CX Design
Why Your Strategy Needs Customer Service Quality Assurance
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:
- AI Agent reduces workload and prevents burnout for CX teams. It handles routine queries and allows your human agents to focus on providing a higher level of service where it's needed most.
- AI Agent is secure and compliant with industry standards. Gorgias uses a zero data retention policy and follows strict security regulations, including SOC 2 Type II certification.
- AI Agent delivers personalized, on-brand responses. Custom Guidance and data from sources like Shopify allow AI Agent to maintain brand consistency while providing tailored customer interactions.
- Real-world success stories show tangible results with AI Agent. Brands like Psycho Bunny and Baby Gold have seen significant improvements in response times and resolution rates by implementing AI Agent.
AI changes the way CX teams operate. But we firmly believe that it’s a good thing.
It will help you improve your team’s workload, say goodbye to burnout, and create a more consistent and speedy experience for your customers.
Here’s the process we recommend for pitching Gorgias’s AI Agent to your boss, complete with an FAQ section for quick answers.
Jump to a section:
- Start with the benefits
- Outline the data & security safeguards in place
- Highlight its brand accuracy and personalization
- Share success stories
- Set expectations
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Start with the benefits
Gorgias views AI as an extension of CX teams, and that’s how many of our customers see AI Agent as well. Baby Gold calls theirs Michelle, Psycho Bunny calls theirs Lisa.
These autonomous agents allow your human agents to focus on more complex and nuanced issues, providing a higher level of service where your customers need it most.
Here are some other things that make AI Agent a great addition to your team:
- ⏰ 24/7 availability: AI Agent operates around the clock, ensuring that customer inquiries are addressed promptly at any time, including weekends and holidays.
- 🏔️ Scalability: AI Agent can handle a high volume of inquiries simultaneously without any decrease in performance. This scalability is particularly valuable during peak times like BFCM.
- 🚀 Efficiency and speed: AI Agent can process and respond to queries much faster than human agents, leading to quicker resolutions and improved customer satisfaction.
- 🦎Adaptability: AI Agent can quickly adapt to new information, products, or changes in policies immediately – all you have to do is add them to your knowledge docs and to the Guidance you set.
- 🦾 Full control: You stay in full control of how AI Agent behaves in specific scenarios. Give AI Agent custom Guidance to ensure that each interaction with your customers reflects your brand’s values, policies and tone.
📚 Further reading: Our AI Approach: Onboard, Automate, Observe, and Coach
Outline the data & security safeguards in place
Rest assured that AI Agent and Gorgias operate under a zero data retention (ZDR) policy. Once data is used, it isn’t stored.
We’re SOC 2 Type II Certified and follow strict regulations in regards to data security.
You can view the terms that cover the data we collect and how we use Artificial Intelligence by reading Our Master Service Agreement (MSA) and Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
🎯 Resource: How AI Agent works & gathers data
Highlight its brand accuracy and personalization
AI Agent provides consistent, accurate, and on-brand responses based on the information in your Help Center, Shopify order data, Macros, handover instructions, and the actual custom Guidance you set for it.
It might just surprise you with just how specialized it can get.
“Sometimes agents forget personal details to call out when communicating with our customers, like birthdays or weddings,” says Sindi Melgar, the Customer Service Manager at Baby Gold.
“But I noticed on a few different occasions where AI Agent (ours is named Michelle) 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.”
Ensure certain topics are handed over or excluded
When you set up AI Agent, you’ll also let it know the types of topics you’d like it not to answer.
AI Agent automatically hands over tickets to your team whenever it lacks confidence in an answer or detects an angry customer.
But you can also use handover rules to choose how AI Agent behaves when it passes tickets to your human team, and add specific topics that it should always hand over to your team.
🎯 Resource: Customize how AI Agent behaves
Provide feedback on responses
Don’t like something AI Agent said? Or, did you love an answer it gave?
It’s easy to let AI Agent know by telling it you liked the response, saying it should have pulled from a different resource, or reporting an issue.
🎯 Resource: How to coach AI Agent and give feedback
Prioritize your team’s docs
AI Agent uses your Shopify order data, Macros, your brand’s webpages, as well as your Help Center to give your customers accurate and on-brand responses. It also prioritizes any Guidance that you set.
🎯 Resource: Why having a quality knowledge base is essential to using AI for CX
Share success stories
We wouldn’t expect you to onboard a new tool without some actual statistics and reviews. Below, browse three success stories and the fantastic metrics that AI Agent helped their teams achieve.
After just one month of implementing AI Agent, the team at VESSEL not only increased the number of emails automated via AI Agent by 20%, but reduced first response time to 58 seconds and saw their resolution time decrease to one minute and six seconds.
When Baby Gold implemented AI Agent, they achieved a 49-second first response time, a one-minute and four-second resolution time, and answered 1,361 tickets. They also quadrupled their email automation rate.
Psycho Bunny saw a 99.8% faster first response time, 99.4% faster resolution time, and 26% of tickets resolved by AI Agent.
“Our customer support KPIs are already fantastic: we're already leading in the industry,” said Tosha Moyer, Senior Customer Experience Manager at Psycho Bunny.
“To improve on that, we need AI — it’s not physically or financially possible with human agents alone.”
Set expectations
AI Agent isn’t going to find lost packages, pick up the phone, or fix damaged products. While this might seem obvious, it’s important to understand AI Agent’s core capabilities, as we want this to be an exciting and useful addition to your team.
“AI Agent does a great job of efficiently handling returns and exchanges, and split shipment tracking info,” shares Tosha Moyer. “The overall tone is good and some of its responses are really excellent.”
Below, find the top use cases for AI Agent, as well as the specific actions you can configure for it within Gorgias.
AI Agent use cases
These are the top AI Agent use cases that we recommend:
- Where is my order? (WISMO) inquiries
- Product-related questions
- Returns
- Order issues
- Cancellations
- Discounts (including BFCM)
- Customer feedback
- Account management
- Collaboration requests
The specific actions you currently can configure for AI Agent include:
- Cancel an order in Shopify
- Edit a shipping address in Shopify
- Send Loop Returns portal deep link
- Send return shipping status from Loop Returns
- Cancel a subscription in Recharge
With more to come! And to quiet any worries, it’s worth mentioning that AI Agent will not perform any actions without you configuring or activating them first.
Enhance your brand reputation and build trust
Offering fast, accurate, and 24/7 support can significantly enhance your brand reputation and build customer trust, which can translate into higher customer loyalty and increased revenue.
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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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Featured articles
How to Leverage Tools to Manage a High Volume of Sales on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop generated 68.1% of gross market value sales across all social media platforms in 2024 and $3.8 billion in sales in 2023. Clearly, it’s becoming a massive channel with abundant opportunities for sellers.
To effectively harness TikTok Shop, however, brands with high-volume sales need to understand the specific challenges they will face when launching on the social platform.
Many of these are operational, like maintaining an accurate inventory list between platforms, supporting customers efficiently, and fulfilling a large number of orders.
When used together, AfterShip Feed and Gorgias can help you overcome these operational hurdles and start selling on TikTok Shop sooner.
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Streamline order management & customer support on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is the commerce-enabled side of TikTok, where brands and creators can list their products for sale. Shoppers then make a purchase through shoppable (in-feed) videos, live shopping, or product showcases. The app aims to provide a “frictionless checkout experience,” enabling shoppers to engage with their favorite accounts and add-to-cart in a flash.
While setting up a TikTok Shop is relatively simple, if you already run an ecommerce store that does a high volume of sales, adding TikTok Shop as an additional channel will be a little more complex. Thankfully, tools like AfterShip Feed and Gorgias can help you solve many operational issues and provide the same best-in-class customer experience on TikTok Shop as you do on your other channels..
Here’s a highlight reel on how you can implement both tools to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, tackling issues like fulfillment or customer support inquiries from the same customers on different channels.
Centralize customer support with Gorgias
800+ Gorgias customers currently use the TikTok Shop integration. It’s quick and easy to connect. With it, you can:
Manage all customer interactions in one place
Coordinating customer support across different channels can be a pain. With Gorgias, however, you’ll be able to manage inquiries more efficiently and handle all shoppers’ messages by responding to TikTok Shop inquiries directly from Gorgias using text, images, and videos.
Additionally, you can address order-related issues and manage cancellations, returns, and refunds from TikTok Shop in the same Gorgias dashboard you use for your existing channels.
Automate ticket creation
Leverage Gorgias’s automated ticket creation to reduce First Response Time (FRT) and ensure that you don’t miss a single customer inquiry from TikTok Shop. Save time by handling repetitive tasks (like order status updates) with automation.
Enhance customers’ experience
Enabling the Gorgias TikTok Shop integration will allow you to maintain better control over communication and provide a consistent customer experience. Customers shopping via TikTok Shop will benefit from quicker responses, improving overall satisfaction and boosting brand loyalty.
Simplify operations with AfterShip Feed
AfterShip Feed is a reliable TikTok Shop management tool with 1,800 customers. It auto-syncs products, inventory, and orders between TikTok Shop and ecommerce platforms.
Partner AfterShip Feed with TikTok Shop to:
List on TikTok Shop more efficiently
AfterShip Feed makes listing high volumes of products on TikTok Shop easier through bulk uploads and editing, enabling you to update up to 10,000 SKUs at once.
It uses AI to add key product details and keep your product listings accurate and consistent. Tools like category templates and product ID generation make it even easier to list your full catalog.
Safeguard your revenue
AfterShip Feed has several features that will help you avoid lost revenue, especially during busy times like BFCM.
Inventory threshold
Inventory threshold helps you determine the minimum amount of inventory you need to have on hand to avoid selling out or buying too much. You can also set a fixed amount of inventory aside for TikTok Shop.
Price rules
Price rules help you set the ideal prices for each item you sell to protect your profit margins.
Fulfillment hold
A fulfillment hold stops an order at the fulfillment stage to ensure sufficient funds on the customer side, sufficient stock on yours—or to solve another issue behind the scenes. TikTok Shop has a standard 1-hour fulfillment hold, which can cause issues with inventory syncing on your main ecommerce platform.
Streamline order management
AfterShip Feed supports multiple fulfillment methods and integrates with many returns solutions. Sync orders from TikTok Shop with your existing fulfillment systems, ensuring timely and accurate deliveries. You can sync up to 24,000 orders to Shopify per hour.
Other features include order ID, shipping method, and product-SKU mapping.
Which are the top-grossing TikTok Shop industries?
Two industries in particular see massive sales from TikTok Shop: beauty and personal care, and womenswear and underwear. According to a 2024 report from Statista, the beauty category saw over 370 million sales and women’s fashion 284 million sales in 2023.
The beauty category alone has generated almost $2.5 billion in GMV, while the womenswear category has seen $1.39 billion.
If your brand belongs to one of these categories, including Gorgias and AfterShip Feed in your TikTok Shop toolkit could be a great fit for you.
Gorgias and AfterShip create better experiences
Pairing Gorgias and AfterShip Feed will help you deliver a fantastic customer experience and grow your business on TikTok Shop.
A Complete Guide to Black Friday Ecommerce in 2024
Black Friday is the strongest revenue-generating day of the year for retailers, with $9.8 billion in sales reported in 2023, according to a report by Adobe. For online merchants, the revenue potential is even sweeter, with the online shopping period extended into Cyber Monday.
But, it takes a coordinated effort by customer support, sales, and marketing to encourage a shopper to click “checkout.” Without a solid ecommerce strategy, many online retailers will miss out on the Black Friday - Cyber Monday rush.
Whether you’re looking to optimize your existing strategy or starting from scratch, we’ve got you covered. This guide will help you make the most out of your BFCM ecommerce strategy with a clear list of steps (in chronological order) to help you prepare.
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What is Black Friday - Cyber Monday?
Black Friday - Cyber Monday — also referred to as BFCM — are two back-to-back sales days that bring in a ton of revenue for both in-store and ecommerce retailers in the US. The Black Friday - Cyber Monday shopping window also kick-starts holiday shopping from Thanksgiving day through the new year.
Why you need to prepare for BFCM now
BFCM isn’t just about one big day of revenue generation. It’s a crucial period for online retailers to capture new customers and convince them to keep shopping through the end of the year and beyond.
In-person BFCM experiences are out, and ecommerce is in
Shopper sentiment is shifting away from physical experiences. Online transactions are up by 13% year-over-year, according to research from Criteo. So, you probably won’t see consumers camping out in front of physical stores on Black Friday, but those same shoppers still want to find an excellent ecommerce deal.
Consumers are eager to spend despite concerns about inflation
After BFCM in 2023, research from Nielsen found the desire for a good deal caused 57% of shoppers to stay on budget and 18% of shoppers to spend more than they planned in the year prior.
Brand familiarity matters
Shoppers, Gen Z in particular, are more likely to make a purchase with a brand they’re familiar with. So, ensure your marketing tactics are firing well before BFCM will help folks get to know you before the holiday sales season starts.
Get proactive rather than reactive
When you make a plan early, you give your business more time to craft a great marketing campaign. Plus, you give your team time to figure out how to manage customer service on Black Friday for these high-traffic days.
Considering Black Friday - Cyber Monday is the busiest ecommerce sales event of the year, prepare as early as possible to get a leg-up and stay on top of Black Friday trends.
Related reading: Why proactive customer service is essential for growing your business
Pre-Black Friday preparation: What to do before the holiday
Preparing for Black Friday — and building a strong ecommerce strategy — goes well beyond ironing out a limited-time deal.
Tactics like updating key policies, building out customer self-service options, and marketing early will help you be successful.
1. Update key policies on your website before BFCM
Displaying clear-cut and easy-to-find policies on your website makes a huge difference to the customer experience. It sets the customer up for success and cultivates a positive sentiment with your brand.
To prepare for the best Black Friday-Cyber Monday possible, we recommend updating these key policies (and your Help Center) with BFCM-related information.
✅ Tip: A tool like Gorgias’s AI Agent learns from your policies to know how to respond to certain topics and escalate tickets. And we know that more automated tickets leads to a lighter workload for your agents. It makes a compelling case for keeping your policies up-to-date.
