Online chat - Olark vs Liveperson?
Now I know why Liveperson doesn't post the price on their website ($90-$50,000).

Any suggestions on other chat services that direct to agent based on skill, logging, and mobile / sms ?

Welcome to LivePerson! An online representative will be with you shortly. You are number 1 in the queue.

you: how much does liveperson contact center cost?

Mark: Hey

Mark: I'll be happy to supply you with all the details you require, so I can best understand your needs, I do need to ask a few quick questions.

Mark: To best understand your business needs I'd like to have a quick look at your website. Can I please ask for your URL?

you: new company... website isn't up yet

Mark: What kind of website will it be?

you: local services

Mark: When will you website be up and running?

you: Jan

Mark: Ok

Mark: What is the name of the company

you: private

Mark: How many agents will you have handling incoming calls/emails/chats?

you: fewer then 10 to start, then could grow to 50+, depending on success

Mark: We have several solutions ranging from $90 to $50,000, this is why I am asking you these questions

Mark: The company name would help

you: ???? how does that effect price?

you: Is that per month or one time fee?

Mark: I wouldn't want to offer you a solution for a large company if yours is only a small business

you: ok, what are the questions

Mark: We have different solutions for different businesses and their needs

you: we are a small businiess...

you: we are just starting

Mark: Will you be making the final decision about purchasing a LivePerson account or are you evaluating the product for someone else?

you: I will make decision... and right now, I'm leaning towards olark.com.

Mark: Why is that?

you: can you ask me necessary questions to give me a price please?

Mark: What is the size of the staff the company has?

you: why olark 1. already know price, 2. already tested service 3. best UI I've seen so far, but it's missing CRM integration

you: size of staff - 2

Mark: We have that CRM integration you are looking for
you: I know...

Mark: You can easily integrate a LivePerson account with most web-based applications (CRM tools, data-bases or billing systems). To read more about integration, please read the page I just pushed.

Mark: http://solutions.liveperson.com/sb/integration.asp

Mark: We have a couple solutions for you

you: I'm already familiar with liveperson and all the features... just not the price!

Mark: For our small business clients we are offering two packages:
- LivePerson Pro - our award winning Chat and real-time monitoring solution.
- LivePerson Contact Center - a complete communication solution including Chat, Voice (LiveCall) Email Management and Self-Service.

Mark: Are you interested in the Contact Center solution or our Chat-only (Pro) package?

you: See 1st question.... "how much does liveperson contact ctr cost?"

Mark: Yes, I saw, I still had to ask you these questions so I get a better understanding

Mark: Please be patient with me

Mark: The pricing structure is as follows

Mark: There are NO minimum contracts, NO extra charges, and NO setup fees.

Mark: You are free to cancel your account at any time, no questions asked

Mark: 1* You are welcome to embed the click-to-chat buttons (and monitoring code) onto as many Web sites and pages you require - there is no restriction.

Mark: 2* With a LivePerson account you are free to download the Operator Console (3MB desktop application) onto as many computers you need. You can also create as many Operator Identities (User name and Password) you require.

Mark: 3* The number of operators you can have online at any one time depends on the number of concurrent operators (seats) you have purchased for your account. As an online operator you can accept an unlimited number of concurrent chats

Mark: The price for a LivePerson Pro account is $99/month per seat (concurrent operator).

Mark: We have a special promotional offer going on now for a limited time only, would you like me to explain?

you: how much is contact center?

you: and yes, what is the promotional offer

Mark: The price for a LivePerson Contact Center account is $150/month per seat.

you: oops... just saw it was $99 per seat. Thanks. Cost to much.

you: goodbye

Mark: The special offers a discounted price

Mark: What price range are you looking for?

you: did I mention olark?

you: (sarcasm)

Mark: Yes, but I am not familiar with Olark

Mark: I do not know their pricing

you: http://www.olark.com/portal/plans

you: $69 for 6 operators

you: I don't think you will lower your pricing that much

Mark: We know that there are plenty of cheaper competitors out there

Mark: However, you end up getting what you pay for

Mark: We offer a lot more than just chat

you: yes you do. thank you for your time.

you: goodbye

Mark: We are the leading company in the industry, with over 8,000 clients, majority of them are small to medium businesses who were unsatisfied with the service the cheaper competitors provided them and have come to us
Mark: What I can do is have a product consultant contact you and perhaps they can set up a plan that is more suitable to your business needs

Mark: Would you like that?

you: No. This was painful enough. Thanks.