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Tone of voice — and a strong brand personality — have become essential components of exceptional customer service. 

As many brands introduce AI to automate customer service interactions, the challenge of ensuring that AI is helpful looms. Part of that helpfulness means speaking to customers in a way that connects with them, not alienates them.

That’s why implementing AI that uses your brand’s signature tone of voice has never been so important.

This post will explore why tone of voice matters in customer service and provide insights on how AI can effectively replicate brand voice, with tips on implementing it successfully. 

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Why tone of voice matters in customer service

Through a customer service lens, tone of voice is the style, word choice, and general vibe of how your brand speaks when it communicates with customers. Tone of voice is one of the key components of brand identity, so the tone of voice a support team uses will always align with its greater brand.

According to Statista, 64% of customers prefer making purchases from companies that create experiences tailored to their needs and wants. A consistent tone of voice does just that, building trust, creating better relationships between customers and brands, and making experiences more personal.

On the flip side, brands that don’t prioritize tone of voice — especially when it comes to AI — will see robotic tones cause a loss of customer trust. 

How AI effectively replicates brand voice

51% of customers share concerns that brands that use AI won’t connect them to a human. But if you choose the right AI tools that leverage your brand’s information and use it effectively, you can train it to mimic your unique voice — sometimes to the point where customers don’t even know that it’s the AI talking.

That’s true for the CX team at toddler carrier brand Wildride. 

”An influencer emailed us saying, 'I really love you guys,' and our AI Agent replied, 'Love you too,' with heart emojis, which was really funny. It was just like an email from me and my other team members,” says Amber van den Berg, their Head of Customer Experience. 

Wildride trusts Gorgias’s AI Agent to manage a high volume of tickets while still providing each customer with a great experience.  

📚 Further reading: How Wildride automated 33% of email tickets with AI Agent 

AI Agent uses a few key components to mimic tone of voice, including LLMs (Large Language Models) to form human-like responses, guidance from you, and the internal resources you provide it. 

“We’ve had customers respond to AI Agent thinking they were speaking to a real person. That’s how elevated the response was from AI,” says Emily McEnany, Senior CX Manager at Dr. Bronner’s. 

4 tips for successfully infusing AI with your brand’s tone of voice

You can absolutely train AI to match your brand's specific voice and style. Here are a couple of tips that will help you be successful: 

• Audit your brand’s existing voice and tone
• Set up guidance
• Monitor responses and give feedback
• Keep up with regular training

1. Audit your brand’s existing voice and tone 

If your brand has an established voice and tone, make sure that you either have internal documents that detail it or can describe it accurately in a couple of paragraphs. 

You’ll use that information to help train the AI, so it’s essential that it’s up-to-date and accurate. 

If you don’t have an established tone, now is a great time to generate your brand voice. Review customer conversations and the copy on your website. Chat with your marketing team and even your brand’s founder to get a clear picture of what it is or what you’d like it to be. 

Here’s a quick-start guide for how to find your tone of voice: 

1. Think about the brands you want to be similar to and pick two. 
2. Now, take a look at those brands’ websites. Make a list of what you love — it could be the way these brands speak to customers, leverage active verbs, write their product descriptions, or how they talk on social media. 
3. Now that you have your list, circle the things that feel most relative to your brand. 
4. Can you put an overarching “vibe” to this list? For example, you might choose a word like friendly, sophisticated, or fun.  
5. Then, fill in this sentence: “We are (Your Brand) and our tone of voice is (the vibe word you chose). 
6. Now, see if you can expand on that a little more, with some thoughts about how you might interact with your target audience or write about your products.

2. Set up guidance

Most AI-powered tools will allow you to set up some sort of guidance around how they interact with customers. If you use Gorgias’s AI Agent, you’ll be able to set specific tone of voice parameters. Choose from three pre-built options — Friendly, Professional, Sophisticated — or Custom to give it your own instructions.

For example, jewelry brand Baby Gold uses an upbeat, friendly, warm, and personable tone. They would likely choose the Friendly option, which is the go-to option for many teams. 

“Sometimes agents forget personal details to call out when communicating with our customers, like birthdays or weddings,” says Sindi Melgar, their Customer Service Manager.  

“But I noticed on a few different occasions where the AI Agent is highlighting these things and is saying, congratulations on your wedding! Just the tone of voice that Michelle is able to adopt is definitely on brand for us.”

If you’re looking to provide your own specific guidelines, create custom guidance like Wildride did below: 

📚 Recommended reading: How to customize AI Agent with 7 brand voice examples

3. Monitor responses and give feedback

In general, you should always keep an eye on how your AI tool is answering questions to ensure that it’s providing accurate responses and that your customers aren’t getting frustrated. Combing through responses manually can be overwhelming, so that’s why Gorgias offers an AI Feedback feature. 

In the ticket sidebar you’ll find a summary of the response AI Agent provided, including why it responded the way it did and the resource it pulled the response from. 

Then, give feedback by using the 👍 or 👎 icons to mark AI Agent’s response as correct or incorrect. AI Agent uses this feedback to improve responses over time.

📚 Recommended reading: How to coach AI Agent and give feedback

4. Keep up with regular training

Any time you add new policies or update existing ones, make sure you add them to your helpdocs and Macros, which are the main resources the AI is going to draw from. 

The more consistently you can go in and provide the AI direct feedback on each response, the more easily AI will nail your unique tone. 

Create on-brand responses with AI 

Your brand’s tone of voice makes a huge impact on the relationships you build with customers. Combining your unique brand voice with AI means you’ll provide more personalized responses and resolve customer issues faster. 

“We were hesitant at first, but AI Agent has really picked up on our brand’s voice,” says Lynsay Schrader, Lab and Customer Service Senior Manager at Jonas Paul Eyewear. “We’ve had feedback from customers who didn’t even realize they were talking to an AI.” 

Gorgias’s AI Agent is the go-to tool for AI-driven customer support that aligns with brand tone.

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As rising inflation, higher-than-ever customer acquisition costs, and the looming possibility of a global recession continue to weigh heavy on the minds of many brands, driving revenue via great customer service is now more important than ever before. In these turbulent times, many online businesses are doubling down on customer experience to retain and grow business through upsells, repeat purchases, and referrals — all of which offer higher ROI than pursuing new customers.

It’s clear that happy customers are a great path to growth. But how can you create a customer service strategy that leads to happy customers? We’ll suggest 16 tactics below to improve customer service in 2024, including new ways to incentivize your customer support team and self-service resources you can use to reduce customer effort. 

What’s the link between customer service and revenue?

Business leaders often view customer service as a necessary expense rather than an opportunity for business growth. However, every customer interaction along the entire customer journey presents a chance to create revenue for your business. Your customer service team’s exceptional customer service can generate revenue by:

• Answering pre-sales questions to improve your conversion rate
• Encourages happy customers to refer others to your brand
• Create loyal customers through helpful customer support
• Drive upsells and customer retention

According to data from Emplify, one in six customers will leave a company after just one negative customer care experience, while 86% of customers will leave a company after two negative customer service interactions. And 73% of customers will leave a brand after just a few poor interactions, according to a 2022 Coveo report. These negative interactions catch like wildfire and are an early warning of a sinking ship.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though — better customer service can be a huge differentiator for your brand, especially when you consider the value of loyal customers. According to data from 10,000 Gorgias, returning customers make up only 21% of a brand’s customers but generate 41% of orders and 44% of overall revenue.

‎16 tips to improve your customer service and drive more revenue

Let’s take a look at our top 16 tips to get your team on the way to creating a better customer experience — and generating more revenue in the process.

1) Incentivize your customer service agents to meet business goals

We already discussed the impact your customer service representatives can have on business outcomes. To get serious about providing the best customer service possible, align your customer service team’s KPIs around demonstrated business goals.

Here are a few business-related KPIs that your team can focus on improving:

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
• Conversion rate
• Total sales from support

Consider going a step beyond setting KPIs and offering bonuses, gift cards, and other incentives for individual agents or teams that reach their goals as part of your customer support team management strategy. It’s common for sales — why not customer support, if they’re also driving revenue through customer interactions?

2) Build a user-friendly customer help center

When customers encounter a problem, they won’t reach out to you immediately. In fact, 88% of customers say that they expect companies to provide self-service support tools so that they can resolve issues on their own.

How can you help your customers help themselves? You need to build a good FAQ page or knowledge base, also called a help center, to help your customers answer their questions without having to contact an agent. Important considerations to keep in mind as you go about designing your help center include:

• Have a clearly visible search bar at the top of every page
• Include a prominent CTA to contact a human agent
• Organize your help center in categories like Product, Shipping, and Returns

For an example of an excellent ecommerce help center that accomplishes all of these objectives, check out our post on FAQ pages and help centers.

‎3) Use technology to remember 100% of customer details

Every customer has a unique conversation history, order history, and sentiment toward your brand. Whenever you talk to those customers, you should make an effort to personalize the conversation by using their names, acknowledging past interactions, using past order information instead of asking them to repeat it, and so on. Thankfully, technology makes offering this sort of personalized customer service much easier than it used to be.

Tools such as Gorgias’ Customer Sidebar can provide your customer support team with the data that they need to offer each customer a personalized customer service experience:

‎4) Prioritize complaints and pre-sale actions

Customer complaints and pre-sale actions are high-priority customer service tickets since they can directly impact your company's revenue. Addressing customer complaints prevents customer churn and encourages repeat purchases. Pre-sale actions such as questions about product sizing or your shipping policy present the opportunity to drive a sale home — if your agents answer in time.

You can develop your customer service team to prioritize these tickets manually, or you can prioritize them automatically within your helpdesk. If you use Gorgias, a combination of automated Rules and Intents can automatically identify certain ticket types — like customer complaints, pre-sales questions, or tickets from VIP customers — and flag them as high priority.

Check out our Director of Support’s post on how to prioritize customer service requests for guidance.

5) Only use positive/professional language

Sometimes, it’s not about what you say — it’s about how you say it. This rings especially true for customer service. You must make sure you sound level-headed, calm, and collected whenever you contact a customer.

If you’re delivering bad news, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. You need to be direct and professional about it. At the same time, you should also try to find a way to solve the problem.

For instance, if a customer has ordered something that was out of stock, an automated email telling them that you don’t have the product right now won’t cut it. You should tell the customer when you expect it to be available or perhaps offer some other products instead.

It's best to have a written procedure ready to respond to frustrated customers so your customer support agents know how to deal with them without having to worry too much. Of course, active listening is important to hear the customer’s response and settle on next steps.

See our post on customer support tips for more suggestions like this.

