Did you know that 80% of companies base annual pay increases on performance? Doing so may seem like a no-brainer, especially since other studies like Lattice’s State of People Strategy show effective pay-for-performance strategies are indicators of individual and company performance.

But despite this evidence, we at Gorgias believe compensation shouldn't only be based on performance. The right combination of performance, behavior, and business needs will lead people to a promotion, but we don't provide individual salary raises (that aren’t tied to promotions) based only on performance.

You might be raising an eyebrow, but don’t click away. Removing performance-based compensation helps us reduce bias and focus on long-term growth.

Here’s our compensation plan in a nutshell:

• We base compensation on benchmark data and rely on multiple databases to define our compensation grid. (Notice I don't say "compensation bands" because we don't believe in bands. It's one number, period).
• We pay well. This part is extremely important because a company with low base salary and no variable pay will struggle to attract talent. You must pay well, especially if you want to eliminate merit increases.
• Our compensation grid, aka "Salary calculator," is transparent and accessible to everyone at Gorgias, as well as externally. Check out our salary calculator to get a better sense of our compensation system.
• We don't negotiate offers. I know, it's hard to believe. But it's true! We have our grid, we're confident in what we offer, and we stick to it.

Why compensation shouldn’t only be based on performance

First, let’s define what we mean by compensation here. In this post, I discuss the total package offered upon hiring and the so-called “merit cycle” which gives financial rewards to “top performers.”

I won’t open the topic of commissions, which is a slightly different pay structure. It’s also an interesting topic — maybe a future post?

Regardless, here are the main reasons we don’t believe in compensation models that reward individual performance.

Biases are lurking everywhere (yes, even if you're a great manager)

Startups move fast, and managers do too. Even managers who are aware of bias are still susceptible to them. And evaluations of employee performance are very hard to rid of bias.

Let me ask you this: Would all employees have the same salary today if they had different managers? At most organizations, the answer is no. When one manager decides yearly compensation of their direct reports, those direct reports end up with subjective, bias-ridden compensation. That’s no good.

You're probably well aware of biases, so let's skip the usual suspects like affinity bias (which makes you like more people who are similar to you) and focus on others.

Pressure bias

Pressure bias occurs when an employee constantly talks about money and puts pressure on you to give them more. A common response is to compromise, just to end the uncomfortable pressure: "Alright, I'll give them at least a 3% raise so they won't complain forever."

You might be thinking, "I'm experienced and wouldn't do that." That might be true. But a more junior manager might reward employees who apply this kind of pressure, and that's a problem.

Visibility bias

Visibility bias is the phenomenon of noticing (and rewarding) an employee just because of visibility. Perhaps they had a very visible project, or are vocal in meetings and on Slack. Or, perhaps they work in the same office as their manager and get more one-on-one time than remote teammates.

Just because you — or even the CEO — see more of one person or their projects doesn’t mean that person had the strongest impact. And it definitely doesn’t mean they deserve more compensation than teammates with less visibility.

Person's presence

Ah, my favorite topic. Let me illustrate with an example.

Imagine you have three employees. The first one has been here the whole year. The latter two have been absent for a few months due to illness and maternity leave. They've only been present for two or three quarters out of the four.

If you pay based on performance, you should reward the employee who had a greater impact by simply being present and shipping projects — right? But if this is the case, the employees would be punished simply for taking time off (which is a legal right).

Women are still paid 16% less than men in the US and 18% less in Europe. The same issue applies to people with disabilities. Compensation-based performance perpetuates these unfortunate statistics.

"But wait," you might argue, "performance should be assessed when the employee is here. If someone is absent for several months, you evaluate their performance and increase based on the period of presence."

This compensation strategy makes sense in theory but introduces room for interpretation and “gaming the system.” Now, employees have to strategically plan their absences around the annual performance appraisal to ensure they don't miss out.

What about a mother who is having her third pregnancy and is entitled to a one-year leave in many countries and companies? Would you truly base her performance increase on her performance from a year ago?

By penalizing employees for being away for a few months, you're creating unnecessary complexity and potential discrimination.

Performance is unlikely to remain stable over time

You may excel in one project, perform slightly below par in the next, and then shine again in another.

Let’s say your scope switches a bit and suddenly you’re not as great at keeping up with everything, you’re just good. However, your compensation is still higher — even if a colleague is now performing at a higher level.

It's the famous Peter Principle in action: People end up in positions where they perform at their worst because when they're great, they keep getting promoted.

By paying based on performance you apply the Peter Principle on compensation: You will ultimately pay employees more than the level of their performance.

For the same reason, we don’t believe compensation should be based on tenure. If you are rewarded for your tenure, over the years, you’ll become isolated at a very high level of compensation and misaligned with the market.

As the years pass, it will become extremely hard for you to find a job that pays what you expect and ultimately you can become unemployable. As a consequence, you’ll be very likely to stay but not for good reasons.

You might create tension within the team

"But if you don't pay based on performance,” you say. “How is it fair that a high performer makes the same as an average performer?"

My answer is simple: As a human resources leader or a Manager, you must work tirelessly to avoid having average team players. You don't want average; you want excellence. A+ players only, period.

"This is unrealistic," you say. "You'll definitely have average employees, even poor ones."

I agree. But not for long. If you set high expectations and transparently communicate this at a company level, there are no surprises. If someone misses their performance goals too many quarters in a row and becomes a low performer, we trigger a performance improvement plan (PIP).

At Gorgias, our ultimate goal is to have the absolute best versions of ourselves in every corner of the company. Pay-for-performance programs force people to constantly strive to be "better" than others, which directly contradicts our company's vision of fostering high talent density. We believe this model leads to better employee engagement and company culture.

And ultimately, pay-for-performance doesn't work for top performers. When someone sees themselves as a rockstar and expects a 20% increase, but only receives 5%, it creates a misalignment between their beliefs and reality. With performance-based compensation as an option, it’s hard to make top performers (or anyone, really) satisfied.

But what if a candidate wants more? Should we make performance-based pay exceptions to keep them?

Well, dear hiring manager, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but no.

We share our compensation package with candidates right at the beginning of the hiring process (they can even check our salary calculator). If they say they're good with it, they're good with it. No surprises at the end, we offer exactly what we've shared from the start.

Being absolutely inflexible on this matter has made my life (and the lives of everyone involved in the hiring process) so much easier. No need to negotiate with HR when sending an offer. No need to get finance involved to revalidate the budget. It's smooth sailing.

Will this scale (and is it right for everyone)?

I'm not saying that paying for performance is inherently bad. Obviously, if 80% of companies do it, there must be advantages like boosting retention of top talent.

I'm also aware that my vision may seem utopian. Maybe it's not entirely scalable, and perhaps we'll have to revisit our principles at some point.

But I've been told so many times that many things were not scalable and proved the opposite.

Not yielding is hard. Sticking to your principles is challenging. But adhering to your core principles is what creates wonderfully exciting machines like Stripe, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon.

You might think, "When people join a 20-person company, they know they're expected to work hard and strive for excellence. But when they join a 250-person company like Gorgias, they're not looking to work hard without direct compensation increases."

Maybe that’s true for some employees. As for me, I've worked just as hard in my previous 400,000-person company as I do in my current 250-person company.

And for those who desire something different, that’s okay. We just have to make our stance and policies clear and transparent in the interview process.

Yes, Gorgias is not for everyone. It's for people who thrive in a fast-paced environment, possess a growth mindset, and want to advance their careers. It's completely fine if it's not for you.

As long as we're aligned and embrace this statement, I sincerely believe we can continue scaling by paying people with the same job title and seniority level the same salary.

Quick summary: 

• Shopify Core plans are ideal for small and midsize businesses, while Shopify Plus caters to larger enterprises with around $1 million in gross merchandise value (GMV).
• The primary difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus is pricing. Shopify Core plans range from $5–$399/month while Shopify Plus starts at $2,000/month.
• Shopify Plus provides more storefront functionality, unlimited staff accounts, merchant support, lower transaction fees, B2B selling capabilities, and more overall features.

Choosing the right ecommerce platform to host your online store is no small decision, but sometimes it's hard to know which option is right for your business. Shopify and Shopify Plus are two platforms that get a lot of buzz within the ecommerce community, and many store owners give them rave reviews. 

What’s the difference between the two, and which plan is best for your ecommerce store? The main difference is that Shopify is for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), while Shopify Plus is for larger, or even enterprise-level businesses.

Below, we’ll discuss what each plan offers before diving into pricing structures and key differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus. Whether you’re considering upgrading to Shopify Plus from the regular Shopify plan or migrating from another ecommerce platform (like BigCommerce or Magento), read on to understand which option is right for you.

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What is Shopify?

Shopify is an ecommerce platform that offers businesses a way to promote, sell, and ship their products. It’s widely recognized as being great for beginners, meaning that the learning curve for new ecommerce store owners is minimal, and provides a level of customization that most small businesses find attractive.

Key features of Shopify

• Shopify point of sale (POS)
• Online sales channels
• Security features
• Mobile functionality

What is Shopify Plus?

Shopify Plus is a Shopify upgrade designed for large enterprises making high-volume sales that total around $1 million in gross merchandise value (GMV). The higher price tag unlocks more storefront functionality, automations, support, and integrations than core Shopify plans.

Key features of Shopify Plus

• Allows up to nine storefronts
• Customizable checkout
• Unlimited staff accounts
• Access to a merchant support manager and 24/7 support
• Lower transaction fees
• Allows B2B selling

Pricing: Shopify vs. Shopify Plus

The main difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus lies in pricing, which is tailored to accommodate the unique needs and budgets of merchants.

Core Shopify plans cater to small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and has fixed pricing plans with the cheapest starting at $5/month. In comparison, Shopify Plus is made for larger enterprise businesses, starting at $2,000 per month and is customized to each merchant via quote.

Let’s take a closer look at the breakdown for each plan within Shopify and Shopify Plus.

Shopify pricing

Shopify has five plans depending on your online store requirements and the size of your team.

• Starter: $5 per month
• Basic: $39 per month
• Retail: $89 per month
• Shopify: $105 per month
• Advanced: $399 per month

It’s important to note that all standard Shopify plans are subject to online and in-store transaction fees, as well as non-Shopify payment fees.

Related: Our comparison of Magento and Shopify for ecommerce merchants

Shopify Plus pricing

Shopify Plus pricing plans can only be determined via quote but start at $2,000 per month, plus a percentage of your store’s monthly sales volume. This enterprise-level commitment comes with additional transaction fees, online store development, site launch, third-party services, and add-ons.

Shopify Plus doesn’t provide flat pricing plans. Instead, you will need to contact a Shopify Plus sales representative to receive your quote.

9 key differences between Shopify & Shopify Plus 

Understanding the main differences in the two options is essential to make the best choice for your ecommerce store.

Below, we’ve identified nine ways Shopify and Shopify Plus differ from each other, and what these differences mean for your business.

1) Shopify Plus gives you access to merchant success managers

One of the benefits of Shopify Plus is that users have access to the merchant success program. This exclusive program lets Plus users connect with merchant success managers (MSMs) to optimize their Shopify Plus experience. 

Here are a handful of ways MSMs support merchants:

• Assist you through the setup process, including domain setup, building product collections, redirects, and more
• Suggest industry best practices and tools to streamline your operations
• Quickly redirect technical issues to other Shopify teams
• Provide ongoing support

Note: Plus users do not get a dedicated account manager, but they have direct access to a team of MSMs who are available to solve their business needs.

2) Shopify Plus unlocks access to Shopify Plus Academy

Shopify Academy is an educational resource hub full of advanced resources — like courses and webinars — that helps merchants improve their store’s design, marketing, operations, and more.

For merchants interested in self-guided education, the information on Shopify Academy’s information serves as a supplement to your merchant success manager to gain the knowledge you need to grow your store.

Here are a few titles you’ll find in Shopify Academy:

• How to Drive Sales with your Customer Support Team with Gorgias: Explore strategies for enhancing conversion rates by using the ecommerce helpdesk Gorgias.
• Sell in China with Social Media: Great for merchants pursuing internationalization
• How to Optimize your Page and Site Speed: Great for merchants who want to improve load speeds through backend optimization
• Shopify Tools to Accelerate Your Social Commerce: Great for merchants looking to drive sales and reduce shopping cart abandonment while selling on social media

Related: Our list of the best customer service courses and certifications

3) Shopify Plus gives you in-depth control over your checkout

Between Shopify and Shopify Plus, there is one major difference concerning checkout: The checkout page is customizable on Shopify Plus via checkout extensibility, while the checkout page on core Shopify plans are limited to their selected Shopify theme with no additional customization options.

Exclusive to Shopify Plus merchants, checkout extensibility is a code-free feature that allows checkout pages to have completely custom UI and content. This ability to personalize the checkout experience gives online businesses the power to greatly reduce cart abandonment and transform hesitant shoppers into customers.

On core Shopify plans except Shopify Starter, merchants can use Shopify apps to give their checkout page minor modifications to the backend logic and post-purchase experience.

Related: Our Shopify SEO guide to standing out amongst the competition

4) Shopify Plus offers unlimited staff accounts

Depending on which pricing option you choose, you can add between two and 15 users to your standard Shopify dashboard (in addition to your owner profile). Stores on the Starter plan are allowed two staff accounts.

On the other hand, Shopify Plus offers unlimited staff accounts, allowing large teams access to their online store dashboard. This inclusivity allows effortless collaboration within the team when integrating order management and helpdesk tools like Gorgias. When teams combine Shopify Plus with Gorgias, they get:

• Streamlined customer interactions: Gorgias helps Shopify Plus users enhance customer service by consolidating all support requests, order details, and customer data in one platform.
• Improved order management: Shopify Plus users can efficiently find all relevant order information in the Customer Sidebar, automate responses with Macros, and speed up workflows with Rules. 
• Scalability: Shopify Plus's unlimited user accounts combined with Gorgias's robust automation features make this combination ideal for rapidly growing businesses.

5) Shopify Plus allows more API integrations

The App Store is one of Shopify’s most enticing features. There are well over 8,000 paid and free Shopify apps in the new app store. Shopify itself is responsible for creating only 34 of them to date, but there are hundreds of other third-party app solutions from everything including marketing, order management, store design and customer support.

Notably, this enables easy integration with ecommerce apps like Gorgias, an excellent Shopify app for customer service and order management. You can elevate customer support with Macros, streamline order processes, and enhance the overall efficiency of your store on both a standard Shopify plan or a Shopify Plus plan.

However, Shopify Plus merchants have much more flexibility when it comes to API integrations. These users can integrate their ecommerce store with their existing ERP or CRM systems, which standard Shopify stores cannot.

