Some hold up the net promoter score (NPS) as the holy grail of KPIs. While we won’t go so far as to declare it the most important metric of all, we will say that it is one of a few that is absolutely crucial to your brand and customer success.

That’s because you can learn a lot about customers when you dig into NPS feedback. What keeps customers happy, what upsets them, how you can boost retention, how to slow down churn — you name it, NPS can become a valuable feedback loop that reveals insights into all of these things and more.

That’s why we’ve created this guide. Read below to learn how to improve response rates to create a better, more accurate net promoter score.

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NPS formula and calculations

If you’re unfamiliar with net promoter scores, we have a detailed explainer on how to calculate NPS that will tell you everything you need to know. But for now, let’s have a quick refresher. 

It all starts with asking your customers a simple question: On a scale of 0-10, how likely are they to recommend your offerings to a friend?

From there, collect these numbers:

• Promoters: People with scores of 9 and 10 who are likely to recommend you.
• Passives: People who gave 7 and 8 scores — not necessarily unhappy, just not happy enough to actively promote for you.
• Detractors: People who gave answers between 0 and 6. These people range from those unlikely to recommend you to those who will actively detract from you via word of mouth, bad reviews, or negative social media posts.

Calculating your NPS is easy. Determine the percentage of promoters and detractors from the total number of responses. Then, subtract the detractor percentage from the promoter percentage for your score. So if you have 70% promoters minus 10% detractors, your NPS is 60.

11 best practices to improve response rates in NPS surveys

Before making business decisions based on your NPS, you need the best possible dataset to work with. That means improving response rates to NPS survey questions creates a larger sample size — and below, we’ll show you the best ways to do that.

1) Choose when to send surveys: Lifecycle-based, transaction-based, and pulse checks

There are three great cadences to send out your NPS surveys:

Lifecycle-based surveys

These should trigger at certain moments of the customer’s lifecycle. They’re a great way to get customer feedback at key points of the customer journey. 

This way, you can easily triangulate high-impact changes — for example, if NPS goes way up after customers receive an email with set-up instructions, consider making that information available earlier. 

Other examples include:

• 30 days after signing up
• A year after signing up
• After a certain onboarding step 

Transactional NPS surveys

A transactional NPS survey gets triggered by set customer interactions. Much like the lifecycle surveys above, this helps you collect customer feedback and take a temperature check where it matters most. In this case, after key customer touchpoints:

• In ecommerce, this will most likely be after a purchase or a subscription renewal 
• In the SaaS world, it could trigger after a customer installs a new feature 

Pulse-check surveys

Pulse checks are a bit different in that they survey your whole customer base all at once. You can use NPS surveys to gauge customer sentiment following a company rebrand, after a push to get new customer referrals, and so on. 

Especially while conducting lots of customer research to ensure product-market fit, conduct pulse-check surveys with some level of regularity to maintain a healthy feedback look. Many companies do pulse checks twice yearly just to get a sense of customer sentiment across the entire customer base.

2) Only ask one question in NPS surveys (most of the time)

Where NPS surveys are concerned, less is more. The longer your survey, the lower the chances are that people will hang around to finish it. Sticking to one question can improve your response rate — and you want a great response rate because larger sample sizes will create a more accurate NPS.

So, what's a good survey response rate? There is no one clear answer because response rates can differ between channels (email surveys versus telephone or in-app surveys, for example) or based on how engaged your customers are with your brand.

However, good response rates can generally vary between 5% and 30%. If your response rate shoots up to 50% or more, you’re doing extremely well — and your customers are highly engaged.

While you want to keep your surveys brief, nothing says you can’t follow up with particular customers individually. In fact, you absolutely should follow up with customers who offer particularly interesting responses in your survey’s feedback section. Send out a more in-depth survey or schedule a 1:1 interview to discover the reasons behind their responses.

Here’s a great example of a one-question survey sent with NPS survey tool Delighted, plus a follow-up question made possible by Delighted’s integration with Gorgias:

When to use multi-question surveys

There are a couple of limited cases when you can send out multi-question surveys:

• When you need deeper feedback on specific new products
• To get in-depth feedback from loyal customers who are willing to spend more time answering questions

Use these longer surveys judiciously to collect highly targeted information — and strive to keep them as brief as possible.

3) Always, always, always A/B test your surveys

A/B testing is a common marketing technique that has users compare multiple pieces of content to determine which pieces perform best. You can — and absolutely should — use A/B tests for your surveys, too. Doing so will help you optimize surveys to get the best response rate.

When you’re designing an A/B test, consider testing for the following:

• Email subject lines: (“Let us know what you think!” vs. “We want to hear from you!”)
• Number of questions (single-question vs. multi-question surveys)
• Delivery channel (email, in-app, after-purchase pop-up, etc.)
• Best time of day (morning, end of day, etc.)
• Best stage of the customer lifecycle (one day, week, or month after purchase)
• Testing by customer segments (repeat customers vs. first-time shoppers)
• Best time to test after an interaction (so the interaction still feels fresh)

Those tests will get you started, but feel free to add more as you spot areas to potentially improve.

4) Make your NPS surveys visual and brand-friendly

The first step to creating an attractive survey is to add visuals. Don’t rely on people typing in answers to questions. Use graphical buttons instead. Be sure to use your company’s logo in the design, and introduce your brand’s colors through borders and other elements.

Make it brand-friendly, too — whatever that means for your brand. If your brand gives off a sleek, posh vibe, then your net promoter score survey should do the same.

Rather than building these emails from scratch, consider using an NPS survey software with convenient templates. There are many great options, but we recommend Delighted — especially given its integration with Gorgias:

Delighted does a great job of letting you brand the survey (using your logo and colors) without over-crowding the email and distracting the survey-taker from the main purpose of the email: Choosing an NPS score. 