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6) Introduce proactive customer support to your strategy

‎The classic image of customer support is reactive. When your customers encounter a problem, they come to your customer service reps for a solution. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t approach certain problems proactively.

Case in point: shipping delays. In the past couple of months, ecommerce shipments have increased drastically. Recent reports indicate that there have been 47% more shipments since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With such an increase, shipment delays are bound to happen.

To keep your customers in the loop, you can send out proactive communication about shipping setbacks. This will set customer expectations right and prepare them for any possible delays.

Another great example of proactive customer service is Gorgias' live chat campaigns, a tool that lets your team automatically reach out proactively to visitors browsing your website to ask if they need help, offer product recommendations or discounts, and guide them through the buying process. 

‎Creating clear product descriptions and convenient self-help resources is another great way to be proactive about customer service and can help reduce ticket volume while also improving the customer experience.

7) Be as clear as possible about your policies

More often than not, customers are worried about the fine print. As a matter of fact, 67% of online shoppers will check a company's return policy before making a purchase. Sloppily-written policies will turn off a lot of customers. Every policy on your website needs to be clearly articulated so users can easily find what they’re looking for.

Creating or updating your refund and return policies? Our policy generator can help you get started. We’re a big fan of the detail and organization of Steve Madden’s return policy:

8) Use automation strategically to dedicate your attention to high-impact tickets

Many tickets that a customer service rep handles throughout the day are repetitive, straightforward questions. Many of your agents are likely spending hours each day simply telling customers where their order is. Answering these common customer questions is a key part of good customer service, but these tickets are not high-impact tickets for revenue generation.

Fortunately, a customer service platform like Gorgias can help you completely automate these tickets so that your team can focus on more impactful tickets (such as escalated complaints and pre-sale discussions).

‎By creating Macros with answers to common questions and automated Rules to trigger with zero agent effort, you can free up your support agents to go the extra mile and provide a more personalized touch to the tickets that matter most.

9) Nurture customer relationships with community engagement

For some, a community engagement strategy consists of asking customers to like their page on Facebook, follow their business on Twitter, and not much else. Having thousands of followers and likes is a good look for your business, sure. But you can’t let those followers go to waste.

Engage your followers and get them talking about the experience with your brand. Then, ask them for some feedback about your business, operations, and employees. You can then use that information to tweak your business.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before building a community:

• What do you plan on doing with the community?
• Are you doing everything you can to engage the members?
• What type of information can you get from the members?

10) Use post-interaction surveys to collect customer feedback in real-time

If you’re looking to improve your customer service, you should send a customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey after every interaction. These short, simple surveys give you a snapshot of the quality of customer support you currently offer, which is a great first step toward improving customer support. 

Gorgias’ CSAT survey feature can be automatically sent out every time a customer interacts with one of your service reps. After every interaction, customers will get the following simple survey asking them to rate the interaction and, if they want, explain their answer:

‎Read our full guide to improving CSAT scores.

11) Train your employees in the areas where your customer service is weak

Many companies don’t place as much emphasis as they should on hiring and training talented customer service reps. Instead, they view the position as an entry-level, outsourceable role that doesn't justify a comprehensive onboarding process. However, if you want your customer service agents to perform like sales associates and drive revenue, then it’s essential to teach them the right customer service skills.

Your customer service reps are the front lines of your company and some of the only employees your customers will directly interact with. When you train customer service reps with an emphasis on revenue generation, you can turn your customer service team into a source of revenue that more than justifies its investment. Rather than simply instructing your agents to put out fires, train them on how to convert customer interactions into sales and promote customer loyalty. 

‎Read our complete guide to customer service training for more guidance. 

12) Follow up with the customer after they've had a chance to use your product or service

Following up with customers who have purchased your product/service (even if they don't contact you first) has many benefits: For one, it shows that you are committed to their satisfaction, even with their post-purchase experience.

It also provides you with the opportunity to collect valuable customer feedback. This feedback can be used to improve your product and overall customer experience and is something that many successful companies go to great lengths to collect.

Lastly, following up with customers can be a direct source of revenue generation. Recommending additional products to customers based on their experience with a previous purchase is an example of how following up with customers can lead to sales.

The most effective way to follow up with your customers is by setting up an automated email campaign that sends them an email after their purchase. What these emails include will depend on your specific goals (i.e., survey forms if you are trying to collect customer feedback or personalized product recommendations if you are trying to generate repeat sales).

13) Create a customer loyalty program

The more incentives you create for your customers to remain loyal to your brand, the better. While many considerations go into generating high ecommerce retention rates, creating a customer loyalty program is one proven effective option.

Customer loyalty programs give customers a financial incentive to remain loyal to your brand. They also turn the shopping experience into somewhat of a game, where reward points are the goal and making repeat purchases is how you score them. The more creative and fun you can make your customer loyalty program, the more effective it stands to be.

Along with repeat purchases, you can use customer loyalty programs to encourage other customer actions such as referrals, reviews, and survey responses by rewarding these actions with reward points as well.

Software solutions such as Smile.io and LoyaltyLion make it incredibly easy to create and manage customer loyalty programs – and they integrate with Gorgias to pull loyalty data into your helpdesk. These tools allow you to automatically track customer actions and reward loyalty-building actions with points and discounts.

14) Consider offering free shipping to qualifying customers

According to Small Business Trends, 66% of U.S. customers expect free shipping on every online purchase, while 80% expect free shipping if their purchase total exceeds a certain amount. 

Even if you have to raise your product pricing by a small percentage to maintain profitable margins, it’s still likely to positively impact both customer satisfaction and your conversion rates. Logical or not, a $50 subtotal plus free shipping is more appealing than a $45 plus $5 shipping.

If you can't afford to offer free shipping on every purchase, offering free shipping on purchases that exceed a certain amount can help you meet customer expectations and increase your average order value. For example, offering free shipping on orders over $100 will encourage many customers who have purchased just under that total to add an extra product or two to their cart.

Here’s what qualified free shipping looks like on apparel brand Woxer’s website:

15) Provide a solution for items that are out of stock

Create a policy for handling customer support tickets regarding out-of-stock products. Just a few ways to head off customer complaints regarding out-of-stock products include:

• Offering customers alternative products
• Placing an emergency order from your supplier
• Purchasing from an alternative supplier
• Offering customers discounts for their inconvenience

Along with offering one or more of these remedies, it’s also important to communicate effectively with customers trying to purchase an out-of-stock product. Follow up with them frequently to let them know the status of their order and when they can expect it to arrive.

Solutions for out-of-stock products can also be proactive and don't always require a customer to contact support. Giving customers the option to sign up for automated email alerts when a product is back in stock is one passive way to generate sales while improving customer satisfaction.

16) Add more customer touchpoints to shift to an omnichannel approach

According to a Salesforce report, 78% of customers prefer to choose between a variety of channels to reach a brand’s customer support. Depending on the issue, their mood, or the company, a customer may want to send a DM on social media, have a phone call, send a text message, or ask you their question on your website’s live chat. 

One of the biggest challenges support teams face when managing multiple channels is keeping up with messages spread across platforms. That’s why a helpdesk that unifies all these channels is so valuable: Your team can spend less time looking for messages and copy/pasting information, and more time providing quality care across all channels.

‎Examples of excellent customer service

Good customer service entails much more than being willing and able to help solve a customer's problems. If you want to transform your customer service team into a powerful source of revenue, here are some elements of great customer service to strive for:

• Your first-response time is below two minutes and your average-handle time is below one hour: Customers expect quick responses, making first-response/average-handle times two of the most important customer support metrics to track and lower.
• You have clear and lenient return and refund policies: Use Gorgias' refund policy generator to easily create a clear and well-thought-out return/refund policy for your store. (By the way, Gorgias data shows that offering free returns is actually cost-neutral because of the boost in revenue from customer loyalty it provides.)
• You reduce customer effort with self-service options like an FAQ page, a help center, self-service flows, and/or chatbots: Providing customers with self-service options can reduce the workload for your team members and improve customer satisfaction.
• You can clearly present the impact customer service has on revenue: Customer service teams often have to prove their ROI to earn the budget they need for additional agents and new tools, making it important to connect the dots between customer service and revenue growth.

Examples of bad customer service

Bad customer experience comes in many shapes and sizes. But some recurring elements leave customers feeling completely frustrated. Research from Hotjar reveals the top issues that have the most damaging effect on customer experience:

• Long waits and slow response times: If your customers are left waiting for your response for too long, they’ll probably go to your competitor.
• Failing to understand customer needs: Answering customer questions before truly understanding them will result in a frustrating customer experience.
• Unresolved issues and unanswered questions: Leaving tickets unanswered won’t leave a good impression and will leave your customer dissatisfied
• Lack of customer service personalization: Sending out generic responses to customer inquiries only shows that you don’t really care about your customers

Learn more about why customer service matters and how to measure it in this post from our Head of Success & Support: Evaluating Your Customer Service Program: Why, Challenges, and KPIs That Matter

Build a customer service engine that generates revenue

So far, the past few years have presented plenty of challenges for online retailers and 2024 will likely be no different. Moving forward, the ecommerce stores that can leverage customer service to their full revenue-generating potential will be the ones that succeed.

Want to learn more about how you can build a customer service operation designed to maximize your company's bottom line? Check out our CX growth playbook, a free resource that dives into 18 tactics to boost revenue by 44% by improving customer experience, based on 25+ interviews with top ecommerce brands and analysis of 10,000+ Gorgias customers.

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TL;DR:

• Manual QA is time-consuming and inconsistent. Reviewing conversations manually makes it difficult to ensure uniform quality across agents and touchpoints.
• Automating QA saves time and improves accuracy. Automation ensures all tickets are reviewed with the same quality, freeing up agent time to create stronger customer connections.
• QA helps teams continuously improve. It enables better agent training and brings forth actionable feedback to exceed customer expectations.
• Implement QA one step at a time. Begin by setting KPIs, introducing small changes, and investing in automation tools to streamline and measure success effectively.

Forrester’s 2024 Customer Experience Index reports that 39% of brands’ customer experience (CX) quality has declined over the past year.

It can be challenging to get a full understanding of how your team –– and AI, if you use it –– are truly performing.

This is true even with metrics like CSAT. 

“A 5-point scale only tells you and your agents so much, and relying on consumers providing feedback further limits what you’re able to look at and learn from,” says Kayla Oberlin, Senior Manager of Customer Experience at amika. 

Quality Assurance (QA) is becoming a more crucial component of a customer experience strategy, especially one that prioritizes customer happiness. 