“The anxiety for customers during BFCM is real,” says Lauren Reams, Customer Experience Manager at VESSEL. “This year, we are planning on leveraging AI Agent to help us get ahead of the most common questions. AI Agent has been so seamless, so we’re confident that it will help us handle the busy season without needing to bring in additional agents.”
Returns and exchanges
BCFM is a popular time for consumers to buy holiday gifts, which means you could see an influx in returns or exchanges.
✅ Tips: Use return management apps like Loop Returns to provide customers with a self-service return portal to process their returns. Take that idea one step further by using AI Agent Actions to send your Loop Returns link or return shipping status automatically.
Integrate Loop Returns with Gorgias and enable customers to initiate their own returns.
Shipping and fulfillment
Customers expect purchases, especially if they’re buying gifts for upcoming holidays, to arrive on time and quickly (you’re competing with fast shipping speeds from retail giants like Amazon).
If those gifts don’t arrive in time, you’re going to face a lot of angry customers.
✅ Tip: Use your shipping and fulfillment policy to be crystal clear about when you ship orders, how long orders typically arrive, and how customers can look up their order status. AI Agent can perform Shopify Actions, such as editing the order's shipping address. Having this automated means agents do not have to do manual work.
Lost packages
All those Black Friday - Cyber Monday sales equal a ton of packages in transit. You can expect a few to go missing.
When that happens, your customers need to know what happens next.
Make sure you’re clear with your team and customers upfront if you are willing to cover damages (either with refunds or credits). This will help your agents handle the process quickly and consistently. Plus, it gives your customers the peace of mind that accidents won’t put them out.
✅ Tip: Include a policy about damaged items in your FAQs so your customers know what to expect in case anything goes wrong with their order.
Related reading: FAQ Page Template & Tips (+ Free Shopify FAQ Generator)
Automate self-service options
If you’re on Gorgias, Automate includes Flows, Order Management, and Article Recommendations. These different automations can help you deflect up to 30% of tickets, freeing your agents up for higher-value conversations.
Set up Flows to automatically answer common customer questions specific to Black Friday - Cyber Monday related to:
- Shipping policy: Will my items arrive by the holidays?
- Get a gift recommendation: Can you help me find a gift for a friend?
- Return policy: Can I return a gifted item?
- BFCM discounts: Do you offer any holiday discounts?
Related reading: Offer more self-serve options with Flows: 10 use cases & best practices
2. Reduce strain on your customer service team
It turns out that many customer support inquiries your team receives are repetitive.
“If you force agents to respond to every question manually — no matter how small — you're only limiting the time they can spend on tickets that actually need human attention,” says Gorgias Director of Support, Bri Christiano.
That’s why we built Automate at Gorgias: It deflects your most repetitive tickets — up to 30% of your overall ticket volume — so you can focus on the tickets that grow your business.
Tech product retailer Nomad leaned into Gorgias’s automation to support customer service interactions. Not only did the online retailer gain a streamlined way to manage customer feedback, they also reduced response time by 70%.
Customer story: How Nomad uses automation to reduce their response time and resolution time by over 70%
3. Build a marketing campaign to tap into social commerce
Social commerce is on the rise among consumers worldwide.
Deloitte estimates about one-third of shoppers in the US made a purchase through a social media app in 2021. That number is estimated to be even higher for those who were influenced to buy a product after seeing it on social media.
You don’t necessarily have to sell directly through Instagram, but you can leverage your social channels to generate brand awareness.
The need for social-focused customer support is exactly why online retailer MNML turned to Gorgias. The company found that their shoppers turned more and more to social media for answers to their shopping-related questions.
Ultimately, the company leveled up their customer support on social media to connect with potential buyers.
Get started with these ideas:
Partner with influencers to generate brand awareness
Don’t partner with influencers for the sake of it. Instead, think about it like building a relationship with someone who fits your brand ideals and can cross-sell your products to their audience.
To do this, focus less on influencers with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. Instead, look for micro-influencers (or creators with less than 100,000 followers) with audiences that match your brand personas.
Create content that focuses on your store’s Black Friday deals
Once you’ve figured out the Black Friday sales your store will offer, you must ensure people know about them.
Craft content for your social media channels that highlight your deals. Since social media primarily focuses on visuals, start by collecting photos, videos, or illustrations of your products. Then, draft copy for captions, think through the best hashtags, and hand over creative briefs to your design team to build any assets you might need.
Put a little money behind your most successful organic social media posts
The weeks or months leading up to BFCM are prime time to talk about your brand’s Black Friday promotions. Use social media analytics to see which published posts are performing best across your channels.
Turn those high-performing posts into ads on social media by boosting them with a little money. Even with a small budget, you can use social ads to grab even more eyeballs — and potentially bring more people to your website.
A few other ideas to consider:
- Prompt your customers to sign up for an SMS reminder or push notification on their smartphones or mobile devices.
- Give early sale access to email subscribers, incentivizing customers to build a deeper relationship with your brand.
- Pin the sale date and deal information at the top of your social media profiles, especially Instagram.
How to maximize revenue during BFCM in 2 steps
Imagine Black Friday - Cyber Monday is here. Even better, imagine you’ve got a ton of website traffic full of eager browsers. You need a plan to keep those browsers engaged.
One major step you can take to boost your conversion rate and potential revenue is to increase communication touchpoints and focus on recovering abandoned carts.
1. Increase customer touchpoints to keep shoppers engaged
Throughout any customer’s journey, there are many opportunities to interact with your brand. One moment might be finding out about your BFCM sale on social media, signing up for emails to get early access, or browsing the best deals before heading to checkout.
The more you interact with customers along the way, the more you can keep them engaged — and personalized interactions increase your chances of converting a first-time shopper into a repeat customer.
Gorgias’s Convert is a CRO tool that easily personalizes interactions at multiple points throughout a customer journey. Convert offers several ways to increase touchpoints and boost overall engagement:
- AI-powered cross-sell campaigns to offer product recommendations.
- Up-sell campaigns to showcase higher-priced items.
- Share timely discounts, free shipping, or valuable product insights.
- Offer 1:1 support with a smooth hand-off to Gorgias Live Chat.
- Leverage Shopify browsing data to offer product recommendations.
- Set up onsite campaigns without any coding.
Another way to build in more touch points is to use automated chat campaigns that pop up and engage with your customers at crucial moments. Chat widgets are a small addition to any homepage, landing page, or product page that immediately lets customers know where to go for help.
2. Reduce abandoned carts
Cart abandonment is a major source of lost retail sales for any ecommerce business, considering about 70% of online carts are abandoned.
You can easily target customers who have opted into an email list or receive SMS messages from your brand. Design emails or text messages designed to trigger if a cart is abandoned.
Include copy that builds a sense of urgency to drive customers back to their shopping carts to “buy now” before the deal is over.
There’s even a chance to use re-engagement to increase your average order value by upselling once that customer returns to your site.
How to retain new customers you get during BFCM
Repeat customers are valuable — like, really valuable.
According to Gorgias research, returning customers make up about 21% of a brand’s customer base but generate 44% of that same brand’s revenue.
Your brand should re-engage with anyone who shops on your website during the BFCM rush. Those same people could become returning customers who give your shop a revenue boost during the rest of the holiday season.
1. Offer a discount for next time
The perfect moment to re-engage a customer starts at checkout. When someone makes a purchase through your online store, offer them an immediate discount that goes toward their next purchase.
At CX Connect LA 2024, Ron Shah, CEO of Obvi, shared his brand’s strategy for offering discounts to generate revenue. Ron knew implementing AI to support Obvi’s two-person customer support team was necessary to help the brand grow without eliminating the need for his human agents.
“The time saved by AI handled a lot of the redundant work our agents were doing, which meant we could turn them into part-time sales agents. We also gave them a code to help them prevent a refund from happening or upsell somebody. It created a completely new shift in their mindset. They realized, ‘Oh wow, you're not just taking something away from me (with AI) — you're actually elevating my opportunity.’”
✅ Tip: You can increase the touchpoints to re-engage with an existing customer by building a reminder email that triggers one week after their initial transaction. That way, you not only stay at the top of their inbox, you also stay top of mind.
2. Invite customers to join a loyalty program
Loyalty programs are a tried-and-true method to build engaged, returning customers.
In a recent survey, Yotpo found that over half of surveyed consumers agreed a loyalty program would encourage them to purchase more from a brand.
If you already offer a loyalty program, make sure new customers know about how to get the VIP experience with your store. Build awareness touchpoints into your loyalty program marketing strategy. You can also prompt buyers to become loyal customers after they make their first purchase.
3. Continue to improve your customer experience strategy
A successful, positive, and repeatable customer experience doesn’t end after midnight on Cyber Monday. It’s a road rather than a destination.
Consumer habits are always changing, and your support teams must be prepared to handle customer requests.
One way to anticipate your customer’s pain points is to look at customer feedback.
Reviews and social media activity is a great place to start. You might also consider putting a more formal customer sentiment strategy in place, with a CSAT survey to collect direct feedback from customers.
This feedback helps your team prioritize what needs to improve so you’re not left reaching in the dark.
Give your ecommerce strategy a boost this holiday shopping season
The name of the game this Black Friday - Cyber Monday isn’t just to get a ton of online sales; it’s to set up your ecommerce site for a successful holiday shopping season.
Success could look like:
- A reduction in BFCM returns or exchanges
- Having the perfect amount of inventory
- Seeing higher-than-average sustained engagement on your social channels
If you want to move the meter, focus on a strong Black Friday marketing strategy that starts now.
Gorgias is designed with ecommerce merchants in mind. Find out how Gorgias’s time-saving automations and convenient platform can help you create successful customer experiences.
Claim your demo today, or sign up to try Gorgias.
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Building Customer Loyalty Through Effective Post-Purchase Support and Automation in Ecommerce
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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Further reading
The 26 Best Shopify Themes (Of the 13,191 We Analyzed)
Finding the best Shopify theme for your business may feel like a huge undertaking — and it is. You have to identify themes, test them, and determine criteria as you go. It can easily start to feel overwhelming.
To make this process a little easier for you, we’ve analyzed 13,191 Shopify stores and hand-picked the 26 most popular themes to help get you started. But before diving in, it’s important to understand how to approach choosing the right Shopify theme for your business.
The top ten Shopify themes we recommend are:
How to choose the right Shopify theme
A free theme or a premium one? A template or a custom theme? Which one you should choose actually depends on many factors.
If you’re looking for a Shopify theme for your store but don’t know where to start, answering the following questions might help:
- What is your product category? A clothing store’s design is different from a store selling online courses.
- How big is your product catalog? Are you running a one-product store or a store with multiple product categories?
- What features do you need? Do you want a slideshow on the homepage, an opt-in form, a mobile-friendly, intuitive design, or an embeddable video?
- What are your competitors doing? Knowing how your competitors’ stores look might give you an idea of your store’s appearance. Detect their themes to find out.
- What’s your budget? Are you willing to invest in a custom Shopify theme?
- Can you manage the theme yourself? Do you need help with the technical side? Do you want immediate support whenever you have a question?
There is no “one size fits all” strategy for choosing a theme because every business is unique, so take time to figure out the questions above to narrow down your options.
Pro tip: Get inspired from established stores by using a Shopify theme detector to identify the theme they’re using. You’ll get a lot of ideas to build your own ecommerce store, for sure.
26 best official Shopify themes for your ecommerce store
Shopify hosts a limited selection of themes on their website. These official Shopify themes go through intensive testing for quality and bugs. Usually, they sell at a premium pricepoint compared to non-approved themes — but offer merchants the most effortless and professional-looking stores.
1) Mojave
Price: $350
Website: Mojave Shopify Theme
Mojave is a flexible, modern, premium Shopify theme designed by DigiFist. It’s built with fashion, health and beauty, apparel, and clothing brands in mind. Mojave’s modern design features a detailed product page with large images, clean lines, and minimalist fonts that will capture (and hold) your customer's attention. Mojave supports all the new Online Store 2.0 features, such as drag-and-drop sections and blocks to create custom pages in your store without special coding. Mojave comes with flexible, well-designed blocks for images, products, videos, quotes, and more.
Additional key features
- Unlimited free trial and lifetime free theme updates
- Compatible with Online Store 2.0
- Over 20+ conversion-increasing features
2) Retina
Price: $220
Website: Retina Shopify Theme
Developed by Out of the Sandbox, Retina is an ideal choice if you’re selling apparel or furniture and housewares. Retina offers four styles: Austin, Montreal, Melbourne, and Amsterdam, with different color palettes.
Each style includes useful features like product recommendations, multiple home page videos, custom promotion tiles, product image zoom, and slide-out cart. You can also create a self-service FAQ page so customers can find answers to common questions themselves.
If you choose Retina, you can be sure your ecommerce website is mobile-friendly and leveraging Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to reach more Shopify customers.
Additional key features
- Modern boutique mobile-friendly design
- Simple setup and customization
- Testimonial sections and featured product callouts options
3) Flow
Price: $350
Website: Flow Shopify Theme
Flow offers three sharp and minimalist designs (Queenstown, Byron, and Cannes) that help your products stand out. This theme is great if you’re selling high-end items or you want to direct customers to unique features of your products.
Flow allows you to feature a YouTube or Vimeo video on the homepage, display your products in a masonry-style grid, and showcase information about a specific collection with a page sidebar. You can also add a slide-out cart so your customers can easily add products to their shopping cart without leaving the current page. There is a promotional banner where you can set up to promote your latest offers.
Keep in mind that you can contact the Flow developers team via email only. The phone and video call support aren’t available.
Additional key features
- Ideal for high-volume stores, flash sales, and selling internationally
- Easily customizable by utilizing drag-and-drop sections and blocks to create custom pages without coding
- In-depth marketing and conversion features (back-in-stock alerts, blogs, promo pop-ups, promo tiles, etc.)
4) Paper
Price: $260
Website: Paper Shopify theme
Paper is an easy-to-use and modern Shopify theme designed by Brickspace Lab. Paper’s clean and thoughtful design features large imagery with in-depth branding customizations. You will be able to take advantage of new Online Store 2.0 features and build custom templates with expertly designed drag-and-drop sections.