5) Consider offering a reward for filling out NPS surveys

Free swag is an excellent motivator, and so are discounts. Offer a little something extra in exchange for NPS survey responses, and you’ll likely see your response rate shoot up dramatically.

What can you offer? The sky's the limit. Create swag bags to send out to respondents or offer a limited-time promotional item. You can also offer digital gift cards or discounts, too.

The only issue with offering rewards is that it may not be sustainable. One great way to work around this is to set up a drawing or raffle, so that survey respondents have a chance at winning something awesome. It’ll be more affordable for your brand — and an attractive enough offer that more customers will leave feedback in exchange for a chance at the prize.

6) Add a comment box for customers to explain their numerical answer

NPS survey best practices include always making sure there is a comment box below the numerical survey question. Some customers won’t leave a comment, but some will. Use these comments to understand why your happy customers are so delighted with your offerings and why unhappy customers are less than thrilled with the experience you’ve offered.

If you use an NPS tool like Delighted, you can opt in to include an optional “Tell us more” box:

7) Look deeper into your NPS and customer data to get the most valuable insights

Your NPS score is a valuable tool, but it will only get you so far. It’s essentially a measurement of how “loud” your promoters are compared to the detractors. Focusing too much on the relative volume of each group can be misleading.

For example, you may be tempted to invest a lot of time into rescuing your detractors, but think about this: Maybe the problem isn’t that your detractors are unhappy. Maybe they were never the right target market in the first place.

That’s why you need to dig deeper into the data behind your NPS score. You might find interesting patterns, like nearly all of your detractors live abroad or a huge percentage of your promoters bought the same product. That suggests perhaps you need an audience from closer to home.

• Dive into demographic patterns on Shopify or whatever ecommerce platform you use to learn about the characteristics that make up promoter, passive, and detractor groups.
• Keep track of feedback from comment boxes. Do detractors routinely mention shipping delays? Now you know where to start on improvements.
• Send out follow-ups to members of each group to see if you can learn more about the factors that drove their initial response.

8) Always send a follow-up message to thank customers who filled out the survey

Thank-yous are a fantastic way to build goodwill and customer loyalty. This step doesn’t have to be anything complicated, either. In fact, the CRM tools or survey templates you use to generate surveys should automate the thank-you process — either as a final screen of the survey or a separate email.

Ideally, your survey should pop up with a quick statement of thanks once the survey has been completed. Make sure to personalize the message — but keep it brief to ensure that it’s both seen and appreciated.

This is how a thank you message will appear if sent with Delighted:

Less ideal — but still acceptable — is to send a follow-up email to say thank you. The problem with this method is that people aren’t always appreciative of inbox clutter — plus, there’s a chance customers may delete the email unread.

9) Just get started and aim for statistically significant sample sizes later on

Worried that your survey isn’t optimized to its fullest? Or that your customer base is too small to generate meaningful results? Set those fears aside and launch your NPS survey anyway.

The truth is, even small brands can get a lot out of comparatively few NPS responses. A/B testing your survey to optimize it is important — and it’s also something you can do to improve as you work through the process.

Now, if you’re a super small B2B brand with only a handful of customers, or a brand that is just starting, NPS scores may not be all that worthwhile. Instead, you may need to roll up your sleeves and dive in to ask for feedback the old-fashioned way: with phone calls or messages directly to your point of contact.

10) Test your survey before sending it to customers

We’ve talked about the importance of A/B testing — but what about regular beta testing? It’s an easy and crucial step that ensures an easy-to-use survey tool for your customers. 

Just have a handful of people at your company so they can click all the buttons and check various features. Request feedback on the design, and be sure to load the survey on mobile and desktop platforms, too.

Testing the technical aspects of your survey is especially important if you have any sort of automatic personalization. If you use a tool like Retently, for example, send a few test emails to different recipients to make sure the personalization is accurate:

💡Tip: If you use Retnetly, you can integrate with Gorgias to follow up with customers — like winning back unhappy customers or inviting happy customers to a referral or loyalty program. 

11) Think beyond the surface of the results

Up above, we mentioned that sometimes you learn important things about your target market based on your detractors — and that’s why you should always look beyond the NPS score itself. Do a deep dive on your detractors to really analyze what is happening. Examine demographic information and pay close attention to any comments they leave.

For example, do you have a large group of detractors who love your product but are unhappy with customer support or your website experience? This might indicate that your customer service team needs additional training or managerial support, which is a straightforward fix to raise your score. Or what if all of your detractors share certain characteristics, like age, income level, and geographical region? It could mean that this subset isn’t your product’s target market, and you’ll be better off re-targeting your product.

Find out how Gorgias helps ecommerce brands increase their KPIs

Ready to boost your NPS? Gorgias makes it easy. It’s customer support software specifically designed for ecommerce, built to integrate with the ecommerce tools (like NPS email software) you already use. 

On top of NPS, you can facilitate follow-up questions, automate thank-you emails, and get a real-time view of other statistics like customer satisfaction (CSAT), average response times, and resolution times.

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To learn more, sign up here and check out everything Gorgias offers.

When a shopper places an order, the second phase of customer acquisition begins: Turning new customers into repeat customers. Return customers generate 300% more revenue over first time buyers on average, according to data from 10,000 ecommerce brands. 

