live chat is available on BMW’s UK and US websites, often through an AI-powered concierge that guides users toward relevant actions such as comparing models or viewing offers.

Human support, including BMW Genius experts, assists with technical features, vehicle specifications, and ownership questions. BMW also offers dedicated chat for financial services and dealer communication through the My BMW App. This hybrid strategy improves buyer confidence, shortens the research cycle, and helps convert online interest into dealership engagement and sales.

Booking.com

Booking.com has implemented its “Booking Assistant” AI chatbot to provide travelers with fast, automated responses to common questions throughout the booking and stay process. Using natural language processing and machine learning, the bot can resolve about 50% of customer support queries on its own within minutes, spanning topics such as payment issues, itinerary adjustments, transportation guidance, and cancellation policies.

When questions are too complex, it escalates to a human agent or relevant property staff. This hybrid model has improved response times and scalability, helping travelers get timely information without lengthy waits for live support while supporting more efficient service operations.

Airbnb

Airbnb has rolled out an AI-powered customer service chatbot across the United States to help manage high volumes of traveler inquiries. The chatbot handles roughly 50% of user queries, addressing common support needs such as reservation changes, cancellation policies, and refund questions without human intervention.

By taking on these routine interactions, the AI has reduced the demand for live support by an estimated 15%, shortening response times and allowing human agents to focus on more complex cases. This deployment has been part of a broader push to enhance operational efficiency and improve the overall travel support experience for both guests and hosts.

Coursera

Coursera operates in the online education industry and uses live chat selectively to support learners. Live chat is available through the Coursera Support Center, but only to certain users, such as those enrolled via employers, universities, or eligible paid plans. Users must be logged in to see the chat icon, which appears in the bottom-right corner of the Help Center.

Coursera strategically limits chat access to manage support demand while prioritizing higher-value or complex cases. This approach balances scalability with personalized assistance, ensuring timely help for enterprise and paying learners while encouraging self-service resources for the broader user base.

To build a live chat like these 14 companies, you can refer to: 15+ best live chat for businesses

How to use live chat effectively (lessons from these companies)

The case studies show that live chat is most effective when it is intentional, contextual, and well integrated into the overall customer experience. Instead of treating chat as a standalone feature, leading companies design it to support real user needs at the right moment.

Key lessons you can apply:

• Place chat where help is truly needed: Companies like Shopify, Coursera, and Atlassian guide users through self-service first, then offer live chat for more complex issues. This keeps chat meaningful and prevents support overload.
• Use AI to assist humans, not replace them: Wayfair, Atlassian, and HubSpot show that AI works best when it suggests replies, gathers context, or routes conversations, while humans handle nuanced decisions and relationship-building.
• Leverage logged-in context for personalization: Nike, BMW, Betterment, and American Express embed chat inside apps or accounts, allowing agents to tailor advice using purchase history, preferences, or account data.
• Connect chat to your support workflow: HubSpot and Atlassian convert chats into tickets, while financial and enterprise brands link chat to account actions. This ensures conversations lead to resolution, not dead ends.
• Measure and refine continuously: High performers track response time, handle time, and satisfaction to keep improving the chat experience over time.

When designed this way, live chat becomes a high-impact experience driver rather than just another support channel.

Future trends shaping live chat usage

Live chat is becoming faster, smarter, and more proactive. Companies are no longer using it only to react to questions. They are using it to guide customers in real time and reduce effort for both agents and users.

AI and automation play a major role in this shift. AI-assisted responses help agents reply faster and stay consistent. LLM-powered tools suggest answers, summarize conversations, and highlight relevant help articles during a chat. This reduces handling time and improves response quality, especially for complex questions.

Predictive assistance is another growing trend. Live chat tools can now detect intent by analyzing user behavior, page views, and message context. This helps teams route chats correctly and trigger proactive messages at the right moment. Customers get help before frustration builds.

Live chat is also becoming more omnichannel. Customers expect to switch between web chat, SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app messaging without starting over. Businesses that connect these channels keep conversation history in one place. This leads to smoother support and better customer experience across every touchpoint.

Final thought

Live chat has evolved into a powerful driver of customer experience and business growth. The companies highlighted throughout this article show how real-time conversations can reduce friction, improve support efficiency, and increase conversions when implemented strategically. Success comes from combining the right tools, trained teams, and smart automation.

As AI-driven features and omnichannel messaging continue to advance, live chat will play an even bigger role in customer engagement. For businesses of any size, live chat remains one of the most effective ways to connect with customers at the right moment.

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