We’ll cover the importance of customer service QA, best practices, tools, and tips to implement QA effectively.

🗺️ This article at-a-glance

• What is QA (Quality Assurance) in CX?
• Why QA is critical for customer experience
• Best practices for implementing QA in CX
• Challenges

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What is QA (Quality Assurance) in CX? 

In the CX context, QA (Quality Assurance) refers to reviewing customer conversations to improve your support team’s performance and enhance customer satisfaction. QA ensures a consistent and satisfying customer journey across touchpoints, including your website, support channels, and social media.

Common QA pain points for CX teams 

Aside from accuracy issues, a manual quality assurance process is:

• Time-consuming: Manual conversation reviews are slow and labor-intensive.
• Limited visibility: It’s difficult to get a clear, scalable view of team and AI performance.
• Inconsistent: Maintaining uniform quality across customer service teams can be tough.
• Resource allocation: Difficulty in ensuring the right skills, training, and resources are in place.
• CSAT limitations: Negative scores often reflect policies, not agent performance.

The solution isn’t for CX teams to skip the QA process altogether but to automate it.

According to research from McKinsey, “A largely automated QA process could achieve more than 90 percent accuracy — compared to 70 to 80 percent accuracy through manual scoring — and savings of more than 50 percent in QA costs.”

With an automated QA process, brands can:

• Save time: Automated quality checks help support agents to focus on the most critical tickets.
• Ensure consistency: Both human agents and AI agents are evaluated with a unified, comprehensive QA score.
• Boost performance: Agents receive targeted coaching to provide more consistent customer experiences.
• Meet customer expectations: Customers benefit from higher-quality support with quicker resolutions and accurate responses.

Why QA is critical for customer experience

According to Statista, 94% of customers are more likely to purchase again after receiving top-notch support. Quality assurance ensures that every customer gets the same experience, and provides agents with the feedback to learn and stay on-brand with each resolution.

At its core, QA: 

• Prevents errors
• Ensures consistency
• Builds trust with customers ‍
• Helps with personalization
• Aids in better coaching and training ‍
• Offers opportunities for continuous improvement

Prevent errors 

Addressing errors early is important, as even small mistakes can harm customer trust and create lasting negative impressions. QA tools can prevent mistakes because of better coaching and training. This can stop misinformation in its tracks –– and from escalating into bigger problems down the line. 

Ensure consistency 

QA makes sure that all customer touchpoints, like calls, emails, live chat, and even AI responses, are handled with the same level of care. This is especially helpful when training new team members, introducing new products or policies, or during high-traffic periods.

Build trust 

Consistent and reliable experiences build customer trust and loyalty. If you were to reach out to a brand and have an amazing experience the first time but a bad experience the next, you’d probably question which experience was the norm. 

Top-notch experiences that happen time and time again tell your customers that you’ll always be there to help. This can boost repeat sales and even referrals:  According to Statista, 82% of customers recommend a brand after a great experience.

Personalize experiences 

Aside from increasing happiness and making customers feel heard and appreciated, personalized support also affects your bottom line. Statista notes that 80% of businesses found that providing personalized customer experiences led to increased spending for consumers.

Aids in better coaching and training 

With QA, teams are able to rate and review all tickets instead of spot-checking. This provides them with a:

• Quicker turnaround on coaching opportunities
• Wider volume of tickets they can review, learn from, and use for training
• Better understanding of when a Macro or a process is leading to incomplete or unhelpful conversations
• Bigger opportunity for constructive feedback and flow improvements that are based on real responses and not frustrations with brand policies

Continuously improve

Whether it’s lowering resolution times, introducing a knowledge base, or adding an AI agent to your team, making continuous improvements will help you stay ahead of the competition.

Implementing a QA program (especially if you can automate it) is one of those additions that provides you with the refinements you need on a resolution-to-resolution level.

Best practices for implementing QA in CX

QA best practices include: 

• Establish a baseline for metrics and KPIs
• Monitor and evaluate regularly
• Implement automation tools
• Collect customer feedback

Establish a baseline for metrics and KPIs 

As you set out to integrate a Quality Assurance process into your CX program, first establish benchmarks for various metrics and KPIs. These benchmarks help track and evaluate the performance of QA as you implement it. 

If you don’t already track customer support metrics, CSAT, first response time (FRT), resolution time, and net promoter score (NPS) are great ones to start with. 

💡Tip: If you use Gorgias, you’ll find your current support performance statistics in the Statistics menu. Make sure that you can see back at least six months. Then, compare an equal time frame for post-QA implementation.

Monitor and evaluate regularly

While it might sound a bit “meta” to monitor your quality assurance (which is already monitoring your support responses), it’s still worth noting. 

Ensure that your QA process works smoothly, helps your metrics rather than hurts them, and provides actual helpful feedback to your agents. 

Implement automation tools 

The simplest way to maintain your support quality standards is to use an automated QA tool. Automating the QA process lets CX teams get deeper insights into agent strengths and areas for improvement, and captures deeper insights than a CSAT score could.

Collect customer feedback 

Understanding how customers feel will allow you to fine-tune your processes and ensure you’re delivering a consistent and high-quality experience. Here are a few ways to collect feedback:

• Surveys and reviews - Post-interaction surveys or direct reviews provide real-time feedback on what customers think of their experience.
• Social listening and real-time feedback - Monitoring online reviews, social media mentions, and customer comments offers insight into how your customers are feeling that might not be captured through formal surveys. 

Challenges of adding QA

Lack of resources, ineffective training, poor communication between team members, not having the right tools, and doing everything manually are some of the challenges you can encounter when adding a QA process.

Here are a couple of solutions we recommend:

• Start with phased rollouts. Rather than rolling out a QA process across your whole team, let more seasoned agents experiment with it first to give you feedback and make tweaks.
• Make incremental improvements. Changing an entire CX process at once to include QA can be overwhelming. We recommend making small changes (like starting to send CSAT surveys if you don’t already) one at a time. These changes will allow you to better measure what’s really working. 
• Invest in better technology. A manual QA process can be more time-consuming than helpful. Look for an automated QA tool that’s already integrated into your helpdesk. It will allow you to measure AI and agent responses equally, while also measuring results from a handy dashboard. 

Ensure customer experience meets quality standards

By prioritizing QA, your team can identify potential problems early, reduce errors, and improve overall performance, leading to a smoother, more reliable experience for customers –– and your CX team. 

In the long run, brands that focus on QA can gain a competitive edge, building stronger relationships with customers and driving sustainable growth. Book a demo now.

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TL;DR:

• Great customer service drives more than just satisfaction — it generates revenue. Retaining customers, increasing order sizes, and gaining referrals are key ways to grow your bottom line through excellent support.
• Customer feedback is a goldmine for improvement. Use insights from support tickets, surveys, and conversations to address common pain points and refine processes.
• Automation and self-service options enhance efficiency. Automate repetitive requests like WISMO and offer self-service resources so agents can focus on complex interactions.‍
• Train agents for deeper product knowledge. Providing agents with comprehensive training ensures they can handle inquiries confidently.

Many customer service guides focus on individual actions: be patient, show empathy, and listen actively. While these customer support tips are valuable, they only scratch the surface. 

The goal of ecommerce customer service isn’t just to please customers. Just like any function of a business, great customer service has to drive revenue — and having positive interactions with customers is just one part of that goal. Excellent customer service can help an online store grow its bottom line revenue through:

• Better customer retention (and more loyal customers)
• Higher average order volume (AOV) from loyal customers
• Better word-of-mouth advertising and referrals from high net promoter score
• More chances to drive sales with new customers through proactive customer service

With that in mind, here are 20 customer support tips for improvements on many levels, from operational changes down to individual agents’ day-to-day.

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Tips for making high-impact changes to your customer experience

For a top-down revamp, focus on high-impact, cost-effective changes that customer support leaders can implement. 

Here are five tips to tackle major customer service challenges and elevate your service experience:

1. Collect and use customer feedback

Customer feedback is the single best resource to improve the overall quality of your product and customer experience. Analyzing customer feedback from support tickets, NPS and CSAT surveys, and face-to-face conversations can surface patterns harming customer satisfaction and opportunities for improvement. 

Consider the following example: if customers frequently ask questions about return policies, you may need to make the policy clearer. Or, if feedback shows frustration with response times, consider implementing real-time support options, such as social media, chat, or SMS. You could also consider using automation and templated responses to resolve common questions quickly.

These direct channels provide immediate answers and reduce wait times for customers who want quick resolutions.

Your customer service team can use feedback to share insights with product, shipping, and other teams—often leading to broader improvements. For example, feedback about shipping issues can guide adjustments in fulfillment, while comments on product quality can drive updates in manufacturing. 

We recommend setting up a system to pass feedback to relevant departments. With Gorgias, you can automatically tag feedback for specific teams, create custom views, and invite team members to access this feedback directly. Plus, with unlimited seats on most Gorgias plans, it’s easy to involve everyone who needs to see it.

2. Automate simple ticket requests such as WISMO to let agents focus on valuable conversations

Automating responses to frequently asked questions, such as “where is my order” (WISMO), has two major benefits. First, it reduces response times by instantly providing answers to common inquiries. Fast, accurate responses to these questions are crucial for reducing customer effort.

Second, automation lets your agents focus on more complex inquiries. Without having to handle repetitive tickets, they can prioritize high-impact conversations that involve troubleshooting or personalized assistance. In practice, this means fewer hours spent on “one-size-fits-all” tickets and more time available to resolve unique customer issues and address inquiries that require customer service skills.

3. Provide self-service options

Most customers prefer to find answers on their own when possible––according to Heretto, customers overwhelmingly prefer self-service solutions as their first point of contact for support.

Options like knowledge bases, detailed FAQ pages, and interactive help centers help customers solve issues independently, without relying on customer service representatives.

Here’s a quick breakdown of effective self-service solutions:

• FAQ pages: Concise answers to frequently asked questions about shipping, return policies, and product details.
• Knowledge bases: Comprehensive guides covering product use, troubleshooting, and company policies.
• Automated chat: Quick responses that guide customers through standard issues, providing an “in-person” feel while freeing up your support team.

Automated chat bridge self-service and hands-on support, offering customers a personalized experience without tying up your team. With Gorgias, you can set up flows in your help center or chat, allowing customers to find answers or track and modify orders—all without waiting for an agent.

Read our complete guide to customer self-service.

4. Train agents to have a strong understanding of your products and processes

Effective customer service skills go beyond soft skills like empathy. Agents need a deep understanding of your product to give accurate advice and solve issues effectively. Similarly, they need to deeply understand customer service techniques and processes (for things like escalation and returns) to give clear, accurate instructions. 