So, what kind of post-purchase behavior leads to long-term loyalty? Ideally, your customers follow up purchases with: 

• Leaving positive reviews and CSAT scores
• Signing up for a customer community or participating on social channels 
• Introducing friends and social followers to your brand and products
• Engaging with follow-up marketing email campaigns
• Making repeat purchases with the help of product recommendations or a generous loyalty program

Below, learn more about the psychology of your shoppers once they place an order, and get tactics to improve your brand's post-purchase experience.

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What is post-purchase behavior?

Post-purchase behavior is the set of actions customers take after purchasing an item. Post-purchase behavior can be positive (repeat purchases, raving fans), negative (poor reviews, excessive returns), or neutral (transactional purchases, simply using the product).

Why is it important to understand post-purchase behavior?

Post-purchase behavior matters because making the first sale isn’t the finish line. It’s the beginning of a race to win long-term, loyal customers: people who repeatedly return to your store, have a high customer lifetime value, buy more from you (increasing cart size and transaction value), and send new customers your way.

Gorgias’s data shows that while repeat customers make up 21% of all customers, they bring in 44% of revenue. 

What is post purchase dissonance?

Post-purchase dissonance, or what’s also known as “buyer’s remorse,” is when an otherwise positive purchase experience creates cognitive dissonance in the form of discomfort or other negative feelings. 

Usually, customers experience post-purchase dissonance when you don’t give enough information about:

• Order confirmation: “Did it go through?”
• Shipping: “When it arrive on time?”
• The product: “How do I set this up?”
• Returns: “Am I stuck with it?”

This often, understandably, dampens positive post-purchase behavior. On the other hand, a great post-purchase experience and strong customer service and support can drive positive post-purchase behavior, including brand loyalty.

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13 ways to provide a pleasant post-purchase experience that leads to more sales

Happy customers tend to become repeat customers. Focusing on creating a positive post-checkout process can increase customer satisfaction, bolster your repeat customer rate, and build customer loyalty.

Here are 13 ways to anticipate what your customers may think after clicking “Confirm order” and how  steer your customer’s post-purchase behavior. 

1) Do some audience research before getting started 

Consider: What metrics are we optimizing for?

The first step in encouraging positive consumer behavior through a thoughtful post-purchase experience is understanding what you want your customers to do. Then, take a look at who they are, what they care about, and how they behave. The key is to fully understand your brand’s customer journey. This will help you craft a better experience for them that’s based on real learnings about your business. 

“The first question brands should ask is, what kind of post purchase activities do you want to drive differently,” Bri Christiano, Director of Support at Gorgias, says. “And, who are you really targeting? That's going to dictate what your main metric is, and it’ll determine where you focus.” 

After you have a top-level understanding of the kinds of results you want to see overall, you can drill down into the specific activities that will be effective, like timely email sends. 

2) Immediately send an order confirmation email

Customer sentiment: “Did my purchase go through?”

In order to ensure a stress-free purchase process for your online store, send shoppers a confirmation email so they can confirm that their transaction went through. 

Include details like their order number, the shipping destination address, payment method, product details (in case of an order mistake), and the total cost including any promotional discounts. 

Caption: Gorgias customer Printfresh sends a thorough post-purchase email that includes all important order details.

💡Tip: Bri recommends sending timely emails that “catch customers when they're interacting with your brand. Don't send random emails at times when you’re likely not top of mind. Then, add personalization when you can for goals that they have, if your brand aligns with that.”

Even better if your order confirmation email links to a clear and helpful order management portal where customers can track their order, report issues, and modify the order.

3) Set up self-service order management

Customer sentiment: “Shoot, I messed up my order. I need to change it, fast!”

Sometimes a customer realizes that they didn’t make the right decision about an order, or legitimately made a mistake. 

Giving customers the opportunity to cancel an order themselves before it ships gives them peace of mind and allows them to correct their mistake in time without having to wait to send in a return. Using a helpdesk like Gorgias, customers can use self-service order management in chat or in the Help Center to cancel a recent order. 

If you do require customers to write into support (or if customers bypass your self-service options), set up a ticket prioritization system to surface those urgent tickets before it’s too late. Ensure that your support reps can do a quick information search to find the order and change or cancel it quickly. 

Here’s an example of a Gorgias Rule that automatically tags tickets about order cancellation requests from orders within the last two days, so your agents can confirm the cancellation before the order is shipped:

4) Be transparent about shipping times, carrier information, and customer service information

Customer sentiment: “When will it get here?”

Retail disruptions have reached 59% or higher over the past couple of years. With supply chain issues and shipping delays, giving people as much information as possible about how and when their purchase will reach them helps better meet customer expectations. 

Plus, questions about order status make up a large chunk of customer service requests. So, preemptively providing this information can help reduce the number of those repetitive tickets that don’t actually require a human touch. 

Offering real time order tracking information (ideally, without making customers jump through hopes) provides transparency, sets expectations, and allows customers to stay up to date with any order delays or changes without having to reach out to customer support.  

📚Recommended reading: Check out our post on how to offer real-time order tracking for more strategies.

5) Enhance the “unboxing” experience

Customer sentiment: “A package! I hope I love it.” 

Every moment, from the moment a shopper makes a purchase to when they unwrap your product for the first time, should build anticipation. Creating a fun and creative unboxing experience will help. 

Stationary brand Ohh Deer and its subscription program Papergang sends visually stunning packaging, especially for its monthly boxes. These fun, “keepable” boxes spark joy, can be reused or gifted, and create an overall positive experience that customers can look forward to. 

To get started, take a look at brands like Arka or Fantastapack, which provide custom options for enhancing your packaging.  

6) Have an honest and forgiving return/refund policy

Customer sentiment: “What if I don’t like it?”