A few examples of Shopify Plus API solutions include:

• Gift Card: Create unique gift cards that work in the Shopify POS
• Multipass: Unite customer logins for your forum, website, and online store
• User: Retrieve information about staff permissions on Shopify

Related: The best 40+ Shopify apps to optimize your ecommerce store 

6) Shopify Plus has lower transaction fees

Shopify payments are straightforward. Transaction fees are laid out as percentages of the total order volume. The Shopify POS includes a free credit card reader, which conveniently integrates your online and offline sales, no matter which plan you are on. But, what are the differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus’ payment processing and transaction fees?

Standard Shopify Transaction Fees

For businesses using Shopify’s integrated payment system, Shopify Payments, there is no transaction fee as of May 2022. If your business uses an external payment gateway, transaction fees are as follows:

• Shopify Starter: 2%
• Shopify Basic: 2.9% + 30 cents
• Shopify: 2.6% + 30 cents
• Advanced Shopify: 2.4% + 30 cents
• Shopify Retail: 2.7% + 30 cents

Shopify Plus Transaction Fees

Like core Shopify plans, transaction fees are waived if your business uses Shopify Payments. However, for external payment gateways, transaction fees are as follows:

• Domestic: 2.15% + 30 cents
• International/Amex: 3.15% + 30 cents

7) Shopify and Shopify Plus have different promotional discounts

Shopify is designed to set ecommerce merchants up for success. During the checkout process, your page needs to be optimized for high conversion rates. Luckily, promotional discounts can help you achieve just that. Want to run flash sales and seasonal price reductions? Here’s how your ecommerce business can make it happen with Shopify and Shopify Plus.

Standard Shopify Plans’ promotional discount options

There are probably hundreds of apps in Shopify’s add-on marketplace that can help you create discounts to entice your shoppers. Standard plans include the ability to easily create discounts from inside your dashboard. In addition, you can enable shoppers to redeem in-store discounts if you use Shopify’s integrated POS system.

What type of discounts can you create with a standard Shopify plan?

• Fixed-Value: Enable customers to redeem coupons with purchases, such as $5 off an order of $25 or more.
• Percentage: Provide shoppers with discount codes that give them a percentage off of their purchase.
• Shipping: Offer free or reduced shipping on certain orders.
• Buy X Get Y: Give a bonus or gift with specific purchases (available for online sales only).

After you run a promotional discount campaign, you can track its progress using the “Sales by Discount” report. Regular reports provide you with insights about which campaigns are working and which ones aren’t. Use real data to power your marketing campaigns.

Children’s vitamins brand, Hiya, takes advantage of the discount options available with Shopify by doubling-down. First, they offer 50% off first order then follow it up with free shipping. Both promotion types are executable via the discount portal.

Shopify Plus’ advanced promotional discount options

Take your promotions a step further with Shopify Plus. You can increase your cart value with Launchpad, exclusive to the Plus platform. The system automates most aspects of promotional campaigns, discounts, flash sales, and product releases.

Planning and executing an online sale usually involves tedious manual processes. When running a campaign this way, it’s difficult to make real-time optimizations to your campaigns. The add-on makes it much easier, reducing the amount of time spent launching a campaign and the risk for human error.

Here’s what you can expect Launchpad to automate for you:

• Schedule new products and omnichannel campaigns to launch across multiple sales channels
• Generate predetermined discounts for specific products or entire collections
• Stack multiple discounts
• Create and update campaign themes
• Return pricing to normal on campaign end dates

Simba runs percentage discount campaigns for their online store. From a customer perspective, their campaign execution is comparable to that of Hiya above. But, as a Shopify Plus user, you can wager that they use Launchpad to automate the process rather than manually perform the tedious work.

Source: Simba

8) Shopify Plus offers more features for B2B selling

The regular Shopify plan comes with plenty of features that are sufficient for most small businesses and single-store organizations. But larger stores may find the following features and apps, which are only available for Shopify Plus subscribers, worth the higher price tag:

• Shopify organization admin: Manage multiple stores under one organization from a single login
• B2B on Shopify: Create a separate (but unified) Shopify storefront from wholesale customers
• Overview: Get top-level analytics for all the stores under your organization
• Users: Add additional users and manage login and editing permissions for your store
• Launchpad: Schedule and roll out events like promotions, restocks, and product drops
• Script Editor: Create personalized experiences with code that changes your store for certain customer segments
• Bulk Account Inviter: Ask large groups of users to activate accounts on your store (great after migration)
• Transporter app: Ingest customer, product, and other data into your store
• Shopify POS Pro: Sync your POS with your brick-and-mortar store and other stores under your organization

If you’re a Shopify store interested in expanding to B2B selling, you will need to contact a Shopify sales representative to upgrade your Shopify account.

9) Shopify Plus allows you to build custom storefronts with headless commerce

Shopify Plus offers access to headless commerce features not found in Shopify Core plans. With headless commerce, online stores can separate the frontend customer touchpoints from the backend, allowing custom storefronts and immersive shopping experiences. "Going headless" is an excellent choice for enterprise-level businesses aiming to scale, especially with dedicated developers on the team.

On the other hand, standard Shopify plans don't have access to headless commerce and rely on templates and themes for their online store designs. This limitation can be limiting for businesses in the midst of expansion as it restricts them from fully scaling their online presence.

Use Gorgias to grow your Shopify (Plus) store with great customer experience

Shopify and Shopify Plus both have tools to help you reach a bigger audience, scale your business, automate your processes, and stay competitive. If you're trying to decide which one will work best for you, think about the pricing structure that works best for your business, the customization and customer support you need, and the areas of the world you want to reach.

Regardless of your choice, consider how you’ll provide fast, helpful customer service to visitors of your store. Gorgias integrates with Shopify and Shopify Plus and is the only customer service platforms to receive the distinction of being a Shopify Plus Partner. 

Want to know more about Gorgias’s centralized, automation-powered, and revenue-generating customer service solution? Yes, book my demo.

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TL;DR:

• Resolution time (also called time to resolution or TTR) measures how long it takes to fully resolve a customer support ticket from start to finish
• Faster resolution times improve customer satisfaction and retention, but only when you maintain quality
• Calculate average resolution time by dividing total resolution time by the number of resolved tickets
• Ecommerce brands should track resolution time by channel, ticket type, and complexity to set realistic targets
• Automate high-volume FAQs and order actions with an AI Agent to reduce resolution time without adding headcount

Resolution time measures how long it takes to completely resolve a customer support ticket from the moment they reach out until their issue is closed.

For ecommerce brands, this metric directly impacts customer satisfaction, retention, and revenue. Shoppers expect fast answers to urgent issues like lost packages or billing problems. Tracking resolution time helps you understand team efficiency, identify bottlenecks, and improve the overall customer experience.

This article covers how to calculate average resolution time and set realistic benchmarks by channel and ticket type. We'll also show you how to use tools like Gorgias to reduce resolution time without sacrificing quality.

What is resolution time?

Resolution time is a customer service metric that measures the total time from when a customer reports an issue until that issue is completely resolved and the ticket is closed. Also called time to resolution (TTR) or mean time to resolution (MTTR), this metric tracks the full lifecycle of a support ticket.

Resolution time includes all time spent on a ticket:

• Wait time before the first response
• Investigation time while agents research the issue
• Communication time across all back-and-forth messages

Resolution time is different from first response time. First response time measures how long customers wait before getting an initial acknowledgement, while resolution time measures how long it takes to fully solve their problem and close the ticket.

Why resolution time matters for ecommerce brands

Faster resolutions improve CSAT and retention for online stores

Resolution speed directly impacts customer satisfaction and retention for ecommerce brands. When customers get quick answers to urgent questions like order status or return policies, they're more likely to complete purchases and shop again. Slow resolutions frustrate customers and increase the likelihood they'll abandon carts or leave negative reviews.

Fast resolution time signals to customers that you value their time. This builds trust and encourages repeat purchases, especially when combined with helpful, personalized support.

Reducing ART without hurting quality protects revenue and LTV

The goal is to provide efficient, accurate resolutions. Don't rush through tickets at the expense of quality. Low-quality fast answers damage trust and lifetime value because they often fail to fully resolve issues, leading to repeat tickets and escalations. Maintaining quality standards while improving speed ensures customers receive accurate, complete resolutions.

Customers who receive incomplete or incorrect answers may churn entirely. Balancing speed with thoroughness protects revenue by ensuring customers feel heard and their problems are actually solved.

How to calculate average resolution time (ART)

The ART formula is total resolution time divided by resolved tickets

Average resolution time = Total resolution time in a defined period / Total number of customer interactions resolved in that period

For example, if 3 tickets resolved in 2, 4, and 6 hours, your average resolution time is 12 hours ÷ 3 tickets = 4 hours. This simple formula gives you a baseline to track improvement over time.

Measure ART in business hours when you evaluate team speed

You can measure resolution time in business hours or calendar time. Business hours exclude nights, weekends, and holidays, giving you a clearer view of your team's actual performance during work hours.

Calendar time includes all hours and reflects the customer's experience of waiting. Customers don't care if it's Saturday. They still want fast answers. Track both views to get a complete picture.

Exclude reopened and non-support tickets to keep ART accurate

Clean data requires filtering out tickets that skew your average:

• Reopened tickets count as resolved initially, then restart the clock when reopened
• Non-support tickets like marketing inquiries or internal requests aren't customer service interactions
• Spam and test tickets should be tagged and excluded from reports

Tag and filter these categories to maintain accurate resolution time metrics that reflect actual support performance.

Track ART in Gorgias with built-in dashboards

Gorgias calculates and displays resolution time automatically, so you don't have to manually track timestamps or build spreadsheets. You can filter by channel, agent, and ticket type to identify where resolution times are fastest or slowest.

Gorgias tracks both business hours and calendar time, letting you switch between views depending on whether you're evaluating team performance or customer experience.

Orange represents average resolution time, while red represents the resolution time of the 10% of tickets that took the longest to resolve.

Benchmarks for resolution time and how to set targets

Most ecommerce brands target same-day email resolution

Email is the most common support channel for ecommerce brands. Same-day resolution (within 8 to 12 business hours) is a common target because customers expect email responses to take at least a few hours.

Complex cases like technical troubleshooting or multi-step returns may take longer than one day. The key is setting expectations upfront and keeping customers informed about progress.

Live chat and social DMs should resolve in under 10 minutes

Real-time channels like live chat and social media DMs require faster resolution because customers expect near-instant answers. Simple questions like order status or return policies can resolve in two to five minutes, while more complex inquiries should still close in under 10 minutes.

Customers choose these channels specifically for speed. If resolution takes longer than 10 minutes, they may switch to email or abandon the conversation entirely.

Voice support aims for one-call resolutions

Phone support should resolve issues on the first call whenever possible. One-call resolution (also called first-call resolution or FCR) reduces customer effort and saves time for both customers and agents.

Complex cases may require follow-up, but the goal is to collect all necessary information and provide a complete answer before ending the call. This prevents back-and-forth callbacks and improves satisfaction.

Set targets by ticket type, customer expectations, and seasonality

Not all tickets are equal. Simple FAQs like "Where is my order?" should resolve faster than complex technical issues. Segment your targets by ticket type and customer tier to set realistic goals.

Consider these factors when setting targets:

• Ticket complexity (simple FAQs vs. technical troubleshooting)
• Customer tier (VIP customers may get faster responses)
• Peak season volume (BFCM and holidays may require adjusted targets)
• Historical data showing your team's baseline performance

Review your data regularly and adjust targets based on customer feedback and team capacity. What worked in January may not work during holiday peak.

Factors that influence resolution time

Issue complexity is the biggest driver of ART

Issue complexity determines how long tickets take to resolve. Simple questions like "What's your return policy?" can close in seconds with a templated response, while multi-step technical troubleshooting requires investigation and back-and-forth communication.

Complex issues aren't a problem. They're an opportunity to provide high-quality support. The key is automating simple tickets so agents have time for complex ones.

Volume spikes and staffing levels shift ART up or down

High ticket volume during peak season increases wait times and resolution times because agents have more tickets to handle. Staffing levels also impact resolution speed — understaffing creates backlogs, while adequate coverage keeps queues moving.

Monitor volume trends throughout the year and adjust staffing during peak periods. Seasonal hires or flexible schedules can help maintain resolution time targets when volume spikes.

Agent training and knowledge access reduce investigation time

Well-trained agents resolve tickets faster because they know where to find answers and how to handle common scenarios. Easy access to knowledge bases and internal documentation speeds up resolution by reducing time spent searching for information.

Ongoing agent training also reduces escalations. When agents can handle more ticket types independently, fewer issues require handoffs to senior team members or other departments.

Tools and integrations shorten handle time and avoid tab-switching

Integrated helpdesks like Gorgias connected to Shopify let agents resolve tickets in one tab without switching between platforms. Integrations pull customer data, order history, and tracking information directly into the ticket view, eliminating manual lookups.

Automation and Macros reduce manual work for repetitive tasks. Lack of integration forces agents to toggle between tools, copy-paste information, and manually update systems, all of which inflate resolution time.

Cross-team handoffs and unclear processes inflate ART

Tickets requiring input from engineering, logistics, or third-party vendors take longer to resolve because of handoff delays. Unclear escalation paths create confusion about who should handle each issue and when to escalate.

Define clear handoff protocols to reduce delays:

• Document which team handles each issue type
• Set internal SLAs for cross-team responses
• Create escalation templates with all necessary context
• Track handoff metrics to identify bottlenecks

How to reduce resolution time without hurting quality

Automate high-volume FAQs and order actions with AI Agent

AI Agent instantly resolves common questions like "Where is my order?" and "What's your return policy?" without human intervention. It can also perform actions like canceling orders, sending return links, and updating shipping addresses.

Automation frees agents to focus on complex cases that require empathy, problem-solving, and personalization. Customers get instant answers to simple questions, and agents have more time for high-value interactions.

Deflect simple tickets with a self-service help center

A Help Center lets customers find answers before creating tickets. Self-service reduces ticket volume and speeds up resolution for remaining tickets because agents aren't overwhelmed with repetitive FAQs.

Gorgias Help Center integrates with AI Agent for seamless Self-service. Customers can search for answers, and if they still need help, they can start a conversation with an agent or AI without leaving the page.

Route and prioritize VIP and urgent tickets automatically

Automatic routing sends tickets to the right agent or team immediately based on channel, language, or ticket type. Prioritization ensures urgent issues or VIP customers get attention first, preventing high-value tickets from sitting in the queue.