Additional key features
- Unlimited free trial and lifetime free theme updates
- Conversion-boosting design
- Performance-optimized page speeds
- Features to help you sell more, such as in-cart upsells
5) Parallax
Price: $240
Website: Parallax Shopify Theme
If you want to build a modern ecommerce site, think about Parallax. This theme offers a striking parallax scrolling effect, enhancing your brand’s style and making it more appealing to customers.
Parallax offers four styles: Aspen, Madrid, Vienna, and Los Angeles. These styles share features like parallax effect, a multi-level menu, promotional banner, multiple homepage videos, and slide-out cart.
Parallax is also developed by Out of the Sandbox, so you can be sure you’ll receive excellent customer support from the team.
Additional key features
- In-depth creative control (full-width images, slideshows, video, testimonials, featured promotions, and more)
- Slideout cart, quick shop, and promotional banners for ease of use for customers
- Distinctive scrolling style for long-format home page layouts
6) Taiga
Price: $350
Website: Taiga Shopify theme
Taiga is a blazing-fast and mobile-first premium Shopify theme for D2C brands designed by award-winning Shopify Plus agency Woolman. It gives you outstanding visual freedom: over 10+ video-supporting sections with unparalleled access to define your design settings. Zero customized code to make your brand feel unique.
Taiga is developed for the needs of modern merchants. Quality code powers winning speed: two components you need as a fast-growing sustainable business.
Additional key features
- Outstanding design settings
- Lightning-fast speed and performance
- Modern sections like Banner grid with video, Quick view, Countdown timer, Cart upsell, and Visual menu
7) Testament
Price: $260
Website: Testament Shopify Theme
Testament offers four styles (Genesis, Exodus, Revelation, and Deliverance), aiming to help you create a seamless shopping experience for your customers.
Testament supports quick view, multi-column menu, color swatches, collection page sidebar, and homepage video. The theme comes with the sticky navigation feature, allowing you to keep menus fixed to the top of your page as you scroll down.
Additional key features
- Designed for stores that process high amount of transactions in a specific time period
- Visual storytelling elements
- Designed specifically for stores that do in-person selling
8) Prestige
Price: $350
Website: Prestige Shopify Theme
Prestige is a premium Shopify theme designed for high-end ecommerce businesses and is great for businesses in clothing and accessories, health and beauty, as well as business equipment and supplies. It supports three styles (Allure, Couture, and Vogue) and is great for editorial content, visual storytelling, and physical stores.
Additional key features
- Image hotspot linking: Drag hotspots to tag images, making it easier for customers to discover your products
- Built-in timeline tool: Use this feature to tell the story of your brand
- Optimized for larger images: Display high-resolution product images hassle-free
- Homepage menu lists: Display menu lists on store homepage
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9) Impulse
Price: $350
Website: Impulse Shopify Theme
Impulse is great if you often run promotion campaigns because it allows you to display custom promotions in different places in your store.
Impulse allows you to display promotional content on collection pages and promote sales with custom promotion tiles. Its features also include homepage menu lists, collection sub-listing, custom collection sidebar filters, and pickup availability.
Additional key features
- Designed for high-volume stores
- In-depth marketing and merchandising features (promo features, customizable contact form, animation, product videos, and more)
- Product discovery features like MegaMenu and sticky headers
10) Motion
Price: $350
Website: Motion Shopify Theme
If you want to use animation and video in your store, consider the Motion theme. It’s a premium Shopify theme designed and supported by Archetype Themes.
Motion includes many interesting features that aim to bring your brand to life regardless of catalog size, including multiple text, image, and page animations as well as multiple auto-play YouTube and videos on homepage.
Additional key features
- Filter products by tag without reloading pages
- Support high-resolution images
- View product information in a pop-up
- Visual storytelling
11) Symmetry
Price: $320
Website: Symmetry Shopify Theme
Symmetry is another great Shopify theme for stores selling different product categories. It supports four styles: Salt Yard, Beatnik, Chantilly, and Duke.
One of Symmetry’s best features is reorderable homepage rows, allowing you to display products, blog posts, or promotions in any order with customizable rows. Besides, this theme provides slideshow, long-form design, quick buy view, and multi-column menu.
Additional key features
- Built specifically for OS 2.0
- Ability to customize page tabs, metafields, size and price catalog filters, and more
- Over 20 drag-and-drop sections to choose from
12) Envy
Price: $350
Website: Envy Shopify Theme
Envy offers an intuitive design with four styles: Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Gothenburg. It’s perfect for stores that focus on regular promotions and featured products.
Envy features include display discounts, free gifts, and other promotional content with a pop-up or a banner as well as the ability to tag images using image hotspot linking.
Additional key features
- Help customers easily navigate through the store with a multi-level menu
- Hover over a product image to zoom out
- Optimize for smaller devices and mobile commerce
13) Atlantic
Price: $280
Website: Atlantic Shopify Theme
Atlantic is great for high-volume stores. It’s designed to help you grow and scale your business faster.
Atlantic supports four styles (Organic, Light, Modern, and Chic). Features include a multi-column menu, slideshow, quick buy, modular-style homepage, and pickup availability. This theme receives many five-star reviews on the Shopify theme store because of its excellent customer support.
Additional key features
- Perfect for product discovery with features like image zoom, live search, and multi-column menus
- Ability to handle medium to large catalogs; ideal for growth
- Uncluttered design
14) Modular
Price: $300
Website: Modular Shopify Theme
Modular comes in three styles (Chelsa, Mayfair, and Hoxton) that are well-suited for a wide range of products. It also focuses on clean and minimalist design.
Using Modular, you can give customers a better experience with scrolling between product pages, adding items to their carts without leaving pages (one tactic to help recover abandoned shopping carts), and quickly filtering products by brand, price, etc. You can also add customer testimonials to build trust with first-time shoppers.
Additional key features
- Cart notes and stick cart
- Marketing features like back-in-stock alerts, blogs, FAQ page, press coverage, and more
- In-depth product discovery options like breadcrumbs, enhanced search, MegaMenu, and product filtering and sorting
15) Empire
Price: $340
Website: Empire Shopify Theme
Designed and supported by Pixel Union, Empire allows you to create a store that offers customers the same shopping experience as Amazon. Empire comes with three styles (Graphic, Supply, and Industrial) optimized for stores with large catalogs. Empire offers features like homepage menu lists, pickup availability, live search, advanced product filtering, and quick add-to-cart functionality.
Additional key features
- User-friendly, responsive design made specifically for dropshippers
- Many predefined color pallets and controls to create custom color schemes
- Integration with Shopify product ratings and reviews app
16) Pipeline
Price: $320
Website: Pipeline Shopify Theme
Pipeline is another minimalist Shopify theme with parallax effect scrolling and three unique styles (Light, Bright, and Dark). This theme is best suited for stores with a large number of products.
Like many other themes in this list, Pipeline offers a multi-column drop-down menu, a modular-style homepage, and advanced product filtering. The theme also supports large images, which means those images fit seamlessly into your pages.
Additional key features
- Optimized for mobile commerce
- Designed for stores that sell internationally as well as in physical stores
- Flexible, well-designed blocks for ease of customization
17) District
Price: $220
Website: District Shopify Theme
No matter what you’re selling, the District Shopify Theme could be great for your shop if you have large catalogs and a desire to showcase featured products and collections. District features Shopify’s Online Store 2.0, which uses drag-and-drop sections to create custom pages without coding.
Additional key features
- Flexible, well-designed blocks to spotlight images, products, videos, and quotes and support digital storytelling
- Cart notes, quick buy, and in-store pick up options
- In-depth marketing, conversion, merchandising, and product discovery features
18) Icon
Price: $260
Website: Icon Shopify Theme
If you’re looking for a Shopify theme to highlight images and other content, Icon may be perfect for you — especially if you’re also in the fashion, health and beauty, or home and garden industries. Icon is also uniquely set up for stores with large catalogs and dropshippers. This theme also features numerous marketing and conversion features like promo banners, in-menu promos, cross-selling, blogs, back-in-stock alerts, quickview, FAQ page, and store locator.
Additional key features
- Visually striking design
- Quick and easy launch with minimal steps required
- Extensive merchandising and product discovery features like image galleries, image zoom, lookbooks, MegaMenu, product filtering, and infinite scroll
19) Responsive
Price: $240
Website: Responsive Shopify Theme
Looking for a focus on your products? You may want to check out the Responsive Shopify theme as it puts your products and brand at the forefront, utilizing full-width imagery. Responsive is ideal for fashion, beauty, and sports and recreation shops with large catalogs. Even better, the Responsive theme looks stunning on every screen across devices.
Additional key features
- Wide-layout with features like image zoom, hero videos, and promo banners
- Highly customizable layouts, typography, and featured promotions
- Editorial content capabilities with longer-form text sections for storytelling
7 more non-official Shopify themes for your ecommerce store
Merchants can also find themes that aren’t in Shopify’s official theme library. These themes are often high-quality (especially those with a many reviews and high ratings, like the ones below) and usually a bit less expensive. But they aren’t vetted by Shopify, and therefore may be a little rougher around the edges.
1) Vendy
Price: $77
Website: Vendy Shopify Theme
Vendy is a premium multipurpose Shopify theme for fashion. It’s developed for comfortable use and flawless online store creation. Even if you are not tech-savvy at all, with Vendy you can launch a store of any complexity. Plus, this theme is perfect for dropshipping
What’s more? Vendy is a synonym for “responsive clean design.” Also, Vendy allows flexible editing in the Shopify Visual Builder and the number of pre-made layouts. Without a doubt, you will like varied page templates, catchy web forms, product wish lists and lists, and other perks. As well, this Shopify theme for fashion is packed with unique lookbook and blog templates. Just try it and customize it as you prefer!
Additional key features
- MegaMosaic section
- Dynamic filtering system
- Header and footer customization
2) Ella
Price: $89
Website: Ella Shopify Theme
Ella offers +17 homepage layouts, +16 child themes, +7 category pages, +10 product pages, multiple headers and footers, and more. It’s an all-in-one Shopify theme, ideal for any stylish fashion and clothing stores.
Ella allows you to design your store using features like quick shop, quick edit cart, quick update car, multiple languages, multiple currencies, product recommendation, upsell bundle, etc. This theme also includes smart search and suggestion features, enhancing the shopping experience.
Additional key features
- Over 22 homepage layouts and skins, including child themes
- Frequently bought together feature and upsell bundle with discount options
- Before-you-leave pop-up capability
3) Shella
Price: $79
Website: Shella Shopify Theme
When it comes to Shopify themes for fashion, Shella can be considered one of the best. This theme is developed with fashion in mind, meaning everything on it is optimized to help you get your fashion stores noticed.
Here is what makes Shella worth checking out:
- More than 89 pre-designed pages for layouts, collection pages, product pages, blog, gallery, and other pages
- Strong integration with dropshipping apps like Printiful, Privy, Dropshipper, Shopzie
- Conversion optimization features like countdown timers, number left in stock, free shipping progress bar
- Vertical MegaMenu, four levels for navigation menu, blocks for homepage, product filter options (title, description, price, vendor, type, and tags), and more
Additional key features
- Great for dropshipping
- MegaMenu
- Price and stock countdown
4) Basel
Price: $99
Website: Basel Shopify Theme
With plenty of design options, Basel allows you to design your store in many different ways. For example, Basel supports the drag-and-drop page builder, making it easy for you to add/remove/replace elements on pages. It also comes with several header variations, colors, and backgrounds.
Additional key features
- AJAX search, color swatches, product quick view, and 360-degree view
- 30 ready-to-use layouts, four blog styles, seven portfolio styles, four product hover effects
- Instagram widget, Twitter widget, testimonial slide, styled banners shortcode
- Developed with SCSS
5) Porto
Price: $99
Website: Porto Shopify Theme
Porto is a popular Shopify theme used by more than 45,000 ecommerce merchants. It’s built with amazing UI and UX experience and is continuously being updated.
Porto’s highlight features:
- +20 modern and classic demo concepts
- Optimized for speed performance
- Bunch of collections and product detail page variations
- MegaMenu and vertical MegaMenu
Additional key features
- Fully responsive with any mobile device
- Powerful admin panel
- Unlimited colors and skins
- RTL support, testimonial slide, AJAX loading, Google Fonts integration
6) Wokiee
Price: $89
Website: Wokiee Shopify Theme
As a Premium Shopify theme, Wokiee is not your basic theme; it can act as a powerful design tool to help your business grow. Even with its in-depth premium features, it is still easy to create fast, responsive, and mobile-friendly websites to provide a top-notch user experience.
Additional key features
- Full control through your own content management system, which allows for customization of navigation, site content, images, products, and more
- Over 80 predefined skins and layouts
- MegaMenu, instagram shop, wishlist, related products, and more
7) Roxxe
Price: $59
Website: Roxxe Shopify Theme
The Roxxe Shopify theme is a versatile choice for a shop that wants options but also desires a robust yet modern look. Roxxe has over 70 pre-built homepages, as well as 50 pre-designed layouts with sections you can rearrange and combine as you see fit. Needless to say, Roxxe is a fairly simple theme to use that also comes with plenty of easy-to-follow instructions.
Additional key features
- Fully responsive and option for retina-ready pages
- MegaMenu and customization in footer area to make newsletter subscription simple
- Quick-view option for customers to review product details in a lightbox pop-up without leaving the page they’re on
Take your Shopify Store to the next level with Gorgias
There you have it! We hope this list of the best Shopify themes made it easier to find what you need to get your online shop up and running. And check out our guide on Shopify vs. Shopify Plus if you're interested in additional ways to customize your site beyond these themes. As you continue building your brand and updating your website based on the needs of your customers, you’ll also want to review your customer service process.
Luckily, you can tap into a Shopify helpdesk app like Gorgias to level up.
Gorgias’ customer service platform is uniquely positioned to help Shopify owners with all of their customer service needs, from automating your most common tasks to using machine learning to better help customers.
Learn more about Gorgias for Shopify stores.
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10 Customer Apology Email Templates to Help Retain Business
You can — and should — prepare for these mishaps with a library of apology email templates. A timely apology email builds trust, prevents churn, improves your retention rate, protects your bottom line, and keeps your company name in good standing.