Here’s how you can set your customer service reps up for success:

1. Product knowledge: Agents should have a strong command of product details, features, and common troubleshooting steps. When they know the product inside and out, they can solve customer issues faster and with more confidence.
2. Process knowledge: Every company has unique processes, from returns to issue escalation. Clear instructions help agents navigate these processes smoothly and give customers a streamlined experience.
3. Customer service training: Empathy and positive language are crucial in customer service. An agent who can put themselves in the customer’s shoes, show understanding, and avoid negative language is more likely to resolve issues successfully. For example, phrases like “I understand how this must be frustrating” validate the customer’s experience and demonstrate that the agent is there to help.

When guiding customers—like through checkout—agents must provide accurate information to avoid negative interactions. Macros help standardize responses and reduce human error. 

In training, prioritize product knowledge and create an internal knowledge base for quick reference. It’s also key to train agents on your service tools. Gorgias Academy offers courses and certifications, along with help center documentation for setting up automation and managing accounts. 

Plus, our help center has detailed documentation on how to configure your account, set up new automation, and so much more.

Explore effective ways to organize your customer service team for a more streamlined operation.

5. Track your customer service's impact on your brand's revenue

Exceptional customer service doesn’t just benefit the customer—it can also contribute significantly to revenue. Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers, and customer loyalty directly impacts long-term revenue. 

In-depth tracking is a challenge, but you can start by seeing how many customers place an order within five days of a customer service interaction and attribute that revenue to customer service.

If you want more suggestions, check out our list of 25 customer support metrics, which walk through revenue-related metrics like customer churn, revenue backlog, and more. 

Tracking this revenue contribution will help you understand the value of great customer service. With revenue statistics, brands can access detailed metrics and analysis regarding how much revenue their customer service team generates. By using Gorgias to analyze support ticket details and identify sales trends, you'll be able to figure out what works and what doesn't and use data to develop a customer service strategy optimized for revenue generation.​​

Explore more about how to drive customer retention through effective customer service.

4 Tips for driving sales through customer service

Customer service is more than damage control—it’s a chance to boost sales and drive revenue. By empowering your team to focus on increasing customer satisfaction, you can turn each interaction into a sales opportunity.

Here are three tips to help you get started:

6. Enable chat at checkout

Around 70% of all online shopping carts get abandoned. While there are many reasons why shoppers abandon shopping carts, questions or issues arising during the checkout process are some of the most common reasons.

Adding Gorgias chat to your checkout page helps prevent this by allowing customers to request help instantly.

With Gorgias, you can also reach out proactively during checkout—offering assistance, reminding customers of free shipping thresholds, or sharing discounts. This approach reduces cart abandonment and boosts average order value through strategic upsells and recommendations.

7. Proactively reach out during the shopping journey

You can boost conversion rates by proactively assisting customers through chat at key points in their journey. For example, if a customer has placed best-selling items in their cart, reaching out with a discount or answering questions could make the difference between a completed purchase and an abandoned cart.

By offering discounts, personalized recommendations, or quick assistance, you can turn an abandoned cart into a completed sale.

With Gorgias, you can automate these interactions through Gorgias Convert. Trigger responses based on customer actions—like adding high-value items or pausing on the checkout page.

Taking proactive approach drives sales and reduces cart abandonment, even when your customer service agents are offline.

3 Tips for boosting agent productivity

Boosting agent productivity speeds up response and resolution times, freeing your team to focus on delivering value. Here are three effective customer service techniques to help eliminate productivity blockers:

8. Encourage regular breaks

Sitting for prolonged periods takes a mental and a physical toll on a person, even if they don't notice it at first. 

Taking brief breaks throughout the day helps agents stay focused and reduces burnout. Something as simple as stepping away for a few minutes or doing light stretches can reset their energy and prepare them to handle the next ticket with a clear mind.

9. Set clear goals

Setting daily and long-term goals provides direction for customer service reps and keeps productivity high.

Setting daily goals keeps agents focused and motivated. These short-term goals might include:

• Resolving unresolved tickets from the previous day
• Addressing urgent requests or flagged issues
• Staying updated on team changes, like new tickets or inventory updates

Setting long-term goals helps reps stay committed to growing and developing their skillset, some goals might include: 

• Building product knowledge and customer service skills
• Providing feedback and support to help the team grow
• Reducing response times for specific inquiries

Encourage agents to discuss any roadblocks openly. By supporting them through challenges, you create a positive environment that helps them achieve their goals without added stress.

10. Prepare your workspace

With remote work becoming the norm––87% of support agents worked from home in 2021 maintaining a clear boundary between work and home life is essential. Creating a dedicated "work corner" helps remote agents stay productive.

Here are some tips to help you set up a workspace optimized for productivity:

• Use natural lighting, a nice comfy chair, and a few decorations to make your workspace more comfortable and inviting.
• Write a task plan for the workday, and then cross out everything you complete. Not only is it satisfying to cross things off the list, but it can motivate you for the day ahead.

3 Tips for avoiding common customer support mistakes

Avoiding common mistakes is just as crucial as following best practices. Here are three frequent support agent pitfalls to watch out for to protect your brand’s reputation and meet customer expectations:

11. Never interrupt customers

One of the most critical rules in customer service is to never interrupt a customer. Your customers may think you don’t want to listen to them and don’t respect them. 

They probably aren't going to be very happy as a result — even if the rep who interrupted does eventually resolve their issue.

12. Use inappropriate language

Words can have a huge impact on people. A customer support team needs to understand the power of words and always use positive language while avoiding phrases that customers could interpret as rude.

Check out our guide to customer service phrases for additional phrases to avoid.

13. Use canned responses strategically

Canned responses speed up replies but can fall flat if overused. The best practice? Personalize each response—adding the customer’s name or tweaking it for the situation can make a big difference.

That way, agents don’t need to recreate the wheel with every response, but it still puts a personal touch on each response; even something as small as including the customer’s name can make a big difference. 

Avoid canned responses if you’re unsure what the customer needs. And if there’s no relevant template, ask a teammate instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all answer.

Check out these 16 email templates to get started. Or, if you use phone support heavily, check out these customer service scripts.

6 Tips for handling angry customers

Handling unhappy customers is one of the toughest but most important parts of support. 

Here are six tips to help your team turn complaints into good customer experiences.

14. Try to always use positive language

Customers may not always have the kindest words for support agents, but it’s essential for your agents to always use positive language themselves — no matter what the customer is saying to them.

For example:

• Instead of “I might be able to help,” say, “I can definitely help with that.”
• Replace “Don’t get angry; I’m going to help you” with “I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. Let me fix it for you.”

Training agents to use positive language helps build better customer relationships. Creating a library of positive response scripts can also be a valuable resource for your team.

15. Keep your composure

Dealing with angry customers can be challenging, but staying calm is crucial to avoid negative fallout. If emotions take over, customers may share their experience online, potentially deterring future shoppers.

Here are a few tips to keep your cool:

• Address requests from upset customers promptly. Reassure them by involving others if needed.
• Use clear explanations and soft skills. Stay composed to keep the interaction positive.

For more insights, check out our guide to handling angry customer emails.

16. Put yourself in the customer's shoes

Attempting to fully understand a customer's problems first before you try to resolve them can go a long way. 

Empathy is the ability to understand the issue from their perspective. Practicing this often leads to deeper understanding and better solutions.

17. Be transparent about what happened

Brands should take ownership of mistakes rather than cover them up. Be completely transparent about whatever happened, as your customers will likely get agitated if they feel like you're giving them the runaround.

Your customers need to know you’re always going the extra mile to help them resolve whatever issue they’re experiencing. If the problem was from your end, you need to communicate what you’re doing to prevent it from happening again.

18. Practice active listening

No matter the outcome, customers want to feel heard. If agents aren’t truly listening, frustration can grow.

Active listening means fully understanding the customer’s concerns and responding with feedback that shows you’re paying attention. Repeating details of what a customer tells you back to them is one effective way to demonstrate active listening and is sure to help calm a frustrated customer.

19. Thank the customer for bringing this issue to your attention

When an upset customer shares their issue, thank them. Negative feedback is valuable, as it highlights areas for improvement. Showing genuine appreciation reassures customers that you’re committed to solving their problem, which can help diffuse frustration.

With Gorgias and Yotpo, you can track customer reviews to tailor responses or even launch win-back campaigns, like offering a discount. 

Better customer support experience, better customer journey — more revenue generation

Implement a few of these customer support tips and see how much you boost revenue and productivity. Start by giving your customer service reps in-depth product training and automating simple responses that don’t require a human touch. 

Find out how Gorgias' industry-leading customer service tools helped Kirby Allison boost conversions by 23% after automating 30% of tickets. 

To learn more about how Gorgias' cutting-edge customer service and automation features can help you improve customer service at every level, book a demo with Gorgias.

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TL;DR:

• Improve your customer experience with real-time order tracking. This will benefit your customers and brand by increasing their sense of security, creating customer loyalty, and reducing returns. 
• Integrate your order tracking system with your Helpdesk. Choose a solution like Aftership, ShipBb, ShipStation, or others that integrate with your CX platform. This lets you link shipping data with your customer data for faster response and resolution times. 
• Make tracking information accessible with self-service options. Ensure your shipping information is easy for customers to find through email and SMS notifications. You can also add order management Flows in your chat or Help Center.
• Deflect repetitive WISMO tickets with automation. Let your AI Agent answer repetitive “Where is my order?” requests so your agents can focus on revenue-generating tickets. 

The competition to provide customer satisfaction in ecommerce today is fierce. Now, shoppers demand free shipping on every order and expect lightning-fast order processing and fulfillment. What once were “nice to haves” have become necessary for growth and success. 

Customers expect quick delivery times and no shipping feels, and their order tracking expectations are just as high. Shoppers want to see an order's status and location at any given time, from purchase to doorstep. Even better are real-time alerts like SMS or email notifications at each point in an order’s journey.

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Below, discover the benefits of tracking customer orders. Learn why you should consider implementing an order tracking tool for your business. 

Why your online store should track customer order status

Huge ecommerce vendors like Amazon have trained customers to track their online orders thoroughly. From the order processing stage to when a delivery person from FedEx, UPS, or USPS leaves it at their door. In other words, expectations are high. 

Offering real-time tracking data for purchases benefits both your customer and your business in five distinct ways.

Gives shoppers and business owners a sense of security

Once customers place an online order, waiting for it to arrive can be both exciting and stressful. Questions like, “Will it get here on time?” or “Is it ever coming?” become more intense if customers can’t check the delivery status themselves in real time. Plus, as a business, you can follow along to ensure that orders are getting where they need to go. 