Gorgias Rules automate routing and prioritization. For example, you can route all refund requests to your billing team and push VIP customer tickets to the top of the queue based on Shopify purchase history.

Equip agents with macros and Shopify actions to resolve in one tab

Macros provide pre-written responses for common questions, letting agents respond with a click instead of typing the same answer repeatedly. Personalization variables like customer name and order number make macros feel custom, not canned.

Shopify actions let agents edit orders, process refunds, and update shipping information without leaving Gorgias. One-tab resolution reduces handle time by eliminating platform-switching and manual data entry.

Create clear escalation paths for technical and 3PL issues

Some tickets require input from engineering, logistics, or third-party vendors. Clear escalation protocols prevent delays by defining who to contact, when to escalate, and expected response times.

Best practices for escalation:

• Document escalation criteria for each issue type
• Set internal SLAs for cross-team handoffs
• Create escalation templates with all necessary context
• Track escalation metrics to identify process gaps

How to measure and report resolution time in Gorgias

Use Gorgias dashboards to track ART by channel, agent, and intent

Gorgias dashboards provide built-in resolution time reports without requiring manual tracking. You can filter by channel (email, chat, social), agent, and ticket intent (WISMO, returns, pre-sales questions) to identify bottlenecks.

Segmented Views help you understand which channels or ticket types have the longest resolution times. This data guides where to focus automation or training efforts.

Set SLAs and alerting to enforce targets

Gorgias lets you define SLA targets for different ticket types and channels. Alerts notify agents when tickets are approaching or breaching SLA thresholds, helping teams stay accountable.

SLA tracking also helps managers spot capacity issues before they impact customer experience. If many tickets breach SLA targets, it's a signal to adjust staffing or improve automation.

Combine ART, FRT, and CSAT with support performance score

Resolution time is one of several key metrics that matter. Gorgias tracks first response time (FRT), customer satisfaction (CSAT), and resolution time together to give you a holistic view of support performance.

Track these metrics alongside resolution time:

• First response time (how long customers wait for initial contact)
• Customer satisfaction score (whether customers are happy with the outcome)
• Ticket volume and deflection rate (how much Self-service reduces load)

A holistic view prevents over-optimizing one metric at the expense of others. Fast resolution time doesn't matter if customers are unsatisfied with the answers they receive.

See how Gorgias helps ecommerce brands reduce resolution time with AI Agent, Help Center, and Shopify integrations. Book a demo to learn more.

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Shopify comes equipped with everything you need to get your ecommerce store up and running, but if you really want to optimize it for time-saving efficiency and maximized sales, you are going to need to rely on some third-party apps from the Shopify app store. 

From automating your email marketing campaigns to helping you better manage your inventory and much, much more, there is a large number of capabilities offered by the best Shopify apps. To help you decide which of these apps is the best choice for your ecommerce business, we'll take a look at the most important qualities to look for in a Shopify app before diving into the 40+ best Shopify apps available today.

For easy skimming, we've pulled out the top 10 Shopify apps for ecommerce stores below.

1. Best customer service app: Gorgias
2. Best email marketing app: Klaviyo
3. Best SMS app: Attentive
4. Best sales & conversion app: Recharge
5. Best checkout app: One Click Upsell
6. Best inventory management app: ShipBob
7. Best returns app: Loop Returns
8. Best social media app: Instafeed
9. Best SEO app: SEO Manager
10. Best loyalty and retention app: Yotpo

What to look for in a Shopify app

While the exact features and functions of Shopify apps can vary dramatically from app to app, there are still a few essential qualities that you will want to look for no matter what type of app you are needing. This includes qualities such as:

1) Integrates with your other ecommerce tools and platforms

Like people, Shopify apps work best when they work together. Being able to integrate your email marketing app with your shipment tracking app, for example, means that you'll be able to send automated shipping updates to customers. 

Integrating your customer support platform with your call center app, meanwhile, means that your agents providing phone-based customer support will have a wealth of data on the customers they are speaking with at their fingertips throughout each call. 

These are just two examples of how it can be beneficial to choose apps that can integrate with your other ecommerce tools. Of course, it's also important to choose apps that will integrate with your ecommerce platforms, which is why all of the apps in our list are capable of integrating with Shopify, Shopify Plus, or both.

2) Allows for customizations

Plug-n-play solutions that don't offer much room for customization may seem convenient at first. As your business grows and scales, though, you are likely to find that these solutions no longer meet your needs like they once did. 

While learning how to navigate Shopify apps that offer a wide range of customization options might require a bit of a learning curve, it's almost always worth it in the end.

3) Receives regular updates

Even the most well-polished apps still require regular updates and maintenance to continue functioning correctly. In addition to scheduled updates and maintenance, it is also essential to choose apps whose providers are willing to work with you to quickly correct any bugs or issues that come up while you are using the app. 

This makes great customer support a vital quality to look for in Shopify app providers no matter what type of app you are purchasing.

Best Shopify customer service apps

1) Gorgias

Gorgias is an all-in-one customer support platform (including a helpdesk and live chat support) that provides a centralized help center for your customer support agents to provide great, revenue-generating customer experiences.

Gorgias lets ecommerce brands centralize conversations from every channel, empowered with features including:

• Rules to automatically respond to simple tickets, prioritize customer service requests, and more
• Macro templates to provide personalized customer service at scale
• Self-service features like easy order tracking, FAQs, and help centers
• Detailed analytics to help you evaluate your customer service program and ROI

If you are looking for a tool that will improve the customer experience on your website while at the same time reducing the burden of your customer support team, then Gorgias for Shopify is an excellent app to consider.

Key features

• Streamlines and automates the process of creating, organizing, and assigning customer support tickets
• Live-chat support via a fast-loading chat widget
• Provides a user-friendly dashboard for customer support agents to work from
• Detailed analytics and reporting of customer service data

Pricing

• A Basic plan that costs $60/month and includes 350 tickets/month
• A Pro plan that costs $300/month and includes 2,000 tickets/month plus revenue statistics and a Magento integration
• An Advanced plan that costs $750/month and includes 5,000 tickets/month plus a dedicated Success Manager
• Custom pricing available upon request for companies with larger tickets per month needs and/or the need for custom services

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

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2) Tidio

Tidio is an app that provides both live chat and chatbot capabilities for your Shopify store, with AI-powered chatbots that allow you to automate up to 40% of your customer support conversations.

Key features

• Receive live visitor notifications when someone visits your site
• The ability to easily share pictures, videos, and other files directly within the chat widget
• The ability to program chatbots to showcase promotions and discounts to improve your conversion rate and boost sales

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month
• A Chatbots plan that costs $39/month and includes additional features such as unlimited active chatbots and chatbot templates
• A Communicator plan that costs $15/month per operator and includes additional features such as live typing and the ability to track viewed pages

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

3) HelpCenter

Help Center is a customer support solution that provides tabs for organizing your product descriptions, live chat software, a HelpDesk ticketing system, and an FAQ builder that allows you to create a comprehensive FAQ page in just a matter of minutes.

Key features

• The ability to automatically flag and organize tickets based on priority
• Automated workflows for speeding up time-consuming customer support tasks
• Customers are able to access live chat support on-site or through Facebook Messenger

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes basic features plus 50 tickets/month
• An FAQ plan that costs $3.99/month and includes full FAQ set-up, basic Tabs features, and 3,500 tickets/year
• A Tabs plan that costs $3.99/month and includes unlimited product page tabs, basic FAQ features, and 3,500 tickets/year
• A HelpDesk plan that costs $9.99/month and includes full HelpDesk setup and features, basic Tabs and FAQ features, and 17,000 tickets/year
• A Professional plan that costs $14.92/month and includes full HelpDesk, Tabs, and FAQ features plus 17,000 tickets/year

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

Best email marketing and SMS Shopify apps

According to data from the Content Marketing Institute, 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads. With these must-have Shopify apps for email marketing, you can automate your email marketing campaigns, create stunning branded emails, better segment your list for improved targeting, and beyond.

4) Automizely Email Marketing

With Automizely Email Marketing, online store owners are able to create email campaigns that are both personalized and automated in addition to helping them create professional-quality emails using Automizely's drag-and-drop email editor.

Key features

• The ability to add a broad range of features to your emails such as product recommendations and a countdown timer
• The option to filter and segment your subscriber list based on a range of customer behaviors and other criteria
• All email templates are 100% mobile responsive

Pricing

• Automizely Email Marketing offers flexible pricing depending on the size of your contact list and how many emails you send each month. For more information on Automizely Email Marketing pricing, you can check out the app's pricing calculator.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

5) Omnisend

Omnisend is a highly-popular email marketing tool that provides access to pre-built email and SMS workflows and templates, gives you the ability to segment your subscriber lists based on a wealth of data, and allows you to create automated email marketing campaigns that are sent out based on customer activity triggers.

Key features

• Detailed analytics and reporting that you can use to segment your subscriber lists
• The ability to create a wide range of custom triggers for launching automated email campaigns
• Excellent 24/7 customer support

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and offers up to 500 emails and 60 SMS messages per month
• A Standard plan that costs $16/month and offers up to 6,000 emails and 60 SMS messages per month
• A Pro plan that costs $59/month and offers unlimited emails and up to 3,933 SMS messages per month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Omnisend integrates with Gorgias.

6) Klaviyo

With Klaviyo, you are able to easily segment your email list for personalized targeting before creating automated email campaigns that can be sent out based on a variety of custom triggers.

Key features

• Automatically send out emails and SMS messages based on triggers such as cart abandonment triggers, price drop triggers, and back-in-stock triggers
• A centralized analytics dashboard that provides well-organized data regarding all of your SMS and email campaigns
• An extensive library of pre-built templates and workflows that you can use to speed up your campaign creation process

Pricing

• Pricing for Klaviyo depends on how many emails/SMS messages you intend to send each month, but you can check out this link for a Klaviyo pricing calculator.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes 

See how Klaviyo integrates with Gorgias.

7) Attentive

Attentive is an SMS and email marketing solution that makes it easy to build and optimize campaigns while remaining compliant with SMS and email marketing regulations. This platform is designed to help store owners grow their subscriber lists and engage with these lists more effectively with segmentation and targeting functionality to generate high-impact campaigns.

Key features

• Custom integrations using Attentive's Public APIs and developer resources
• Rewards management
• Design editor to create sign-up forms for your website and social media platforms
• A/B testing
• Audience manager to target customers with personalized messages
• Business intelligence to help measure campaign performance

Pricing

• Attentive’s pricing models aren’t publicly available, but they do offer demos and a free trial.

See how Attentive integrates with Gorgias.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

Best sales and conversions Shopify apps

Selling more products is the ultimate goal of every Shopify store owner. With these sales and conversions Shopify apps, you can boost your sales with sales enablement tools such as SMS messaging tools, loyalty and referral programs, list segmentation tools, and beyond.

8) Cartloop

Marketed as a conversational text marketing ecommerce platform, Cartloop is designed to help ecommerce brands grow their subscriber base and engage with them on a more personal level. With highly targeted campaigns, Cartloop leverages simple text messages to help Shopify store owners increase revenue.  

Key features

• 24/7 live support 
• ROI tracking
• Campaign segmentation for more effective targeting
• Campaign management and analytics
• Auto-responders and event-triggered actions
• Engagement tracking

Pricing

• A Growth plan that costs $99/month with a 14-day free trial
• A Pro plan that costs $299/month with a 14-day free trial

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

9) Recharge

Recharge is a Shopify app for store owners who sell subscription-based products or services that makes it easy to set up and manage subscription programs in addition to providing your customers with the ability to manage their subscriptions either via SMS or through a user-friendly customer portal.

Key features

• Reduces churn by giving customers the option to pause or alter their subscription rather than canceling it
• Integrates with all popular payment processing solutions to allow subscription-based payments
• Provides a wide range of actionable insights that you can use to optimize your subscription offerings

Pricing

• A Standard plan that includes basic features and costs $0/month plus 1% + 10¢/transaction
• A Pro plan that includes additional features such as a customizable shopper portal and product variants and costs $300/month plus 1% + 19¢/transaction

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

See how Recharge integrates with Gorgias.

10) Postscript

Postscript is an SMS marketing tool that allows you to grow your SMS subscriber list with customizable opt-in tool templates, create hyper-targeted list segments based on your Shopify store data, and easily message customers with both one-on-one and mass messages.

Key features

• Customizable opt-in popups for generating new leads
• Allows you to create an unlimited number of "text to join" keywords
• Allows you to create automated SMS messaging campaigns that are triggered by over 65 different customer events

Pricing

• Pricing for Postscript is dependent on the number of messages you send each month. Check out this link for a Postscript pricing calculator.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Postscript integrates with Gorgias.

11) Spently

With Spently, Shopify store owners are able to turn their standard Shopify post-purchase notification emails into customizable, branded emails complete with product recommendations, discount codes, and other custom features.

Key features

• Allows you to create automated email campaigns based on triggers such as cart abandonment and back-in-stock alerts
• Provides a drag-and-drop email designer for customizing all 27 Shopify email notification templates
• Access ROI-based reporting and analytics from Spently's in-app dashboard

Pricing

• Pricing for Spently is dependent on the number of orders your store processes each month. Check out this link for a Spently pricing calculator.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

Best development Shopify apps

Shopify provides all of the tools you need to create a basic online store. If you would like to create new features for your store that are not already supported by Shopify, though, you are sure to find these Shopify development apps highly beneficial.

12) Omega Instant Search

Shopify's default product search function can be somewhat limited. With Omega Instant Search, though, you are able to develop a product search function for your store that is much more powerful thanks to features such as spell correction, fallback search, redirects, and synonyms.

Key features

• The search module requires no preliminary configuration and is ready for your customers to use immediately after it is installed
• The search module allows for customizable configurations
• Provides customers with filters for narrowing down their search

Pricing

• Pricing for Omega Instant Search is only available upon request

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

13) Buddha Mega Menu

A mega menu is a feature that allows you to display multiple menus from a single dropdown in your store's navigation, making it much easier for customers to find the specific products and collections that they are looking for. With Buddha Mega Menu, you can create an attractive and fully-functional mega menu for your Shopify store in a matter of minutes and cross-sell like a pro.

Key features

• Easy to configure and install
• Provides a range of design features such as countdown timers, featured products, and banners to highlight your promotions
• The ability to create a customizable mega menu for your Shopify store

Pricing

• Buddha Mega Menu is free to download and use

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

14) Smart Bar

Smart Bar is an app that allows you to quickly create promotional bars and banners for your online store and populate these promotion bars and banners with conversion-boosting features such as countdown timers and free shipping bars.