When customers inevitably experience hiccups in the order process, the goal is that their behavior is constructive and positive, rather than angry and combative. To get that kind of post-purchase behavior, you need to offer easy paths to contact customer support and a smooth return or exchange process. 

Customers love the peace of mind of knowing that they can return something without hassle, even if they never have the need. Communicating that returns are easy (and free, if you can manage it) upfront can even encourage shoppers to convert. 

Still, solely-online retailers can be tricky for consumers. Many are hesitant to make a purchase decision on items that they can’t see in person first. To address that concern, share your returns process and policy in every order confirmation email and in FAQs and the Help Center on your website. 

Mattress company Casper created an easy and generous return policy that’s a gold standard for ecommerce: If you don’t like your mattress, tell them within 30 days, and they’ll cover shipping for a free return. With something as bulky as a mattress, free return shipping can eliminate any concerns about not liking such a big investment. 

A returns tool like Loop can really help you optimize the product so customers don’t have to jump through hoops to return a product:

7) Encourage exchanges over refunds

Customer sentiment: “I don’t love it. Should I get my money back?”

Encouraging shoppers to make an exchange keeps them around as a customer and also allows you to keep the revenue from the sale, which will help with your bottom line. According to returns tool Loop, “Turning refunds into exchanges is 10x more impactful than reducing return costs.”

Loop incentivizes returns by offering customers slightly more in-store credit than they would get for a refund: 

Shopify stores that use Loop for their returns see a 15% reduction in returns on average.  If you use Shopify or Gorgias, it’s easy to integrate Loop as an impactful return/exchange tool. 

💡Learn how Loop integrates with Gorgias to improve the customer experience of your returns even further.

8) Provide detailed instructions on how to use the product or service

Customer sentiment: “It’s here! How do I set it up?”

Devices or tools that arrive with no or unclear instructions, DIY furniture assembly that seems nearly impossible, or even complex software tools with poor onboarding can cause a less than positive experience, even if the end product is great. 

Create a simple YouTube video, send clear step-by-step instructions with images, or share a live chat hotline customers can reach out to if they get stuck. These options make it easy for people to get all of the information they need to set up or use the product or service they just purchased successfully. 

For example, GEN3 e-bikes come with a paper manual for assembly, but they also send a QR code (using a QR code generator like Beaconstac) that takes shoppers to a short, high-quality how-to video that’s less than 5 minutes long.

9) Send a CSAT survey and request product reviews from high scorers

Customer sentiment: “This is seriously (un)cool.”

Brands usually send a customer satisfaction (CSAT) score after a customer has interacted with customer support. Consider only asking for product reviews from people who score 4 or 5 on CSAT and leave positive feedback about their interaction with support. 

If you use a helpdesk like Gorgias, you can likely send these kinds of CSAT surveys automatically after conversations, purchases, and other kinds of transactions:

📚Recommended reading: Our Director of Support’s guide to improving CSAT score and survey response rate

10) Include relevant product recommendations

Customer sentiment: “Loved it! What else do they have?”

The time when shoppers are still deciding on a purchase is a prime opportunity for your support team to cross-sell or upsell them on additional items. 

For example, a customer might have trouble finding an item on your website that they saw on social media. Or, they might ask for recommendations for what to purchase or for items that will go best with the item that they already bought from you.

After a purchase is complete, consider surfacing additional product recommendations for customers via email. Even if these don’t result in an immediate second sale, you keep customers engaged and thinking about how that recommended item would improve their lives or enhance the use of the current item they have. 

11) Incentivize customers to show off their purchases on social media

Customer sentiment: “This product’s the best — everyone needs it.”

Providing discounts or other perks in exchange for social media shares and reviews brings more exposure to your brand and enhances the post-purchase experience for your fans. 

Underwear brand Parade runs a program like this called Parade Friends. Existing customers apply for the program, and once accepted, post pictures of themselves wearing Parade items on social media. Their followers can then use their Instagram handle as a discount code, incentivixzing future purchases (with a discount for customer delight). 

That means that both parties benefit, which makes them happy, and you benefit by bringing in new customers and more revenue.

12) Build a community for your customers

Customer sentiment: “I love this brand! Where can I find more?”

For many brands, community drives customer perception of the brand — and drives future sales. Brands have leveraged Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Instagram Live, and more to encourage community among their customers and fans. 

For example, soap shop Dr. Squatch hosts its community on Discord, a community-based social and chat platform, so its customers can hang out with each other and chat about the brand.

Creating a community can increase customer engagement and satisfaction, generate trustworthy, quality customer feedback about your products, and make more opportunities for cross selling and upselling. 

📚Recommended reading: What is Ecommerce Community Management and Why Does it Matter?

13) Follow up with special offers and marketing sequences

Customer sentiment: “Which brand was that again?”

Inevitably, your brand won’t always be top of mind for customers, even if they absolutely love it and your products. This is where a thoughtful marketing strategy comes in, and where email automation can be really effective. 

Set up automated flows that offer personalized product offerings, discount emails based on customer behavior, target returning customers, and ask for feedback. 

📚Recommended reading: 8 Ecommerce Email Automation Series for Online Stores

Encourage great post-purchase behavior with Gorgias

Turning first-time customers into repeat, loyal, raving-fan customers takes meticulous attention to the customer experience, especially in the post-purchase window. This is where Gorgias shines.

Ultimately, getting the ideal post-purchase behavior starts — and ends — with delivering a great customer experience, especially in the post-purchase evaluation phase. Gorgias delivers a powerful platform for your customer service helpdesk, tailored to the needs of ecommerce businesses who want to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Gorgias offers powerful features that drive ecommerce success, including:

• Ticketing system
• Live chat
• Self-service order management
• Intent and sentiment detection
• Data analytics
• Powerful macros and automations

See how Gorgias can transform your customer service efforts. Sign up now!

