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Live Chat Support

Should You Offer Live Chat Support? A Guide for CX Teams

Should you offer live chat support? This guide covers the benefits, best practices, setup tips, and top platforms for ecommerce teams.
By Christelle Agustin
0 min read . By Christelle Agustin

TL;DR:

  • Live chat is the fastest way to help shoppers. It gives customers real-time answers and prevents drop-off.
  • You don’t need a 24/7 team to run live chat. Automate FAQs and set clear hours to keep it manageable.
  • Live chat improves conversions and customer loyalty. Shoppers who chat are more likely to make a purchase and return to your store.
  • Start by automating questions like order tracking and returns. These are easy to answer and make up most of your volume.
  • Gorgias makes it easy to launch and scale live chat. You can integrate with your store and go live in under a day.

According to 2025 Gorgias data, chat inquiries are resolved in 24 minutes versus two days on email. It’s no wonder customers prefer live chat over any other support channel.

If you aren’t already offering live chat, it might feel like a big commitment. But when the end product is happier customers, it’s high time to catch up.

Thinking about offering live chat? Learn more about the benefits of live chat customer support, how it differs from chatbots, when and how to use it, and the best live chat tools to use based on your team’s needs.

What is live chat support?

Live chat support is a form of customer service that uses a chat widget to intake customer inquiries. Ecommerce websites, browser-based tools, and mobile apps typically offer live chat in combination with other customer service channels like email, phone, and social media.

Depending on the business, live chat support availability can vary. Some businesses choose to run live chat within their operating hours, while others extend 24/7 availability with the help of automation, conversational AI, or a dedicated off-hours team.

A live chat conversation displayed in Gorgias along with a customer sidebar that shows a customer's order details
Manage all live chat conversations in Gorgias, alongside the Customer Sidebar, so you always have the context.

Related: Customer service messaging: Tips and templates for SMS + conversational channels

How does live chat support differ from a chatbot?

The main difference between live chat and chatbots is the option to speak to a live human agent.

With live chat support, customers always have the option of speaking to a live human agent. Meanwhile, chatbots can only provide customers with automated responses, whether preconfigured or generated by AI.

Why should you offer live chat support?

Live chat doesn’t just make support faster—it helps you close more sales.

Aside from quick answers, customers want confidence to buy. In fact, Hiver reports that 63% of consumers prefer live chat over phone and social media, mainly because they get instant answers while they’re still browsing.

Here are the benefits of implementing live chat for your business:

  • Customer satisfaction: Customers get the clarity they need while shopping
  • Higher conversions: Live chat removes friction at checkout by resolving doubts in real time
  • Faster resolutions: Support teams close tickets faster by solving issues right away
  • Revenue retention: Agents can recommend the right product, reducing the chance of returns later

Read more: A guide to resolution time: How to measure and lower it

When does live chat make the biggest impact?

Live chat shines in situations where timing directly impacts whether a customer buys your product or walks away. These conversations often happen before a purchase, like when a shopper is deciding between products, has concerns about shipping, or wants to confirm your return policy.

Use live chat in these moments:

Moment

Why Live Chat Works

Before a purchase

Provides instant product education, assurance, and curbs hesitation due to a lack of information

Order-related concern

Resolves time-sensitive questions on shipping or changes before the customer bounces

Checkout hesitation

Reduces cart abandonment by addressing doubts

FAQs

Deflects repetitive tickets through automation, freeing agents for complex conversations

High-value customers

Offers high-touch service that reinforces loyalty and drives repeat purchases

Bulk orders

Accelerates large sales by delivering clarity when urgency is high

How automation makes live chat support scalable

You don’t need a large support team to offer high-quality live chat support. Sure, live chat can feel risky if you’re a brand with a lean CX team or high ticket volume, but when you automate the right types of conversations, it becomes one of the most impactful support channels.

What to automate first

Start with high-frequency, low-complexity inquiries. These are repetitive questions that don’t require an agent to resolve:

  • Order tracking (where is my order)
  • Shipping, return, exchange, and cancellation policies
  • Basic troubleshooting
  • Product education, like sizing or fit guides

These types of tickets typically make up the bulk of your live chat volume. Automating them clears the way for agents to focus on conversations that require more specialized knowledge and nuance.

Gorgias Chat displays four FAQs that customers can click into to get immediate answers, an order tracker, and send us a message button
Gorgias Chat allows up to six one-click FAQ, an order tracker, and live chat.