According to KPMG, 46% of customers who are truly loyal to a brand will remain so even after a negative experience. They’re also far more likely to recommend a brand to friends and family or write a positive review online.
An effective apology email is your best bet to regain and reinforce customer loyalty after an error or delay. And loyal customers are closely linked to revenue. According to data from more than 10,000 Gorgias merchants, repeat customers generate 300% more revenue than first-time customers.
Continue reading to learn the key components that every effective and sincere apology email should have, as well as some dos and don’ts, to keep customers on your side.
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How to write customer service apology emails (the dos and don’ts)
Apologies can repair the situation or make it worse. If you bungle the apology, you risk losing a customer forever. But a well-executed apology can strengthen your relationship with a customer, as Brianna Christiano, Gorgias's Director of Support, explains.
“In my experience, proactively sending an apology email and admitting that maybe you made a mistake as a company, or you didn't provide the best experience, really builds trust with customers,” says Christiano. “You'd be surprised how many customers will forgive you for that mistake.”
This list will prepare you for creating your own customer service apology emails to make sure you correct the situation without making it worse.
Do: Create a library of brand-appropriate apology email templates
When a mistake happens, you don’t want to be left scrambling. Being prepared ahead of time with email templates will allow you to send out on-brand apology emails and correct the mistake as quickly as possible.
It’s also critical that everyone on your customer support team has access to those templates. Make this part of your customer service training and onboarding to ensure that every customer is receiving the same level of care when an apology needs to happen.
With Macros, Gorgias customers can build a library of customer service responses, including apologies, to send as emails to customers. You can respond directly to tickets in your helpdesk using these Macros and ensure consistent messaging (and the right customer service words), no matter who responds.
Macros are templates that you build for common ticket responses, such as shipping inquiries or apologies, that can be further customized with individual customer information.
Macros integrate with ecommerce platforms (like Shopify or BigCommerce) so you can insert personalized information for each customer. Here’s an example of how Macros use variables to pull customer data directly from BigCommerce (in this case) and automatically personalize the message:
Don’t: Wait to apologize
Speed is of the essence when it’s time to send a customer apology email. You should send an apology as soon as you see something has gone wrong, rather than waiting for a customer complaint to come in.
Frustrating or negative customer experiences decrease loyalty. According to The Effortless Experience, 96% of high-effort experiences — such as having to contact the company — make the customer feel disloyal afterward. Frustrated customers can easily turn into angry customers.
“Instead, you're reducing the escalation upfront by being proactive,” says Christiano. “When the company sends an email about an issue the customer didn’t notice, customers appreciate that the company has gone above and beyond.”
Gorgias analyzes incoming tickets for sentiment to detect angry and escalated customers so you can address them before they take their anger out on social media and cause further damage.
You can then apply rules (or automation) to filter tickets based on sentiment and prioritize your customer responses.
Do: Personalize the apology to each customer based on past interactions
A personal apology is always a more sincere apology. When you create your templates for customer apology emails, leave spots to insert personalized information about the affected customer, from the customer’s name to more detailed order information.
You can get even more detailed than that, though. Using Gorgias’ Customer Sidebar feature, your customer success or support team can see information in the sidebar such as:
- Past orders
- Reviews
- Loyalty status and points
- Previous conversations
For example, you could thank a customer for a past review (“Thanks so much for your kind words about our matcha powder!”), or reference a past order (“How did you like the matcha powder you ordered last month?”).
Or, go above and beyond ("Again, so sorry for this issue. I noticed you're a frequent shopper here and I want to thank you for your business and patience as we sort this out — here's a discount code for 15% off your next order: SORRY15!").
If you see a customer has left a negative comment in the past, mention it and tell them how that feedback has helped your brand to correct the issue and provide better service.
Taking the time to personalize customer interactions, including apology emails, directly impacts your revenue. According to a study by Twilio, 98% of companies say personalization increases customer loyalty. Additionally, customers around the world spend an average of 46% more when engagement is personalized.
Don’t: Send your email to unaffected customers
Being proactive with your apology letters is important, but you can also go too far. Sending these emails to customers who haven’t actually been affected by the issue will just create more headaches for your customer support reps.
“Before you send a mass email to 50,000 customers, make sure that most of those people were impacted. Because if you don't, you're going to create more confusion,” says Christiano.
If, for example, you’re having supply issues, don’t send a mass email to every single customer. Those whose orders are actually unaffected will now think there’s a problem with their orders even if there’s not. That’s going to mean more incoming and unnecessary tickets for you to deal with.
Do: Maintain a tone that reflects your brand but also the severity of the mistake
Every company has a different brand identity and style of communication. For some, it may be on-brand to send communications with emojis and playful wording. Others may prefer something more simple and elegant. In any case, you may need to adjust that voice for customer apology letters.
This starts right from the subject line. If a customer’s order is delayed, whether due to shipping issues or stock shortages, that’s a serious issue. Sending a subject line with cutesy wording like “oops” and frowning emojis may communicate that you’re not taking the delay seriously.
“If it's a small inconvenience, I think you can keep it lighter. It really just depends on the severity of the problem,” says Christiano.
Here’s an example of a small mistake that justifies a light-hearted tone:
And here’s an example of a graver issue, handled with more detail and a serious tone:
In the body of the email, use straightforward language that clearly acknowledges the problem rather than dancing around the issue and directly communicate how you’ve corrected the mistake.
Again, this is where creating personalized email apologies comes in. Christiano says you should look at factors like:
- The price point of an order
- The customer’s order history
- The customer’s VIP or loyalty status
- The tone of past reviews and conversations
Adjust the templates below to fit with your brand’s unique voice, but don’t forget that the wrong tone can make an apology email less effective.
Don’t: Leave the customer empty handed
A sincere apology to your customers should directly acknowledge the issue, take full responsibility, tell them what steps are being done to correct it, and give them a reason to come back and shop again.
Consider ending apology letters with some sort of offer — a voucher code for free shipping, a discount coupon code, store credit, or other perks. This demonstrates that you understand the customer has dealt with an inconvenience and you want to make it up to them beyond sending your “sincerest apologies.”
Christiano says it’s a good rule of thumb that if an issue is serious enough that you need to send an apology email, it’s worth considering including some sort of offer. For the most serious issues, you may even want to offer a full refund to retain that customer.
Here’s a great example of a mass email apology that extends the discount for goodwill (and more sales):
Don’t think of offering a coupon code as a further loss. It’s better to take a small hit on the next purchase than to not get the next order at all. Plus, an angry customer may leave negative reviews on your site or social media, driving away other potential customers and impacting your customer satisfaction (CSAT) score.
10 apology email templates for every type of mishap
Below you’ll find useful email templates for every type of apology you may have to send as a brand. These apology email examples have spaces for you to insert personalized information for each customer, such as the customer’s name and shopping history. Use these as a starting point to craft your own letter templates.
1) Service or website outage or downtime (mass email)
This template is for when you’ve had site-wide technical issues or glitch that has impacted your entire customer base. Mass emails are less customized than individual emails, but should still contain all the key parts of a good apology.
Hi {{Customer first name}},
We’re currently experiencing a service outage for {{Website / Product / Service}}. We’re actively working on resolving the issue, which we believe is due to {{Reason for outage}}. We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you we’ll have everything up and running as quickly as possible.
Stay tuned at {{Website / Social media page}} for the latest updates.
Thanks,
{{Current agent first name}}
2) Late shipment or delivery (individual)
This is for when a customer’s order will be sent out late. This is when you should consider how to tailor your apology letter to the unique customer and their history with your brand.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
We regret to inform you that your order {{order number}} has been delayed.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding. The reason for the delay is {{reason for the delay}}.
You can track the status of your order using this tracking link {{Link to tracking portal}}.
If you’d like to return or exchange your order, you can do so here {{Link to return/exchange portal}}.
Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience. Please let us know if you have any questions or can provide further assistance.
Best,
{{Current agent first name}}
3) Late shipment or delivery (mass email)
This is for when you have a company-wide issue with delivery times, such as stock shortages or even shipping issues beyond your control, and need to send a mass apology email.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
We’re reaching out to let you know that we’re currently experiencing shipment delays, largely due to {{Cause (e.g. supply chain issues, holiday rush, broken workflows, etc.}}. There will most likely be delays of {{range of business days}} on recent orders.
We understand this is a serious issue and are doing everything in our power to fulfill your orders as quickly as possible. For more information on shipping delays, you can check out {{link to FAQ page}}. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to our team by responding to this email.
Best,
{{Current agent first name}}
4) Package never arrived
This is a customer whose order has been lost This will likely be sent in response to an incoming ticket from an upset customer.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
Thank you for reaching out! I’m so sorry to hear that you were unable to locate the missing package. Rest assured we will remedy this situation for you.
I have two options to offer: we can ship a replacement to you or issue a full refund for the order instead. If you prefer a replacement order, we kindly ask that you confirm the shipping address of where you would like the replacement order sent. We look forward to receiving your reply.
{{Current agent first name}}
5) Item arrived damaged
This is for when a customer receives a defective product. You’ll need to provide instructions on what the customer should do next, in addition to an apology.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
Thanks for reaching out about your recent order {{Number of last order}}. I’m sorry to hear about your experience. As we try our best to provide exceptional service, some factors like shipping and handling are out of our control and issues like this can happen.
Please send us a photo of the broken/damaged item(s) you received and we’ll do our best to resolve this as soon as possible.
{{Current agent first name}}
6) Incorrect item delivered
If the incorrect item, or incorrect quantity of an item, is delivered you’ll need to apologize but also tell the customer what they should do with any incorrect items.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
Thank you for letting us know we sent you the wrong product. We apologize for the inconvenience. We are sending you the correct product, the {{correct product name}} and it will be shipped by {{estimated shipping date}}.
We sent it using expedited shipping, so you should receive it {{estimated delivery date}}. Please return {{old product}} in the original shipping box and packaging using the attached shipping label and instructions. Please contact us with any additional questions.
{{Current agent first name}}
7) Previous communication mistake
If you sent a piece of email marketing with an incorrect or missing discount code, for example, you should follow up with an apology and correction. And, if it’s not too complicated, explain what caused the miscommunication in the first place, and the steps you’ve taken to prevent it from happening again.
Hi {{Customer First Name}},
On {{day of the communication mistake}}, we experienced a hiccup with {{cause of the error}}. This resulted in you receiving a confusing email — sorry about that!
We addressed the issue and hope to avoid this happening in the future. As a way to apologize for any confusion caused by the last email, we {{Insert policy: temporary discount, free shipping, personalized code, added a credit, etc..}}.
Thank you for understanding. Please respond to this email with any questions!
Best,
{{Current agent first name}}
8) Reply to a bad customer review
When a customer is upset, a professional apology can go a long way to correcting the issue and retaining their business.
{{Customer First Name}},
Thanks so much for your feedback on {{Customer survey, review site, etc.}}.
I wanted to check in and get a little more information from you about your experience. This will help our team improve future experiences for you and other shoppers. If you’re open to it, you can just reply to this email and share your thoughts.
Thanks for your time,
{{Current agent first name}}
9) Poor service experience
As we’ve discussed, poor customer experience can decrease loyalty. Correcting the issue and apologizing can help get that loyalty back.
Hi {{Customer first name}},
Thank you for reaching out and letting us know about your experience with us. This is not up to our standard and I've passed this along to our team to ensure this doesn't happen again.
In addition, I've {{Insert policy: refund, added a credit, send a replacement, etc.}} to make this right.
We truly value you as a customer and apologize for the inconvenience this caused.
Please let me know if I can help with anything else.
{{Current agent first name}}
10) Escalated customer
If a customer is already escalated, you need to have an apology email that reflects how the customer feels. Unhappy customers can cause lots of damage beyond lost business, including damage to your reputation through social posting and reviews.
Hi {{Customer first name}},
Thank you for reaching out and letting us know about your experience with us. This is not up to our standard and I've passed this along to our team to ensure this doesn't happen again.
I have CC’d {{Technical/Lead agent first name}} on this email. They will be able to figure out what happened here and ensure that we resolve this for you.
{{Current agent first name}}
Winning back upset customers is worth it
When mistakes happen, remember that your most valuable customers are the ones who come back again and again. Mistakes create a risk of losing a customer, but it’s also an opportunity to rebuild loyalty and turn a bad situation into a chance for a positive customer service interaction.
Your customer service team should have a clear process in place for winning back upset customers and having a thorough library of sincere, on-brand customer apology emails is a key piece of the process.
For further reading on customer responses, read about Gorgias’ other customer email templates and customer service scripts inspired by top ecommerce brands.
Start a demo with Gorgias today to streamline your customer responses and get the best possible return on investment with customer service.Mistakes happen. Even with the best-laid plans, your ecommerce business will inevitably run into shipping delays, website outages, and other mishaps that cause customer complaints.
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How To Streamline Your Gorgias Helpdesk to Work Smarter, Not Harder
The Gorgias helpdesk is a highly customizable, automatable tool. In theory, you could use it like a standard inbox, answering customer support tickets from top to bottom. But you’re better off taking advantage of its features to organize your inbox, automatically prioritize and assign tickets, and automate repetitive tasks.
Streamlining your helpdesk from the jump is the best way to spend less time on administrative work so you can respond faster and leave customers satisfied.
TalentPop is a customer service management agency for ecommerce brands like yours and optimizes Gorgias for over 500 top brands like Jaxxon, Lilly Lashes, and Kettle & Fire. And while each brand’s needs are unique, every ecommerce company could benefit from essentials like automated ticket routing and answering WISMO requests.
We developed this playbook to share these best practices for setting up Gorgias so your team can get back to focusing on what matters most: tending to urgent requests and having impactful conversations with your valued customers.
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Create tags to organize tickets
In Gorgias, Tags keep track of the contents and context of a ticket at a glance:
- What type of issues are they experiencing?
- What’s the status of the conversation?
- What kind of automation has been applied?
- What kind of customer are they?
Especially as your team grows, Tags are the best way to keep your helpdesk organized, filter for specific conversations, and track the progress of customer resolutions. Plus, when combined with automation (which we’ll discuss in the next section), Tags help your team prioritize requests, route conversations to a specific team member, or send messages to customers.