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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61% of consumers define an excellent customer support interaction as one with a quick resolution, according to a 2021 study. Your overall customer experience depends on how fast you can provide answers that fully solve a customer’s problem and lets them get on with their day—without too much effort.

Average resolution time is the metric businesses use to measure how quickly their customer support teams completely close an open customer issue. It’s not the only customer support metric that matters, and I don’t recommend holding it up as the holy grail of your team’s success. But it’s certainly worth measuring (and, usually, lowering) because it can make or break the customer experience — especially for urgent issues like lost packages, billing issues, or outages and bugs.

Learn all about average resolution time below, including what it is, how to measure and interpret your average resolution time, and how to lower your brand’s resolution time and make customers happy.

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What is resolution time?

Resolution time, also called time to resolution or mean time to resolution (MTTR), is the average amount of time a customer spends interacting with a business’s customer support, helpdesk, or customer service team before their issue is solved. 

The clock starts ticking the moment a customer writes or calls your support team. It includes the amount of time customers wait before getting a first response and any additional wait time between conversations. The clock stops ticking when the question is resolved and the support interaction is complete.

Average resolution time formula

Most brands don’t measure resolution time for individual tickets; they measure resolution time across all tickets — average resolution time. Apply a formula like this one to measure your business’s average resolution time:

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

If you conduct customer support directly on email and social media, you’ll have to calculate the total resolution time for all tickets by hand. This is tedious: You’ll have to subtract the difference between the timestamp of the last message in an interaction from the timestamp of the first message. 

However, if you use a helpdesk for customer service, you’ll likely have access to a dashboard that reports on your resolution times. Here’s what average resolution time looks like in Gorgias, which you can view by agent, channel, time frame, and more:

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

What is a good average resolution time for ecommerce?

Ecommerce businesses work especially hard to reduce their average resolution time because of the high customer expectations: 63% of customers will leave a brand after a single bad customer service experience. The stakes for fast, helpful customer service are high.

But defining a good resolution time is difficult because of a variety of factors:

• Each channel has its own resolution time frame: Customers expect an email conversation to take at least a few hours, but will rarely spend hours on your site’s live chat
• Your product’s complexity: If you sell highly configurable or complex products, your inquiries will probably take more time to resolve — and that’s okay
• Your customer service team’s maturity and tech stack will impact resolution time: A small team managing customer support on Gmail won’t achieve the same resolution time as a large team with a centralized and automated helpdesk 

But perhaps the most important “it depends” for resolution time is the type of ticket in question. At Gorgias, we encourage you to categorize every ticket into one of two categories: simple requests, which you can automate entirely, and complex requests, which will (and should) have higher resolution times.

Rather than trying to drive a variety of tickets to an arbitrary benchmark, you can clear your queue of repetitive, tedious tickets so you actually have time to handle and more efficiently resolve more complex ones.

Here’s what we mean:

Aim to automate empty-calorie customer service requests…

Questions like “Where is my order?” or “What’s your return policy?” or “Where do you ship?” might not take long to resolve individually, but they tend to take up a lot of time because customers ask them at such a high volume. We call them “empty calorie” tickets. You could try and resolve these tickets one by one, but it’s much faster (for both customers and agents) to provide helpful, automated answers.

Here’s how you can provide instant answers to these types of questions:

• Create a list of your most frequently asked questions based on the last few months of tickets
• Create Macros (or templated responses) to those questions, including variables like [customer name] or [tracking number of last order] to personalize the message
• Set up automated Rules to instantly fire the personalized message (based on the ticket’s Intent)

This way, when customers ask these FAQs, they’ll immediately get a resolution-worthy response — assuming the templated response is helpful — without any agent effort.

Even better, you can set up self-service resources like FAQ pages, knowledge bases, or Quick Response Flows like the one pictured below:

Again, the goal is to deflect empty-calorie tickets from your queue so agents don’t have to rush through complex, escalated, or high-impact questions. And don’t worry: Customers always have a clear path to a human agent if they need extra support.

Spend more time resolving complex and high-impact inquiries

Once you automate simple tickets, your helpdesk will have a higher ratio of questions that actually need human attention. This way, your customer service agents won’t have to rush through a mountain-high pile of tickets each day.

It may sound counterintuitive, but slowing down is often the best way to lower resolution time for these types of tickets. They need some extra research, personalization, problem-solving, and empathy to fully resolve. And taking a few extra minutes to resolve these issues won’t be an issue because you don’t have a queue overflowing with easy tickets waiting for an available agent. 

These types of questions include:

• Angry customers threatening to leave a bad review
• VIP customers asking for exceptions to policies
• Pre-sales questions (like “Which color do you recommend to match bright red shoes?”)
• Unique questions (like “I’m looking for the bike you posted on Instagram this morning, can you help me find it?”) 
• Questions that require cross-functional support, like website issues that need engineering support

Now, we’re not saying resolution time doesn’t matter here. It does. But it’s a mistake to expect these tickets to match the resolution time of the first category, and lumping them all together in terms of metrics will paint an unclear picture of the problem.

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Ideal average resolution times by channel

Now that you’ve separated simple and complex tickets, consider each channel your customers use: email, DMs, live chat, and so on. Customers have expectations for each support channel, and I recommend building your service-level agreements (SLAs) for each channel’s resolution time around those expectations. 

Below, I recommend some rough benchmarks for major support channels. That said, the time frames listed below are ambitious, so aim for gradual improvements based on your current average resolution times rather than matching my suggestions exactly.

