Every ranking on Zazachat comes from the same repeatable process. We do not rank tools we have not put through it, and we do not move a tool up or down because a vendor pays us. This page is the honest version of how the sausage gets made.
Who does the testing?
Reviews are led by Daniel Calloway, our editorial reviewer for customer support, live chat, and AI support software. He sets up each tool, runs it against the criteria below, and writes the verdict. Reviews are edited before publication, and updated when a product changes materially.
What do we score — the criteria?
Each tool is evaluated against a fixed set of criteria, weighted toward the categories that matter most for the use case at hand. The criteria are:
- Hands-on setup. How long it takes to install the widget or connect a mailbox, get an agent live, and reach a first resolved conversation.
- Core support workflow. Routing, assignment, macros, SLAs, and how well the day-to-day queue holds up under real ticket volume.
- Automation & AI. Quality of bots, AI replies, and deflection — how much they actually resolve versus how much they hand back to a human.
- Integrations. Depth of the CRM, e-commerce, and channel integrations a support team depends on, and how much setup each one needs.
- Reporting & analytics. Whether the metrics a support lead needs — resolution time, CSAT, volume by channel — are available without exporting to a spreadsheet.
- Pricing & value. What the plan really costs at a realistic seat count, where usage-based charges kick in, and what is gated behind higher tiers.
- Support & documentation. How responsive the vendor is, and whether the docs and onboarding get a new team productive without hand-holding.
What is the SupportScore?
We roll the criteria above into a single named metric — the SupportScore — so tools can be compared at a glance. The SupportScore is derived from our hands-on scoring against the criteria, never from a vendor's own marketing claims and never from how much a vendor pays. Where a category has different priorities (value shoppers versus enterprise buyers, say), we weight the criteria accordingly and say so in the review.
Scores and the numbers behind each SupportScore are published with the individual reviews, as we complete them. We never assign a score to a tool we have not tested.
How is ranking order decided?
Ranking order follows the SupportScore and our published criteria — it is editorial. A sponsored or affiliate relationship never earns a better position, and a sponsored vendor is never placed at number one. Paid placements, when they run, are labeled and set apart from the ranked list.
How is this funded?
To be clear about the money: some links on our best-of pages are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission when you buy through them at no extra cost to you. We also run labeled sponsored placements. This is how independent review sites keep the lights on — but it is kept entirely separate from the testing and the ranking. It is not a pay-to-win list, and it is not a no-advertising site either. The full detail is on our advertising disclosure page.