Accurate and up-to-date Tags also help you analyze ticket trends much easier. For example, if you suddenly experience a 20% spike in tickets tagged with “product-complaint,” you can quickly dig into that issue.
Tags most ecommerce brands should use
Gorgias comes with a set of Tags that you can start using automatically, but you should build out the list based on your needs. When we help brands build out their list of Tags, we start by auditing past tickets to understand existing patterns.
Below, we included a list of the most common Tags you’ll likely find helpful. Start there, and consider auditing your own helpdesk to add any additional tags your team would find helpful.
Tags for customer account management
- Update billing information
- Update email address
- Password reset requests
- New account requests
Tags for collaboration
- Influencer requests
- Affiliate requests
Tags for customer feedback
- Product improvement (broken down by product category or SKU)
- Negative reviews
- Positive reviews
- Negative social comments
- Positive social comments
- Frustrated customers
Tags for product feedback
- Minor product defect
- Major product defect
- Product suggestion
Tags for discounts
- Discount error
- Discount requests
Tags for orders
- Cancel order (not shipped)
- Cancel order (shipped)
- Change order (not shipped)
- Change order (shipped)
- Incorrect product received
- Missing items
- Order confirmation requests
- Status: Pre-order
Tags for return and exchange
- Exchange requests
- Refund/Cancellation requests
- Return requests
- Return status
Tags for shipping
- Address change (not shipped)
- Address changed (shipped)
- Damaged in transit
- Marked delivered but not received
Order status
- Delivered
- Not shipped
- Partial shipment
- Shipped/In-Transit
Tags for social media
- Facebook comment
- Facebook Messenger
- Instagram comments
- Instagram DMs
- Twitter comment
- Twitter DM
Tags for subscriptions
- Cancelation requests (shipped)
- Cancelation requests (not shipped)
- Skip shipment request
- Edit subscription
Tags for urgent inquiries
- BBB claims
- Manager escalations
- Pre-sale questions
- Payment disputes
- Upset customer
Tags for VIP customers
- VIP +250
- VIP +500
- VIP +1000
Tags for wholesale requests
- Wholesale
Once you have those (and other) Tags set up, you can apply them manually or use automation to automatically tag incoming tickets.
Use rules to automate tedious tasks (like tagging, routing, and simple replies)
In Gorgias, Rules are flexible tools to automate a wide range of day-to-day tasks, like tagging, routing, automatically closing no-reply messages, and even replying to basic messages.
Just like Tags, Rules will vary from brand to brand. And the possibilities of Rules are near-endless, so no blog post can give you a complete list of Rules to use. That said, here are four categories of Rules (with specific examples) you’ll likely find useful:
Auto-tag tickets based on keywords
Manually applying Tags can eat up agent time (and leave room for error). Move faster and ensure your tags are more accurate by setting up Rules to auto-tag tickets based on ticket content.
The following Rules use keywords in the message to apply Tags. For even more advanced tagging, you can use Gorgias’s Intent and Sentiment Detection to tag tickets even when the ticket doesn’t include a specific keyword.
Rule: Tag address update needed
Rule description: When an agent requests an email address update from customers, apply the “edit-address” tag.
Rule benefit: This Rule helps you keep track of incorrect email addresses and email address updates. When you then use this Tag in correspondence with a View, you’ll have an easy time matching up the customer’s old and new email addresses.
How to set up Rule:
Rule: Tag damaged/defective goods
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets mentioning product damage with “Damaged/Defective.”
Rule benefit: Tagging these kinds of tickets is a great way to prioritize these sensitive interactions, so customers aren’t left waiting after they receive a damaged item. If you respond quickly and courteously, you greatly increase your chances of mitigating an escalation and retaining the customer.
How to set up Rule:
💡Tip: Adjust the rule to include keywords from previous tickets about damaged inquiries, which will best reflect how customers talk about your product getting damaged. For example, if you sell clothes, people will use words like “torn” and “stained” more than “broken.”
Rule: Tag exchange requests
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets containing exchange requests with “Exchange Request.”
Rule benefit: This is a very beneficial auto-tagging feature that, when corresponding to a view, will help your customer service agents prioritize exchange requests on time. From our experience, this is especially helpful for apparel and jewelry brands, although you can use it for a variety of brands.
How to set up Rule:
💡Tip: We recommend updating the Exchange Request Rule with language from previous and future tickets. Continuously optimizing the rule to include additional keywords will help make the tagging function more accurate over time.
Rule: Tag refund/cancellation requests
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets containing refund/cancellation requests with “Refund/Cancellation.”
Rule benefit: When corresponding to a View, this auto-tagging feature will help your team effectively prioritize refund and cancelation requests, which is important for a couple of reasons:
- If the customer wants to cancel the order before it’s shipped, you can save on shipping by processing the cancellation before it leaves the warehouse.
- If the customer requests a refund, a fast-acting customer service agent may be able to offer another solution (like troubleshooting the product or suggesting an exchange).
How to set up Rule:
Rule: Tag reviews
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets mentioning new product reviews with “Review.”
Rule benefit: When corresponding to a view, this rule will help your customer service agents properly manage and respond to incoming reviews, both positive and negative.
How To Setup Rule: Unlike our other rules, there can be multiple configurations for this set-up — it depends on the platform that you are using. Gorgias currently integrates with several review apps, but each one can require a different setup. In this example, we will include the most common configurations.
Here’s a Rule that leverages the Gorgias integration with Yotpo, flagging new reviews of your channel:
Here’s a review based on the ticket’s subject line to catch new reviews based on the standard format of some review platforms:
💡Tip: Take your internal reviews-monitoring processes to the next level by manually tagging reviews as positive or negative. This will help you better understand which reviews are positive or negative, overall trends, and flag reviews with a high score but negative tone.
Another trick we like is to tag reviews with the relevant product’s SKU to help your team better understand which products people enjoy or dislike the most. This feedback is invaluable for your Product team.
Rule: Tag urgent tickets
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets containing time-sensitive requests with “Urgent.”
Rule benefit: Urgent tickets should always be prioritized, which is what this rule — when corresponding to a view — helps your team to do.
How to set up Rule:
💡 Tip: Set up this rule with keywords that your team deems urgent, like when customers threaten to contact the Better Business Bureau or ask to speak with a manager. Negative comments don’t have to be the only urgent ones, either: You can tag pre-sales tickets or tickets from VIP customers as urgent.
Additionally, you can apply a rule for Urgent tickets explicitly related to social media. This setup is a stellar method for ensuring public (ie. customer-facing) issues are resolved quickly.
Rule: Tag website issues
Rule description: Automatically tag incoming tickets mentioning problems with your website with “Website Issue.” (Note: You might also choose to also add the Urgent tag so you can address these issues quickly.)
Rule benefit: This Rule is a lifesaver — it’s been highly effective for our clients during sales, general marketing campaigns, or even on an average Tuesday. It can ensure that you don’t miss out on sales and that your customers always have the best experience.
How to set up Rule:
Rule: Tag attempts to use chat outside business hours
Rule description: This ticket advises customers when your live chat is unavailable due to business hours or holidays.
Rule benefit: One of our favorites for gauging bandwidth, this rule is great for identifying when messages come in outside your regular business hours. With this data, you may consider bringing on additional support if ticket volume is high outside of your regular customer service schedule.
Note: To use this Rule, you’ll have to set up Business Hours. You can also adjust your chat setting so chat is unavailable outside business hours, and customers must fill out Contact Forms (which require their email address) to send a message so you can follow up via email when your team logs back on.
How to set up Rule:
Auto-tag tickets that have internal notes
In case you missed it, an internal note in Gorgias is a note added to a ticket that’s only visible to your team — it’s not shared with the customer. Internal notes can be added to conversations to share vital or helpful information about the customer or the ticket with your team. These notes can also record any actions taken on the customer's request.
Rule description: When an agent creates an internal note, this Rule automatically tags the tickets as “Internal Note - Open.”
Rule benefit: This Rule is great for ensuring internal team communications are appropriately tagged and sorted into Views, so all internal views get flagged and all customer questions get answered.
How to set up Rule:
Auto-replying to Where Is My Order (WISMO)
An auto-reply is a pre-written response automatically sent to a customer based on the ticket’s content, channel, timing, or a variety of other factors. You can use auto-replies to:
- Acknowledge receipt of a customer's message
- Provide an estimated response time
- Offer a general resolution to a common issue
- Provide information such as office hours or contact details
Note that auto-replied tickets still have limitations and should be frequently reviewed and re-assessed.
Rule: Automatically reply to WISMO requests:
Rule description: Answer and resolve inquiries about order status.
Rule benefit: Provide instant responses to the most common question in ecommerce customer support and free your agents up for higher-impact interactions.
How to set up Rule:
📚 Related reading: Check out our complete guide to automating WISMO requests.
Use Views to prioritize tickets
Views filter and organize customer data within the left sidebar, allowing customer service teams to access and respond to customer inquiries quickly. Views can also prioritize tickets by urgency or organize them by channel. This feature helps customer service teams manage their workload more efficiently and provides insights into common customer issues or trends.
Views are simple to set up based on ticket tags and other qualities, so we won’t spend time explaining how to set them up here. Instead, we’ll share a couple of types of Views you’ll likely find useful.
Views based on urgency
Building views based on urgency within Gorgias is a good idea for several reasons:
- Prioritization: Prioritizing customer inquiries based on urgency is critical to providing timely and effective customer support. By creating a system that identifies urgent issues and addresses them promptly, support teams can improve overall customer satisfaction and prevent potential negative feedback.
- Improved workflow: Building views based on urgency helps support teams manage their workloads more effectively. For example, they can assign urgent customer inquiries to agents who can handle them immediately and postpone less urgent inquiries.
- Better CX: Responding promptly to urgent customer inquiries is essential to maintaining a positive customer experience. By prioritizing urgent inquiries, support teams can ensure that customers who need immediate assistance receive it promptly, enhancing customer loyalty and trust.
- Better visibility: Urgency is key to determining the overall health of a support queue. By creating views based on urgency, support teams can gain visibility into the volume and types of high-priority customer inquiries, allowing them to make informed decisions about staffing and resource allocation.
Views based on channel
Building views based on specific channels within Gorgias can be extremely helpful for your brand’s customer service needs:
- Improved efficiency: Creating views based on specific channels allows agents to quickly access and manage the most relevant interactions for that channel. This function can improve a support team's overall efficiency and productivity by reducing the time spent searching for specific customer inquiries.
- Channel-specific information: Different channels, such as email, chat, or social media, may have unique requirements and data fields that are specific to that channel. Building views based on your specific support channels allows your team to access and manage this channel-specific information easily.
- Better CX: Your support teams can ensure that they provide a tailored and consistent experience to customers, no matter the channel they choose, which can help improve customer satisfaction and increase the likelihood of repeat business.
- Better visibility: Your brand can gauge the overall volume and type of interactions occurring on each channel. The data from this view will provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can inform future support and business decisions.
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Write Macro templates
Macros in Gorgias are pre-made responses that insert commonly-used text into a ticket response after being triggered by a keyboard shortcut or by clicking a Gorgias interface button.
They help agents decrease response times by eliminating the need to repeatedly (and manually) type the same response for similar customer service inquiries. A customer service representative might use a Macro to insert a standard response to a frequently asked question or even a product return request.
As we tell our own TalentPop agents during training, it is never in your best interest to 100% rely on Macros. Macros should be a foundation for writing responses to customers, as every inquiry is unique and each customer deserves a personalized experience.
Macros for returns and exchanges
Handling returns and exchanges can be complex. As a customer service management agency that has worked with over 500 top ecommerce brands, we can confidently say that a “one-size-fits-all” approach is not the correct one for these situations.
With this in mind, we generally provide our agents with different options to handle situations based on client SOPs.
Below you will find an example of what an unbranded Macro for this could look like:
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
It's {{current_user.firstname}} from [Brand Name].
Thanks for reaching out!
Use this Macro to state the return policy
You can return an item within [X days] of receiving your order.
Once we receive your package, please allow up to 2 weeks for us to receive and inspect your product.
Once everything is properly verified on our end, we can process the return and issue the credit back to your original payment method.
For more information, please take a look here [Link to Return Policy].
Use this Macro if the customer is eligible for a return
We would love to help you out regarding your return request.
Since you received your goods within the return window of [X days], we can absolutely help you with a return.
Attached is a return label you can use to ship the items back to us.
Once we receive your package, please allow up to [X days] for us to receive and inspect your product.
Once everything is properly verified on our end, we can process the return and issue a credit back to your original payment method.
For more information, please take a look here [Link to Return Policy].
Use this Macro if the customer is not eligible for a return
Your order was delivered on [Delivery Date] and is already past our return window of [X Days], we can no longer process a return.
For more information, please take a look here [Link to Return Policy].
Should you have any further questions, please let me know and I am more than happy to assist you.
All the best!
{{current_user.firstname}}
[Brand Name]
💡Tip: Another option to make this Macro more concise is to separate the situation types specifically. I.e. Return: Return Policy, Return: Within Return Window, Return: Outside of Return Window, etc. We find this the best approach, as it provides you with cleaner data that you can use to better understand customer situations.
Macros for refund processes
Just like exchanges, we can either create a single Macro that explains different options for an agent to choose from, or create separate Macros for each situation (like regular refund/order cancellations, damaged refunds [minor/major defect], discount errors, product out of stock, subscription refund, etc.)
Below you will find an example of what an unbranded Macro for this could look like:
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
It's {{current_user.firstname}} from (Brand Name). Thanks for reaching out!
I am more than happy to help you out with your refund request.
If the customer is eligible for a refund
I've refunded your last order {{ticket.customer.integrations.shopify.orders[0].name}} as requested.
If the customer is eligible for a partial refund
We have successfully processed a partial refund on your order {{ticket.customer.integrations.shopify.orders[0].name}} as requested.
Please allow (X-X) business days for the refund to be processed. These funds will be refunded back to the original form of payment used for the purchase.
Thank you and please let us know if there is anything else that we can help you with.
If the customer isn't eligible for a refund or store credit
We are very sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with your purchase. We can't process your refund request at this time because (insert the reason why a refund is not applicable).
Please let us know if you have any questions on this.