Key features

• An impressive library of promotional bar and banner templates that are fully-customizable
• The ability to display multiple promotional bars and banners on one page
• Analytics tools that record clicks, views, click-through-rate, and heatmap

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month that includes basic features and the ability to create up to three promotional bars
• A Premium plan that costs $0/month that includes additional features and the ability to create unlimited promotional bars

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

15) Easy Redirects

404 page errors can potentially cost your store a lot of customers by both encouraging would-be customers to navigate away from your website and harming its SEO. With Easy Redirects, though, you can automatically find and fix all 404 errors on your Shopify store.

Key features

• One-click install with no coding required
• Quickly and easily import bulk URL redirects into Shopify from a CSV file
• Automatic 404 tracking, error reports, and resolution

Pricing

• A Basic plan that costs $0/month and bulk 301 redirects, group redirects, and statistics and analysis
• A Premium plan that costs $10/month and includes everything found in the Basic plan as well as redirect patterns to automate redirects, automatic 404 tracking, and 404 page error alerts and reminders

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

16) Hextom

Hextom is a SaaS company that offers a number of different development solutions for Shopify stores, including a bulk image edit solution, a bulk product edit solution, an email collection bar, a payment processing tool for converting foreign currencies, a countdown timer bar, and more.

Key features

• Offers a total of 13 Shopify store development solutions
• Easily edit your product descriptions and images with bulk image edit and bulk product edit capabilities
• The option to pick and choose the specific solutions you need for your Shopify store

Pricing

• Pricing for Hextom is dependent on the specific solutions that you choose

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

17) Vela

Vela is a solution that provides a centralized dashboard for managing multiple Shopify stores as well as the ability to bulk edit every aspect of your product descriptions.

Key features

• The ability to manage multiple Shopify stores from a single Vela account
• Bulk edit all product attributes including descriptions, photos, variants, and prices
• Optimize your product photos with filters, refinements, and cropping

Pricing

• A Vela Lite plan that costs $5/month and includes basic listing editing features
• A Vela Pro plan that costs $10/month and includes everything in the Vela Lite plan as well as copy and publish functionality, profiles, a photo library and editor, and early access to new integrations and features.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

Best checkout Shopify apps

According to data from Baymard Institute, 70% of shopping carts are abandoned before the customer completes their checkout. By enabling you to create fast and optimized checkout pages, these checkout Shopify apps can help you lower your abandoned cart rates and ultimately increase sales.

18) One-Click Checkout

One-Click Checkout is an app that enables you to create "Buy Now" buttons for your products that take customers directly to the checkout page as well as create a checkout popup that shows customers the items in their cart each time they add a new item to the cart.

Key features

• 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, or email
• Provides an Amazon-like one-click checkout experience
• Checkout popup and "Buy Now" buttons are both fully-customizable

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes "leads to checkout" functionality for "Add to Cart" and "Buy Now" buttons
• An Unlimited plan that costs $9.95/month and includes "cart summary popup" functionality for "Add to Cart" and "Buy Now" buttons plus flexible checkout flow management
• A Priority Support plan that costs $18.95/month and includes everything in the Unlimited plan plus up to 3 hours/month of customizations, a dedicated manager, setup assistance, and priority queue for customer support

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

19) Klarna

Integrating payment processing app Klarna into your online store provides your customers with the ability to split the cost of their purchase into four interest-free payments while still ensuring that you get paid upfront and in-full.

Key features

• On-site messaging to let customers know that Klarna financing is available for their purchases
• Allows you to create "try before you buy" promotions by giving customers an extra 30 days to complete their payment
• As a credit service, Klarna pays merchants upfront and in-full even if the customer is financing their purchase

Pricing

• Karina charges a fee of $0.30 per transaction along with a variable fee of up to 5.99% of the purchase total

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

20) Fast Checkout In One Click

Fast Checkout In One Click is an app that allows you to create animated "Buy Now" buttons that direct customers straight to checkout, skipping the cart page and reducing the likelihood of an abandoned cart. Make your sales channels work harder for your brand.

Key features

• The option to add a cart page popup window that is displayed after a customer clicks "Buy Now"
• Animated "Buy Now" buttons to capture customers' attention complete with a variety of animation styles to choose from
• Utilizes native theme style to be compatible with most Shopify store themes but can be customized if needed

Pricing

• Fast Checkout In One Click costs $4.49/month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

21) Transcy

Transcy is a language and currency conversion app that will automatically translate both the content and USD prices on your online store into the language and currencies of the customer viewing them, making it one of the best apps for stores that sell to a lot of international customers.

Key features

• Detects the customer's location then auto-translates your store into the customer's native currency and language with support for all major currencies and 111 different languages
• Currency exchange rates are updated daily and can be adjusted manually
• Allows you to display separate images for different languages to better target your store to specific demographics

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes translation for one additional language and two additional currencies
• An Economy plan that costs $9.90/month and includes translation for two additional languages and all major currencies as well as additional features such as multilingual SEO
• A Starter plan that costs $19.90/month and includes translation for 111 additional languages and all major currencies as well as additional features such as image replacement options
• An Essential plan that costs $39.90/month and includes translation for 111 additional languages and all major currencies as well as additional features such as a dedicated customer success manager

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

22) Buy Me Button

Buy Me Button is a Shopify checkout solution that offers features such as "Buy Me" buttons that take customers straight to checkout, a cart preview popup that appears when customers add a new item to their cart, and "Quick Buy" buttons that allow customers to purchase products from any page or listing on your website.

Key features

• "Quick Buy" buttons allow customers to purchase products directly from any product listing pages
• All buttons automatically inherit the design of the Shopify store where they are installed and can be further customized upon installation
• Shareable links allow customers to share products on social media

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month for up to 50 "add to carts" per month
• A Small plan that costs $2.95/month for up to 250 "add to carts" per month
• A Medium plan that costs $4.95/month for up to 750 "add to carts" per month
• A Large plan that costs $6.95/month for unlimited "add to carts"

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

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23) One Click Upsell

One Click Upsell is a Shopify app designed to help store owners increase their average order value by presenting customers with upsell opportunities at checkout. With One Click Upsell, you can create one-click upsell options that are shown to customers either before or after checkout that allow them to add additions to their purchase with just a single, convenient click.

Key features

• Upsell offer page templates that have been tested by high-volume Shopify stores
• The option to choose different upsell options for various products, product variants, and collections
• Built-in split testing

Pricing

• A Tier 1 plan that costs $24.99/month for up to $200 in total monthly upsell revenue
• A Tier 2 plan that costs $49.99/month for up to $400 in total monthly upsell revenue
• A Tier 3 plan that costs $59.99/month for up to $500 in total monthly upsell revenue
• A Tier 4 plan that costs $79.99/month for $500+ in total monthly upsell revenue

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

Best inventory management and returns Shopify apps

Keeping track of your inventory and ensuring that you always have the appropriate amount of products in stock to meet customer demand can sometimes be a time-consuming challenge. 

With these inventory management Shopify apps, though, you can streamline and automate your various inventory management processes, freeing you up to focus on bringing in new customers and growing your store's revenue.

24) Katana Manufacturing ERP

Katana Manufacturing ERP is an inventory management solution that allows you to optimize inventory movements by setting up reorder points and prioritizing your sales orders.

Key features

• Manage production, scheduling, and resources from one location
• Omnichannel order management
• End-to-end traceability for tracking batches, materials, expiration dates, and beyond

Pricing

• An Essential plan that supports up to three warehouses and costs $99/month
• A Pro plan that supports unlimited warehouses and costs $299/month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

25) Stock Sync

With Stock Sync, store owners are able to set up automatic inventory updates, update existing products via over 80 different connection methods, and set quantity rules to avoid overselling.

Key features

• Provides a centralized and easy-to-understand overview of your inventory levels
• Capable of integrating with up to 80 different channels, including Amazon S3, QuickBooks, eBay, Google Drive, Etsy, and OneDrive
• Capable of reading all file formats

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and supports up to 2,000 SKUs
• A Basic plan that costs $5/month and supports up to 2,000 SKUs and 1 update feed/supplier
• A Pro plan that costs $10/month and supports up to 10,000 SKUs and 2 update feeds/suppliers
• An Enterprise plan that costs $49/month and supports 35,000 SKUs and 5+ update feeds/suppliers

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

26) QuickBooks Commerce

One of the most well-known inventory management solutions, QuickBooks Commerce is a platform that allows you to manage your product listings across multiple channels, track products from inventory to fulfillment, automatically update your inventory levels, and much more.

Key features

• Automatically adjust stock levels for new products, damage, shrinkage, returns, or promotions
• Detailed stock history for all products
• Barcode scanning capabilities for searching for products by barcode and entering product information into sales and purchase orders

Pricing

• QuickBooks Commerce costs $50/month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

27) Stocky

Stocky is an inventory management solution offered by Shopify that enables Shopify store owners to achieve complete visibility over their inventory through detailed inventory analytics and insights such as demand forecasting. Stocky also makes it easy to create and manage purchase orders from one place.

Key features

• Provides inventory management recommendations based on profitability and rate of sales
• Enables staff to use a barcode scanner to receive and place inventory quickly and accurately
• Provides a user-friendly dashboard for creating and tracking purchase orders

Pricing

• Stocky is free to install with a Shopify POS Pro subscription

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

28) ShipBob 

More of a logistics service provider than an application, ShipBob is a service that allows ecommerce store owners to ship their products in bulk to ShipBob warehouses across the country. Once you've delivered your products, ShipBob then takes over all inventory management and order fulfillment responsibilities on behalf of your online store — picking, packing, and shipping products to customers as they're ordered. 

ShipBob is a common alternative to Shopify Fulfillment Network. 

Key features

• ShipBob completely eliminates the burden of order fulfillment, including managing product returns 
• Strategically located warehouses allow you to offer faster shipping to locations across the country

• Includes built-in reports and analytics that provide a window into product performance 
• Offers a comprehensive help center that will help you master the platform and resolve any issues that you might experience 

Pricing

• ShopBob is free to install and bills for orders shipped, receiving inventory, warehouse storage, and custom projects. 
• Request pricing for a custom quote or use the U.S. to U.S. shipping calculator to get started. 

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how ShipBob integrates with Gorgias. 

29) AfterShip Returns Center

AfterShip Returns Center is a solution for managing customer returns that allows store owners to create a branded and interactive self-service returns page, provide customers with automated real-time updates regarding the status of their orders and returns, and set up smart routing rules to ensure that items are sent back to the right place at minimal cost.

Key features

• Detailed analytics on returned products that you can use to improve both your returns process and your product offerings
• Tools for encouraging customers to exchange their items rather than returning them for a refund
• Offers customers flexible return options such as in-store dropoff or the ability to print prepaid shipping labels

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and offers up to three returns per month
• An Essentials plan that costs $9/month and offers up to 20 returns per month
• A Pro plan that costs $199/month and offers up to 1,000 returns per month
• An Enterprise plan with custom pricing that offers 3,000+ returns per month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Aftership integrates with Gorgias.

30) Loop Returns 

Encouraging exchanges for returned products rather than refunds is a great way to reduce the often substantial impact that product returns have on a store's bottom line. With Loop Returns, Shopify store owners can let customers take control of their returns and exchanges and free up their team. 

Key features

• Customizable product return portals allow customers to manage returns themselves and reduce your support team's workload 
• Meaningful metrics provide insight into your returns and refunds and identify supply chain, positioning, and other issues 
• Enables customers to automatically apply the value of their return to any order using the "Shop Now" feature
• Allows you to apply variable bonus credits to customers who choose to exchange their returned product

Pricing

• A Starter plan that costs $59/month and supports up to 1,000 returns/year 
• An Essential plan that costs $200/month and includes automatic return approval, cross-border shipping, and more 
• An Advanced plan that costs $415/month and has unlimited destinations, unlimited return policies, and more 

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes 

See how Loop integreates with Gorgias. 

Best social media marketing Shopify apps

According to a report from eMarketer, the number of US customers who purchased products directly from social media platforms grew to 80.1 million in 2020 and is expected to increase to 96.1 million in 2022. With these social media marketing Shopify apps, you can ensure that you are leveraging the advantages of social media marketing to their full potential.

31) Outfy

With Outfy, Shopify store owners are able to automate the process of promoting their products on social media by creating and scheduling product promotion posts that can be automatically posted across multiple social media channels at once. Outfy also makes it easy to create collages, videos, and GIFs that you can use to make promotional posts really stand out.

Key features

• Capable of auto-generating and publishing product promotion posts that are created based on a range of predefined settings
• Enables you to turn your product pictures into GIFs, videos, and collages
• Provides a variety of promotional post templates to choose from

Pricing

• A Starter plan that costs $15/month and includes basic features and support for one account on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter for a total of five social media accounts
• A Pro plan that costs $30/month and includes additional features such as video posts and support for one account on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter for a total of five social media accounts
• An Ultimate plan that costs $60/month and includes everything in the Pro plan plus support for two accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter for a total of ten social media accounts
• An Enterprise plan that costs $100/month and includes everything in the Pro plan plus support for five accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter for a total of 25 social media accounts

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

32) Zotabox

Zotabox is an all-in-one ecommerce marketing platform that offers over twenty different marketing tools in one package, including tools such as a landing page builder, a Facebook reviews integration, Facebook live chat, and a promo popup.

Key features

• Exit intent tools for reducing your cart abandonment and bounce rates
• Promote customer testimonials with Facebook/Google integration
• Advanced display options available for all tools

Pricing

• A Starter plan that costs $12.99/month for websites with up to 5,000 visits per month
• An Express plan that costs $29.99/month for websites with up to 25,000 visits per month
• A Platinum plan that costs $79.99/month for websites with up to 150,000 visits per month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

33) Instafeed

With Instafeed, Shopify store owners are able to display content from their Instagram profile on their Shopify store in order to create social proof and expand the reach of their Instagram content.

Key features

• Image and video support
• Fully-customizable Instagram feed that allows you to choose the feed title, the number of rows and columns, and the space between posts
• Tag products in your posts to create shoppable Instagram feeds

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes basic features and one Instagram feed
• A Pro plan that costs $4.99/month and includes additional features such as product tagging and the ability to display likes plus support for up to three Instagram feeds
• A Plus plan that costs $19.99/month and includes the option to filter your posts by hashtag plus support for unlimited Instagram feeds

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

34) Facebook Channel

Facebook Channel is a tool that allows you to sell your Shopify products directly on Instagram and Facebook by making it easy to set up Facebook and Instagram shops.