DHL's 2024 Delivery and Returns Report shows 43% of shoppers agree that real-time tracking improves their delivery experience. 60% of global shoppers even said that delivery speed was not as important as end-to-end tracking.

Allows customers to plan ahead

Consumers need to know that an order is on its way and when it will arrive for reasons beyond curiosity. For example, if a product is expensive, customers won’t want it to sit on their front porch all day. If customers have to sign for a package, they might have to work from home to accept it. In these instances, status updates are crucial.

According to research from Verte, 91% of consumers actively track their packages. 39% track them once a day and 19% track packages multiple times daily. Shoppers also want these updates to be convenient, with 38% preferring package updates via SMS over email. 

Customers can maintain constant contact with their order at home and on the go via a mobile device. This gives them the transparency they need to plan ahead for a fun unboxing or an essential item they can’t live without. 

Builds customer loyalty 

The customer experience you provide on your ecommerce platform is essential to business growth. Providing shoppers tracking information, email updates, and delivery dates can help create a positive view of your brand. This builds a better customer experience and encourages loyalty and retention.

Research from Voxware shows that 69% of customers are less likely to shop with a retailer again if their package didn’t arrive within two days of the promised date. 16% of customers even said they would stop shopping with a brand if they received an incorrect delivery once. 

New customers appreciate seamless experiences and are more likely to make repeat purchases from businesses that offer them. Creating a cycle of repeat purchases will help your business grow. Encouraging loyalty through an easy-to-use order tracking tool gives you a significant advantage.

Recommended reading: 9 Revenue-Driving Ecommerce Shipping Best Practices

Frees up your customer service team (by deflecting WISMO tickets with automation)

Many ecommerce companies are looking for ways to alleviate customer service workloads and reduce time handling simple requests. Providing real-time order tracking is one of those ways since customers no longer need to ask, “Where is my order (WISMO)?” This question accounts for 16% of tickets for the average ecommerce store, according to Gorgias data.

Instead of reaching out to check their order status, tracking systems proactively send email or SMS notifications or provide access to a portal where customers can see progress in real time. This solution streamlines the process and reduces ticket volumes, increasing productivity. Your support team will have more time to handle complex issues and customers will get a better experience.

With tools like Gorgias’s AI Agent and Flows, you can automate customer order tracking through SMS, email, or chat. Or, create a self-service portal where customers can use their purchase order number to access their order status. We’ll cover both of these more in a later section. 

“Chat used to be a support tool for repetitive questions and problem-solving, but now Automate takes care of that for us. Within a month of launching, our manual live chat tickets decreased 17%.” 

—Caela Castillo, Director of Customer Experience at Jaxxon

Recommended reading: Offer More Self-Serve Options with Flows: 10 Use Cases & Best Practices

Lowers the number of returns you can expect 

People often return items because they arrive late and the customer no longer wants or needs them. With detailed order tracking and a simple returns policy, customers can better expect when their product will arrive. This makes it less likely that they will return the package when it finally gets to them. And, as you might expect, reducing returns positively impacts your business’s revenue.

Recommended reading: Ecommerce Returns: 10 Best Practices for Taking Your Online Store to the Next Level

Why ecommerce businesses should think twice before building a custom order tracking system 

Using a customer order tracking system has many advantages. We recommend using a pre-built solution because maintaining a manual tracking system is time-consuming. Find our recommendations below.

A custom-built tracking page may require more data entry than necessary. Manual processes open your system up to human error and eat up productivity.

Manual systems require extensive set-up

If you try to provide order tracking yourself, you’ll save in the short term but spend plenty of time and money building and maintaining a system to send tracking information. 

Once you successfully sync your tracking components, you'll need to create different templates that collect or communicate information to your customers. For example, you might build a form that collects order information like a customer’s name, address, phone number, and credit card details. Or, write a pre-written email that you can use to send out shipment notifications for each step of the order process. 

You can also create template responses for common questions. For example, you can answer, “Where is my order?” and provide tracking information and updates on shipment and delivery. 

You need seamless integrations to avoid tab-shuffling

For an order tracking system to work properly, all of your tools must "talk" to each other. This includes information from your manufacturers, website, helpdesk, social media commerce, SMS, inventory management software, and shipping carriers. If they don't, a bottleneck occurs, or they fail to communicate information at all. The result is that your customer can't access their order status, which causes frustration and has them turning to your customer support team.

How to set up order tracking: Let customers see the status of shipments in real time

If you manually record and send order tracking information in an Excel document, you probably feel frustrated. 

One of the most common incoming questions customer support teams get is, “Where is my order? (WISMO)”. The best way to mitigate those messages is by implementing a self-service system that automates shipping tracking notifications.

1. Decide on an order tracking tool
2. Integrate your order tracking tool with your ecommerce platform
3. Configure your tracking app’s settings
4. Let automation do its thing
5. Integrate your order tracking software with your helpdesk

This creates a better overall customer experience by providing transparency and reducing stress or frustration. Customers see exactly where their orders are at any point in time. You’ll also be available for customers when they’re most engaged. 

Here’s how to implement one. 

1) Decide on an order tracking tool 

First, you’ll choose an order tracking tool like ShipBob, ShipStation, or AfterShip — we will discuss each in more detail below. These tools take order information like tracking numbers and shipment status and automate customer notifications. Many order tracking apps integrate with different ecommerce systems like Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, 3DCart, or WooCommerce. So, you’ll need to make sure that the tool you choose integrates well with your ecommerce system. 

As an example, we’ll walk through setting up order tracking with AfterShip on a Shopify store. 

2) Integrate your order tracking tool with your ecommerce platform 

This is usually quick and easy, depending on the tool. You can add AfterShip to your Shopify store by visiting the Shopify App Store. You can navigate here from the Apps section on the sidebar of your store’s dashboard. Then, click “Customize your store” and search for the AfterShip app. 

Or, you can sign up for an AfterShip account, visit the apps section, search for Shopify, and add it that way. Either way, visit the integrated app section on your Shopify/AfterShip account to make sure that the installation succeeded. 

3) Configure your tracking app’s settings

Now, you’ll want to make sure your courier mapping, import settings, and tracking page settings are good to go. You can access these from your AfterShip account’s app page — here’s AfterShip’s help doc to assist with setup. 

• Courier mapping: Add all the shipping couriers you use so that AfterShip’s automation can pick them up. 
• Import settings: Choose your order fulfillment timeframe and select the timeframe you’d like AfterShip to pull orders from. 
• Tracking page settings: Choose the tracking page you’d like to use (in the case you had created multiple in AfterShip). 

4) Let automation do its thing 

Now that you have AfterShip set up, it will sync every three hours. It pulls shipping information from any new orders via a shopping cart, CSV file, or marketplace. You can also opt for AfterShip to send out automatic notifications via email or SMS at each milestone in the shipping process. 

5) Integrate your order tracking software with your CX platform

Create a seamless experience for your customers and support team by integrating your order tracking tool with your helpdesk and automation tools. By linking all shipping data and tracking information, you can get resolutions to customers faster and access all necessary information in one place. 

Why is this helpful? Well, you give customers multiple opportunities to find their order tracking information within seconds. Whether customers take advantage of your self-service order tracking options or ask your support team about their order status, all the information is readily available. Without the integration, you’ll have to switch tabs and copy/paste order information like tracking number, shipping address, and estimated delivery date. 

With an integration, that information automatically populates. Take a look at the image below.

On the left is a Macro, or template, sent by a customer service agent. It has variables that automatically pull tracking information from the integration. On the right is the personalized message the shopper receives.   

Setup is as simple as creating a connection between the two platforms so that they can talk to each other. To understand this better, check out the step-by-step guide. It shows how to set up the integration between AfterShip and Gorgias.

“With all the Gorgias integrations, my team doesn't need to jump between tools. This has helped us dramatically improve customer satisfaction.”

— Amanda, Director of Operations at Darn Good Yarn

Make tracking information easily accessible

Once you have your automated order tracking system set up, you’re not quite off the hook yet. Many customers choose to receive email and SMS notifications. However, some may ignore these messages or lose the tracking link. This will lead them to still visit your website or support inbox to check the status of their order.

That’s why we recommend making customer order tracking available in the following places:

Order confirmation emails

Whenever a customer places an order, they should get an order confirmation message with their receipt. This should also include any additional information they need between that moment and the arrival of their new item. This includes a prominent tracking number and a link to the order tracking portal, whether that’s with a service like AfterShip or directly on your carrier’s website. 

If your fulfillment process doesn’t let you send this information right away, consider adding a shipping confirmation email to your post-purchase experience flow.

If you don’t currently send order (or shipping) confirmation emails, this guide (for Shopify users) will help you set one up.

Embedded in the chat widget

While the primary function of the chat widget is to connect with customer support agents in a conversational way, some live chat apps like Gorgias allow you to embed buttons shoppers can click to track their orders. In Gorgias, this is called a self-service order management flow.

Self-service order tracking in chat is possible natively in Gorgias, no integration required. 

Here’s how order management Flows works for customers:

Self-service order management is convenient for customers. It also serves as a last layer of protection for your customer support inbox. When a customer opens the chat widget to send a question, they can see the status of their order much faster than an agent can tell them.

Embedded in your Help Center (or FAQ)

If you have an FAQ page or a larger knowledge base (which we call a Help Center), you can also embed order tracking here. 

Standalone self-service order tracking in the Help Center is possible natively in Gorgias, no integration required.

Much like order tracking in a chat widget, this feature lets customers track their order with just a few clicks. All available right where they’d find other help content:

Direct customers here by linking to your Help Center at the bottom of your customer support and automated emails. Or add it in your email signature, for easy clicking.

“Since launching Automation Add-on (quick response Flows) three months ago, we have doubled the revenue from customer support. We’re on our way to triple the revenue we get from chat.”

— Annalisa Micalizzi, Manager of Global Customer Service at ALOHAS 

Automated responses through AI Agent 

If customers bypass all the tracking notifications in their inbox and your self-service order management options, you still have one more automation option at your disposal. Gorgias Automate users can introduce AI Agent to handle those WISMO requests without the need for agent intervention. 

You can set up one comprehensive Guidance to detect a customer’s current order status and give them an update. This gives customers nearly instant response times. Plus, your support agents have more time to handle complex tickets than rather than focusing on repetitive tickets. 

Here is an example of how AI Agent assists a customer with their order tracking inquiry: 

The best customer order tracking app options for ecommerce stores

There are several great choices on the market for customer order tracking systems. Depending on your needs and the ecommerce platform you use, choose from options that are both scalable and flexible.