If the customer wants to follow up on a refund request that has been processed
Upon checking your order {{ticket.customer.integrations.shopify.orders[0].name}}, I can confirm that your refund has been processed on our end. You will see the refund amount on your payment account within 3-5 business days.
If you do not see any updates, I would recommend contacting your bank directly to verify the refund progress.
We apologize for any delays on this.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
All the best!
{{current_user.firstname}}
[Brand Name]
💡Tip: If you create a more specific refund Macro, we recommend adding the specific tags and corresponding actions that should be taken while using it. For example:
This action lets you choose whether you want to process a full refund or a partial refund:
Macros for appeasing customers with defective or damaged products
Minor Defects
Hello {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
It's {{current_user.firstname}} from (Brand Name). Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I am so sorry for how you received this item!
Since this defect seems it should not affect the integrity of the item, we can provide the following options:
1. Keep the item and we will issue an XX% discount code for the inconvenience and condition that the product showed up in.
2. We will issue a return label for you to be able to send it back and we can then process a replacement or a refund.
Please note that if you decide to keep the item, it will not qualify for further compensation in the future if any additional issues occur.
Thank you,
{{current_user.firstname}}
[Brand Name]
Major Defects
Hello {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
It's {{current_user.firstname}} from (Brand Name). Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We're so sorry you received your order damaged. We totally understand how frustrating this feels and we'd love to be able to make it up to you!
Here are a few options for you to choose from:=
1. A replacement (if stock allows).
2. A refund back to your original payment method.
3. A refund in form of store credit (gift card).
Please let us know what option would work best!
If the customer demands compensation for sending a defective product
Also, please use the discount code XXXX on your next purchase as a gift from us.
Thank you!
{{current_user.firstname}}
[Brand Name]
In the examples above, you may notice that in both situations, we are providing customers with options to choose from. From our experience, when customers can choose the type of service they want, they are more likely to be satisfied with their overall experience.
Macros for dealing with order cancellations
Order Cancellation: Not Shipped
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
We would love to assist you!
If the customer did not tell us what they wanted to change
Can you kindly share with us what you would like to change in your order?
Once we have this information, we can go ahead and update your order.
If the customer provided complete details regarding the order change request
We have successfully updated your order. We have sent you a new order confirmation to your email for your reference.
Please let me know if you have any questions and we look forward to getting your order in your hands!
Order Cancellation: Shipped
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}},
It appears that your order was fulfilled last {{ticket.customer.integrations.shopify.orders[0].fulfillments[0].created_at|datetime_format("MMMM d YYYY")}} and unfortunately we can no longer cancel it.
You can simply refuse the package upon delivery, and once your online tracking information updates that your order is on its way back to us, please let us know over email so we can assist and provide you with either a store credit or a refund.
If the customer did not provide the reason for cancellation
Out of curiosity, can you kindly share what made you change your mind about your order? I'd love to share this with our Product Team! From there, we can understand how we can improve things on our end and how we can best help you out.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to your reply.
Macros for live chat
Live chat can be an impactful support channel for your ecommerce business, as it can decrease response times, improve your overall customer experience, and drive revenue further.
Live chat closing message
This Macro is great to use as a sign-off; you can amend it according to your brand voice or the situation at hand.
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}}!
I hope I was able to address your concerns.
Please feel free to reach out anytime. All the best! {{current_user.firstname}}
If we can be of further assistance, please free to reach us again or send us an email at support@client.com. Thank you and have a great day!
Live chat for an agent coming soon
This Macro is great to use when you have agents online and receive a live chat message, but are busy responding to another customer.
Hi {{ticket.customer.firstname}}! We received your message and an agent will be with you soon!
You can pair this Macro with an autoresponder Rule, so customers automatically receive this message in response to the first live chat message they send. Here’s what that Rule looks like:
Get extra help from TalentPop to optimize your helpdesk
The basic setup of Gorgias is easy, but some brands may want extra help to fully customize Tags, Views, Rules, and Macros to provide great service as efficiently as possible. If this sounds like you, TalentPop is here to help.
As a trusted Gorgias Partner, we have extensive experience with Gorgias’s helpdesk. We understand that every business is different, and we strive to help each of our clients find the best solutions that work for their teams. We’re well equipped to customize the platform to your preferences and unique situation streamline your processes and help your business grow.
Whether you’re getting started with Gorgias or are ready to level up your helpdesk to meet your needs, our implementation team is here to be your Gorgias guide.
If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help, book a call with our team for a free consultation.
You’re Doing It Wrong: Better Ways to Use Email as a Customer Service Channel
TL;DR:
- Email is a common customer service channel but can be slow and challenging to manage.
- To maximize email as a support channel, use it as a stepping stone to faster channels.
- Email allows for longer, more detailed responses and is accessible on all devices.
- To effectively use email, use contact forms instead of listing an email address, funnel customers to faster channels when possible, prioritize tickets by topic and urgency, use templates for consistency, enrich emails with customer and order information, and supplement emails with self-service resources.
As of June 2022, 64% of US customers prefer email when contacting brands, so it’s clear why email is a mainstay in customer support programs. Even still, the Internet’s snail mail can sometimes translate to a slow and negative experience.
So, how do you maximize email as a customer service channel? You use it as a stepping stone to point customers to faster support channels.
Email is simply the medium; the resources are your answer. From including Help Center articles in your emails to replacing a raw mailto link with a user-friendly contact form, we’ll present plenty of ways to transform email into an efficient support channel.
The good and bad of email as a customer service channel
Like all channels, email has its benefits and weaknesses, but you can’t rely on it alone. Here’s what you can expect from email as a customer service channel.
The good 👍
Email is a commonly preferred channel for customers
It would be unwise to skip offering email support when more than half of customers prefer it over social media. Email support provides a vital bridge to connect with customers, especially if you’re a DTC business that can't engage with your shoppers in person.
Email allows for longer, more detailed responses to inquiries
Email can illustrate solutions for customers with embedded links, images, and attachments — something instant channels like social media DMs and SMS would handle with more difficulty.
For example, look below at Dr. Squatch’s eyecatching promotional email. Their use of multiple high-quality images, call-to-action buttons, social links, and logos proves how email can accommodate the most elaborate messages.
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Email is accessible
If you have a digital footprint, email is almost always a requirement. You need it when creating a new account or when contacting people. It’s even accessible on all devices. Email’s prevalence means customers will expect online stores to offer email support at the very least.
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The bad 👎
Email tends to be a slower channel
The average first response time for email is 7 hours and 34 minutes. While most people tolerate how slow email is, it still doesn’t make for the best customer service experience. Urgent customer questions about product defects or bank account issues require rapid responses that other channels are better suited for.
Email inquiries can be challenging to categorize and prioritize
Email allows for more creative liberty than other messaging channels but also has downsides. Since customers are free to format their own subject lines and messages, the responsibility of sorting through your inbox is on your agents.
The problem here isn’t just about maintaining a clean workspace but ensuring urgent messages like angry customer emails aren’t overlooked due to a messy inbox.
How to use email as part of your customer support program
Support teams often feel their inbox is an obstacle course rife with concerned customers and a flood of recurring questions. Luckily, there’s a solution: use a customer service helpdesk that can consolidate email and other support tickets to keep your inbox and support team at bay.
Here’s how to effectively use email as a support channel with a helpdesk like Gorgias.
Don’t list an email address — use contact forms instead
Why? To maintain organization 🗂️ and increase service quality ✨
Plainly leaving your email address on your contact page can be intimidating for customers. What should they put in the subject line? Will they actually get a reply back? Since this contact method has practically no guidelines, you’ll want to set parameters to make reaching out more approachable.
How? Do away with a raw email link and use a contact form. Contact forms provide structure to emails. Thanks to step-by-step guidance through drop-down menus and required fields, you can sort emails even before they reach you.
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💡 Tip: We recommend that merchants don't direct customers to an email address for support. Instead, use a contact form to intake email support. Contact forms are superior because messages get structural data that helps customer service agents categorize and prioritize incoming tickets.
Funnel customers to faster channels when you can
Why? To increase customer satisfaction (CSAT) score 👍
Don’t forget that you can start an interaction via email and move to a different channel. This tactic isn't new — it's known as omnichannel communication. After all, 46% of customers expect a response time of 4 hours or less, and if switching support channels is the key to providing faster service, then go for it.
How? Let’s say a panicked customer wants to reverse duplicate charges on their credit card ASAP. This interaction could take multiple back and forths spanning several business days. Instead, you can reap the benefits of voice support, SMS or WhatsApp by directing them to your phone number.
“Being able to organize and divert tickets internally, having a good FAQ, making sure that you're actually solving the problems instead of putting band-aids on them, all goes into [reducing] resolution time.” —Zoe Kahn, Manager of CX & Retention at Chomps
Prioritize tickets by topic and urgency
Why? To maintain organization 🗂️ and increase customer retention 🤝
A common customer service mistake is treating tickets on a first-come-first-serve basis. This can lead to more unhappy customers because some tickets are less urgent than others. This is where prioritization can be effective.
How? First, categorize incoming tickets with Gorgias Rules and Tags. Do this by determining the conditions for which tickets should be tagged with an “Urgent” tag. For example, emails containing the word “cancel” will be tagged “Urgent.” Now your most high-value tickets will be solved and your loyal customers won’t need to worry.
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How to prioritize unsatisfied customers: Set up a Rule to identify and auto-tag customer complaints as Urgent so you can turn their day around with exceptional customer service.
Use templates to create a consistent standard of service
Why? To increase service quality ✨ and enforce brand voice 🗣️
Being an advocate for personalized customer service doesn’t mean automation needs to be off-limits. Automation can and should be your best friend.
Automating customer service reduces response times and standardizes service quality. Automation can also capture data from customer interactions, letting support teams make data-driven improvements to their operations.
How? Use Macros (pre-written sample emails) to immediately answer questions about common topics, such as shipping information, return policies, and product-specific questions. Macros are a convenient way to compose professional messages, like customer apology emails, while allowing agents to add a personal touch.
📚 Related: The risks & rewards of customer service automation
Enrich emails with customer and order information
Why? To increase customer satisfaction 👍 and service quality ✨
The biggest challenge about sending emails as a business is striking a balance between valuable and bothersome. It’s not only about crafting attractive promotional emails but making even the most mundane “Your order has shipped!” emails pop with purpose.
How? Integrate your ecommerce platform of choice, whether it’s Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento (Adobe Commerce), with Gorgias. You can view customer information from your chosen platform in the Customer Sidebar and extract the data to automatically populate emails.
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Supplement emails with self-service resources
Why? To increase customer satisfaction score 👍 and reduce ticket volume 🔻
In ecommerce, a self-service resource is any resource that answers customer issues without talking to an agent. They include a Help Center (or knowledge base), FAQs, or automated chat widgets.
How? Create a Help Center with linkable articles that can be inserted into customer support emails. This is especially useful for new customers who may want to ask several frequently asked questions. A Help Center effectively acts as technical support, while freeing up agents to deal with more unique tickets.
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A successful customer support program should maximize self-service options to minimize manual effort.
Metrics to track your email performance
How well are you serving your customers through email? The answer lies in measuring how quickly you accomplish support tasks like opening and closing a ticket. But it's not only about speed. Tracking metrics is invaluable for troubleshooting gaps in your customer service operations.
Here are three metrics that can shed a light on how well your customer support team is using email.
Average first response time
Average first response time is the average time it takes for your customer service team to send the first response to a customer after receiving a request.
🕒 Industry average: 18 hours (Timetoreply)
🟢 Time to aim for: Under 4 hours
🔻 What slows it down: Inadequate staffing, lack of automation, and poor prioritization
➕ How to improve it: Use automation like Rules, Tags, Macros, and more self-service options
Average resolution time
Average resolution time refers to the average amount of time it takes to resolve or address a specific issue or request, typically measured in hours or days.
🕒 Industry average: 18.1 hours (Gorgias)
🟢 Time to aim for: Same day
🔻 What slows it down: Inefficient process, disorganized inbox, and complex issues
➕ How to improve it: Reroute tickets to faster channels like voice, and build self-service options like a Help Center
First contact resolution rate
First contact resolution rate or FCR rate measures the rate of resolving a customer inquiry within the first interaction. An excellent FCR rate indicates that your support team is well-trained to be able to solve issues efficiently.
🕒 Industry standard: 70% (Fullview)
🟢 Rate to aim for: 78% (Qualtrics)
🔻 What slows it down: Complex issues and lack of customer service skills training
➕ How to improve it: Add more self-service options, ensure agents are given complete information on product/service knowledge and resolution techniques
[Callout] How to calculate FCR: Total number of requests resolved with one interaction in a single time period / the total number of requests in the same time period
Once you’ve got the hang of the basics, you can refine your operation by tracking 25 more customer support metrics.
Manage email — and all your other channels — with Gorgias
Email is stronger when combined with other channels — no one knows this better than multitasking expert Gorgias.
As a powerful helpdesk tool, Gorgias offers omnichannel support and powerful automation features like Macros and Rules that make managing email effortless. You can even supercharge Gorgias with integrations to ecommerce apps like Shopify, Yotpo, and Shipbob to keep you focused on delivering support without distractions.
Ready to bring in a crowd of happy customers? Book a demo now.
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A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Customer Service Operations
Customer service agents are front and center when they provide customers with outstanding support. But once you pull back the curtains, you’ll find the support operations team behind the scenes supporting conversations, tools, and more.
Like backstage managers, a customer support operations team identifies opportunities for your support team to be more efficient while keeping both your company and customers happy.
I’m Bri Christiano, the Director of Customer Support at Gorgias, and I know first-hand how hectic it can be to perfect your customer service processes. We'll go through how a support operation team functions, the benefits, how to build the team including key roles.
What does customer support operations do?
Customer support operations oversees the technical, operational, and organizational parts of customer support. As a distinct team, they support the customer service team, including the representatives and managers.
You may think, but isn’t that what customer service managers are for?
Not quite.
Customer support managers are on the frontline with agents and ensure the operations run smoothly. A support ops team member enables the frontline team to do their best work.
What is a support operations team?