Key features

• Automatically syncs products from your Shopify store to Facebook and Instagram shops
• Provides free and paid marketing tools such as audience builder Facebook ads and retargeting ads that you can use to promote your products on social media and grow your audience
• Allows you to easily manage all of your Facebook and Instagram stores within the app

Pricing

• Facebook Channel is free to install

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

Best SEO Shopify apps

If a Shopify store has great products but no one ever visits it, does it make a profit? Unlike the well-known "tree falling in a forest" puzzle, there's a simple answer to this question, and the answer is "no.” By utilizing these search engine optimization (SEO) Shopify apps, you can ensure that Google lists your store snippets as high as possible in the results for relevant searches and boost the number of potential customers who find your site.

35) Plug In SEO

Plug In SEO is an app for Shopify stores that automates the tedious SEO process by automatically detecting and resolving a wide range of SEO issues such as broken links and missing metadata.

Key features

• A keyword tool that provides keyword suggestions for your site's content
• Offers templates for adding meta titles and meta descriptions in-bulk, for better search snippets
• Periodic SEO audit reports delivered to your inbox

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes basic features such as SEO checks and broken link checks
• A Plus plan that costs $20/month and includes additional features such as automatic SEO improvements and SEO reports
• A Pro plan that costs $29.99/month and includes additional features such as a homepage speed report and premium support/training videos

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

36) SEO Manager

SEO Manager is an app that provides a range of features for boosting your website's SEO, including features such as detecting and automatically fixing broken links, JSON-LD data support, automated title, description, and image alt text templating, Google sitemap submission, and much more.

Key features

• 404 error logging and real-time 404 repairs
• A keyword suggestion tool
• Reconfigures your website with SEO-boosting JSON-LD data

Pricing

• SEO Manager costs $20/month

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

37) TinyIMG SEO & Image Optimizer

If the images in your Shopify store are not optimized, they could slow down your loading speeds and thus harm your site's SEO. With TinyIMG SEO & Image Optimizer, you can automatically compress all of your site's images without reducing their quality, speeding up your loading times and boosting your SEO. TinyIMG SEO & Image Optimizer also provides a range of other SEO features such as broken link detection and redirect and metadata optimization.

Key features

• Provides the option to optimize images automatically or manually
• Provides SEO and page speed audits
• Provides automatic JSON-LD microdata and metadata optimization

Pricing

• A Pay As You Go plan that costs $0/month for up to 50 free image optimizations per month. Additional image optimizations cost 3¢/image.
• A 24 Months plan that costs $47.76/year for up to 5,000 free image optimizations every two years. Additional image optimizations cost 1¢/image.
• A Monthly plan that costs $9.99/month for up to 1,000 free image optimizations per month. Additional image optimizations cost 2¢/image.
• A Special Offer plan that costs $19.99/month for up to 3,000 free image optimizations per month. Additional image optimizations cost 1¢/image.

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

Best loyalty and retention Shopify apps

38) Yotpo

Yotpo is a review app that lets you stay engaged with customers, using email or SMS and a variety of customizable opt-in tools. Segment your lists based on detailed customer analytics, whether new or returning. The most unique selling point of Yotpo, however, is its tool set for encouraging customer reviews and dynamically displaying those reviews on your website.

Key features

• Provides customers with the ability to include photos and videos in their product reviews
• A powerful SMS flow builder
• Customizable on-site opt-in solutions

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month
• A Growth plan that costs $19/month
• A Prime plan that costs $59 a month
• Premium and Enterprise plans with custom pricing

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Yotpo integrates with Gorgias.

39) Retention Rocket

Retention Rocket is an SMS marketing platform that allows you to grow your SMS subscriber list and encourage long-term loyalty with TCPA compliant opt-in templates. Message individual customers or entire subscriber lists directly from the app, and create automated SMS messaging campaigns that can be triggered by a wide range of customer events.

Key features

• Allows you to create automated SMS flows and series such as an abandoned cart flow, a customer win-back series, a welcome series, and more
• Provides TCPA compliant opt-in methods such as "text to join" keywords, opt-in landing pages, and opt-in popups
• Provides the option to send customer browser push notifications

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes up to $5 in free SMS messages per month
• A Bronze plan that costs $10/month and includes up to 333 free SMS messages per month
• A Sliver plan that costs $49/month and includes up to 2,450 free SMS messages per month
• A Gold plan that costs $199/month and includes up to 19,900 free SMS messages per month
• An Enterprise plan with custom features and pricing

Available on Shopify Plus?

• No

40) Smile.io

Smile.io is an app designed to help you improve your customer retention and increase your lifetime customer value by making it easy for you to create and manage loyalty and referral programs for your Shopify store.

Key features

• Allows you to create points programs that reward customers for desirable actions such as repeat purchases and referrals
• On-site nudges that remind customers when they have points available to spend
• Allows you to search for customers by name in order to adjust their points manually

Pricing

• A Free plan that costs $0/month and includes basic features such as options for creating points and referral programs
• A Starter plan that costs $49/month and includes additional features such as program branding and rewards emails
• A Growth plan that costs $199/month and includes additional features such as on-site nudges and points expiry
• A Pro plan that costs $599/month and includes additional features such as a VIP program and unlimited integrations
• An Enterprise plan that starts at $1,000/month and includes additional features such as API access and custom reporting

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Gorgias integrates with Smile.io.

41) LoyaltyLion

With LoyaltyLion, Shopify store owners can retain more loyal customers and increase repeat purchases with customized loyalty programs. This platform simplifies the management of your customer loyalty program and offers a number of promotional marketing tools that help you promote your program to new and existing customers.

Key features

• Notifications that alert customers that they have reward points available for incentives
• CRM
• Loyalty features that you can embed on product and post-purchase pages
• Referral tracking
• Point statements for customers 
• Rewards management
• Loyalty tiers

Pricing

• A Classic plan that costs $399/month and includes 2,000 monthly orders
• An Advanced plan that costs $699/month and includes 4,000 monthly orders (with the option to add more)
• A Plus plan that costs $1,500/month and includes 10,000 monthly orders (and scales as your business grows)

Available on Shopify Plus?

• Yes

See how Gorgias integrates with LoyaltyLion.

Find out why companies use Gorgias for Shopify customer service

Tthe right Shopify apps can provide you with a broad range of revenue-boosting capabilities, from tools to grow your subscriber lists to tools for improving the quality and efficiency of your customer support (and everything in between).

At Gorgias, we are dedicated to helping Shopify store owners grow by providing their customers with the best possible experience as efficiently as possible.

If you would like to see for yourself the many benefits that Gorgias provides to Shopify store owners, see how Gorgias works with Shopify and sign up for Gorgias today.

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If you’ve ever worked in customer service, you know that unhappy customers are unavoidable. Customer satisfaction has plummeted since 2018, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. 

That’s why top brands don’t wait until angry customer emails arrive to decide how to respond. By setting up processes and templates ahead of time, your customer support team doesn’t need to craft responses from scratch. Especially while emotions are running high and angry customers are waiting for responses. 

Below, you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to process and respond to angry customer emails, considerations for handling angry or rude customers without making the situation worse, and tips to prevent angry customers by improving your customer experience (CX). We'll also share templates and sample emails for how to respond to:

• Customers who are having product issues
• Customers with shipping and delivery problems
• Customers with missing or late orders
• Customers who got the wrong product
• Customers who have a cancellation request (purchase or subscription)
• Customers who want a refund or exchange
• Customers who had a bad support experience
• Customers with no clear reason to be upset

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Is it worth it to deal with angry customers? 

When customers aren’t happy with your product, service, or customer support, the stakes are high. You could lose them as a repeat customer, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Angry customers also go and tell their friends and family, either by word-of-mouth, on social media, or via a Google review. 

The Effortless Experience found that 96% of disgruntled customers who had a high-effort or bad experience with a brand feel disloyal to that brand afterward. In other words, a frustrating, high-effort experience will irreversibly damage your brand's reputation for almost any customer, whether they’re first-time or regular shoppers. That spells trouble for your bottom line.  

Also, your customer service team doesn’t want to respond to nasty emails all day long. Customer service can already be an emotionally challenging role, and spending all day dealing with angry customers is a quick path toward burnout and quitting.

📚 Related reading: Read our guide to hiring A+ customer service agents, written in partnership with customer service agency Helpflow.com.

8 steps to take when responding to frustrated customer emails

Respond to angry customer emails by acknowledging the customer's frustration, owning any mistakes, gathering additional context, confirming you understand the entire situation, and fully resolving the issue.

These messages are high-stakes: When someone writes to your organization with an angry message, they’re angry enough to sit at their keyboard and express their anger. You’re lucky they wrote to you — the next message could be on a review website or social media. 

You’re lucky they wrote to you — the next message could be on a review website or social media.

It’s imperative to respond to every single angry customer email — ideally with fast response times.

0) Set up automated responses if you can’t quickly respond

If you have a small team or are only online for certain parts of the day, consider setting up a standard automated reply to confirm receipt of their email. We listed this as step 0 because it’s not a catch-all solution: You should not send this kind of email if you’re able to provide a human response within an hour or two. Nobody likes an extra, unnecessary email.

If you do choose to activate this kind of response, it should:

• Confirm that you received the customer’s email so they don’t have to wonder if it went through
• Tell the customers when they can expect to receive an email response from a human agent
• Thank the customer for writing in

Here’s a mockup of how to create this kind of automated response with Gorgias Rules:

📚 Recommended reading: Get more tips and tricks to improve your response times.

1) Read the email first

This may seem obvious, but unless you address every point the customer makes, you’re only prolonging the correspondence and further irritating them. 

It’s easy to overlook something the customer says, particularly if the email’s pretty emotive or raises several points. So, try to summarize what they’re complaining about in a separate text document or as a note on the ticket in your helpdesk. 

Consider bullet-pointing each issue to ensure you answer every aspect of their message, as shown in the internal note above. 

2) Do your research to understand the problem and context

Before responding, consider if there’s any research you can do on your end to resolve the issue faster. For example, if a customer asks whether an item will come back in stock, you may look up similar items currently available if that customer is in a time crunch (like for the holidays). 

You’ll also want to ensure you have all of the context you need to provide a full resolution for that customer. 

For example, if a customer is trying to track down a lost package, take a look at the package history and order date to better understand why they’re upset and whether you’ll need to re-send the item or reach out to the carrier on their behalf. 

Ideally, your helpdesk has integrations with shipping software (like AfterShip) so you can see this information right next to the customer’s message (rather than having to navigate to a new tool).

3) Escalate if necessary (based on policy)

Some requests, whether from a VIP customer, the urgency of the issue, or its scale, need to be escalated right away. Based on the policy you’ve set out for your support team members, encourage them to forward major concerns to the correct team quickly. 

📚 Recommended reading: Read our Director of Support’s guide to prioritizing customer service requests.

4) Thank them for writing

Yes, you've already done this in your automated message – but it doesn't hurt to do it again. So, always say thank you at the start of your email. You must acknowledge their complaint and show you care about their feedback.  

For instance, if a customer has written to complain, you could start with something along the lines of:

Thank you for contacting [your company name] and letting us know about your experiences with our [insert name of the product/situation]. We appreciate you contacting us to let us know. We value customer feedback so that we can work to provide you with gold-plated customer service.’

5) Use their name and take a personalized approach

If you're not already, it's time to take a personalized approach to customer service. While this means taking a more holistic approach to the service process in general, the first step is to take note of small details, like using a customer’s name in correspondence. 

Consumers crave a personalized experience; they want to be treated as individuals, not as just another support ticket. That means avoiding asking them for information they’ve already given you again. It also means using a customer support tool that provides all of their historical account information in one place. Your helpdesk should show all past orders, correspondence with support, shipping address information, and even marketing emails they’ve received and clicked on. 

For example, Gorgias’ Customer Sidebar provides customer information right next to the ticket that can help you personalize the message.

6) Acknowledge their problem

If your customer has taken the time to bring an issue to your attention, it’s polite and good practice to acknowledge that. So, in your response, reflect on what they’ve told you. 

For example, you could write something like this:

‘I can see that you’re frustrated [insert a suitable empathic summary of the customer’s feelings] about your experiences with our product/customer service. We can see how, on this occasion, we didn’t reach our normally high standards of delivery.’

7) Provide a solution

Always focus on solving the customer’s problem. Find a solution and clearly explain the resolution to the customer’s complaint.

For example, if they’re upset about a product’s quality or performance, you need to refer them to your returns and replacements policy. On some occasions, it may be necessary to escalate a complaint if it’s not within your power to resolve. In which case, again, follow the protocol your company has to handle the specific issue so that it complements your current chain of command. 

According to a research study conducted by Gartner and later coined The Effortless Experience, 45% of customers who have a positive support experience tell less than three people. In contrast, 48% of customers with a negative experience shared it with over ten people. 

While a positive, low-effort solution is a short-term expense for you, it could keep the customer on your side, netting future purchases or at least minimizing negative word of mouth and reviews.

8) Avoid offering the same solution twice 

If a customer is still upset after you’ve already offered a solution, chances are it wasn’t the right one. Ensure that you’re able to give the customer a few different options for a resolution in case the original one didn’t work for them (or wasn’t the result they hoped for). 

Of course, this should only go as far as your support policy states. If possible, tag in a customer service lead to see if you can make an exception to your policy. In a helpdesk like Gorgias, you can tag specific agents or an escalated team.

‍

Considerations when writing responses to angry customer emails

Above, we covered the steps to follow when responding to angry emails. Below, we’ll share some high-level considerations to keep in mind when crafting responses.

Check your language and tone

Use clear language and show empathy. Always consider your audience. Remember, your audience doesn’t know your organization's internal workings or technical aspects. 

Interestingly, 65% of online shoppers prefer casual over a formal tone in their customer service interactions. That said, if the customer isn’t happy with your response or solution, 78% said that an overly casual style would elicit an adverse reaction from them. 

Why? Because it sounds like you're not taking their problem seriously.  

Also, consider the words you use. For example, remove any uses of the “but” from your responses. By eliminating negative terms like this, you’ll exude more of a positive tone, which works wonders for altering perception. 

For example:

“Thank you for contacting us, but we don’t provide that service.”

Vs.

“Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, we're unable to provide that service. We do, however, provide the following….”

See the difference?

Through practice and experience, you’ll be better positioned to sense your customer’s tone. For example, if the customer’s frustration radiates through their message, show empathy by offering reassurance and the right level of apology. 

Check your grammar and spelling

There’s nothing worse than grammatical and spelling errors. Re-read your response and run it through a spelling and grammar checker. If in doubt, ask a colleague to double-check it for you. 