Email: Same-day resolution

Email isn’t an instant messaging channel, so customers don’t expect instant responses. Ideally, you should respond within the same day — within a few hours is even better. Email works well for complex issues, where customers may need to explain an issue in detail or send a picture of their purchase. 

SMS: 10-minute resolution

As a live messaging channel, SMS resolution time should ideally be less than 10 minutes. SMS texting usually involves shorter messages than email, so it’s best to funnel quick, simple interactions to SMS. That said, one benefit of SMS is that customers can start a conversation and text you throughout the day, so the channel’s resolution time might be a bit longer than other live channels like live chat.

Learn more about offering SMS customer service with Gorgias.

Live chat: <10-minute resolution

Live chat is the most immediate channel because customers are usually sitting by their computers for the entire conversation. With that in mind, aim for an average resolution time of under 10 minutes, too. 

Live chat is great for real-time conversations and can be combined with chatbots or other self-service features for automating the simplest queries. One downside is that impatient users may switch tabs and forget about the conversation, driving up your resolution time metrics. But Gorgias features like our in-message product cards are great at keeping customers engaged until a resolution:

Some brands are worried about high resolution times from live chat if messages come in outside of business hours. Check out our post on how Gorgias helps small teams manage live chat if you have this same concern.

Check out our post on live chat support for more information about this support channel.

Phone: One-call resolution

Phone calls are one of the quickest paths to a resolution since you can collect details, offer multiple tactics to solve the issue, and stay on the line until the customer is completely satisfied — no back and forth necessary. Gorgias customers improve ticket resolution by 34% by adding phone support.) 

Aim for resolution time under 10 minutes for the simple tickets, but also leave the door open for longer phone calls as a great strategy to handle complex issues. You don’t want to rush through a phone call with frustrated or VIP customers for the sake of hitting a resolution metric. 

Read more about the benefits of phone support for your brand.

Social media: Same-day resolution for comments, 10-minute resolution for DMs

Your customers will think of social messaging as nearly the same as live chat, so treat it the same: resolution time within minutes (certainly under 10 minutes). When they get what they want, customers love social because it feels like a shortcut compared to phone or email. But, like SMS and live chat, social media can be a difficult channel in which to solve complex issues.

Check out our guide to social media and customer service.

What is the best channel for solving customer issues efficiently?

Each channel has its strengths and weaknesses in terms of helping the customer solve their issue. Some are better for solving issues quickly, while others excel at solving them thoroughly.

There is no single best channel. The real goal should be solving the customer’s issue efficiently and completely. For that matter, ecommerce businesses can’t directly control which support channel customers will choose, so the best approach is to provide omnichannel communication that focuses on meeting the customer where they’re at and using a customer service platform that reduces platform-switching for customer service agents.

Resolution time vs. first-reply time: Which metric is more important?

One important distinction in this discussion is the difference between resolution time and first reply time (FRT).

First reply time measures how long a customer has to wait before getting a response from your support team. Obviously, a customer who's been on hold for an hour will be in a certain frame of mind when they finally get a hold of a team member — and it isn’t a good one.

Across all live channels (on-site live chat and SMS, for example), a reply time under two minutes is a good target. Email, on the other hand, can usually have a longer first reply time — up to a few hours is acceptable.

While keeping first reply time low is important, relying solely on this customer service metric is a mistake. For example, if your team’s only goal is to keep first reply time below two minutes, they may do a great job at making that initial contact — at the cost of actually solving people’s problems promptly. This scenario will also correlate to lower customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, even when your team hits its KPI for reply time.

In reality, both resolution time and first reply time are important, in nearly equal proportion. Placing more emphasis on one than the other can lead to problematic interactions with customers, so ecommerce companies should take a balanced approach.

Gorgias’ solution: Support performance score

Within Gorgias, users can see their unique support performance score. This powerful metric combines three customer support metrics (first reply time, resolution time, and CSAT score) into a single metric to give you a more well-rounded view of your support team’s performance.

7 key strategies to reduce resolution time

Now that we’ve formed a framework for categorizing and thinking about support tickets, it’s time to work on reducing resolution time — intelligently and carefully, so you don’t run into the pitfalls we’ve mentioned.

Here are seven strategies.

1) Create a knowledge base or FAQ page

First up, the best support ticket is the one that never exists because the customer solved their own problem. The next-best? One that you can close out almost immediately by pointing the customer to an existing resource.

FAQ pages provide value to you and your customers:

• Customers can get answers to questions without any wait time.
• The customer support team can filter out or effortlessly resolve simple queries, leading to fewer “empty calories tickets” (tedious, repetitive, and brainless CS requests).

2) Automate processes wherever possible

Process automation can significantly reduce first response time using automated responses (macros and rules) and self-service automation. Getting through initial triage via automation frees up your customer support agents to do the harder work. Chatbots can even solve simple tickets on their own, and your human team will get to ticket resolution faster when they aren’t swamped with empty-calorie tickets.

3) Direct customers to faster resolution channels

If most of your customers contact you on slower channels (like email), consider reminding them about faster channels like live chat and SMS. Point out that live chat customers get an answer in three minutes on average, and users with simple questions may decide to hop over.

Berkey Filters, a Gorgias customer, did just that after launching an SMS support channel. They implemented several tactics like:

• Putting a banner at the top of the website to announce the new channel
• Announcing the new channel in all customer support emails
• Mentioned the channel’s quick response times in all announcements

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Check out Berkey Filters’ customer playbook to see how they lowered resolution time by funneling customers to SMS.

4) Prioritize customer service tickets and triage tickets

Your business should prioritize certain ticket types — the highest-value tickets might include VIP customers, customers about to make a purchase, and escalated customers. I recommend focusing on decreasing resolution times for these high-value tickets first and foremost, regardless of your overall metric. (Again, automating simple requests makes prioritizing these tickets even easier.)

