Customer Engagement Tools Every Business Should Use in 2026

Are you losing customers to competitors who respond faster and engage better? Customer expectations have transformed massively. Customers demand personalized instant interactions across every channel. Meeting these expectations is not optional; it is essential for survival in a competitive digital marketplace.

Customer engagement tools help businesses create, manage, and optimize customer interactions across all channels. This guide explores 10+ leading customer engagement tools for 2026 that will help you engage your customers. Let us take a look.

What is Customer Engagement?

Customer engagement refers to the ongoing interactions and emotional connections between a business and its customers across all touchpoints of the customer journey. It encompasses every meaningful exchange, from initial awareness and purchase decisions to post-sale support and advocacy, that strengthens the relationship between brand and consumer.

Understanding Key Distinctions

Here are some of the key distinctions between 

Customer Engagement vs Customer Experience

While closely related, these concepts serve different purposes. Customer experience (CX) is the overall perception customers form from every interaction with your brand; it’s the sum of their journey. Customer engagement, however, focuses specifically on the depth and quality of interactions that create emotional investment and active participation. You can have a smooth experience without meaningful engagement, but strong event engagement typically enhances it.

Engagement vs Communication

Communication is the exchange of information between a business and its customers, such as via email, social media updates, or responses to questions. Engagement goes deeper, creating a two-way dialogue that invites participation, builds relationships, and fosters loyalty. Communication is one-directional; engagement is reciprocal and relationship-focused.

Examples of High vs Low Engagement

High Customer Engagement looks like customers who regularly interact with your brand beyond transactions: they leave reviews, participate in community forums, share content on social media, attend events, provide feedback, and advocate for your products. They’re emotionally invested in your brand and view it as part of their lifestyle.

Low Customer Engagement manifests as one-time purchases that never return, customers who ignore your communications, minimal interaction with your content, a lack of reviews or feedback, and no social media presence for your brand. These customers view you as purely transactional with no emotional connection.

Why Businesses Need Customer Engagement Tools

Customer expectations have changed dramatically. Today, customers expect instant, personalized, and consistent interactions across every channel. Businesses that fail to meet these expectations risk losing customers to faster, more responsive competitors.

Modern customer journeys are multi-channel and non-linear—customers move between social media, websites, email, chat, and offline touchpoints. Without audienece engagement tools, these interactions remain fragmented, leading to poor experiences and lost opportunities.

Poor engagement is costly. It increases churn, raises acquisition costs, overwhelms support teams, and weakens brand trust. Retaining existing customers is far more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones.

How Customer Engagement Tools Help

• Retention: Proactive, personalized interactions keep customers engaged and reduce churn.
• Conversions: Real-time and behavior-based engagement helps convert high-intent users faster.
• Loyalty: Consistent, meaningful communication builds long-term emotional connections.
• Revenue Growth: Higher retention, repeat purchases, and automation drive sustainable growth.

In short: Customer engagement tools turn everyday interactions into lasting relationships that fuel business growth.

Top 15 Customer Engagement Tools for 2026

Here are some of the customer engagement tools

1. HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the most comprehensive customer engagement tools. This customer engagement tool offers a unified ecosystem for marketing, sales, and customer service. Its strength lies in bringing together CRM, marketing automation, live chat, email marketing, and analytics into a single, user-friendly interface.

Best For: Small to mid-sized businesses seeking an all-in-one solution that scales with growth 

Key Features:

• Unified CRM that tracks every customer interaction across channels
• Marketing automation with email workflows, lead scoring, and behavioral triggers
• Live chat and chatbot builder with AI-powered responses
• Comprehensive analytics dashboard showing engagement metrics across the entire customer journey
• Content management system for creating engaging web experiences
• Customer feedback tools, including surveys and NPS scoring

Benefits: HubSpot eliminates data silos by centralizing customer information, enabling teams to deliver consistent, personalized experiences. Its intuitive interface reduces training time, while robust free-tier options make it accessible to startups. 

Pricing: A free tier with basic features; Starter plans start at $738.94/month.

2. Social Walls

Social Walls represents a breakthrough in event-based customer engagement. This tool transforms social media content into engaging visual experiences that drive participation. Social Walls also help amplify brand reach and create memorable moments at events and physical locations.

Best For: Event organizers, retail brands with physical locations, conferences and trade shows, and hospitality venues. 