Automation features that help you scale

The best live chat isn’t only a messaging tool, it also comes with features that make the support agents using it more productive.

Here are the top automation features to improve live chat:

  • Macros: One-click prewritten replies to common questions that agents can send manually or automatically.
  • Customer and product variables: Dynamic details—like name, order number, and delivery date—pulled from your ecommerce platform and inserted into messages can easily make interactions more personalized.
  • Flows: Interactive Q&A scenarios that automatically answer customer questions in the chat widget.
  • Routing: Prioritize or assign tickets to agents based on topic, urgency, or language for maximum efficiency.
  • Conversational AI: Leave live chat on 24/7 with tools like Gorgias AI Agent to answer repetitive questions and update orders—even when your team is offline.
Track, return, cancel, or report an issue with your order in Gorgias Chat
Track, return, or cancel an order right from chat with Gorgias.

The dos and don’ts of replying to a live chat message

Good live chat messages are quick, helpful, and easy to follow. Poor live chat messages are slow, robotic, or long-winded.

Follow these guidelines to help keep your replies effective and consistent:

Do ✅

Don’t ❌

Respond within your target SLA

Leave customers waiting

Keep responses concise

Send long, wordy messages

Use macros and templates as a starting point

Manually type everything again and again

Ask clarifying questions

Assume you understand everything

Be transparent if you need more time

Promise something you can’t deliver

Confirm resolution before ending the conversation

End the chat without checking if the issue is solved

How to set up live chat without overwhelming your team

Adding live chat for the first time or want to make your current setup more manageable? Start with these five steps:

1. Set live chat hours

You don’t need to be online at all times to offer live chat. Start by choosing live chat hours that reflect your team’s availability and peak shopping hours.

Remember to display your availability on your website clearly to manage customer expectations.

2. Prioritize live chat tickets in your inbox

Customers who reach out to you via chat are active on your site and often close to purchasing. 

Create rules in your helpdesk that flag live chat conversations as urgent, so they don’t get buried under slower channels like email. If you have a dedicated agent who handles chat, route all chat tickets to them for instant visibility.

3. Automate your first reply

Set up an auto-response that triggers immediately when someone starts a chat. Even a short message like “Hey! Thanks for your message, an agent will be right with you,” can reduce drop-off and give your team time to prep.

4. Edit your macros for live chat

Templates that work in email may be too wordy in chat. Shorten your macros, simplify the tone, and make sure each response fits cleanly into a chat window. Use dynamic variables to pull in details like order number or shipping status without slowing down your agents.

5. Capture customer emails when live chat is offline

Customers don't stop having problems when your team clocks out. When someone tries to chat outside business hours, collect their email so an agent can follow up once your support team is back online.

Gorgias Chat asks for a customer's email when they send a message outside of business hours.
Gorgias’s Offline Capture collects customer emails when they message you off-hours.

Best live chat tools for CX and support teams

If you’re evaluating live chat software, here are five solid options to start with. Each one fits different team sizes and priorities.

Tool

Pricing Model

Best For

Standout Feature

Limitation

Gorgias

Per ticket

Ecommerce brands

Conversational AI that handles support and drives sales with upsells, recommendations, and context-aware discounts

Limited AI features for non-Shopify ecommerce stores

Zendesk

Per user

Large CX teams with dev resources

Highly customizable for large support orgs

Built for general use, not ecommerce; limited email AI; high setup cost

Intercom

Per user

SaaS and product companies

Built-in onboarding and product messaging tools

Not ecommerce-focused; limited integrations and high AI cost

Tidio

Per ticket

SMBs looking for budget automation

Affordable chatbot + live chat combo

Lacks visual upsell tools and struggles with complex sales questions

Richpanel

Per user

Early-stage teams

Simple UI and fast time to launch

Buggy UI, no AI Agent, slow updates, poor Shopify automation

Deliver faster support without adding headcount

Gorgias helps ecommerce brands deliver fast support without cutting into your budget. Automate common questions with conversational AI, resolve tickets in seconds, support and sell, and give your team the context they need to handle complex conversations with one tool.

Want live chat that takes support to the next level? Book a demo.