A support operations team constructs the blueprint that makes your company’s customer service processes run more efficiently while hitting your business targets. Some common roles on a support ops team include managers, analysts, developers or product managers, trainers, and specialists.
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A guide to support operations teams
Investing in a support operations team is a step toward improving the customer experience, which can lead to a 2-7% increase in sales revenue.
Below we'll explore the advantages of establishing a support ops team, show you the tell-tale signs of when it's time to invest, and provide an overview of each role and function.
Benefits of having a support ops team
When you enlist the help of a strategic support ops team, you gain:
- Predictable, stable operations. A support ops team standardizes your customer service processes, which can help managers and agents stay on the same page and deliver consistent, high-quality service.
- A better future for the customer service team. CS leads may only forecast a few months or a year ahead. A support ops team can strategize years in advance and plan for more scenarios with their reporting expertise.
- A louder voice of support across the org. A support ops team aligns customer service with the company’s targets and has the power to bring relevant issues to other teams. This allows the often-isolated customer service team to be better represented across the company.
- A stronger, alternate perspective to customer service. The support ops team provides a big-picture view that a customer service team doesn’t have the time to look into. You can arrive at a more complete view with the help of support ops.
Every support ops role & responsibility, ranked by budget
A full-fledged support ops team includes a manager, developer, analyst, trainer, and specialist. However, not all organizations have the budget for every support ops role. In that case, you’ll want to find candidates who can take on the responsibilities of multiple roles.
Below, we’ve ranked each support ops role based on your company’s hiring budget.
1. Support ops specialist
Hiring budget: Low
Customer operations specialists provide support to customer service teams by managing technical aspects, including assisting with setup, analyzing metrics, and reporting, while also lending a hand to enhance customer experience.
Responsibilities:
- Identify when to help customers and note signs of potential issues or opportunities for more sales
- Understand how the product works and know who to ask for help with specific product issues
- Collect important data and make reports about how satisfied customers are, what products they like, and takes note of what competitors are doing
2. Support trainer
Hiring budget: Low
A customer support operations trainer is responsible for educating and preparing customer service representatives to effectively handle inquiries, issues, and interactions with customers.
Responsibilities:
- Create and update training materials that the customer support team uses
- Deliver onboarding and ongoing training sessions and workshops to keep team members up-to-date with industry best practices
- Assess the effectiveness of training programs through feedback collection, performance metrics analysis, and evaluations
3. Support operations analyst
Hiring budget: Medium
A customer support operations analyst analyzes data and metrics related to customer interactions and customer service processes to identify trends and improve the overall quality of customer support.
Responsibilities:
- Create a complex staffing model with multiple inputs and considerations
- Create reports based on KPIs and present findings to the customer support team
- Assess support workflows and processes to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks, and makes recommendations for optimization
- Evaluate and implement tools and automation solutions to streamline tasks
4. Developer or Product Manager
Hiring budget: High
A customer support operations developer (also known as a product manager) creates and maintains the systems, tools, and processes used to enhance and streamline customer support operations.
Responsibilities:
- Create and maintains tools and applications that enhance the efficiency and functionality of support operations, including self-service tools and chatbots
- Automate repetitive tasks and processes within support operations to reduce the manual work done by agents
- Assist and troubleshoot technical issues for support agents to ensure they can effectively use the necessary tools
5. Support operations manager
Hiring budget: High
A support ops manager oversees and coordinates the operational aspects of customer support teams.
Responsibilities:
- Oversee the support ops team and recruit, train, and mentors team members
- Analyze data and key performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions for customer service
- Develop strategies to align support operations with overall business objectives, including budget management and resource allocation
- Planning for each upcoming quarter and setting key performance metrics
- Working with customer service managers and aligning on goals with them
When to build a support ops team
There are a few signs that indicate you’re ready to expand and join forces with a support ops team.
1. New roles and duties are popping up
As your business grows, new roles start to emerge to accommodate your team’s size and customer base. This may look like managers and agents finding themselves taking on more operational tasks like leading training sessions, tool workshops, or focusing on data to increase profits.
If these duties are taking away time for you to do your regular customer service responsibilities (like resolving customer issues or supervising your agents), it’s time to invest in support ops.
2. Your support leads are spread across multiple time zones
If support leads are located in various time zones, it’s harder for your team to get on the same page. For instance, one team lead may prioritize using brand voice more than another lead does. This results in inconsistent and confusing brand messaging.
To align your team leads, you’ll need one source of information to standardize your processes — and that can be fulfilled by a support ops manager.
3. Your current workflow can’t keep up with complex tickets
If your workflow fails to cover all your customer inquiries, it may be time to redesign your processes. Unfortunately, building an efficient workflow from scratch takes time that managers typically don’t have. Support ops is exactly the team you need to ideate, test, and deploy these workflows.
Processes, policies, and automation: a framework for optimizing customer support operations
Focus on building a sound hiring process
Rushing to fill positions will only harm your brand and customers in the long run. When hiring for customer service, use a proactive hiring process. This means taking the time to take stock of your needs and resources, and being selective about your candidates.
Here are three ways to be intentional with the hiring process:
- Determine which specialized support roles are needed. Are new operational duties being delegated to managers or agents? Maybe you need an analyst to make better use of your data or a training specialist for your growing team.
- Assess the inefficiencies in your current support operations. Certain support ops roles can fill in the gaps that your support team doesn’t have the time for. For example, a support ops developer can improve your tools, while a support ops manager can take care of hitting your business targets.
- Consider your budget. Your budget will determine the size of your support ops team. Be realistic and adjust your expectations according to your needs. This can mean hiring for one support ops team member or outsourcing.
🧠 Learn more: Why proactive customer service is essential for growing your business
Implement a customer service policy as soon as possible
A customer service policy is a document containing a set of guidelines, rules, and standards for customer service teams. Its goal is to help agents handle day-to-day tasks and set benchmarks for great customer service.
These documents are essentially guides for how the customer service team should work. Agents can use them when they onboard or need a refresher. They can even be adapted into customer-facing policies.
📚 Related reading: How to build an FAQ page + 7 examples
Set realistic SLAs
A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract that outlines the minimum acceptable service between one party and another. In your case, the ops team and the support team. An SLA typically covers topics like SLA best practices, including service availability and average response times.
Here’s how to create one:
- Define objectives and metrics: Clearly define the objectives and expectations of the support ops team and the customer support team. Identify specific key performance indicators that both teams can stick to.
- Agree on responsibilities: Specify who’s responsible for what tasks on both teams, including training, reporting, and development to avoid miscommunication.
- Set performance targets: Establish targets and deadlines for meeting performance metrics. These targets should be realistic and aligned with the organization's goals and customer expectations.
- Compose, review, and publish the document: Share your document with all members of the support ops and customer service team. You may even conduct a meeting to align on your new agreement.
- Continuously improve: Schedule regular SLA review meetings between the support ops and customer support teams to assess performance, identify areas for improvement, and create new initiatives.
Create a solid training plan for the customer service team
Elevating the quality of training for the support team significantly increases customer satisfaction. Improvement is key: 40% of customers claim that they stop doing business with companies who have poor customer service.
Some ideas for useful training activities:
- Improve customer interactions by reviewing tickets as a team
- Deepen product knowledge with Loom videos
- Drill down empathy by mapping the customer journey together
- Refine soft skills with workshops dedicated to active listening, empathy, and effective communication
- Practice responding to public social media reviews and comments
When you put these strategies together, you empower your ops team with the expertise and resources needed to excel in their roles, allowing them to pass the knowledge on to your customer service reps.
Write templates that your agents can use in various circumstances
Agents shouldn’t have to spend their time crafting templates — that’s a job for the support ops team. With templates, agents can speed up resolution times and increase customer satisfaction scores (CSAT).
Here are the key templates to prep for customer service agents:
- Where is my order? (WISMO) response
- Order shipment update
- Returned/refunded order
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Complaint acknowledgment
- Follow-up emails for prior tickets
- Feedback/survey requests
On Gorgias, you can quickly create a library of templates with Macros. Whenever you need to send a canned response, just click the template or Macro you need and you’re done — no need to type anything out.
🧠 Learn more: 25+ customer service scripts inspired by top ecommerce brands
Use tagging to organize and prioritize tickets
An unorganized inbox can ruin customer experience and risk your highest-value customers. By implementing a system that strategically tags and prioritizes tickets, the customer support team can focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.
To create a library of useful tags, ask yourself these questions:
- What are the most common inquiries?
- Which channels receive the most urgent inquiries?
- Which types of tickets require escalation?
- Can you identify high-value customers from the inquiry?
Based on these questions, you can start creating Tags based on the most relevant customer query topics, ticket urgency, high-value vs. low-value tickets, and response urgency.
Harness automation to streamline workflows
Automating parts of the customer service workflow can be a game-changer. Work with the customer service team to identify the repetitive tasks in their day that they can go without and offload to automation.
On Gorgias, you can create Rules to…
- Auto-tag tickets. Automatically apply tags to tickets to categorize them based on keywords, issue types, or other criteria for easier tracking.
- Send automated responses. Send pre-written responses (called Macros) to customers based on specific triggers or ticket attributes.
- Assign tickets to specific agents. You can assign incoming tickets to specific support agents or teams based on criteria like keywords or urgency.
- Auto-close resolved tickets. Automatically close tickets when certain criteria are met, such as a customer confirming issue resolution.
Check out our customer service automation guide for more tips on which automations can speed up your support.
How Princess Polly built a seamless customer service operations system
Princess Polly, the leading Australian fashion DTC brand, is an expert when it comes to establishing streamlined customer service operations.
With their priorities set on comprehensive metrics and a constant feedback loop, they entrusted Gorgias to do the heavy lifting. Immediately after using Gorgias, Princess Polly managed to increase their efficiency by 40%, decrease resolution time by 80%, and decrease first response time by 95%.
📚 Read more: Princess Polly improves their CX team efficiency by benefiting from Gorgias-Shopify integration
Optimize your support ops team’s efficiency with Gorgias
Whether you're starting your support ops team from scratch or expanding it, Gorgias can be there to build it with you. With powerful features like Macros for automating routine tasks and detailed support performance and revenue statistics at your fingertips, Gorgias empowers your support ops team to work smarter, not harder. Unlock a new level of productivity by booking a Gorgias demo today.
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How to Evaluate the Effectiveness & Impact of Your Customer Service Team
As the Customer Experience Manager at Dr. Squatch, a men's naturally-derived personal care company, I’m constantly looking for ways to craft exceptional experiences for our customers. But the question to ask is: does it actually make a difference to our revenue?
Unearthing the impact of your customer service team starts with evaluation. To do this, it’s essential to track metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) around customer service.
Evaluating the impact of a customer service team can sometimes be an ambiguous task. That’s why I’m here to outline the most important customer service metrics to watch, so you can effortlessly recognize the ways your customer service team directly moves the needle.
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What is customer support evaluation?
Customer support evaluation is the process of measuring your customer service program's impact on the business.
It requires using metrics and KPIs to understand whether your support team is providing a great customer experience that can generate repeat customers, positive reviews, referrals, and more.
Evaluating your customer support also requires understanding the return on investment (ROI). In other words, do the benefits produced by your support efforts outweigh the cost of your support program?
The benefits of evaluating customer service
In almost every business, a developed support program is worth its weight in gold. Evaluating your program is how you prove it to company leadership, earning you additional budget for tools and team members.
You can think of a strong customer experience as a rising tide that lifts all ships — the impact is vast but also hard to quantify.
At Dr. Squatch, we’re close with our customers and even closer to the numbers. Once we started employing a data-driven approach to customer support management, it made a huge difference in both customer satisfaction and hitting company targets.
Let’s look at the five incredible benefits you get after you make evaluation a regular part of your customer service program.
1) Detailed insight into your customers’ needs
Customer inquiries are a treasure trove of rich data for you to dig into to create a better experience for future interactions. By evaluating metrics like customer satisfaction (CSAT) or average resolution time, you can identify key trends and issues online shoppers are dealing with and update your customer service strategy.
On Gorgias, your incoming tickets are automatically sorted by AI-powered intent and sentiment detection, giving you a quick overview of which customer issues should be at the top of the list.
2) Identifies which customer service tasks can be automated
It’s not enough to have a talented team replying on behalf of your brand. You need to make sure your team is focusing on the right activities and not wasting their time on the wrong ones.
By measuring metrics related to your team’s performance — like first response time and resolution time — you can identify which tasks can be done with automation. You’ll also be able to figure out which agents on your team may need more training and support.
3) Balances your revenue and expenses
Customer acquisition is becoming more expensive, so keeping track of customer service can give you an idea of how much customer service truly provides within your organization.
4) Lets you calculate the true customer lifetime value
True lifetime value is the measure of a customer’s worth over the duration of the customer-business relationship.
Keep in mind, it’s less expensive to keep current customers than to find new ones. This is increasingly true as customer acquisition costs and social media ad prices soar.
5) Helps to create predictable support quality
Solid customer support quality is predictable. And that’s not a bad thing. That means when anything new, surprising, or daunting happens, you don’t need to call in a special task force.
Thanks to your stable operations, your whole team will simply need short-term and long-term action plans, like establishing a list of steps to take and point of contacts and to inform.
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Four key indicators that your customer service program needs a makeover
Beyond bad reviews and customer complaints, there are a few quick ways you can tell if your customer service program is not doing well.
These four key indicators are major signs that your customer service program needs some refining.
1) High contact rate (over 33%)
A contact rate of over 33% means something about your customer journey, communication, or product is not quite right. Your customers aren’t getting the answers they need.
The goal of your customer service team should always be to resolve tickets efficiently. If a customer has to reach out to your brand multiple times, you most likely need to update your support resources.
Leading indicator: Multiple touchpoints per customer
How to fix it: Include more self-service options to give customers quick answers without having to wait to talk to an agent. Add a Help Center, chat widget, or send informative confirmation and post-purchase emails. For example, our chat widget at Dr. Squatch suggests common questions and answers them via an automated quick response flow based on the customers’ reply.
2) A customer satisfaction score (CSAT) under 4/5
Your customers should be coming away from interactions feeling good about your brand and the support it provides. There’s no acceptable reason for a low CSAT score, so you should always take a closer look when it starts to fall.