Key Features:

• Aggregation of content from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other tools using hashtags, mentions, or handles
• Customizable display templates matching brand aesthetics and event themes
• Real-time moderation tools for filtering and approving content before display
• Analytics tracking engagement metrics, reach, impressions, and user participation
• Interactive features, including polls, contests, and live Q&A integration
• Multi-screen support for displaying across various devices and locations simultaneously

Benefits: Social Walls creates authentic engagement by showcasing real customer experiences and user-generated content. This helps build social proof that influences purchasing decisions. 

Events become more interactive as attendees see their content featured, encouraging broader participation. Brands gain massive organic reach as participants share content using campaign hashtags. 

The visual impact of dynamic social feeds captures attention in ways static signage cannot, increasing dwell time and memory retention.

Pricing: Plans start at $39/month for basic features and go up upto $199/month. They also offer a custom plan. 

3. Intercom

Intercom has established itself as the leading AI-powered customer engagement tool. pioneering conversational relationship platforms that blend automation with human touch. Its Fin AI chatbot represents the cutting edge of AI-driven customer service.

Best For: Tech-savvy companies prioritizing conversational engagement, SaaS businesses

Key Features:

• Fin AI chatbot that resolves up to 50% of support inquiries instantly
• Proactive messaging triggered by user behavior and lifecycle stage
• Product tours and in-app guidance for onboarding
• Unified inbox combining chat, email, and social messages
• Customer segmentation based on behavior, attributes, and engagement history
• Real-time reporting on conversation performance and customer satisfaction

Benefits: Intercom dramatically reduces response times through intelligent automation while freeing human agents to handle complex issues. Its behavioral targeting capabilities enable precise, contextual messaging that drives engagement without overwhelming customers. 

Pricing: Essential plans start at $29 per month; Advanced plans start at $85/month; Expert tier is $139/month; custom Enterprise pricing available.

4. Zendesk

Zendesk has evolved from a help desk tool into a comprehensive customer engagement platform. This customer engagement tool is designed to deliver exceptional support experiences across every channel. 

Its omnichannel approach ensures customers receive consistent help wherever they reach out.

Best For: Companies prioritizing customer support as their primary engagement strategy, service-focused organizations

Key Features:

• Omnichannel ticketing system unifying email, chat, phone, social media, and messaging apps
• An AI-powered answer bot providing instant solutions from a knowledge base
• Advanced workflow automation for ticket routing and escalation
• Comprehensive self-service portal with customizable knowledge base
• Customer satisfaction surveys and sentiment analysis
• Robust reporting and analytics on support team performance

Benefits: Zendesk ensures no customer inquiry falls through the cracks by consolidating all interactions into manageable workflows. Its AI capabilities reduce support workload while improving resolution times. 

Pricing: Their pricing starts at $25 per month and goes up upto a custom plan. 

5. Salesforce Einstein

Salesforce Einstein brings artificial intelligence directly into the world’s leading CRM platform, transforming customer data into predictive insights and automated engagement actions. It represents the enterprise standard for AI customer engagement tools.

Best For: Large enterprises with complex sales cycles, data-driven organizations leveraging AI for predictive engagement, and businesses already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Key Features:

• Predictive lead scoring identifying highest-value prospects
• AI-powered recommendations for next-best actions across sales, service, and marketing
• Automated email responses and chatbot interactions through Einstein Bots
• Sentiment analysis on customer communications
• Forecasting tools predicting customer behavior and churn risk
• Journey optimization suggesting optimal engagement sequences

Benefits: Einstein eliminates guesswork by using machine learning to analyze customer data and recommend actions proven to drive engagement. Sales teams gain clarity on which leads deserve attention, while service teams receive context-aware suggestions for resolution.

Pricing: Einstein features are add-ons to Salesforce subscriptions. Einstein for Sales starts at $50/user/month, and Einstein for Service starts at $50/user/month.

6. Klaviyo

Klaviyo has become the gold standard for customer engagement tools in e-commerce. This combines powerful email and SMS marketing with deep integration into online store data. Its strength lies in behavioral targeting and revenue attribution.

Best For: E-commerce businesses of all sizes, direct-to-consumer brands, and online retailers seeking to maximize revenue through personalized email and SMS campaigns.

Key Features:

• Behavioral email and SMS automation based on browsing, purchase, and abandonment data
• Advanced segmentation using real-time shopping behavior and purchase history
• Predictive analytics for customer lifetime value and churn risk
• A/B testing for campaigns, flows, and personalization strategies
• Revenue attribution tracking showing exactly which campaigns drive sales
• Pre-built flows for welcome series, cart abandonment, post-purchase engagement, and win-back campaigns

Benefits: Klaviyo transforms customer data into revenue by enabling hyper-personalized campaigns that speak directly to individual preferences and behaviors. E-commerce businesses typically see 3-5x ROI within months of implementation.