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19 min read.
Track Customer Orders

The Complete Guide to Tracking Customer Orders on Shopify

Set up Shopify order tracking to keep customers informed, cut returns, and build loyalty with AfterShip, ShipBob, ShipStation, and more.
By Holly Stanley
0 min read . By Holly Stanley

TL;DR:

  • Customers expect real-time order tracking. Allow customers to track their orders from anywhere—from their email to your website—at any time to increase their sense of security, reduce returns, and build trust.
  • Helpdesk + order tracking = efficient. Choose a solution like Aftership, ShipBob, or ShipStation that integrates with your CX platform. This lets you link shipping data with your customer data, resulting in faster support.
  • Offer self-service tracking options. Ensure your shipping information is easily accessible to customers through email, live chat, SMS notifications, and on your website.

Today, order visibility is table stakes. Around 50% of consumers actively track their order status to confirm it's progressing smoothly and staying on schedule.

Whether it’s order anxiety or excitement, shoppers want to see their order's status and location at any given time. Even better when they can get real-time alerts via SMS or at each point in an order’s journey.

So if you haven’t set up order tracking yet, now’s the time, because your customers already expect it. Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits of tracking customer orders and how to implement an order tracking tool for your Shopify store. 

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Why is order tracking so important for ecommerce?

Ecommerce vendors like Amazon have normalized order tracking. Today, most, if not all, customers expect to know where their order is.

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

  • Peace of mind: Real-time tracking reassures shoppers and helps businesses monitor fulfillment.
  • Fewer support tickets: Cuts down WISMO inquiries (18% of tickets) with automated updates.
  • Lower returns: Accurate timelines reduce late-delivery returns and protect revenue.
  • Stronger loyalty: Reliable tracking builds trust. Late or incorrect deliveries push shoppers away.
  • Easy planning: Consumers need to know that an order is on its way to plan their day.

Recommended reading: Ecommerce returns: 10 best practices for taking your online store to the next level

How to set up order tracking for your Shopify store

Here’s how to set up order tracking for Shopify stores: 

  1. Choose an order tracking tool
  2. Integrate your order tracking tool with Shopify
  3. Configure your order tracking app’s settings
  4. Integrate your order tracking app with your CX platform

As an example, we’ll show you how to set up order tracking on a Shopify store with AfterShip Tracking.

1) Choose an order tracking tool 

First, choose an order tracking tool like ShipBob, ShipStation, or AfterShip. These tools pull order information, tracking numbers, and shipment status to generate shipping updates for your customers.

Pro Tip: It’s best if your order tracking app integrates with your helpdesk, so that you can offer faster, context-rich customer support.

Read more: 12 best shipping software tools for ecommerce stores

2) Integrate your order tracking tool with your ecommerce platform 

Install your order tracking app of choice via the Shopify App Store. For us, it will be AfterShip Tracking.

To complete the integration, go to the AfterShip Tracking dashboard. Click Apps > View more apps > Shopify > Install app. You’ll be redirected to your Shopify settings. Read through the privacy and permission details and click Install app.

Pro Tip: Not sure if you did it correctly? Your store URL will be labelled as “Connected” on the Shopify connection page.

A Shopify store is successfully listed as 'Connected' to AfterShip Tracking.
Once you have connected your Shopify store and AfterShip Tracking correctly, the status will display as ‘Connected.’

3) Configure your order tracking app’s settings

Time to load your order tracking app with your Shopify data. This is a crucial step to ensure your app uses your courier and order details. 

On Aftership Tracking, go to Apps > Store connections > Actions to set up these two actions:

  • Courier Mapping: This matches shipping company names between Shopify and AfterShip so tracking data flows correctly even when the same carrier has different names in each system.
  • Auto-import settings: This controls which orders automatically sync from Shopify to AfterShip based on criteria like date range, payment status, and fulfillment status, so you only track the orders you want.
Shopify and your chosen order tracking tool may name couriers differently.

4) Integrate your order tracking app with your CX platform

Finally, connect your order tracking app to your helpdesk

When customer messages, shipping data, and tracking information are connected, your team can:

  • Get the full context with instant access to tracking numbers, shipping addresses, and estimated delivery dates
  • Eliminate the need to switch tabs or copy/paste information between tools
  • Resolve customer inquiries faster
Gorgias Macros use dynamic variables from your ecommerce platform and connected tools.