Leading indicator: Friction in customer conversations
How to fix it: Provide additional training to your support agents to ensure they’re equipped to handle the most pressing customer requests effectively and empathetically. Then, actively seek feedback from customers and use their input to make continuous improvements to your program.
3) Inconsistent first response time and resolution time
Your first response time (FRT) will fluctuate, and most people understand that, but waiting 4 days for an email from support is unacceptable for today’s shoppers. In general, customers want answers within 10 minutes.
Leading indicator: More customer complaints and a low CSAT
How to fix it: Align with your team and identify your customer base’s main complaints. To deflect repeat inquiries, immediately add self-service options like a Help Center or a chat widget to your online store. You can also use automated responses to acknowledge inquiries right away.
4) Significant percentage of revenue spent on support
Ecommerce companies should aim to spend anywhere from 10% to 15% of revenue on customer service. If you’re spending significantly more than that, it may be a sign that it’s time to reprioritize and take a closer look at how your agents are performing.
Leading indicator: Low agent efficiency
How to fix it: Analyze ticket volume and estimate how many tickets each agent should be able handle and in what set amount of time. When expectations are set within a service level agreement (SLA), align your team and train them on your new methods.
Challenges that impact your customer service program
Managing a customer service program comes with challenges that typically start from the top of the organization and quickly become a domino effect.
Here are the most common challenges a customer service program faces:
- A lack of buy-in from your company. Executive teams may not understand the value in investing in a support team. They often think customer service is there to keep problems away, instead of bringing new value in.
- Under-supported agents. A lack of trust in the customer service team trickles down to agents. It results in insufficient resources and, in turn, overworked and unmotivated support reps.
- Inadequate policies and guidelines. Since agents don’t have the proper resources, the quality of policies take a hit. Whether customer-facing or internal, these policies can suffer from being too broad or unenforced.
- High ticket volumes. An non-cohesive team ultimately affects how customer service runs and the biggest indicator is a workflow that can’t handle a large number of customer inquiries.
These challenges usually exist for one reason: your company hasn’t seen the tangible value your customer service program brings.
So, how do you prove it? By prioritizing data collection and evaluating your customer service program, of course.
📚 Read more: 12 customer service challenges harming your team and revenue (+ how to solve them)
How to evaluate your customer service program’s success
Let’s dive into 12 of the most important customer service KPIs to track to help evaluate your customer service program. By doing so, you’ll be able to recognize how the assistance you provide directly impacts your goals, revenue, and customers.
Note: It’s hard to create a one-size-fits-all reporting template — due to the differences between industries and companies — but a solid understanding of these metrics will help you create a plan for tracking the ones that matter most to your business.
1) Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
The customer satisfaction score tracks how satisfied customers are with your company’s products and services. A high CSAT is a reliable measure of good customer service.
How is it measured?
First, you’ll need to collect customer data through a customer satisfaction survey, typically sent through email. It includes a single question like, “On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with your experience today?”
Once you’ve collected enough responses, use this formula:
CSAT = (Satisfied customers / Total customers surveyed) x 100
Tools for measuring CSAT
There are a ton of tools out there to help you track your organization’s CSAT, but a few to check out include:
Why is it important?
Tracking your company’s CSAT gives you important insight into exactly how satisfied customers are right after an interaction with a member of your team. It can even help identify potential issues before they grow too large.
2) Net promoter score (NPS)
Net promoter score (NPS) measures how likely a customer is to recommend your brand to another person. It indicates how effective your customer service is as well as how satisfied customers are by gathering data about how likely they are to promote your brand.
How is it measured?
Like measuring CSAT, you can use a survey approach. Through email, you can ask your customers, “How likely are you to recommend our brand to a family member or friend?”
To determine your NPS, subtract the percentage of detractors (people who say they wouldn’t promote your brand) from the percentage of promoters (those who said they would promote your brand). The resulting score is a whole number between -100 and 100.
Here’s the formula:
NPS = Percentage of promoters - Percentage of detractors
Similar to tracking CSAT, NPS data can be continuously gathered, but we recommend checking in on a monthly basis.
Read more about NPS scores and how they’re calculated.
Tools for measuring NPS
Check out our guide to how to create an NPS survey that gets responses.
Why is it important?
Your brand’s NPS directly ties to the customer relationship as well as how well your customer success team is doing. Tracking NPS along with CSAT can give you a clearer picture of how customers feel about your brand.
3) Customer retention rate (CRR)
As mentioned previously, retaining customers is always less expensive than finding new customers, that’s why your customer retention rate is a vital metric to keep track of. In particular, ecommerce companies have an average CRR of about 30%, according to Omniconvert, so if your company’s CRR is lower than that, it could be a sign that your customer support isn’t as effective as it could be.
How is it measured?
To calculate CRR, you’ll need the following information: number of customers at the end of a given time period (E), number of customers gained within that time period (N), number of customers at the beginning of the time period (S).
Then, plug those numbers into this formula:
CRR = [(E-N)/S] x 100
Tools for measuring CRR
Why is it important?
Your company’s ability to retain customers directly relates to its success because when customers disappear, so does revenue.
4) Net retention rate (NRR)
Sometimes known as net dollar retention (NDR) or net revenue rate, NRR is the percentage of recurring revenue retained from your existing customer base over a period of time. This period can be monthly, quarterly, or annually. According to Klipfolio, a good NRR can range between 90% and 125% depending on your brand’s target customer size.
How is it measured?
NRR = [(Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) at the start of a month + expansions + upsells - churn - contractions) / MRR at the start of the month] x 100
Tools for measuring NRR
Why is it important?
Net revenue retention is another extremely valuable metric that helps you understand how your customers are feeling about your brand and products, as well as how your business is doing from a financial standpoint.
5) First reply time (FRT)
First reply time, or first response time is how long it takes one of your customer service reps to respond to a customer inquiry on average. This could be over email, phone, or chat. Typically, a “good” first reply time is less than 24 hours in a ticketing system, less than 90 seconds for live chat, and three minutes for phone, according to Klipfolio.
If your brand dedicates a lot of time to live chat, check out these metrics specific to live chat.
How is it measured?
You can calculate your first reply time by measuring the duration of time between when a customer submits a request and the time when a member of your customer support team responds.
FRT = Total first response times during period of time / Total number of tickets resolved in that period
Tools for measuring FRT
Why is it important?
First reply times are directly related to your brand’s CSAT. No customer wants to wait days for an email response, or sit on hold for several minutes. Decreasing your first reply times will inevitably increase customer satisfaction.
6) First contact resolution (FCR)
First contact resolution, or first call resolution (FCR), measures an agent’s ability to resolve a customer’s problem or question within the first interaction without requiring a follow up. The average standard benchmark for FCR is 70% to 75%, according to global research.
How is it measured?
You can use this simple formula to calculate FCR:
FCR = Total number of inquiries resolved on the first call / Total number of unique inquiries
Tools for measuring FCR
Why is it important?
Your company’s FCR also directly ties to boosting customer satisfaction. According to McKinsey & Company, 83% of customers expect to be able to resolve their complex issues within one interaction. When you meet customer expectations, you encourage brand loyalty and repeat customers, and reduce encountering difficult customers.
7) Average resolution time (ART)
Customers are happier when they don’t have to wait a long time, and average resolution time (ART) is another metric that keeps track of this data. ART shows how customer service team members are performing, and lets you see who may need additional training or support.
How is it measured?
To measure average resolution time, take the total duration of all resolved conversations and divide that by the number of customer conversations that took place over a specific period of time. This metric is also sometimes referred to as the mean time to resolve, or MTTR.
ART = Total resolution time for all resolved tickets / Total number of tickets solved
Tools for measuring ART
Why is it important?
Your ART is a vital metric that helps keep tabs on how efficient your customer service team is. If your ART is long, or you notice that it’s getting longer, this is a sign that you need to give your processes a closer look and adjust your strategies if needed.
8) Total resolution time
Resolution time is the total time it takes to complete a customer interaction. This is similar to average resolution time, but focuses on the total time spent resolving tickets rather than the average time spent resolving tickets.
How is it measured?
To measure your total resolution time, note the start and end time of each customer conversation over a specific time frame, such as a one-month period.
Measuring your total resolution time doesn’t require a formula, but is much easier to track with a helpdesk that includes support performance statistics like Gorgias.
Tools for measuring total resolution time
Why is it important?
Total resolution time gives you a deeper look into how long your customer service team spends helping customers solve their issues, which can help inform further strategy and business direction.
For example, if the total response time steadily increases over several months, you may need to look at hiring additional customer support reps.
9) Customer effort score (CES)
Your customer effort score (CES) tracks how much effort customers feel like they need to put into resolving an issue. The effort customers should have to put into resolving the issue should be minimal, so you want this score to be as low as possible.
How is it measured?
To measure your brand’s CES, you can use a questionnaire with a scale and ask the question, “On a scale of 1 to 5, how easy was your experience today?” with 1 being “very easy” and 5 being “very hard.”
Once you have your responses, tally up how many of each score you received — meaning, how many times were you rated a 1, a 2, etc. Then, you can use this formula to determine your CES:
CES = Percentage of “very easy” responses - Percentage of “very hard” responses
Much like NPS, CES is a whole number between -100 and 100.
Tools for measuring CES
Why is it important?
CES gives you the opportunity to see how your support team is performing through the eyes of your customers. It can also help identify areas for improvement within your operations if you give customers a place to voice feedback within your questionnaire.
10) Conversation abandonment rate
Your brand’s abandonment rate is a simple, yet highly informational metric. Whether the conversation is happening via email, chat, or phone, if a customer abandons the session, it should be a red flag that there is friction in the process.
How is it measured?
All you need to track is the number of abandoned incidents and the total number of incidents. In this context, “incidents” refers to either calls, emails, or live chat sessions. Once you have those two numbers, you can plug them into the following formula:
Conversation abandonment rate = (Number of abandoned incidents / Total number of incidents) x 100
Tools for measuring conversation abandonment rate
Why is it important?
A customer abandoning a conversation they initiated is a bad sign and can lead to poor net promoter scores and high churn rates.
11) Contact rate
Contact rate, also known as customer contact rate, measures the percentage of active customers who ask for help in a given time period — usually a month.
How is it measured?
To calculate your company’s contact rate, you can divide the number of customers who contact your customer service team for help over the course of a month by the number of total customers. Then, multiply that number by 100.
Contact rate = (Number of customers who contact you in a month / Total number of customers) x 100
Tools for measuring contact rate
Why is it important?
Contact rate is helpful in diagnosing your company’s overall health. For example, a high contact rate may indicate that customers are contacting your support team about everything because you don’t have alternative resources like a Help Center or FAQ page.
12) Backlog
Otherwise known as revenue backlog, backlog is a metric that determines how much revenue will be coming into your business. This metric can be especially helpful if you’re an ecommerce brand that operates on a subscription-based model.
How is it measured?
The only thing you need to determine your revenue backlog is the sum of the values of your customers’ subscriptions. However, this can be much more complicated in practice if your business model has multiple types of subscriptions, so it’s beneficial to use tools to track this metric.
Tools for measuring backlog
Why is it important?
Keeping tabs on your revenue is vital to ensuring the growth and continued success of your brand. By tracking your revenue backlog, you’ll be able to see if revenue is going to drop before it actually does.
How to evaluate individual agent performance in 5 steps
Understanding your customer service program at an organizational level is an excellent step. But what about individual employee performance?
A customer service performance review is key. It gives the agent constructive feedback and provides clear guidance for improvement. The goal of a performance evaluation is to assess their abilities, yes, but also motivate them towards even better performance.
Let’s look at the common performance review phases step by step.
1) Decide the objective of your review
Lay out the objectives of the review. Is it to assess past performance, set future goals, identify areas of improvement, or all of the above?
2) Analyze relevant data
Take a look at the relevant metrics to gauge agent performance. Make sure you have a record of any previous performance reviews, goals set, training undergone, and feedback received.
Key metrics to pinpoint individual performance:
- First contact response time
- Total resolution time
- Average ticket volume
- Error rate
With Gorgias, it’s easy to keep track of every agent’s performance with Support Performance Statistics. Their intuitive dashboard provides a quick look at the health of your support team and even gives you detailed information on each of your team member’s stats, like their first response time, total closed tickets, and more.
3) Run a soft skills and behavioral assessment
How effectively does the agent communicate with customers? Are they clear, empathetic, and responsive? Assess the agent’s ability to diagnose customer problems and find solutions. Look at important customer service skills like problem solving, communication skills, as well as teamwork skills.
4) Present your findings to the agent
Share the metrics you’ve collected and any feedback received from customers. Present this so customer service agents understand how customers perceive them. Discuss the agent’s strengths and achievements, where they need improvement.
5) Set goals and expectations
Discuss immediate and future objectives with the agent. Encourage open dialogue and assure them to come to you with any feedback or concerns.
At the end of the day, you have to care. Make feedback a regular occurrence. It doesn’t have to be scary. Give feedback whether it's positive, negative, or you just want to tell someone to continue going in the same direction.
Be prepared to create action plans and reset expectations for bottom performers or people you just want to improve. Having a low performer doesn't necessarily mean that they're tanking, but maybe there's just one area of improvement they can really work on. It's just a matter of having an action plan.
Do customer service metrics really affect business growth?
Absolutely.
Customer service is the backbone of a business’s success. When you focus on giving outstanding customer service (in addition to product quality, of course), you get customer satisfaction, which turns into new and repeat customers and more revenue.
The customer service metrics outlined in this article are helpful tools to set you on the right path toward building a more successful customer service program. Paying closer attention to the data that matters most can help you identify areas for improvement, which is necessary in order for any business to grow.
Make your customers happy and your business happier with Gorgias
Now that you know which customer service metrics are the best to track to ensure your ecommerce business’s success, you can start evaluating your customer service program.
Every metric I included above can offer your business better insights into what your current customer service program is doing right, and where there’s room for improvement. You don’t have to track all of these KPIs, but I highly recommend using a platform like Gorgias to keep your customer conversations and metrics in one spot.
If you’re ready to revamp your customer service program and improve your level of service, learn more about what Gorgias can do for ecommerce businesses or sign up today.
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