Start with customer support software that acts as your central hub.

A powerful customer service team is the building block of a successful order management system. Helpdesks like Gorgias help centralize the communication of tracking requests via apps in one place. From there, customer service teams can respond/automate responses related to tracking and order statuses. These tools optimize the response time and increase the instances of a positive customer experience.

Gorgias integrates with a ton of popular ecommerce tools, making it a great single-view hub. A few of the most popular integrations are NetSuite, Reveal, Tolstoy, Magento, ChannelReply, and Shopify.

Apps that help automate customer order tracking for Shopify and BigCommerce

Choosing the best tools to automate your customer order tracking can be overwhelming. But with so many options, you’ll end up with an order tracking system that works exactly how you need it to. Here are some of the best order tracking providers to create track customer purchases.

ShipBob

ShipBob is a global logistics platform that provides online companies with best-in-class order fulfillment. It powers ecommerce brands to ensure customers receive fast and affordable shipping. With reliable fulfillment services and connected technology that powers its fulfillment network, ShipBob improve transit times, shipping costs, and the customer delivery experience.

Check out this app in the Shopify App Store or the BigCommerce App Store. And if you use Gorgias, check out our integration with ShipBob.

AfterShip

With its seven notification triggers, easy-to-use email editor, and filter tracking tools, AfterShip helps online businesses communicate transparently with customers. It also helps you monitor delivery issues so you can address them before they become problems that could damage your customer experience.

Check out this app in the Shopify App Store and the BigCommerce App Store. And if you use Gorgias, check out our integration with AfterShip.

ShipStation

ShipStation helps you save time and money and sell more, by comparing rates and delivery times for all your carriers in one place. This ensures you offer the fastest, most cost-effective shipping for your customers. The app automates almost every facet of your shipping process. ShipStation offers intuitive dashboards and seamless interfaces for an optimal workflow.

Review this app's complete offerings in the Shopify App Store and the BigCommerce App Store. 

Extensions that help automate customer order tracking info for Magento 2

Below, check out three recommended order tracking extensions that integrate with Magento 2. 

ShipStation

ShipStation is highly scalable and provides everything you need for order management in one location. It integrates with Magento 2, as well as Shopify and BigCommerce. 

See if ShipStation is right for your ecommerce business in the Magento Marketplace.

Easyship

Whether you ship 50 or 50,000 orders a month, Easyship can help you lower shipping costs and increase conversion rates. Use this extension to manage your post-purchase process in the most efficient way for your business.

Read more about Easyship in the Magento Marketplace.

Recommended reading: Our list of the best shipping software for ecommerce.

Mageworx

The Mageworx Order Editor extension lets you edit customer errors. Quickly fix any mistakes customers make during checkout like incorrect street numbers, phone numbers, names, shipping, or billing details. You can also add or remove products, change pricing, and add coupons after an order has been placed. This saves your customer support team from having to cancel the order and start it again from the beginning.

Learn more about Mageworx in the Magento Marketplace.

Centralize your order status tracking and customer support management with Gorgias

Leverage automation to facilitate easy order tracking, status updates, and real-time delivery information for your customers. Committing to an end-to-end order tracking system lets you cut costs, increase productivity, and foster customer retention.

Gorgias is a robust and comprehensive ecommerce help desk and automation solution. It can help you deflect repetitive tickets so your team can spend more time on higher-value conversations. 

Reach out today to learn how we integrate with your order status tracking system.

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Let's talk about something that often gets overlooked in ecommerce: what happens after someone hits that "Place Order" button. You might think the hard part's over once you've made the sale, but here's the thing  the post-purchase experience can make or break your relationship with customers. 

In today's competitive online marketplace, those relationships are everything — especially considering that loyal customers spend an average of 67% more per purchase than new customers.

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The importance of post-purchase support and automation in ecommerce

Providing an excellent post-purchase customer experience can turn one-time customers into loyal advocates who are more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend your brand to others.

It's all about the customer experience

When someone buys from your store, they're not just getting a product — they're starting a relationship with your brand. 

A great post-purchase experience shows customers you actually care about their satisfaction beyond just making the sale. 90% of U.S. customers say that an immediate customer service response is "important" or "very important.”

When you nail this part, something magical happens: one-time shoppers transform into passionate advocates who not only come back for more but can't help telling others about their amazing experience with your brand.

Having accessible support and an efficient and easy returns process may make the difference between a happy customer and an unsatisfied one.

Building trust that lasts

Trust is everything in online shopping. When customers feel supported after making a purchase, they're much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt if something goes wrong down the line.

It's like building a friendship: every positive interaction adds another layer of trust. And that trust translates directly into repeat business and glowing recommendations. 

The post-purchase support experience makes a huge difference in building that trust. In fact, 96% of customers say excellent customer service builds trust.

Keeping your return rates down

Great post-purchase support can actually help reduce your return rates. By addressing concerns quickly and providing clear information upfront, you can prevent many returns before they happen.

This can save you money on shipping and restocking and create a smoother experience that keeps customers happy and your business healthy.

Making processes more efficient

Automation eliminates manual tasks, freeing up your team to focus on more strategic initiatives. By automating repetitive tasks, you can improve efficiency and productivity, allowing your team to focus on more value-added activities. 

You can automate everything from customer support to returns and exchanges to your order tracking and more. Besides meeting customers' straightforward needs, automation allows you to focus your team's energy on solving bigger problems and strengthening customer relationships.

Accuracy, guaranteed

Automation helps ensure consistency across all your post-purchase processes. 

When customers know they can count on a reliable experience every time they shop with you, it builds confidence in your brand. 

Plus, fewer mistakes mean happier customers and less time spent fixing problems.

Creating better customer experiences

Speed matters in today's world, and automation helps you deliver faster, more personalized responses to customer needs. 

Whether it's instant order updates or quick responses to questions, automation helps you meet and exceed customer expectations. The result? More satisfied customers who feel valued and understood.

How to automate the post-purchase experience for better loyalty

Here are some ways to automate the post-purchase experience:

Automate your returns and exchanges process

Streamline the returns process with automated return labels, tracking, and updates. Use ReturnGO to automate this process, saving time and reducing manual errors. With automated returns, you can provide a hassle-free experience for customers, encouraging them to return to your store in the future.

Automated returns can help to improve the customer experience by making the returns process easier and more convenient. 65% of customers say the speed and ease of refunds affect where they choose to shop. 

By automating tasks such as generating return labels and tracking packages, you can reduce the time and effort required for customers to return items. 

Think about it from their perspective — if returning an item is hassle-free, they'll feel more confident buying from you in the future. It's like having a safety net that makes customers more comfortable taking chances on new products.

Centralize customer support

In today's fast-paced world, customers expect quick and efficient support. Using a customer experience platform like Gorgias, you can manage all your customer support tickets in one place, making it easier to provide fast, accurate help when people need it.

By centralizing your post-purchase support, you can manage support tickets more efficiently, respond to customer inquiries quickly, and provide the most up-to-date information. This centralized approach can hugely improve response times.

Keep customers in the loop

Nobody likes being left in the dark about their order. Automated post-purchase notifications keep your customers informed every step of the way - from order confirmation to delivery and returns. Using tools like ReturnGO, you can send personalized updates that make customers feel looked after. This is essential for building customer loyalty. 

Keeping customers informed about their orders can help reduce customer anxiety. When customers know what to expect, they’re less likely to worry about their purchase and are more likely to keep buying from you again and again. 

Create an integrated workflow

To truly streamline your post-purchase customer service, if you connect your returns management system with your customer support system, you really bring all of the pieces of a puzzle together.

When these two systems are in sync, you can create a smooth workflow that makes things easier for both your team and your customers.

By automating tasks like creating support tickets and processing returns, you can save time and create a more reliable, efficient system that helps you serve customers better. No more jumping back and forth between systems to check on a return when a customer reaches out about it.

The ReturnGO-Gorgias integration makes this happen seamlessly, with features like:

• Automatic ticket generation: When a customer requests a return, a support ticket is automatically created on Gorgias, saving you time and preventing errors.
• Real-time updates: Return request information is automatically updated from ReturnGO to Gorgias, so your team always has the latest details right there.
• Centralized system: No more digging through multiple systems. This means your support agents always have access to the most up-to-date information and respond quickly and efficiently to customers.
• Smart widget: The ReturnGO-Gorgias integration includes a widget embedded in your Gorgias dashboard, for managing RMAs directly from within Gorgias. This widget enables your team to:
  • View RMA information: See all the relevant details about a return, including the customer's information, the items being returned, and the reason for the return.
  • Take actions on the RMA: Easily approve or reject a return request directly from Gorgias.

The ReturnGO-Gorgias integration makes it easy for your team to manage returns and communicate with customers without having to jump between systems to hunt for information.

The path to lasting customer loyalty

So, there you have it! In the world of online shopping, how you handle the after-purchase experience can be just as important as making the sale in the first place.

By automating your post-purchase process, you can create a seamless and satisfying customer experience. 

Tools like ReturnGO and Gorgias can help you create the kind of experience that builds customer loyalty.

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TL;DR:

• AI Agent adapts to your brand's unique tone of voice. Choose from three default voice options (Friendly, Professional, and Sophisticated), or create countless types of tone with the Custom option.
• Aligning AI with your brand voice builds consistency. A consistent tone in customer interactions helps build trust and brand loyalty.
• Specify what AI Agent can and can’t say. Like your human agents, tell AI Agent your brand do’s and don’ts. From going all out with fun and emoji-filled replies to avoiding certain words, use custom instructions to make AI Agent sound distinctly on-brand.

People are only able to identify AI-generated content 46.9% of the time. That’s less than half the time!

In the ecommerce customer service industry, this is just one reason teams are getting more comfortable with using AI.

Better language processing abilities mean AI can be a better extension of CX teams, relieving agents of repetitive questions, like where is my order?, while speaking in a way that’s familiar and delightful to customers.

Upholding a strong brand voice should be one of your top priorities in CX. With Gorgias’s AI Agent, you can choose AI Agent’s exact tone of voice, from sophisticated to fun. Below, check out seven AI Agent brand voice examples from real customer conversations.

“We’ve had customers respond to the AI thinking they were speaking to a real person. That’s how elevated the response was from AI.”

—Emily McEnany, Senior CX Manager at Dr. Bronner’s

What is Tone of Voice?

