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There are scores of live-chat vendors, and finding the right one can be tricky. Here are three options to suit your various needs.

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LiveAdmins.com

Features Live Admins operators--based anywhere from Chicago to the Philippines--greet visitors 40 to 80 seconds after they arrive.
Cool Extras Clients get a dedicated agent team. Chat windows can be customized to suit the design of your site and logo.
Price $1,500 to $2,500 to get started. Monthly costs range from $350 to $3,000, depending on the number of conversations.

LivePerson.com

Features LivePerson trains your employees to use chat. The company specializes in systems for small and midsize businesses.
Cool Extras Tracking tools let you learn how visitors discovered your site--whether via a banner ad, keyword search, or affiliate program.
Price Starts as low as $99 per month per user; enterprise systems, capable of managing all communications, start at $1,500 a month.

BoldChat.com

Features Gives clients the option of using both live and preprogrammed entreaties to shoppers. Software lets a single agent handle multiple conversations.
Cool Extras Analytic tools track the entire customer life cycle--from initial chat to contact, sales, and subsequent chats. A service called GeoLocation lets you see the location of website visitors.
Price $25 to $79 per user per month.

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