Pricing: Free tier for up to 250 contacts; paid plans start at $20/month and scale based on contact list size and email/SMS volume; typical mid-sized businesses pay $100-400/month.

7. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign combines email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation, and CRM. This acts as a unified customer engagement tool for businesses seeking sophisticated automation without enterprise-level complexity or cost.

Best For: Growing businesses ready to move beyond basic email marketing, service-based businesses nurturing long sales cycles, and organizations wanting to automate engagement across the entire customer lifecycle.

Key Features:

• Visual automation builder creating complex, multi-step engagement workflows
• Site and event tracking revealing how contacts interact with your content
• Dynamic content personalization, adapting messages to individual preferences
• Lead scoring, identifying prospects ready for sales conversations
• Integrated CRM tracking deals and customer relationships
• SMS marketing and site messaging for multi-channel engagement
• Predictive sending optimizes email delivery times per recipient

Benefits: ActiveCampaign enables small teams to execute enterprise-level engagement strategies through automation. Businesses report significant time savings as workflows handle repetitive tasks while maintaining personalization.

Pricing: Lite plan starts at $15/month (500 contacts) and goes up to $145/month. 

8. Drift

Drift has excelled in conversational marketing, building a platform where chat-driven engagement replaces traditional forms and landing pages. Its real-time approach accelerates sales cycles by connecting buyers with solutions instantly.

Best For: B2B companies with high-value products, sales teams wanting real-time lead qualification

Key Features:

• Conversational AI chatbots qualify leads 24/7
• Live chat connects prospects with sales representatives instantly
• Meeting scheduling allows qualified leads to book calls directly from chat
• Account-based marketing playbooks, personalizing engagement for target accounts
• Video messaging adding personal touch to digital conversations
• Conversational email turning one-way messages into interactive dialogues
• Analytics tracking conversation performance and pipeline impact

Benefits: Drift eliminates the frustration of form submissions and waiting for responses by enabling real-time conversations when buyers are most engaged. Sales teams report 3-5x faster response times and higher conversion rates as they engage prospects at peak interest. 

Pricing: Premium plans start at $2,500/month; Advanced plans start at $3,500/month; Enterprise pricing requires consultation; a free basic plan is available with limited features.

9. Qualtrics XM

Qualtrics XM (Experience Management) provides enterprise-grade tools for collecting, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback across every touchpoint. Its research-backed approach delivers insights that drive systematic improvements in experience.

Best For: Large enterprises committed to experience management, organizations seeking research-grade feedback tools

Key Features:

• Multi-channel feedback collection through surveys, reviews, social listening, and operational data
• Text and sentiment analysis using AI to identify themes in open-ended responses
• Predictive analytics forecasting customer behavior and churn risk
• Closed-loop follow-up workflows alerting teams to critical feedback
• Role-based dashboards providing relevant insights to every stakeholder
• Action planning tools connecting insights to improvement initiatives
• Integration with operational systems to act on feedback in real-time

Benefits: Qualtrics transforms feedback from passive data collection into active engagement by systematically addressing customer concerns. 

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on user count, feedback volume, and feature requirements; typically starts at $1,500/year for small deployments.

10. Medallia

Medallia provides comprehensive experience management that captures and acts on customer signals across physical and digital touchpoints. Its real-time alert system ensures critical feedback receives immediate attention.

Best For: Hospitality, retail, and service industries with physical locations, enterprise organizations managing customer experience at scale, and businesses prioritizing frontline employee engagement in service delivery.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel feedback collection, including digital, mobile, contact center, and in-location
• AI-powered text analytics revealing sentiment and themes in customer comments
• Real-time alerts notifying managers of urgent customer issues
• Employee engagement tools connecting frontline staff to improvement initiatives
• Case management workflows ensuring feedback drives action
• Social media monitoring captures unsolicited customer sentiment
• Predictive models identifying at-risk customers before they churn

Benefits: Medallia empowers organizations to recover dissatisfied customers through rapid response to negative feedback. Businesses report significant improvements in satisfaction scores as teams systematically address experience gaps.

Pricing: Enterprise-focused with custom pricing based on organization size, locations, and feedback volume; requires sales consultation.

11. Yotpo

Yotpo specializes in leveraging user-generated content for e-commerce engagement. This involves turning customers into brand advocates through reviews, photos, loyalty programs, and referrals, all managed from a unified platform.