Tone of Voice refers to how AI Agent communicates with your customers. In Gorgias, you can select from three pre-built tone options: 

• Friendly
• Professional
• Sophisticated

Or, you can create a custom tone, keeping your brand guidelines, style guide, and target audience in mind.

Note: AI Agent and Tone of Voice are only available to Gorgias Automate subscribers.

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7 Tone of Voice Examples for AI Agent to Match Your Brand's Style

Explore how effectively AI Agent adapts to seven distinct tones in the examples below. First, we’ll show you what a preset AI Agent tone option sounds like, then we’ll move on to six examples using custom instructions.

Feel free to copy and paste our provided instructions to set up your AI Agent with the custom tone of your choice, or, even better, take some inspiration to create your own. 

1. Friendly

A friendly AI Agent is the go-to for most CX teams. A Friendly tone of voice is outgoing and welcomes inquiries with enthusiasm. If you were to imagine the model support agent, they would speak like this.

The Friendly tone of voice is available by default in AI Agent’s settings.

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a Friendly tone of voice responds to a customer asking for samples and coupons:

2. Direct and brief

Now, we move away from AI Agent’s default Tone of Voice options and toward the vast possibilities of the Custom option.

If you prefer your AI Agent get to the point in as few words as possible, create a Custom tone of voice that breaks up text into separate lines, limits paragraphs to two to three sentences, and keeps responses short. 

💡 Tip: Access a custom tone of voice by going to Automate > AI Agent > Settings > Tone of Voice > Custom. A text field will appear where you can write your instructions.

Tone of voice instructions:

Acknowledge the customer's feelings by briefly repeating their initial concern(s). Break text up, don’t send entire paragraphs, and keep responses short and easy to read. Keep interactions brief but filled with empathy. We are not long-winded. Keep an informative tone while remaining professional, clear, and easy for customers to follow. Insert links where needed. Don't use too many adjectives when expressing empathy. Never tell the customer to email support or contact our customer service team.

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a direct and brief tone of voice responds to a customer who wants to cancel their order:

3. Fun (with lots of emojis! 🤗)

Who says support agents can’t have personality? Bring some fun into your conversations by creating a custom tone of voice that allows your AI Agent to use emojis and exclamation points.

Tone of voice instructions:

Greet with first name only. Acknowledge the customer's feelings by repeating their initial concern(s). Be concise and provide shorter responses, try to keep your responses to a few sentences. Use a warm, positive, and engaging—like chatting with a helpful, considerate friend. Sign off with "Best Regards". Avoid jokes or comments related to sensitive topics. Make the customer feel like a friend. You can include approved emojis for a personal touch and exclamation points. Approved emojis to use: 💞🫶✨🥰💖🎀💓💘🥳💗💕💯 You should recognize and celebrate personal milestones mentioned by customers, making the interaction feel more personal. After the customer's initial message, there's no need to restate their issue in follow-up responses.

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a fun tone of voice responds to a customer asking about exchanging their damaged product:

4. Comforting

Customer support often gets a bad rep. Customers anticipate long response times and unpleasant interactions. Flip customer expectations by giving your AI Agent a calming and comforting voice that can instantly fix negative experiences.

💡 Tip: Brands in the wellness and baby industry would do well to use a comforting tone of voice for their AI Agent.

Tone of voice instructions:

Our brand embodies the role of a nurturing parent, promoting happiness, growth, and well-being while creating moments of joy and inspiration. Stay genuine and reflect childlike wonder without being overly sentimental. We maintain a positive and supportive tone, offering a safe, comforting space. Avoid admitting fault or apologizing. Be shorter in replies. Do not offer replacements. Do not give out phone numbers.

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a comforting tone of voice responds to a customer asking about exchanging their damaged product:

5. Bro-y

Give your AI Agent a laid-back, “we’ve got your back” vibe that feels like chatting with a buddy. This tone keeps things casual, approachable, and like you’re ready to tackle any issue together.

Tone of voice instructions:

Sound like a gym bro. Speak casually and friendly. Be eager to help. However, do not go overboard with puns or stereotypical phrases. You may use the following emojis: 🤙💪🏋️ End responses with "Stay awesome,"

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a bro-y tone of voice responds to a customer asking about glove sizing:

6. Punny

If your brand isn’t afraid to lean into humor and puns, this tone will definitely connect with your audience. Let your AI Agent use wit and clever wordplay to keep conversations lighthearted and customers smiling at their screens.

Tone of voice instructions:

Speak in bee and honey puns and use colorful emojis. Use at least one emoji per message. Keep your messages brief. Sign off with a different pun in every conversation. If a customer is upset or needs urgent help, avoid puns. 

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a punny tone of voice responds to a customer asking about suit sizes:

7. Bonus: Robotic

In all of our examples, AI Agent responses can easily be mistaken for one of your human agents. But if, for any reason, you want to change that by making your AI Agent sound robotic — it’s possible.

Tone of voice instructions:

Sound like a robot. Make robot sounds and puns. Use short, direct, and easy-to-read sentences.

How it looks in action

Here’s how an AI Agent with a robotic tone of voice responds to a customer asking about exchanging their damaged product:

Say it how you want with AI Agent

Like a chameleon, AI Agent adapts to your brand voice. Whether it’s friendly, professional, or a custom tone, you can be sure that every interaction aligns with your brand’s identity. 

With AI Agent on your side, you have the power to make each conversation feel authentic. Take it from Psycho Bunny’s Senior Customer Experience Manager Tosha Moyer who says, “The overall tone is good, and its responses are really excellent.” 

Ready to see AI Agent’s excellence for yourself? Book a demo and discover how AI Agent can be a permanent part of your team.

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TL;DR:

• AI Agent, Gorgias’s conversational AI tool, uses your Help Center as its primary knowledge source to autonomously handle over 30% of customer email inquiries.
• Ensure your Help Center articles address all relevant topics such as shipping, orders, product information, and account management.
• An updated Help Center boosts AI Agent's ability to deliver accurate and relevant responses.
• Ready your Help Center for the upcoming AI Agent beta in May 2024 by using our 50+ article templates.

Your Help Center is a great resource for sharing information with customers. And as AI technology transforms customer support, the Help Center now also serves as a data source that provides AI with the knowledge to answer questions.

Gorgias’s AI features function by drawing on information from knowledge sources. For example, Gorgias’s AI can draw upon your past support tickets to generate Help Center content. Likewise, our upcoming AI Agent uses your Help Center to write and send answers to customer questions.

Our AI Agent is coming July 1st (with a Beta starting in May). Below, we'll explain why an up-to-date Help Center that covers all your policies is the best way to prepare for AI Agent, gain admission to the Beta, and resolve 30%+ of your email support interactions.

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Help Center: The foundation of AI Agent’s knowledge

AI Agent is a conversational AI tool that answers customer support emails by learning your brand’s policies and processes from your Help Center. It can understand a wide array of questions and generate unique responses that are helpful, personalized, and accurate.

Unlike AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, which are trained on public information, AI Agent specifically works with your data. Its first layer of support is your Help Center, a database of articles about your products and policies. From there, you can complement its knowledge with data from Macros and connected ecommerce tools like Shopify. 

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With AI Agent as your level 1 support, your team can focus on escalated or VIP tickets and other projects you may not currently have time for. 

The crucial step to fully prepare AI Agent is to make sure your Help Center articles are accurate and up-to-date. You don’t need to have your Help Center published or linked on your website — however, articles must be published and not saved as drafts. 

How to tell if your Help Center is ready for AI Agent

To hit the ground running with AI Agent, your Help Center must meet a few criteria. Here’s a checklist to prepare your Help Center:

✔️ Answers all relevant topics

Ideally, customers should find answers with just one click. You can achieve this by publishing articles that answer your customers’ top concerns. 

We’ve compiled the most important Help Center articles to have, with the starred questions being essential to include. You can skip to the bottom of this post to find templates for these topics: 

Shipping & Tracking

• ⭐️ Where is my order? (WISMO)
• ⭐️ How do I track my order?
• ⭐️ How do I get my tracking number? 
• ⭐️ How much does shipping cost?
• ⭐️ Do you offer free shipping?
• ⭐️ International shipping / do you ship worldwide?
• ⭐️ Do you offer expedited shipping?
• ⭐️ How long does delivery take?
• Why can’t I track my order?

Orders & Payment

• ⭐️ Can I edit or add anything to my order?
• ⭐️ How do I apply promo/discount codes?
• What methods of payment do you accept?
• Where do I get promo codes/discounts?
• My promo code isn’t working
• Forgot to add a promo code (but already purchased)
• How do Shop Pay installments work?
• How do I update the billing information on my order?
• How do I purchase a gift card?
• How do I use a gift card for my purchase?
• Do you price match for sales?

Order Issues

• ⭐️ What is your return/exchange policy?
• ⭐️ What is your cancellation policy?
• ⭐️ How do I initiate a return?
• ⭐️ How do I initiate an exchange?
• ⭐️ How do I cancel my order?
• ⭐️ How do I get a refund?
• ⭐️ Order is marked delivered but not here
• ⭐️ What do I do if I receive the wrong item in my order?
• Right product was delivered but wrong size/style/color/etc.
• Item is missing from my order
• Does not fit/not true to size
• I’m having a reaction to the product
• Order damaged

Product Information

• Sizing
• Styles
• Materials/Ingredients
• Product recommendations
• How to use this product
• How long does this last?
• How to store this product (if it’s perishable)?
• Product care / washing / cleaning
• Differences between similar products

Accounts/Subscriptions

• ⭐️ How do I use these benefits/rewards points?
• ⭐️ I’m having trouble logging in
• ⭐️ How do I cancel my membership/subscription?
• ⭐️ How do I skip a subscription shipment?
• ⭐️ How do I update my subscription items?
• How do I set up an account?
• How do I become a member/subscriber/loyalty program?
• What are the member benefits? Why should I sign up?
• I forgot my password / Reset my password 
• How do I change my default address?

✔️ Up-to-date and accurate articles

As an online business, your information constantly changes, including policies, product updates, and brand revamps. Review older articles, particularly those over a year old, to ensure the information is still accurate. 

Here are the most important elements to update: 

• Policies, e.g. international shipping, order processing times, return windows, your contact details
• Product names and availability
• Links (to key pages on your website or self-service portals)

✔️ Includes important links

If your articles point to other web pages, you’ll want to make sure the right texts are hyperlinked, and the links do not lead to 404 pages.

Some important links to include:

• Order tracking portal
• Returns & exchanges portal
• Loyalty program portal

💡 Pro Tip: Avoid including statements in your articles like, “To resolve this issue, contact us at [email]” as this confuses the AI Agent.