Gorgias can use Shopify or BigCommerce data to tag customers who have spent over a certain amount as VIPs, pushing them to the front of the queue. Likewise, Gorgias’s sentiment detection can flag escalated customers. 

Learn more about triaging and prioritizing customer service tickets using Shopify data.

5) Tag customer types to route tickets to specialized teams

If your brand sells vastly different products — or sells to vastly different types of customers — one way to prioritize tickets is to create specialized teams. This way, you don’t need to waste any time playing hot potato with the customer query. You simply auto-assign tickets to the appropriate team.

For example, say you sell desks to individuals as well as offices. More than likely, someone buying a single desk for their house will have different needs and questions than someone buying 100 desks for the business’s office. Using Gorgias, you can auto-assign tickets to a specialized team based on channel, language, or a myriad of other qualities with the support of auto-tagging. 

6) Create an effective escalation strategy for technical issues

Technical issues can increase resolution time; sometimes, the answer lies elsewhere, outside your support team. Make sure you create clear escalation workflows so that, when these kinds of issues arrive, your team knows where to send them (and those other resources know the importance of responding promptly).

For example, if a customer had trouble with a missing package, they might need to speak directly to your fulfillment team. Likewise, if a customer has an issue with the functionality of your website, you may need to rope in your software engineers. Don’t wait until an issue arises to try and chase down these other teams — that’s a surefire path to a long resolution time.

7) Use the right tools such as templates and historical data

The more manual your processes and the less connected to what you already know about customers, the longer it takes to close tickets and the more frustration you’ll likely create with customers.

So use the tools you already have (like historical data and perhaps templates) and leverage new, powerful tools like Gorgias’ ticketing system to expand your capabilities.

Improve your company’s revenue by up to 2% by lowering the average resolution time to under 6 hours

In 2022, we studied the data from over 10,000 ecommerce brands and sat down with 25+ ecommerce brands to understand the connection between customer experience and growth. We found that when brands lower their average email response time to under six hours, they lift overall revenue by about 2%.

Ready to learn more? Check out our ultimate CX playbook for 18 tactics to boost revenue through CX.

Want to lower your resolution time? Gorgias can help. Gorgias is customer support and helpdesk software that can help ecommerce support teams become more efficient, improve customer experience, and drive revenue.

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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For any business, email plays a crucial role in providing great customer service. But helpful customer support emails take time and effort from your customer service agents. 

Templated responses save time for your customer service team and help customers get the resolution they need faster. With templates, reps can answer questions and resolve customer issues much faster than writing each email from scratch. And data from over 10,000 ecommerce brands shows that by lowering resolution time to under 6 hours, you can raise overall revenue by 2%

Templates also ensure high-quality support. They provide a consistent baseline that busy agents can lean on, especially during high-volume times. This is mission-critical for keeping happy customers around: 92% of customers say they’re more likely to return for a second purchase after a positive customer support experience. And repeat purchases (plus reviews, referrals, and higher average order values) mean repeat customers generate 300% more than first-time shoppers.  

‎Below, you’ll find 30+ effective customer service email templates to help you get started. Here are the top five email categories that you might find most helpful:

• Emails that provide proactive support
• Order status emails to preempt "Where is my order?" requests
• Emails to help with product exchanges, returns, and cancellations
• Angry customer response email templates
• Email templates to help you make sales

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5 tactics for writing better support emails 

Before you jump into writing any customer support emails, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

1. Fully evaluate what each customer is asking for
2. Convey empathy with the words you choose
3. Provide all of the answers and resources they need  
4. Practice forward resolution
5. Personalize the response to show that you’re listening

1. Fully evaluate what each customer is asking for

You need context and a deep understanding of a customer's situation to resolve their issue. But, going back and forth with customers to get there creates a high-effort experience for them, which often results in negative feelings toward the support experience. 

Using a platform that displays past customer information – between past conversations, recent orders, and the initial message, you have the best chance of fully understanding what went wrong and what the customer needs without making them repeat information. 

‎In your message, be sure to state what you understand to be the problem so they can correct you if you got something wrong.

2. Convey empathy with the words you choose

Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes can be challenging sometimes, but it’s vital if you want to leave them with a positive experience. Convey that you appreciate where they’re coming from by rephrasing their request, question, or concern. 

It’s especially tempting to shut down empathy when customers seem unreasonable or mean. Even if a customer is inflamed or incorrect, try not to call them out or prove them wrong. Instead, focus on what future solutions you can provide. Stick with the conversation and find out what’s beneath each message or customer complaint. 

Empathy and understanding why a customer is frustrated (and acknowledging any effort they’ve already put into solving the issue themselves) can go a long way towards finding a resolution that makes them happy. 

3. Provide all of the answers and resources they need  

Customer service email templates help save time and increase professionalism. But, keeping them up-to-date at all times is key. Make sure templates reflect your most up-to-date processes and policies and are robust enough to fully answer customer questions. 

You can always edit a template to suit the context of each conversation but the most effective templates will be complete with the best version of the answer possible. That might mean encouraging customers to reference return policies and shipping times, an FAQ section, or help center articles to ensure templates are as detailed and accurate as possible.

Here’s a great example of clear help resources from Bobbie, an organic baby formula brand, organized with a Gorgias help center:

Templates should always reflect the voice and tone of your company. What your brand voice is — formal, casual, friendly, professional — determines the exact words your templates will use. 