Read more: How to connect AfterShip Tracking to Gorgias

The 6 key spots to add ‘Track My Order’

It’s important to make order tracking accessible to customers, wherever they are. And since more than 68% of orders are done through smartphones, it’s critical to design every tracking touchpoint with a mobile-first experience in mind.

Order tracking should be available in:

  • Emails (order confirmation and automated replies): Include the receipt, tracking number, and a link to the tracking portal. Automated replies should also provide updates when customers ask about order status.
  • SMS: Send the tracking number and portal link. Use for delivery updates, delays, or exceptions.
  • Conversational AI in chat: Provide the order status, tracking number, and delivery estimate directly in the response.
  • Self-service order management: Add a “track my order” button in the chat widget with order status, tracking number, and delivery date.
  • Help Center (FAQ page): Embed a tracking tool where customers can enter their order number or email to see status and carrier tracking.
  • Account portal: Show fulfillment status, tracking number, and carrier link in the “My Account” section for each order.

What are the best order tracking apps for ecommerce stores?

Depending on your needs and the ecommerce platform you use, choose from options that are both scalable and flexible.

ShipBob

ShipBob is a global logistics platform that helps ecommerce brands provide fast, affordable shipping and best-in-class order fulfillment. Its connected technology and fulfillment network improve delivery times, reduce costs, and elevate the customer experience.

Standout features:

  • Distributed global fulfillment centers shortens delivery times
  • Real-time inventory management and order tracking
  • Affordable shipping rates through carrier partnerships
  • Analytics tools to optimize fulfillment and logistics performance

Check out ShipBob in the Shopify App Store or the BigCommerce App Store

AfterShip

AfterShip is a shipment tracking and notification platform that helps ecommerce brands keep customers informed and improve delivery transparency. It streamlines post-purchase communication and makes it easier to spot delivery issues before they affect customer experience.

Standout features:

  • Seven customizable notification triggers (e.g., in transit, out for delivery, delivered)
  • Easy-to-use email editor for branded tracking updates
  • Filter and monitor tracking data to detect delivery issues early
  • Branded tracking pages that keep customers on your site
  • Detailed analytics to measure delivery performance and customer engagement

Check out AfterShip in the Shopify App Store and the BigCommerce App Store

ShipStation

ShipStation is a shipping software solution that helps ecommerce businesses save time and money by comparing carrier rates and delivery times in one place. It automates shipping workflows to ensure customers get fast, cost-effective delivery.

Standout features:

  • Compare rates and delivery speeds across multiple carriers
  • Automate shipping processes, from label creation to returns
  • Intuitive dashboards and user-friendly interfaces for efficient workflows
  • Batch processing for high-volume order fulfillment
  • Branded shipping labels, packing slips, and tracking pages

Check out ShipStation in the Shopify App Store and the BigCommerce App Store.

ShipMonk

ShipMonk is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that helps ecommerce businesses scale with fast, affordable fulfillment services. Its technology-driven platform streamlines order, inventory, and warehouse management to deliver a seamless post-purchase experience.

Standout features:

  • Distributed fulfillment centers for faster, lower-cost shipping
  • Real-time inventory and order management
  • Automated picking, packing, and shipping workflows
  • Scalable solutions tailored for ecommerce, subscription boxes, crowdfunding, and more
  • Detailed reporting and analytics to optimize logistics

Check out ShipMonk in the Shopify App Store

Easyship

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

Read more about Easyship in the Magento Marketplace.

Recommended reading: 12 best shipping software for ecommerce

Mageworx

The Mageworx Order Editor extension lets you edit customer errors. Quickly fix any mistakes customers make during checkout like incorrect street numbers, phone numbers, names, shipping, or billing details. 

You can also add or remove products, change pricing, and add coupons after an order has been placed. This saves your customer support team from having to cancel the order and start it again from the beginning.

Learn more about Mageworx Order Editor in the Magento Marketplace.

Simplify order tracking with Gorgias

Use Gorgias to centralize order tracking, automate status updates, and deliver real-time delivery info, all in one place. By deflecting repetitive WISMO tickets, your team saves time, boosts CSAT, and focuses on higher-value conversations that drive retention and revenue.

Book a demo to see how Gorgias integrates with your order tracking system.

7 min read.