Some reputable online spell checkers include Grammarly, Reverso, and Language Tool. Your organization may already have a subscription for marketing or other purposes, so check what’s available. 

Decide whether they are frustrated or truly irate 

The key to understanding whether a customer is truly angry is empathy and context. 

Use empathy to dissect the tone and language a customer uses in their correspondence with you. Then, use the context they've given you and that you have about their order history to piece together their entire situation. 

For example, a customer might write in about a lost or delayed package. Based on the language they’re using, and the fact that they paid to upgrade shipping to get it in time for a friend’s birthday, tells you that this customer is angry and in need of a fast resolution. 

You should strive to provide top-notch support no matter if a customer is merely frustrated versus angry. But, your communication, time to resolution, and the solution you offer need to be even more considerate when dealing with someone who is truly irate. 

Deal with profanity in a professional manner

Sometimes, angry or frustrated customers will use profanity when complaining about an issue. The best responses to rude customers involve focusing on what the problem is to help get them to a solution. 

Some customer service phrases to use include: 

• “I understand why you’re upset – I would be upset as well in this situation. We will figure out a solution that makes you happy and that fully resolves this issue for you.”
• “I understand how frustrating this must be, especially since it sounds like we really missed the mark here.” 
• “I understand how disappointed you are. What kind of solution do you feel would make this right for you?”  

17 email templates you can use to respond to different customer issues

You may already have a series of customer service email templates you and your team use to handle various customer complaints. However, it’s always worth doing a little housekeeping to ensure they reflect your commitment to great customer service.

This is especially true if your customer service software comes with a set of templates already in existence. Don't make the mistake of just using these as they are. Instead, personalize them to reflect your own brand’s voice and tone. 

With that in mind, we’ve put together a summary version of some of the examples above to illustrate how to respond to an upset customer:

Dear [insert customer name],

Thank you for contacting us. I'm very sorry to hear you experienced poor customer service from the [insert your brand name] team.  

It’s important to us that our customers are happy, so we're sorry we could not provide our usual high service standards to you.

Possible paragraph:

Having investigated your complaint about [insert a summary of the complaint]. I'm happy to tell you; we can offer you the following solution [insert an explanation of the answer]. 

Alternative paragraph:

We're currently investigating your complaint about [insert a summary of the complaint]. Because your complaint involves several departments/strands/suppliers, it will take us a couple of days to get to the bottom of why, on this occasion, you received less than a gold standard of service from us. Thank you for your patience while we investigate this matter. I'll get in contact with you in two days to update you on our progress. 

Once the complaint is resolved, you could offer a discount to reduce the number of returns, which are more expensive to your business than exchanges:

We’d like to prove just how important you are to us by offering you a discount of [x%] on your next purchase.  

Sign off:

Thank you for bringing this negative experience to our attention. Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience caused. 

If there's anything else I can help you with or you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Best wishes,

[Name and contact details]

If you use Gorgias, a helpdesk that deeply integrates with your entire ecommerce tech stack (including Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce), feel free to use the copy above as a Macro (which is what we call templated responses).

Your agents can use the template as a starting point and tweak it to meet each customer's unique needs.

Below, we’ve put together a series of templates that you can implement for different angry customer situations. 

Customers who are having product issues

1) General frustration with the product or experience

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}}

Customers with shipping and delivery problems

1) Order/shipping status (Where is my order?): Not shipped

Hello {{Customer first name}}, 

Thank you for reaching out! Your order {{Number of last order}} has been received and we are working on getting it shipped out. Our processing time to ship an order is 3-5 business days, excluding weekends. 

We will email you a confirmation once it ships, which will include your tracking information as well. 

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Thanks, 

{{Current agent first name}}

2) Order not shipped because the item is out of stock

Hi {{Customer first name}},

We wanted to let you know that your most recent order {{Number of last order}} is currently out of stock. We’re doing everything we can to get more in stock soon and we apologize for the delay!

The good news is that our next shipment should arrive by {{Date of availability}}, and you should receive your order within {{Number of business days}} once the item(s) gets to our warehouse.

Thanks for your patience! We’ll get you taken care of as soon as possible.

{{Current agent first name}}

3) Item arrived damaged 

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}}

Customers with missing or late orders

1) Order is lost 

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}}

2) Order/shipping status (Where is my order?): Delivered, not received

Hi {{Customer first name}}, 

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't received your order yet. It does appear to be in a delivered status. Sometimes this can be due to an incorrect scan by the carrier. If the package doesn't show up in the next {{Insert the number of days according to your policy}} please reach back out and we will {{insert internal policy}}. 

In the meantime, I've contacted the carrier and will be investigating on my end. 

Please reach out if I can help with anything else and I will keep an eye out for your email regarding the package.

{{Current agent first name}}

3) Order is late 

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}}

Customers who got the wrong product

1) Wrong item delivered

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}}

Customers who have a cancellation request (purchase or subscription)

1) Order already shipped 

Hi {{Customer first name}}, 

Thank you for reaching out to us! 

Unfortunately, it looks like your order {{Number of last order}} has already been shipped from our warehouse. Therefore, I’m unable to make any changes to it at this time. 

If possible, refuse the package at delivery. If that’s not possible, please let me know and I will send you a prepaid shipping label so that you can send the order back to us. Once we receive the order back at our warehouse, I will send a {{Replacement or refund}} to you right away. 

{{Current agent first name}}

2) Order change/cancel before the item ships 

Hi {{Customer First Name}}, 

Absolutely! I’ve swapped out {{Item name}} for the {{Item name}} you originally selected for order {{Number of last order}}. 

If you need anything else, just say the word. 

Best, 

{{Current agent first name}}

Customers who want a refund or exchange

1) Item is eligible 

Hi {{Customer first name}}, 

Thanks for reaching out! For your order that was delivered on {{Shipping date of last order}}, we’d be happy to process a refund for you. 

To get the return process started, please go to our {{Link to returns portal}} and follow the steps. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

{{Current agent first name}}

2) Item not eligible 

Hi {{Customer First Name}},

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, your order {{Number of last order}} is unable to be returned because it is outside of the time window (30 days) outlined in our return policy.

I apologize for any inconvenience that you’ve experienced because of this. 

If there is anything else I can help you with, feel free to reply to this email or visit {{Link to help center}} at any time. 

Thank you again,

{{Current agent first name}}

3) Exchange request after the order arrives

Hey there {{Customer first name}}, 

Thanks for reaching out about your recent order {{Number of last order}}. I see that you are interested in a product exchange. We do allow exchanges, and I’m happy to help you with this right away. 

{{Exchange policy and instructions}}

Once you have {{Required action(s)}}, I can process your exchange and get a new {{Product name}} shipped out to you right away. 

Thanks again, 

{{Current agent first name}}

Customers who had a bad support experience

1) Non-escalation 

Hi {{Customer first name}},

Thank you for reaching out and letting us know about your service 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: coupon, 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}}

2) Escalate to technical support 

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 will follow up to ensure that we resolve this for you. 

{{Current agent first name}}

3) Customer hasn’t received a response or resolution to their problem

Hi {{Customer first name}},

Thank you for following up with us. 

We sincerely apologize that we didn’t get back to you — we’ve been overloaded with requests lately and yours slipped through the cracks. This is not the type of support experience we strive to provide. 

To answer your original question {{Provide context and a resolution to the original issue or request}}. 

I hope this helps! 

All the best, 

{{Current agent first name}}

Customers with no clear reason to be upset

1) General, sincere apology 

{{Customer First Name}},

Thanks so much for your feedback on {{Concern or issue they had with the brand or their experience}}.

We strive to provide an amazing experience for all of our customers, and sometimes we fall short of doing that. We sincerely apologize for the experience you’ve had with our brand. 

As a token of our appreciation, we’d like to offer you {{Discount code, free gift, free shipping on next order; whatever aligns with your policy}}. 

Have a great day, 

{{Current agent first name}}

2) Reply to a bad customer review 

{{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}}

How to identify an angry customer (with examples)

Angry customers use harsh language and accusatory words, and often make demands to your company or service team. 

Some examples of phrases and words to look out for include:

• I’m very frustrated 
• I’m upset because… 
• I needed this for an {{important event}} and it’s not here
• You need to fix this right away 
• This is all your fault 
• I’ll never shop with you again 
• This is ridiculous 

Additionally, keep an eye out for any language that includes profanity.  

As your team grows, you can also use a helpdesk with Intent and Sentiment Detection, which automatically scans tickets to tell you what a customer’s looking for and how they’re feeling. The main benefit is that you can send different automatic responses depending on the customer’s intent and sentiment. 

How a frictionless customer experience can prevent angry customers

While every brand deals with angry customers from time to time, the best ones design a customer experience that, hopefully, doesn't produce so much frustration. Customer experience is a broad term, but there are a few areas of opportunity to mitigate customer frustration more proactively. 

Build customer self-service resources 

Customer self-service resources is a type of customer experience automation (CXA) that allows customers to quickly solve their own problems. They include:

• Help centers
• Forums
• Order status portals
• FAQ sections
• Quick answers in chat

Being able to self-serve information gets them an immediate resolution and saves them the time and hassle of reaching out to you. You might be surprised how many angry emails you avoid by: 

• Making your shipping policy easily accessible
• Creating a simple returns process
• Offering real-time order tracking
• Providing visual product troubleshooting guides in your help center

Create a seamless post-purchase experience

A positive post-purchase experience sets the customer up for success from the very beginning, starting with quick order confirmation emails to fast order fulfillment and going all the way to returns. 

A great post-purchase experience involves: 

• Figuring out the touchpoints on your customers’ journey where you need to be in contact with them 
• Setting up email campaigns like welcome emails, order confirmation details, shipping and tracking information, an order tracking page, and notifications when an item gets delivered
• Providing a fun and exciting unboxing experience
• Sharing links to your help center and to how-to content for assembling and using your products
• Creating a simple returns and exchanges portal via a tool like Loop Returns 
• Share information about rewards and loyalty programs 
• Ask for feedback, both positive and negative, and implement it 
• Involve new customers in your brand community
• Provide omnichannel support to meet new customers where they are 

Introduce faster support channels 

If customers need to reach out to you to ask a question, either pre or post-purchase, your best bet is to make it quick and easy to do so. Channels like live chat support, social media support, and SMS messaging support are more immediate channels where customers can see fast responses. 

Live chat and social media, for example, can help you make more sales by answering product questions to quell any objections before a customer makes a purchase. Water filter brand Berkey Filters even advertises their faster channels (live chat and SMS) on the website to steer customers to those fast channels:

The quicker and more seamless you make getting support for your customers, the more likely they are to reach out to you when they have a problem, rather than simply not purchasing from you again. 

In addition, some customers look at what support options are available before they make a purchase. Having these options available can help shoppers feel more comfortable and confident that if they have an issue, you’ll be there quickly to help them resolve it. 

📚Recommended reading: Check out our CX-Driven Growth Playbook for a more robust list of tactics to improve your customer experience, reduce customer anger, and boost revenue by up to 40%.

Are you ready to improve your customer service copy?

You’re now fully prepped to polish your customer support email copy, so even the most unhappy customers walk away happy. Exceptional copywriting isn’t rocket science; it's a skill you can certainly nurture over time, so keep practicing and paying attention to customer responses.

And when you pair great customer service copy with the right customer service automations, you can delight customers at scale. How? You can respond to low-impact tickets (like, "Where is my order?") with helpful, dynamic responses so you have more human time to deal with high-impact tickets like angry customer complaints.

And you don’t need us to tell you that happy customer relationships lead to higher profits. Check out our guide to customer service ROI to learn how to translate your customer service into meaningful business results. 

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TL;DR:

• Customer service email templates save time and boost consistency. They give your team reusable responses for common questions like order tracking or returns.
• Personalization is key for effective templates. Use customer names, order info, and brand voice to make messages feel human and relevant.
• Templates are most useful for high-volume scenarios. These include shipping updates, refunds, complaints, and technical issues.
• Automation tools amplify the benefits of templates. Shared inboxes and macros help teams respond faster without losing quality.
• If you're repeating the same responses manually, it's time to switch. Templates reduce workload and improve the customer experience.

If you're copy-pasting the same email responses or starting from scratch every time a customer asks, "Where's my order?" or "How do I return this?", you're wasting valuable time.

Customer service email templates solve this problem. They give your team ready-to-use responses for common questions while leaving room to personalize each message. The result is faster and more consistent replies, and more time for complex customer issues.

This guide provides essential email templates for common support scenarios, best practices for using them effectively, and tips for making templates work for your team.

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Customer service email best practices

Before diving into specific templates, it's important to establish guidelines that keep your email responses consistent, on-brand, and professional. These best practices ensure your team delivers quality support that reflects your company's values while meeting customer expectations. Keep these in mind as you build and customize your templates:

• Keep your language on-brand while staying empathetic. Even when delivering unwelcome news, clear and compassionate language makes the difference between a lost customer and a loyal one. Keep sentences under 25 words and avoid passive voice.
• Show empathy through simple acknowledgment. Phrases like "I understand this is frustrating" or "Thanks for your patience" show you're listening without sounding insincere. No need to add excessive exclamation points and enthusiasm.
• Balance professionalism with personality. Use contractions and address customers by name. Your customers want real people, not robots.
• Give agents access to customer context. Past interactions, order history, and previous tickets inform better responses. When customers don't have to repeat themselves, satisfaction improves.

Why use customer service templates

Templates create consistency across your entire support operation, ensuring every customer gets accurate information regardless of which agent responds.

• Speed. Agents respond faster when they're not starting from scratch, improving first response time and overall efficiency.
• Consistency. Standardized language ensures every customer receives on-brand information that reflects your company's voice and values.
• Scalability. Your team can handle more volume without burning out agents.
• Deflection. Well-written templates often include links to Help Center articles or FAQs, redirecting customers to self-service resources and reducing follow-up questions.
• Auditability. Managers can review template content during slower periods rather than auditing every individual message, catching issues before they reach customers.
• Confidence. Templates give your team the framework to handle high volumes while maintaining support standards.

Customer service email templates

Organizing templates by use case helps your team find the right response quickly. Here are customer service templates, categorized by onboarding, order updates, returns, complaints, technical support, renewals, promotions, feedback, and policy communications.

Jump to:

1. Welcome email templates
2. Shipping, tracking, and order email templates
3. Refund and exchange email templates
4. Complaint handling email templates
5. Technical issue email templates
6. Acknowledgment email templates

Welcome email templates

1. New customer email template

Subject: Welcome to [Company Name], [Customer Name]

Hey [Customer Name],

Thanks for joining us. We're thrilled to have you here.