Best For: E-commerce brands building social proof, direct-to-consumer companies scaling customer acquisition

Key Features:

• Review collection and display with automated post-purchase requests
• Visual marketing showcasing customer photos and videos on product pages
• Loyalty and referral programs encourage repeat purchases and word-of-mouth
• SMS marketing campaigns leveraging customer data for personalized outreach
• On-site messaging and personalization based on behavior and preferences
• Analytics showing how UGC and loyalty initiatives impact revenue
• Moderation tools managing content quality and brand safety

Benefits: Yotpo creates powerful engagement loops in which satisfied customers create content that attracts new customers, who then become advocates. E-commerce businesses report 15-25% increases in conversion rates when implementing visual UGC. 

Pricing: Free plan available for basic reviews; Growth plans start at $79/month; Prime and Premium plans with advanced features require custom pricing based on order volume.

12. Typeform

Typeform revolutionizes data collection by transforming surveys and forms into conversational, engaging experiences. Its one-question-at-a-time approach dramatically increases completion rates and data quality.

Best For: Businesses wanting to gather customer feedback without survey fatigue, marketing teams building interactive lead generation 

Key Features:

• Conversational form builder creating engaging question flows
• Logic jumps, adapting questions based on previous answers
• Rich media integration, including images, videos, and GIFs
• Custom design options matching brand aesthetics
• Analytics tracking completion rates, drop-off points, and response patterns
• Integration with CRM, email marketing, and productivity tools
• Hidden fields for passing tracking data and personalizing experiences

Benefits: Typeform achieves completion rates 35-50% higher than traditional surveys by making data collection feel like a conversation rather than an interrogation.

Pricing: Free basic plan available; paid basic plan at $25/month, up upto $83/month. 

13. Sprinklr

Sprinklr delivers a unified customer experience management platform designed for global enterprises. It helps to manage customer engagement across dozens of channels, teams, and markets. 

Best For: Fortune 500 companies managing global customer engagement. 

Key Features:

• Unified platform covering social media, messaging, email, chat, voice, and review channels
• AI-powered routing ensures inquiries reach the right team members
• Governance and compliance tools managing approvals, brand safety, and regulatory requirements
• Social listening, analyzing customer sentiment, and competitive intelligence at scale
• Publishing and scheduling tools managing content across dozens of accounts
• Advanced analytics providing enterprise-wide visibility into engagement performance
• Paid and organic social media management in a single interface

Benefits: Sprinklr enables enterprise organizations to engage consistently, with centralized governance, which makes sure brand and compliance standards. 

Pricing: Enterprise-focused with custom pricing based on user count, channel requirements, and feature needs. 

14. Freshdesk

Freshdesk offers an intuitive, affordable customer engagement tool that makes multi-channel engagement accessible to growing businesses. Its focus on simplicity and automation helps small teams deliver big results.

Best For: Small to mid-sized businesses building support teams, startups needing affordable ticketing systems. 

Key Features:

• Multi-channel ticketing consolidating email, chat, phone, and social media
• An AI-powered chatbot answers common questions automatically
• Team collaboration tools, including internal notes and shared ownership
• Self-service knowledge base reducing support volume
• Automation rules streamlining ticket assignment, prioritization, and escalation
• SLA management ensures response time commitments are met
• Mobile apps enabling support on-the-go

Benefits: Freshdesk eliminates support chaos by organizing inquiries into manageable workflows, preventing nothing from falling through the cracks. Small teams punch above their weight through automation and self-service, handling higher volumes without proportional headcount increases. 

Pricing: Free plan for up to 10 agents; Growth plan at $19/agent/month and $89 per month. 

15. Braze

Braze provides a comprehensive customer engagement platform purpose-built for mobile-first businesses, enabling real-time, personalized messaging across push notifications, in-app messages, email, SMS, and more.

Best For: Mobile app developers, gaming companies, media and entertainment brands

Key Features:

• Cross-channel orchestration coordinating messages across mobile and web
• Real-time personalization, adapting content to the  current user context and behavior
• Canvas journey builder visualizing complex, multi-step engagement flows
• AI-powered send time optimization delivers messages when users are most receptive
• In-depth analytics tracking engagement, conversion, and retention by cohort
• User segmentation based on behavior, attributes, and predictive models
• Content A/B testing across all message types and channels

Benefits: Braze helps mobile businesses engage users contextually based on real-time behavior, improving activation, retention, and monetization. 

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on monthly active users and feature requirements; requires sales consultation.

Final Thoughts

The landscape of customer engagement has fundamentally transformed. Customers expect personalized, real-time interaction across every channel they use, and businesses that meet these expectations. The right customer engagement tools don’t just help you keep up with these demands. They turn engagement into a competitive advantage that drives retention, loyalty, and sustainable revenue growth.