Looking for a website chat alternative that actually converts? You’re in the right place. Knock doesn’t just replace traditional website chats—it outperforms them.
Why Look for Website Chat Alternatives?
- Your reps can’t be available 24/7 – To keep a lead engaged, sales reps need to respond within seconds—but that’s impossible to scale. If no one replies instantly, the lead moves on.
- SDRs waste time on low-quality chats – Website chats start anonymously, so SDRs have to engage with every visitor - relevant or not. There’s no way to filter out low-quality leads before a rep gets involved.
- Chatbots make things worse – To save SDR time, many companies turn to chatbots—but 93% of B2B buyers drop off when forced into an automated conversation. Buyers want real, meaningful engagement with a human, not scripted responses or AI-driven interactions.
- Leads ghost you the moment they leave – Once a visitor closes the tab, the chat disappears. SDRs are left chasing cold leads through outbound emails—which take more effort and rarely convert.
Criteria | Website Chat | Knock |
Response Speed | Requires an immediate response from the rep. | SDRs don't need to reply immediately. Leads get notified when the SDR replies - and in their preferred messaging app |
Frictionless Engagement | Requires email entry to reveal lead info. | No forms, no emails, no friction. Knock auto-detects contact info and routes it to the right rep. |
Lead Qualification | The first message in chat is anonymous. The SDR must reply to all chats. | Filters out unqualified leads before engaging with an SDR. |
Re-engagement Capabilities | Once the lead leaves the website, the chat closes, moving the funnel to email outreach. | Sales can continue chats even after the lead leaves the website. |
Multi-Channel Continuity | Restricted to website-only engagement. | Supports Slack, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, iMessage, and more! |
Asynchronous vs. Real-time Chat | Real-time only. If the website session expires, the chat closes. | Leads can return anytime and pick up the conversation in their favorite messaging app. |
Ease of Use | Often intrusive pop-ups disrupt browsing. Mobile issues and lack of advanced features like file sharing and voice messages. | Seamless, mobile-friendly experience using familiar messaging apps. |
Integration with Sales Tools | Basic CRM integration | Leads can return to chat directly from their CRM, which is already deeply integrated with sales & marketing tools |
Routing & SDR Workload Management | Routing is based on session data like country, time, and device since the lead remains anonymous. | Automated lead assignment based on ICP, intent, region, CRM data, or rep availability—before the chat even starts. |
Lead Enrichment & Data Collection | Minimal or no automatic lead enrichment. | Captures visitor intent, UTM parameters, contact, and company info—without requiring manual input. |
Follow-up Efficiency | Follow-ups occur via email, leading to longer cycles and lower reply rates. | Sales can follow up directly in chat, without losing conversation history.Reply rates exceed 83%, making it the most engaging way to connect. |
Monitoring | View Chats from the Chat Management interface tool. | Managers can monitor all chats directly from their Slack. |
Account-Based Engagement | Most chats start anonymously, making prioritization difficult before lead identification. | Identifies and prioritizes high-value accounts, ensuring they reach the right rep. |
Onboarding for Sales | Requires onboarding and training for each rep to learn the chat interface. Sales reps must work within a separate tool. | No training needed, as setup takes 10-20 minutes.Reps manage everything within Slack, automatically synced to CRM. |
Collaboration Between Team Members | One-to-one chat between the lead and the assigned sales rep. | Multiple team members can collaborate in a shared conversation. Any Slack workspace member can jump in. |
Set-Up & Maintenance | 2 weeks to 2 months Setup. Including bot workflow setup, team training on the new platform, and ongoing maintenance. | Takes just 2 hours to set up. No training required. Runs within Slack and CRM = zero maintenance. |
Enterprise-Grade Security | Complies with GDPR, CCPA, and enterprise security standards. | Complies with GDPR, CCPA, and enterprise security standards. |