To help you get started, check out these helpful resources:

• [Link to getting started guide]
• [Link to rewards club]
• [Link to Help Center]
• [Link to community or social media]

If you have any questions, just reply to this email. We're here to help.

Best,

[Agent Name]

2. Welcome to rewards program email template

Subject: Welcome to [Rewards Program Name], [Customer Name]

Hi [Customer Name],

You're officially part of [Rewards Program Name]. Here's what you can look forward to:

• Earn [X points] for every dollar spent
• Exclusive member-only discounts
• Early access to new products
• Birthday rewards

You currently have [X points] in your account. Redeem them for rewards at: [Link to rewards portal]

Check your points balance: [Link]

Program terms: [Link]

Thanks for being a loyal customer!

Best,

[Agent Name]

Shipping, tracking, and order email templates

3. Order confirmation email template

Subject: Order confirmation #[Order Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for your order. We've received it and will start processing shortly.

Order number: [Order Number]

Order date: [Order Date]

Items: [Product Names]

Total: [Order Total]

Shipping address: [Shipping Address]

Estimated delivery: [Delivery Estimate]

We'll send you another email with tracking information once your order ships.

[Company Name]

4. Order shipped email template

Subject: Your order #[Order Number] has shipped

Hi [Customer Name],

Good news! Your order is on the way.

Tracking number: [Tracking Number]

Carrier: [Carrier Name]

Estimated delivery: [Delivery Date]

Track your package: [Tracking Link]

Let us know if you have any questions.

[Company Name]

5. Order delayed email template

Subject: Update on your order - #[Order Number]

Hello [Customer Name],

We're reaching out about your order #[Order Number]. Unfortunately, your delivery has been delayed due to [specific reason - shipping carrier delay, inventory issue, weather, etc.].

Original estimated delivery: [date]

New estimated delivery: [date]

We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.

Track your order: [tracking link]

If you have any questions or would like to cancel your order, please contact us at [support email/phone] and we'll be happy to help.

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,

[Company Name]

Refund and exchange email templates

6. Return or refund request response template

Subject: Return request for order #[Order Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

We've received your return request for [Product Name] from order #[Order Number].

Since your order arrived on [Delivery Date], you're within our [X]-day return window. Here's how to return your item:

1) Go to [Return Portal Link]

2) Enter order #[Order Number]

3) Select items to return and reason

4) Print your prepaid shipping label

Once we receive your return at our warehouse, we'll process your refund within [X] business days.

Let us know if you have any questions.

[Agent Name]

7. Exchange response template

Subject: Let's find the right fit for you

Hi [Customer Name],

I'm sorry [Product Name] didn't work out. Rather than a refund, would you like to exchange it for something else?

Based on your order, you might like [Alternative Product 1] or [Alternative Product 2].

We'll cover return shipping and send your exchange right away. Just let me know which item you'd prefer.

If you'd rather have a refund instead, that's totally fine too.

[Agent Name]

8. Damaged item response template

Subject: Let's get you a replacement

Hi [Customer Name],

I'm sorry to hear [Product Name] arrived damaged. That's definitely not up to our standards.

Can you reply with a photo of the damage? This helps us improve our quality control and packaging.

As soon as I receive your photo, I'll ship a replacement right away at no charge. You can keep or discard the damaged item — no need to return it.

Expected timeline: [X] business days for delivery.

[Agent Name]

9. Product quality issue response template

Subject: Let's fix this - Order #[Order Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

I'm sorry to hear that [product name] didn't meet your expectations. Quality is important to us, and this isn't acceptable.

I'd like to make this right. Here are your options:

• Full refund
• Replacement product
• [Store credit amount] 
• [Discount code]

Just let me know which option works best for you, and I'll get it processed as soon as possible.

We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

Best,

[Agent Name]

10. Policy ineligibility response template

Subject: About your request - Order #[Order Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for reaching out about [specific request - return, exchange, refund, etc.].

I've reviewed your order, and unfortunately [request type] isn't available because [specific reason based on policy]. Our policy states [relevant policy explanation].

I understand this isn't the answer you were hoping for. While I can't [original request], here's what I can offer:

[Alternative solution 1]

[Alternative solution 2]

If you'd like to discuss this further or have questions about our policy, I'm happy to help.

Best,

[Agent Name]

Complaint handling email templates

11. Angry customer or de-escalation response template

Subject: I'm here to help with order #[Order Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

I understand you're frustrated with [specific issue], and you have every right to be. This isn't the experience we want for you.

Let me look into what happened and find a solution. I can see that [summarize situation to show you understand].

Here's what I can do right away: [immediate action].

Can you tell me a bit more about [specific detail needed]? That will help me make sure we fully resolve this for you.

[Agent Name]

12. Poor service experience email template

Subject: We'd like to make this right

Hi [Customer Name],

I'm sorry your recent experience with our team didn't meet expectations. You deserve better service, and I want to make this right.

I've reviewed what happened with [specific interaction or issue], and I understand why you're frustrated. [Acknowledgment of specific problem]

I’ve taken [Immediate resolution - refund, credit, etc.] and escalated it to [Team].

I've also applied [compensation - discount, credit, free shipping] to your account as an apology.

Your experience matters to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to improve.

Best,

[Agent Name]

13. Angry customer transferred multiple times response template

Subject: I'm taking ownership of this - Ticket #[Ticket Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

I apologize that you have been transferred between multiple agents. I understand how frustrating that experience can be, and it should not have happened.

I've reviewed your case, so no need to explain again. Here's what I understand: [brief summary of issue and what's been tried].

I'm personally handling this from here. Here's what happens next:

• [Specific action with timeframe]
• [Specific action with timeframe]

I will update you by [specific date/time] even if the issue is not fully resolved by then.

Best,

[Agent Name]

Technical issue email templates

14. Technical troubleshooting response

Subject: Help with [Issue Description] - Ticket #[Ticket Number]

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for reaching out about [specific issue]. I understand how frustrating technical problems can be, and I'm here to help get this resolved.

Based on what you've described, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:

1. [First troubleshooting step]
2. [Second troubleshooting step]
3. [Third troubleshooting step]

If you're still experiencing issues after trying these steps, please reply with:

• Screenshots or error messages you're seeing
• Relevant system information - browser version, device type, etc.
• When the issue first started

This information will help us identify the root cause and get you back up and running quickly.

Best,

[Agent Name]

15. Service outage email template

Subject: Update on [Service Name] outage

Hi [Customer Name],

We're currently experiencing an issue with [specific service or feature] that's affecting your ability to [impact description].

Here's what we know:

Issue started: [time]

Current status: [investigating/identified/fixing]

Expected resolution: [timeframe or "we're working as quickly as possible"]

We'll send you another update within [timeframe] or as soon as the issue is resolved.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Best,

[Agent Name]

Acknowledgment email templates

16. Address change email template

Subject: Address updated - Order #[Order Number]

Hello [Customer Name],

We've received your request to update the shipping address for order #[Order Number].

New address: [Full new address]

Order status: [processing/shipped/updated successfully]

[If order hasn't shipped yet:]

Your order will be shipped to the updated address. No further action needed.

[If order already shipped:]

Unfortunately, your order has already shipped to the original address. Here are your options: [provide alternatives like address intercept, return and reship, etc.]

If you need to make any other changes, please let me know as soon as possible.

Best regards,

[Agent Name]

17. Back in stock notification email

Subject: [Product Name] is back in stock

Hi [Customer Name],

Good news - [Product Name] is back in stock and ready to ship.

Order now: [Link to product]

This item has been popular and may sell out again quickly. Stock is limited.

Best,

[Company Name]

18. Feedback received email template

Subject: Thanks for your feedback, [Customer Name]

Hi [Customer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about [specific topic or experience].

Your feedback has been passed along to our [relevant team] team. We're always looking for ways to improve, and input from customers like you helps us prioritize what matters most.

If you have any other suggestions or questions, feel free to reach out anytime.

Best,

[Agent Name]

Deliver better customer service with email templates

Email templates create consistency and speed across your support operation. They eliminate repetitive typing, help your team respond faster, and ensure every customer gets accurate, on-brand answers—no matter which agent they reach.

For customer service leaders building their support function, templates are foundational. They give your team the framework to deliver quality service while you focus on scaling operations and improving the customer experience.

Ready to take your customer service to the next level? Explore these resources:

• How to respond to angry customer emails
• How to structure your customer service team
• Ecommerce email marketing automation guide

TL;DR:

• Live chat apps let your team respond to customer questions in real time across your website, mobile app, and messaging channels
• The best live chat software combines AI automation with human support to resolve common inquiries instantly while escalating complex issues to your team
• Free options like tawk.to exist, but paid platforms offer deeper ecommerce integrations, better analytics, and revenue-driving features
• For ecommerce brands, look for live chat apps with Shopify integration, order management capabilities, and AI that can upsell and cross-sell
• Gorgias leads for ecommerce with conversational AI that handles support and drives sales through personalized product recommendations

A live chat app is software that enables real-time conversations between your support team and customers visiting your website or mobile app. 

For ecommerce brands, live chat delivers instant answers during the browsing and checkout process, reducing cart abandonment and increasing conversion rates. 

Unlike email support that can take hours or days, live chat resolves customer questions in minutes — often while they're still shopping. 

We evaluated 30+ live chat platforms to find the best options for ecommerce support teams, focusing on AI automation, Shopify integration, and revenue-driving features.

Why live chat apps matter for ecommerce support and revenue

Live chat directly impacts your bottom line. When shoppers have questions about sizing, shipping, or product features, they need immediate answers. If they can't get help quickly, they'll abandon their carts and shop elsewhere.

Beyond conversion impact, live chat makes your support team more efficient. One agent can handle multiple chat conversations simultaneously, while email and phone support tie up agents with one customer at a time. This efficiency reduces support costs while improving response times.

The best live chat apps also drive measurable revenue through product recommendations and upsells. When integrated with your ecommerce platform, chat agents can see what customers are browsing, suggest complementary products, and even apply discount codes to close sales.

The right live chat app doesn’t just answer questions — it helps you drive revenue, too.

Top 8 live chat apps compared

The best live chat apps in 2026 for customer support

The comparison table above shows pricing and features at a glance, but choosing the right live chat app requires understanding how each platform fits your specific needs. 

We evaluated these platforms based on ecommerce integration depth, AI capabilities, ease of use, pricing transparency, and support quality. 

Here’s what makes each platform stand out:

• Ecommerce platform integrations and order management
• AI and automation capabilities
• Omnichannel support (email, SMS, social media)
• Pricing model and value for money
• Team collaboration features

1. Gorgias

Gorgias is the only live chat app built specifically for ecommerce, with conversational AI that handles both support and sales. Unlike generic live chat platforms, Gorgias integrates deeply with Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento to pull customer data, order history, and lifetime value directly into every conversation.

AI Agent resolves common tickets like WISMO (Where Is My Order), returns, and product questions automatically while maintaining your brand voice. This frees up your human agents to focus on complex issues and high-value customers.

Gorgias also drives revenue through Shopping Assistant, which provides personalized product recommendations, upsells, and discount offers directly in the chat. Agents can manage orders, process refunds, and cancel shipments without leaving the conversation, making it the most efficient platform for ecommerce support teams.

Main features:

• AI Agent resolves common support tickets automatically
• Shopping Assistant provides personalized product recommendations and upsells in chat
• Deep Shopify integration with two-way sync for order edits, cancellations, and refunds
• Unified inbox for chat, email, SMS, social media, and voice
• Self-service order tracking and returns through the chat widget
• Customizable chat widget with proactive messaging triggers
• Real-time customer data sidebar (order history, lifetime value, past conversations)
• Built-in Help Center creator

Ideal for:

• Ecommerce brands on Shopify, Shopify Plus, or BigCommerce
• Support teams looking to automate repetitive inquiries without sacrificing personalization
• Brands that want to drive revenue through support conversations
• Teams managing high chat volumes during peak seasons (Black Friday, Cyber Monday (BFCM), product launches)

Pricing:

• Starts at $10/month for basic plan (limited features)
• Pro plan from $60/month includes AI Agent, advanced automations, and revenue features
• Custom enterprise pricing for high-volume brands

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2. LiveChat

LiveChat is a solid all-around live chat platform with extensive customization options for teams that want complete control over their chat widget appearance and behavior. The platform excels at proactive messaging, letting you trigger chat invitations based on customer behavior like time on page or exit intent.

LiveChat offers robust chat routing and canned responses (their version of macros). It also has a message sneak-peek feature. This lets agents see what customers are typing before they hit send.

Pricing:

• Starter plan from $20/agent/month
• Team plan from $41/agent/month includes chat routing and advanced reports
• Business plan from $59/agent/month adds work scheduler and chat surveys
• Available on web, Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android

3. tawk.to

tawk.to offers completely free live chat software with unlimited agents and unlimited chats. This makes it attractive for startups and small businesses that need basic live chat without monthly costs.

The platform monetizes through optional paid services: you can hire trained chat agents at $1/hour if you don’t want to answer chats yourself, or pay for add-ons like branding removal and AI features. This transparent model builds trust and gives you control over costs.

Over 5 million businesses use tawk.to, from solo entrepreneurs to enterprises looking to reduce support costs.

4. Re:amaze

Re:amaze positions itself as a user-friendly platform with powerful automation through its Workflows feature. The platform lets you build complex automation rules without coding, making it accessible for non-technical teams.

Re:amaze’s standout features include Cues (proactive messages triggered by customer behavior), Workflows (automation rules for routing and responses), and Intents (AI-powered message classification that routes conversations to the right team). The platform also supports multi-brand management, making it useful for agencies or companies running multiple storefronts.

Note that Re:amaze doesn’t include built-in ticketing in its base plan — you’ll need to integrate with another tool for full help desk functionality.

Pricing:

• Basic plan from $29/agent/month
• Pro plan from $49/agent/month includes advanced automation and AI features
• Plus plan from $69/agent/month adds priority support and custom integrations

5. Zendesk

Zendesk offers enterprise-grade help desk software with live chat as part of its full suite. The platform excels at omnichannel support, unifying email, chat, phone, and social media messages into a single ticketing system.

Zendesk provides robust reporting and analytics, service level agreement (SLA) management, and escalation rules that enterprises need.

Important note: Live Chat requires the full Zendesk Suite plan, not the cheaper Support-only plans.

Pricing:

• Suite Team plan from $69/agent/month includes live chat, ticketing, and knowledge base
• Suite Growth plan from $115/agent/month adds AI and advanced analytics
• Suite Professional plan from $149/agent/month includes custom AI and advanced automations

6. LiveAgent

LiveAgent stands out as an affordable help desk with gamification features that motivate support agents. The platform includes badges, performance levels, and leaderboards that turn support work into a friendly competition.