How CX Leaders are Actually Using AI: 6 Must-Know Lessons

What do Wildride, bareMinerals, OLIPOP, and Love Wellness have in common? They're turning AI into their most reliable team member.
By Tina Donati
0 min read . By Tina Donati

TL;DR:

  • Train your AI like a new hire. Give it tone guidelines, review weekly, and keep refining to stay on-brand.
  • Adapt AI to real customer behavior. Adjust tone and timing to improve satisfaction, even if the answer stays the same.
  • Use AI to drive sales, not just support. Top brands use it to answer product questions and guide pre-purchase decisions.
  • Start small and improve as you go. Begin with one common question and test often to build momentum.

If you’ve been side-eyeing AI and wondering if it’s just hype, you’re not alone. A lot of CX leaders were skeptical, too:

“I used to be the loudest skeptic,” said Amber van den Berg, Head of CX at Wildride. “I was worried it would feel cold and robotic, completely disconnected from the warm, personal vibe we’d worked so hard to build.”

But fast forward to today, and teams at Wildride, OLIPOP, bareMinerals, and Love Wellness are using AI to do more than just deflect tickets. They’re…

  • Cutting costs without cutting corners
  • Driving revenue before a customer even checks out
  • Delivering fast, on-brand, human-feeling support at scale

Here are six lessons you can steal from the brands doing it best.

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1. Think of AI as your sidekick

We need to get one point across clearly: AI isn’t about replacing your support team.

For brands with lean CX teams, burnout is a serious problem. And it’s one of the biggest reasons AI adoption is accelerating.

“I was constantly seeing the same frustrating inquiries—sponsorship asks, bachelorette party freebies, PR requests… 45% of our tickets were these kinds of messages,” said Nancy Sayo, Director of Consumer Services at global beauty brand, bareMinerals.

“Once I realized AI could handle them with kindness and consistency without pulling in my team, I was sold.”

bareMinerals' AI Agent answers a collaboration/PR request with an on-brand tone of voice and empathy.
Gorgias AI Agent helps bareMinerals resolve questions about collaborations and PR requests within seconds. 

Instead of thinking of AI as a replacement, think of it as an enhancement. 

It’s about making sure your CX team doesn’t burn out answering the same five questions 50 times a day.

With Gorgias AI Agent, Nancy’s team now uses automation to absorb the high-volume, low-conversion noise, freeing up their seasoned agents to focus on real revenue-driving moments.

“We use AI to handle low-complexity tickets. And we route higher-value customers to our human sales team—people who’ve been doing makeup for over a decade and really know what they’re doing.”

TL;DR? The smartest teams use AI to take the weight of repetitive tickets (“Do you ship internationally?” “Can I get free samples?”) off their shoulders so agents can focus on conversations that build trust, drive loyalty, and increase LTV.

2. Train your AI like a team member

While you can get started with AI quickly for simple queries, we don't recommend using it “out of the box.” And honestly, that’s a good thing.

Brands that “set it and forget it” are missing the point. Because if you want AI to sound exactly like your brand—not like every other chatbot on the internet—you need to give it the same context you’d give a new hire.

Amber van den Berg, Head of Customer Experience at baby carrier brand Wildride, wrote out detailed tone guidelines, including:

  • Dos and don’ts for customer conversations
  • Approved Dutch-to-English translations
  • Example replies for nuanced, emotional questions
  • Pre-written macros for product recs and delivery issues
Each conversation is evaluated using an Auto QA Score to help train Wildride's AI Agent.
Wildride uses Gorgias Auto QA to train their AI Agent, Lisa, to improve its language, communication, and resolution skills.

“Lisa, our AI agent, is basically a super well-trained intern who never sleeps. I give her the same updates I give my human team, and I review Lisa’s conversations every week,” said Amber. “If something feels off-brand, too robotic, or just not Wildride enough, I tweak it.”

The feedback never stops, and that’s what makes Lisa so effective.

Related: Meet Auto QA: Quality checks are here to stay

3. Let AI mirror the pacing of real conversations

Even when AI gets it right, customers might not always feel like it did. Especially if the tone of voice is off or if your customer base just isn’t used to automation.

“Our CSAT was low at first,” said Nancy Sayo of bareMinerals. “Even if the response was accurate and beautifully written, our older customers just didn’t want to interact with AI.”

So Nancy’s team adapted. Rather than giving customers a blunt “no” to product requests, they restructured the flow:

“If someone asked for free product, we’d say, ‘We’ll send this to the team and follow up.’ Then, 3-5 days later, the AI would close the loop. It softened the blow and made customers feel heard—even if the answer didn’t change.”