✔️ Articles are published

Ensure your articles are published so AI Agent can learn from them. Whether the article is Unlisted or Public, you must take them out of Draft mode. An article left in Draft mode remains invisible to AI Agent. To confirm that your article is published, check the top right corner of the editor to ensure the article is “Published” and not “Unsaved.”

That said, if you’re not ready to share your Help Center with customers,  you don’t need to publish the Help Center itself.

Related: How to boost your Help Center’s visibility

How to build a Help Center as quickly as possible

If you don’t currently have a Help Center, you can set one up and start filling it with articles within a couple of hours. Below are three strategies that will let you create the most comprehensive Help Center, fast.

1) Use AI to create articles

When you create a Help Center on Gorgias, you can access the AI Library. The AI-generated articles are based on your past conversations with customers and their concerns. You can edit them to suit your brand voice and policies.

As of now, only accounts with a single Shopify store connected have access to the AI Library. We expect multi-store accounts to gain access to this feature by mid-May 2024.

Related: Our AI Library Help Doc

2) Use article templates

Accelerate the setup of your Help Center by using pre-written article templates. These templates cover common customer inquiries and ensure consistency in response quality and format. 

Gorgias offers six ready-to-use Help Center article templates that cover essential topics. These templates enable you to quickly establish a strong database without wasting agents’ time.

3) Leverage existing content

Take stock of your existing content, such as FAQs, product guides, and blog posts. Convert this content into Help Center articles and properly categorize them based on the topic for seamless user navigation.

💡 Pro Tip: Each article should only ask one question. This helps AI Agent to easily decipher the purpose of each article.

50+ Help Center Article Templates with Answers

To speed up Help Center creation, we’ve provided article templates covering topics from shipping and tracking and account creation to product information. Simply edit the details and add the necessary links based on your policies.

Shipping & Tracking

⭐️ Where is my order? (WISMO)

To check the status of your order, please visit our Order Tracking Portal and enter your email address and order number. We update our tracking information as soon as it is available.

⭐️ How do I track my order?

Once your order has shipped, we'll send you a confirmation email with a tracking link. Click on the link to view the latest updates on your order and its estimated delivery date.

⭐️ How do I get my tracking number?

Your tracking number will be emailed to you when your order ships. If you haven't received it, please check your spam folder. If it's not there, please contact our customer support team.

⭐️ How much does shipping cost?

Shipping costs vary depending on the weight of your order and the destination. To view shipping costs, simply add items to your cart, proceed to checkout, and enter your shipping address. The applicable shipping fees will be displayed before you finalize your order.

⭐️ Do you offer free shipping?

Yes, we offer free standard shipping on orders over [$#]. A standard shipping fee will be applied to orders under [$#].

⭐️ Do you ship worldwide?

We ship to [#] countries worldwide. Shipping costs and times vary depending on the destination. For detailed information and to see if we ship to your country, please visit our international shipping page.

⭐️ Do you offer expedited shipping?

Yes, we offer expedited shipping options for most locations. You can select your preferred shipping method at checkout. Additional charges will apply for expedited shipping.

⭐️ How long does delivery take?

Delivery times vary depending on the destination and the shipping method selected. For standard shipping in [country], expect your order to arrive within 5-7 business days. International orders may take 10-20 business days. 

Why can’t I track my order?

If you can’t track your order, it may be for several reasons: the tracking information is not yet available, the tracking number is incorrect, or there may be a delay in the tracking system updates.

Please allow up to 24 hours for your tracking information to become available after receiving your shipping confirmation email. If you still face issues, contact our customer support team for further assistance.

Order & Payment

⭐️ Can I edit or add anything to my order?

Once an order is placed, we are unable to make changes to the order. However, if you need to update your shipping address or contact information, please contact our customer service team immediately after placing your order.

⭐️ How do I apply promo/discount codes?

To apply a promo or discount code, proceed to checkout and enter your code in the 'Discount Code' field. Click 'Apply' to see your new total before finalizing your order. Only one code can be used per order.

What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept various payment methods including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal. 

Please note that we do not accept personal checks or money orders. 

Where do I get promo codes/discounts?

To get promo and discount codes, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, check our homepage, and follow us on social media to get the latest deals. 

My promo code isn’t working.

The promo code you entered may not work due to an incorrect input (check that you have entered the right letters and numbers), specific conditions (like minimum spend), or an expiry date. If you continue to experience issues, please contact our support team for assistance.

I forgot to add a promo code but already made a purchase.

If you forgot to apply a promo code at checkout, please contact our customer service team as soon as possible. Depending on the status of your order, our team may be able to apply the promo code for you.

How do Shop Pay installments work?

Shop Pay Installments allow you to split your purchase into multiple payments, interest-free. At checkout, choose Shop Pay, select 'Installments', and follow the prompts to set up your payment plan.

How do I update the billing information on my order?

To update your billing information, you may log in to your account and change your information from the Account Settings page. If you do not have an account, please contact our customer service immediately.

How do I purchase a gift card?

Gift cards can be purchased directly from our website. Visit our gift card section, choose the amount, and complete the purchase. The gift card will be directly emailed to you or to the specified recipient.

How do I use a gift card for my purchase?

To use a gift card, enter the code in the 'Gift Card or Discount Code' box at checkout. The value of the gift card will be deducted from your order total.

Do you price match for sales?

We offer price matching for sales within [specific timeframe] of purchase. If an item you’ve bought goes on sale within this period, please contact our customer service to adjust the price difference. Note that certain conditions may apply.

Order Issues

⭐️ What is your return/exchange policy?

We accept returns and exchanges within [30] days of purchase. Items must be in their original condition and packaging. Some items may not be eligible for return. Please see our detailed return policy for more information.

⭐️ What is your cancellation policy?

Orders can be canceled within 24 hours. After this period, we may not be able to cancel your order as it might already be in processing or shipment.

⭐️ How do I initiate a return?

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns & Exchanges Portal and enter your order number and email address. 

⭐️ How do I initiate an exchange?

To exchange an item, please visit our Returns & Exchanges Portal. 

⭐️ How do I cancel my order?

If you need to cancel your order, please contact us immediately. If your order has not yet been processed, we will cancel it and issue a full refund. If the order is already processed, please refer to our Returns & Exchanges policy.

⭐️ How do I get a refund?

Refunds are processed upon receipt and inspection of the returned item. Please allow up to 10 business days for your refund to be credited back to your original form of payment.

⭐️ Order is marked delivered but not here.

If your order is marked as delivered but you haven't received it, please check around your delivery location and with neighbors. If you still can't locate it, contact our customer support for assistance.

⭐️ What do I do if I receive the wrong item in my order?

If you receive the wrong item, please contact our customer service immediately. We will arrange for the correct item to be sent to you and provide instructions for returning the incorrect item.

I received the right product but in the wrong size/style/color.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please contact our customer service team within [#] days of receiving your order to initiate an exchange for the correct size/style/color. Visit our Returns & Exchanges policy for more information.

What should I do if an item is missing from my order?

We're sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with your order. Please check your confirmation emails to ensure all items were included in your shipment. If an item is missing, please contact our customer service team immediately so we can resolve the issue.

What can I do if my item doesn't fit or isn't true to size?

If the item you purchased does not fit, you can return it for a refund or exchange it for a different size. Please refer to our Returns & Exchanges policy for details on how to initiate a return or exchange.

What should I do if I'm having a reaction to the product?

Your safety is our priority. Please stop using the product immediately and consult a healthcare professional as needed. To report a reaction and request a return or exchange, contact our customer support team. We also recommend checking the ingredients list to identify any potential allergens.

What should I do if my order arrived damaged?

We apologize for the inconvenience. Please take a photo of the damaged item and email it to our customer service department within [#] days of delivery. We will assist you with a return or exchange as quickly as possible.

Product Information

Where can I find sizing information?

Our sizing runs true to size unless stated otherwise.

For detailed sizing information, please visit our Sizing Guide page. The guide includes size charts and tips on measuring yourself to ensure the best fit.

Which style is best suited for my needs?

Our various styles cater to different preferences and requirements. For a breakdown of our styles and their best uses, please check out our detailed Style Guide.

What are the materials or ingredients used in this product?

We use high-quality materials/ingredients to ensure the best experience with our products. For a full list of the materials or ingredients in this product, visit the product page.

What product do you recommend for [trait/preference/condition]?

For [trait/preference/condition], we recommend our [Product Name], designed to provide a [benefit here]. 

How do I use this product?

For optimal results, follow these steps: 

1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3
4. Step 4

How long does this product last and how should it be stored?

This product typically lasts [X amount of time] when used as directed. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. For perishable products, refrigeration may be required. 

What's the best way to care for this product?

To maintain the quality of your product, we recommend [specific care instructions, e.g., machine wash cold, hand wash only]. For more detailed care instructions, please visit our Care Guide.

What's the difference between Product A and Product B?

Product A is designed for [specific use], while Product B is better suited for [different use]. 

Accounts/Subscriptions

⭐️ How do I use these rewards points?

You can redeem your rewards points at checkout. Enter the amount of points you wish to apply in the 'Rewards' field, and the discount will be applied to your total.

⭐️ I’m having trouble logging in.

If you're having trouble logging into your account, please try resetting your password using the 'Forgot Password' link on the login page. If you still experience issues, contact our customer support team for help.

⭐️ How do I cancel my membership/subscription?

To cancel your membership or subscription, please log into your account and navigate to the 'Subscriptions' section. You can choose to cancel your subscription from there. If you need assistance, our customer service team is here to help.

⭐️ How do I skip a subscription shipment?

You can skip a subscription shipment by logging into your account, going to the 'Subscriptions' section, and selecting the shipment you wish to skip. Please do this before the billing date for the next shipment.

⭐️ How do I update my subscription items?

To update the items in your subscription, log into your account and visit the 'Subscriptions' tab. You can add or remove products or change the quantities for your next shipment.

How do I set up an account?

Create an account [here] by using the same email address you ordered with.

Please note that if you haven’t created a password, you do not have an account. Additionally, signing up for our emails or ordering doesn't mean you have created an account.

How do I become a member/subscriber/loyalty program?

Become a member by visiting our Membership page.

What are the membership benefits?

You’ll earn many perks as a [company name here] member! Upon joining, you’ll receive a 10% off discount on any purchase. 

Plus, more benefits:

• Points for every dollar spent
• [$] off anytime you refer a friend
• A special birthday gift
• An anniversary gift

I forgot my password.

To reset your password, please click [here].

How do I change my default address?

You can change your default address from your Account settings.

If you need to change your shipping address for a current order, please [contact us].

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