This gamification approach increases agent engagement and makes it easier to track individual performance. Beyond the unique motivational features, LiveAgent provides solid multi-channel support across email, chat, phone, and social media with a unified ticketing system.

The interface looks dated compared to newer competitors, but the feature set remains competitive.

Pricing:

• Small business plan from $15/agent/month includes ticketing and email
• Medium business plan from $35/agent/month adds live chat and call center
• Large business plan from $59/agent/month includes advanced automation and reporting
• Free plan available with limited features (one chat button, one email address, seven-day ticket history)

7. HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot Live Chat is a free Live Chat tool that integrates seamlessly with HubSpot’s customer relationship management (CRM) software.

The standalone value is limited compared to dedicated Live Chat platforms. However, the CRM integration makes it powerful for teams already using HubSpot.

HubSpot’s free plan includes the CRM, Live Chat, a chatbot builder, and ticketing. Paid Service Hub plans start from $15/month and add advanced routing, automation, and reporting.

8. Olark

Olark focuses on simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for small teams that want basic live chat without complexity. The platform offers quick setup, pre-chat surveys to collect customer information, and automated messages based on visitor behavior.

Olark automatically sends chat transcripts via email, making it easy to review conversations and identify training opportunities for your team. The platform includes visitor co-browsing as a paid add-on, letting agents see customer screens to provide better troubleshooting.

Olark lacks the advanced AI features and deep ecommerce integrations of competitors like Gorgias, but its straightforward approach appeals to teams that prioritize simplicity over sophistication.

Pricing:

• Standard plan from $29/agent/month includes unlimited chats and basic features
• Pro plan (custom pricing) adds advanced reporting, CRM integrations, and priority support
• 14-day free trial available

Still want more suggestions? Check out our list of the best live chat apps for Shopify or, if you don’t use Shopify, the best live chat apps for ecommerce.

How to choose the best live chat app (features and evaluation criteria)

The best live chat app for your team depends on your support volume, ecommerce platform, and whether you want AI to handle routine inquiries. Focus on these six decision factors to find the right fit:

Ecommerce integration depth: Look beyond basic Shopify or BigCommerce connections. The best platforms offer two-way sync, letting agents edit orders, process refunds, and manage returns without switching tabs. This saves time and reduces errors.

AI and automation capabilities: Decide what you want automated. Some platforms offer simple chatbots that answer FAQs, while others use conversational AI to resolve complex issues like order changes and returns. Building an effective AI-driven support strategy requires understanding these capabilities.

Omnichannel support: Does the platform handle just chat, or does it unify email, SMS, and social media in one inbox? Omnichannel platforms eliminate the need to switch between tools, speeding up response times and improving customer experience.

Pricing model: Compare per-agent pricing versus flat rates. Per-agent models work for small teams but get expensive as you scale. Some platforms charge per ticket, which can be unpredictable during busy seasons. Factor in costs for essential features — some platforms charge extra for AI, integrations, or branding removal.

Team collaboration features: Look for chat routing (automatically assigns conversations to specific agents), internal notes (let agents collaborate on complex issues), and collision detection (prevents multiple agents from responding to the same chat). These features become critical as your team grows.

Analytics and reporting: The best platforms track metrics like first response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction. For ecommerce, revenue attribution matters most — can you track which conversations lead to purchases? This proves the return on investment (ROI) of your live chat investment.

Benefits of live chat apps for ecommerce teams

Faster resolutions = higher satisfaction: Live chat provides real-time answers instead of email back-and-forth that stretches over hours or days. Customers get help immediately, leading to higher satisfaction scores and better reviews.

Increased conversion rates: Pre-purchase questions about sizing, shipping, or product features can stop a sale. Live chat answers these questions instantly, removing friction from the buying process and increasing conversion rates.

Reduced support costs: One agent can handle multiple chat conversations simultaneously, while phone and email support tie up agents with one customer at a time. This efficiency reduces the cost per ticket and lets smaller teams handle larger volumes.

Turn every chat into a revenue opportunity

Most live chat apps treat support as a cost center. Gorgias treats it as a revenue driver.

Our AI Agent automates routine support inquiries while maintaining your brand voice, freeing your team to focus on high-value conversations. Shopping Assistant turns every chat into a sales opportunity through personalized product recommendations and upsells.

See why Gorgias is the best live chat solution for thousands of ecommerce brands. Book a demo.

The best way to make customer service as convenient as possible is for ecommerce stores to meet customers where they already are. 

With that in mind, responding to customer interactions on a messaging platform can be an excellent way to provide better customer service — especially on one as popular as Facebook Messenger. 

According to research by Statista, Messenger has 106 million active daily users in America. And if a customer comes across one of your Facebook pages, your Facebook ad, or a Facebook comment that mentions you, the Facebook messaging app might be the first place they’ll go to ask you a question.

Below, learn how to use Messenger for business as an optimized customer service channel. 

Why teams use Facebook Messenger for customer service

According to data from Review42, 1.3 billion people around the globe use Facebook Messenger each month. This makes Facebook Messenger the second most popular mobile app for messaging in the world, behind WhatsApp (and, if you count it, SMS). 

Providing customer care via a channel customers already spend a lot of their time creates an easier, more comfortable experience for them overall. Here are some other benefits of implementing customer support on Facebook Messenger. 

Provide an omnichannel experience 

Asking customers to report a problem via your company's website or its customer support phone number may not seem like a big ask. However, allowing them to contact your company via the social media messaging apps that they are already most comfortable with increases the chances that they will reach out. If contacting support is too cumbersome or unfamiliar, they may simply take their business elsewhere without giving you the opportunity to make it right.

Answering customer queries seamlessly across channels is called omnichannel customer service, and it’s become a critical way for brands to offer better customer experiences. Research shows that getting support on the channels they love even influences purchase decisions.   

📚Recommended reading: How to usse social media for customer service. ‍

Make customer engagement more personal 

Messenger is one of the more personal communication channels to choose from, especially since many people use Facebook Messenger to communicate with friends and family. 

Because of this, managing customer relationships via Facebook Messenger is a more relaxed, natural, and personal way for customers to engage with your brand. 

📚Recommended reading: How to offer personalized customer service at scale.

Make public conversions private 

If a customer is upset, they might leave an angry comment on one of your Facebook posts. Bringing that conversation into a direct message takes that public conversation private, allowing you to offer more personalized support without the eyes of your entire follower base (or prospective customers) on you. 

• For curious or excited customers, you can have more personalized conversations, send over a small discount, and have a longer conversation that isn’t possible in public comment
• For escalated or upset customers, you can remove the heated conversation from a public forum and resolve the issues with minimal damage to your brand

Just be sure to ask them to message you first to comply with privacy standards. 

📚Recommended reading: How to deal with angry and escalated customers.

Integrate with a helpdesk and centralize communication 

When you open the floodgates to social media customer support, you or your team will likely be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of comments, questions, or posts that include your brand. While not all of these mentions will require support, the more you can stay on top of them, the better your brand perception will be. 

Facebook Messenger can integrate with a CRM or helpdesk that can centralize conversations from all of your other support channels (like email, live chat, SMS, voice, and social media) under one user-friendly dashboard. This makes it much easier to organize conversations so that reps can respond to things in real time or automate responses to common questions.

For example, Gorgias lets you create templated responses to common questions which saves your support reps time. It also lets you set business hours and automate responses to set customer expectations and let them know when you’ll respond. 

Learn more about how Gorgias integrates with Facebook Messenger. 

Messenger saves each customer's chat history and makes it easy to re-engage at any time

Even without any integrations, Facebook Messenger still automatically saves customers’ chat history. This makes it easy to re-engage with customers anytime you wish, which simplifies the customer service process and can potentially save your support team (and customers) a lot of time and hassle.

📚Recommended reading: Should You Delegate Social Media to Customer Support?

Use chatbots and automation to provide quick responses 

Chatbots offer near-immediate response and resolution times to simple customer inquiries. By addressing common issues without the need for a live support agent, chatbots can also reduce your support ticket volume and free your support team up to focus on more complex and pressing issues.

However, practice caution here. Most chatbots provide sub-optimal customer service. That’s why we prefer automation features that offer the same convenience (without deceiving your customers). While it’s not currently available on Facebook Messenger, take a look at how we build automation features into live chat to offer a better experience than chatbots:

https://gorgias.wistia.com/medias/gb277k8th0 

📚Recommended reading: 2022 Customer Service Automation Guide [+Benefits and Best Practices]

7 Facebook Messenger best practices for customer support teams

If you’d like to get as much value as possible from Facebook Messenger, here are seven best practices for using Facebook Messenger as a customer service channel.

1) Mind Facebook Messenger’s privacy policy 

Keep in mind that, as stated in Messenger’s privacy policy, you can only send messages to people who message you first. 

When moving from a public channel (like a Facebook comment) to a private channel, ask customers to make the move rather than messaging them. One way to maneuver this conversation is to ask the customer to message you something specific, privately, to resolve the issue. For example:

“No worries, {{Customer name}}! Your order hasn’t shipped so we can still change the mailing address. Please send us the new shipping address in a private message and we’ll make the change.”

2) Respond quickly, whether via a live chat experience or a chatbot

According to data from SuperOffice, 46% of customers expect a response time for customer service inquiries of four hours or less. Further, 12% of customers expect companies to provide a quick response in 15 minutes or less. 

‍Using Messenger chatbots can be a great way to ensure speedy responses to common customer questions. However, responding quickly is still important if you’re offering customers a live chat experience via Facebook Messenger rather than directing them to a chatbot. Even if you do use live chat, you can still set up chatbots to send an auto-response that thanks them for their inquiry and lets them know that an agent will assist them soon. 

Here’s how to set up that kind of automatic response Rule within Gorgias:

In all cases, it’s essential to make every effort to respond to customer inquiries as quickly as possible.

📚Recommended reading: Check out our case study of Berkey Filters, who achieved low response rates and high channel adoption rates after launching a new customer service messaging channel.

3) Automate simple questions that come through Facebook Messenger

In addition to lowering the average first response time of your customer support team, using bots to automate simple questions that come through Facebook Messenger can also free up a lot of time in your team's schedule. 

According to data from Tidio, 62% of customers would rather use a chatbot than wait for a customer service representative to take their call, making Facebook Messenger chatbots an excellent way to ensure that your customer service process is as speedy and convenient as possible. If you use a helpdesk, a plugin like ShopMessage can create this type of automation for you.  

If you use Gorgias, set up autoresponse rules to make each day’s workflow easier for your team. For example, set business hours and an autoresponse rule that fires if a customer does or doesn’t reach you during that time. 

For shoppers who message outside of business hours, automate text to let them know when you’ll be back online. For those who message during business hours, automate a message that approximates wait times: 

 4) Use content, FAQs, and knowledge base material to get customers to solutions faster

Resources like blog posts, FAQs, and knowledge base material can all serve as excellent customer service tools to supplement the support you offer via Facebook Messenger. 

Link your help center prominently on Facebook, send over links to your help articles for additional details or step-by-step walkthroughs once you answer their questions, or share blog posts that provide additional helpful information directly via chat.

Providing helpful self-service tools like these as part of your Facebook Messenger support strategy can go a long way toward making Facebook a more effective customer service channel.

5) Create short, Facebook-appropriate templates for FAQs

To save yourself or your team time, create templated responses for the most common questions that come through Facebook Messenger. 

Like a Facebook message would be, keep these responses short and sweet. Prioritize the messages that tend to come through Facebook. For example, shoppers will likely send in a message about an ad they saw or a product they’re interested in rather than asking for an update on their order status. 

📚Recommended reading: 10 Best Practices for Providing Exceptional Customer Service on Twitter

6) Seek out context to help customers with support requests

While it can certainly be beneficial for support agents to direct customers to resources such as knowledge base material, the reverse is true as well. Resources customers send in while seeking assistance can offer a lot of value. 

Facebook Messenger makes it easy for people to send photos, videos, and documents. These resources can provide helpful additional information about an issue support reps are attempting to resolve. For example, an agent might need to take a closer look at a crack in a defective product or see the color of an item they need to send a replacement for. 

Seeking context starts with having your agents ask customers the right questions. For example, asking customers how they are using the product that they purchased can provide agents with a lot more context regarding the issue that the customer is facing. Asking customers if there is anything else that you can help them with after the initial problem has been resolved is another question that can ensure that no issues go unaddressed. 

By making an effort to seek out as much context as possible, your customer support agents can ensure that they provide relevant information that fully resolves each issue. 

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7) Respond to every customer who sends you a message

It isn't always easy, but responding to every customer who sends you a message through Facebook Messenger is essential if you want to optimize customer satisfaction and reduce churn. This is especially evident when you consider the fact that Facebook Messenger shows users when their message has been seen. 

In other words, if you choose to ignore a customer's message, they’ll know about it. Thankfully, tools such as autoresponders and dashboards for centralizing customer conversations can make replying to each and every customer message a much more feasible goal. For example, if you use Gorgias, all open tickets will appear prominently until you close them.  

Respond to Facebook messages in your helpdesk to provide omnichannel service

Centralizing all of your customer conversations across channels under one easy-to-use dashboard makes managing Facebook Messenger conversations much more efficient for your support team. It lessens the possibility that high-priority messages will get lost, and allows teams to assign different conversations to the right agent who is best suited to support. 

This is where customer service platforms like Gorgias come in. Those that offer integrations will also show a customer's entire history with your business like their purchase history, past support conversations, and even social comments on different platforms. This allows your support agents to provide more helpful and personalized assistance. 

Omnichannel experiences help meet customers where they are, ensure a smooth, hassle-free experience, and let them message you from the app where they’re most comfortable. This increases the likelihood they will actually reach out to you, rather than deciding not to shop with you again instead. 

How to set up a Facebook customer service channel with Gorgias

With Gorgias, ecommerce stores can centralize customer conversations across multiple channels under one user-friendly dashboard, employ customer experience automation features complete with AI-powered customer intent and sentiment detection, create automated customer service workflows for Facebook Messenger, and much more. You can also expand your support messaging capabilities with our SMS feature.

Setting up the Gorgias and Facebook integration is quick and easy. Just visit Settings -> Integrations -> Facebook, Messenger & Instagram on your Gorgias dashboard. Make sure you’re logged into the correct Facebook account, authorize Gorgias on Facebook, select the page you want to add and your import settings, and then add the page! 

To see for yourself how Gorgias can streamline your customer service process by integrating with Facebook to create a unified customer service workspace, check out our social media features or sign up for a free trial today. 

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