That simple tweak raised CSAT and created a better customer experience without requiring a human to step in.

Inside Gorgias, teams like bareMinerals review AI performance weekly, not just to catch mistakes, but to optimize for tone, satisfaction, and brand feel. They use:

  • CSAT reporting to spot dips in sentiment
  • Conversation analytics to flag where AI may be losing trust
  • Macro editing to quickly adjust common replies

AI gives you the flexibility to test, tweak, and tailor your approach in a way traditional support channels never could. 

AI Agent's performance metrics include coverage rate, automated interactions, success rate, customer satisfaction, and more.
Track AI Agent’s performance in Gorgias and see how many of your tickets it automates, as well as its success rate, total interactions, and more.

4. Use AI to drive sales—not just support

Too many CX teams still treat AI like a glorified autoresponder. But the most forward-thinking brands are using it to guide shoppers to checkout.

“Our customers often ask: ‘Which carrier is better for warm weather?’ or ‘Will this fit both me and my taller partner?’” said Amber van den Berg, Head of CX at Wildride. “Lisa doesn’t just answer—she gives context, recommends features, and highlights small touches like the fact that a diaper fits in the side pocket.”

With Gorgias Shopping Assistant, brands can turn AI into a proactive sales assistant—answering product questions in real time, referencing what’s in the customer’s cart, and nudging them toward the best option with empathy.

5. CX insights should power the rest of your business

Great support doesn’t stop at the inbox. At Love Wellness, CX is the connective tissue between ecommerce, product, and marketing.

“We meet quarterly with our CX and ecommerce teams to review top questions, objections, and patterns,” said Mckay Elliot, Director of Amazon at Love Wellness. “That feedback goes straight into product development and PDP optimizations on both DTC and Amazon.”

But it’s not just a quarterly ritual. Feedback sharing is embedded in the culture, and they do this with a Slack channel dedicated to customer feedback. 

Dropping in insights is part of the team’s daily and weekly responsibilities. It helps everyone stay close to the content, and it sparks real collaboration on what we can improve. They then use those insights to improve ad messaging and content.

Love Wellness has an internal feedback channel in their Slack
Love Wellness’s team shares customer feedback internally through Slack.

Your team has so much data they can review between channels like email, SMS, chat, and social media—both compliments and complaints. You need to be willing to listen to every customer’s needs.

Read more: Why customer service is important (according to a VP of CX)

6. Don’t overthink it, start small

One of the biggest mistakes brands make with AI? Trying to do too much, too soon.

Rolling out AI should feel like a phased launch, not a switch flip. The best results come from starting simple, testing often, and iterating as you go.

“We started with one simple question—‘Do you ship internationally?’—and built from there,” said Amber van den Berg of Wildride.

“And if it doesn’t work? You can always turn it off,” added Anne Dyer, Sr. Manager of CX & Loyalty Marketing at OLIPOP. “The key is to test, review, and keep iterating. AI should enhance your human experience, not replace it.”

Test out conversations in Gorgias's AI Agent Test environment
Before you go live with AI Agent, see how it responds to inquiries in the Test environment.

If your helpdesk supports it, start in a test environment to preview answers before going live. Then roll out automation gradually by channel, topic, or ticket type and QA every step of the way.

For most brands, the best starting point is high-volume, low-complexity tickets like:

  • “Where’s my order?”
  • Subscription pauses or cancellations
  • Returns and exchanges
  • Store policies and FAQs

You don’t need to solve everything on day 1. Just commit to one question, one channel, and one hour per week. That’s where real momentum starts.

Related: Store policies by industry, explained: What to include for every vertical

How do you measure the impact of AI in CX?

Most CX teams are used to tracking classic metrics like ticket volume and CSAT. But when AI enters the mix, your definition of success shifts. It’s not all about how fast you handle tickets anymore—it’s about how customers feel after conversations with AI, team efficiency, and the quality of every interaction.

Here are the metric CX teams used to track without AI—and what they track now with AI:

Metrics Tracked Before AI

Metrics Tracked After AI

Total ticket volume

% of tickets resolved by AI

Average first response time

Response time by channel (AI vs. human)

CSAT (overall)

CSAT + sentiment on AI-resolved tickets

Tickets per agent/hour

Time saved per agent + resolution quality

Burnout rate or turnover

Agent satisfaction or eNPS

The best use of AI makes space for human touch

AI isn’t here to replace your CX team. It’s here to free them up, so they can focus on deeper, more meaningful conversations that build loyalty and drive revenue.

So if you’re on the fence, start small. Train it. Review weekly. Build the muscle.

You’ll be surprised how quickly AI becomes your favorite intern.

If you want more tips from the experts featured today, you can:

min read.
Create powerful self-service resources
Capture support-generated revenue
Automate repetitive tasks

Further reading

How to Customize AI Agent with 7 Brand Voice Examples

By Christelle Agustin
min read.
0 min read . By Christelle Agustin

TL;DR:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Tone of Voice?

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

  • Friendly
  • Professional
  • Sophisticated

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

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

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

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

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

1. Friendly

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

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

How it looks in action

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

Default Friendly AI Agent voice
AI Agent lets a loyal customer know about the brand’s 10% discount.

2. Direct and brief

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

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

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

AI Agent Custom Tone of Voice

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

Custom direct and brief AI Agent voice
AI Agent directs a customer to their brand’s return portal without being too wordy.

3. Fun (with lots of emojis! 🤗)

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

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

Custom fun emoji AI Agent voice
AI Agent replies to a customer in a bubbly manner, even using heart emojis.

4. Comforting

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

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

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

Custom positive and comforting AI Agent voice
AI Agent is empathetic and understanding to a customer who is asking about stock availability.

5. Bro-y

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

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

AI Agent responds to a glove sizing question
AI Agent embodies your average bro and answers a customer’s question about glove size.

6. Punny

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

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

AI Agent uses bee puns to answer a customer
AI Agent uses bee and honey puns to reply to a customer asking about size availability. 

7. Bonus: Robotic

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

Tone of voice instructions:

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

How it looks in action

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

Custom robot AI Agent voice
AI Agent speaks like a robot to a customer.

Say it how you want with AI Agent

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

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

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

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Nik Sharma on Marketing's Biggest Secret

Marketing's Biggest Secret, Finally Revealed by Nik Sharma

By Lucas Walker
1 min read.
0 min read . By Lucas Walker

This episode’s featured guest is Nik Sharma, the CEO at Sharma Brands. He works with founders and executives of a wide variety of brands to launch their digital platform, develop an acquisition and retention strategy, expand their channels, and optimize their revenue. He has worked with big brands such as Bill Blass, Roc Nation, and Haus, and he is on the podcast today to discuss the importance of customer service.


Customer service is a brand’s frontline of defense. They are the first to know when something is wrong, broken, or if anything can be done better. By identifying the needs, concerns, and issues of the customer faster than anyone else, they can also fix or address problems before it gets any bigger and becomes damaging to the company. For example, when Nik was working with Judy, an emergency kit brand, there was an issue with their discount code. It simply was not working but no one knew until an online shopper got in contact with customer service. Immediately, the code was fixed and although Judy must have lost several potential customers during the mistake, they could have lost far more if customer service were not there to receive and respond to the matter.


It is important to keep the customer happy. If it is their first time ordering from a brand and they have a less than stellar experience, they are most likely not going to order again. They will not give any of the company’s second products a try, such as the more expensive purchases or subscriptions. That is why customer service is there to pacify the consumer and their issues, acting as a prevention method to any bad experiences. By offering even simple solutions from a technical standpoint, such as dealing with refunds or providing a shipping label, the customer is excited that the brand provided them with a solution.


Through this excitement and acknowledgement, an intimate relationship is created between the brand and customer. The customer feels valued as the brand understands and emphasizes with them. They recognize that they will be taken care of and as more customers begin to feel the same way, a community is built. Every company talks about wanting to build a community and all the strategies that it will take to do so, but the easiest and fastest way to accomplish that is by just having an efficient customer support team. Even a simple third-party logistics team can give a significant boost to a brand by providing front-line workers for customers.


It is not an exaggeration to say that customer service is the most vital piece of a brand. Nik has seen firsthand what good customer service can do and how much feedback, both positive and negative, it can receive. By offering world-class customer experiences, it can boost businesses to new heights and maximize profits. To speak to Nik and to get a further insight into the importance of customer service, he can reached via text at 917-905-2340.

Building delightful customer interactions starts in your inbox

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