4. Practice forward resolution

Forward resolution is where agents anticipate and answer customer questions before they even happen. Take a look through past conversations where you went back-and-forth many times with a customer to see if there are any patterns in the types of questions that came up. 

For example, imagine customers often write in asking whether you ship to Canada. If you just respond, "Yes, we ship to Canada," then they may respond "What are the shipping rates and estimated shipping times for Canada?" That would be a good sign to include that information in your original email, avoiding the need for a follow-up.

This way you save the customer the frustration of wondering where their order is, the time to reach out to your support team, and you save your agents the time it would take to answer their question.

📚 Learn more: Customer Delight Is A Losing Strategy in Ecommerce: Here’s What’s Better

5. Personalize the response to show that you’re listening 

Also keep in mind that templates are customizable tools, not complete solutions. Personalize your customer service emails to give them as much human touch and personality as your brand allows. This way, the customer knows they’re interacting with a real human and are also being treated like one as well. One risk of using templates comes when they aren’t personalized. Templates are amazing starting points, but they should always be personalized to the customer you’re chatting with. 

Some quick ideas for how to do this:

• Use your name and the customer’s name within the body text
• Repeat customer feedback so they know you’re actively listening
• Tweak boilerplate language to fit the actual customer issue
• Say, in your own words, how the situation will affect their workflow or day-to-day life (positive or negative) 
• If your customer is in a certain time zone, you could personalize your greeting with the time of day it is for them

30+ helpful customer service email templates 

Relying on well-built customer service templates for chats or emails can help you increase customer satisfaction and improve the customer experience. If customer support agents spend less time responding to the same repetitive questions, they'll have more time to support your pre-sales support strategy and have conversations that drive revenue. 

Below, we offer 30+ customer service email templates, categorized by the types of support conversations brands often have with customers. Feel free to read the templates in order or skip around to whichever is most relevant to your needs.

Email templates that provide proactive support

Proactive customer service starts before a new customer writes into your support team. Rather than waiting for customers to experience a problem before starting a conversation, you can set the tone for a positive customer relationship by reaching out and saying hello. 

Similarly, if you anticipate a problem for customers (like outages or pricing increases), it’s best to let them know with a proactive message.

You can also complement your proactive email templates with self-service resources, including FAQ pages and Help Centers. 

Below are some of the most helpful proactive support email templates you can start using today. While you can use the templates as they are, we suggest tweaking them to meet your individual voice and tone guidelines. 

1) Welcome new customers

Sending a welcome email makes customers feel like part of a community and can offer them key resources that allow them to self-serve answers to common questions, like return policies or shipping costs. 

Hey there {{Customer First Name}},

Thanks for {{Customer action: First purchase, sign-up, subscription}} with {{Company name}}. We’re thrilled that you’ve joined us, and we’re excited to help awesome customers like you in any way we can.

I know you’ve just joined us, so I want to send over {{Resource/offer links}} so you can get the most out of your experience with us.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out {{Blog link}} for ongoing tutorials, tips, and stories, and give us a follow on social media! 

I hope you’re already enjoying {{Product name}}, but if not, I’m happy to help. Or you can check out our {{FAQs or knowledge base links}} to troubleshoot on your own.

If there’s anything you need, please respond to this email. We’re here for you!

Best,

{{Current agent first name}}

2) Announce a new support channel or a new product/service 

Email is a great place to announce that you just launched a new support channel. It’s also a good channel if you’d like to involve your support team as a resource for new product launches or service offerings. 

Hi {{Customer name}}, 

Good news! We now offer {{Action or item}}. 

Questions? Reach out to us at {{Phone number, website URL, etc}} and we’ll get back to you within {{SLA}}. 

Looking forward to hearing from you! 

{{Company name}}

3) Announce a new self-service resource

Similar to the announcement above, let customers know when you launch a Help Center or self-service resource. 

Hi {{Customer name}}, 

Good news! In order to better support you, we’ve created a {{Self service resource with link}}. Here you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions and step-by-step instructions to set up and troubleshoot our products. We hope making this information more accessible provides a better experience — but always feel free to reach out to us directly for additional help! 

{{Company name}}

📚 Recommended reading: 29 Customer Service Scripts Inspired by Top Ecommerce Brands.

Email templates are even more powerful when combined with equally powerful customer service scripts, keeping your brand messaging consistent and on-target across channels. 

4) Provide renewal reminders to avoid passive churn

If your business includes a subscription-based product, you’ll want to provide reminders to customers that their subscription is about to renew.

Remember: Letting customers easily opt in and out is always the best decision for customer experience. While an easy opt-out process may sound scary for retention rate, you’ll actually do more harm by making customers jump through hoops to cancel their subscription. They’ll likely speak about the poor experience with friends and avoid coming back. 

💡 Tip: If you can let customers self-serve any subscription changes or updates, you eliminate the need for them to reach out to support to do so. Providing links within a subscription reminder email to unsubscribe, skip, or delay a delivery gives customers the ability to do it easily on their end, eliminating a touch point with support and reducing effort for the customer.

Hello {{Customer first name}},

This is a reminder that your subscription for {{Product name}} will renew automatically on {{Renewal date}}. We’ll continue charging the credit card ending in {{Last four digits of credit card number}}. No action needed from you, we’ll process and ship the order in 3-5 business days.

If you want to skip this shipment, click here: {{Link to skip shipment}}

If you want to unsubscribe, click here: {{Link to unsubscribe}}

Thanks,

{{Current agent first name}}

‍

📚 Recommended reading: Learn how to retain 20% of customers you lose to passive churn and raise overall revenue by up to 0.5%.

5) Announce website or product outages

If you have a planned outage coming up, a quick email goes a long way to stop panicked questions from rolling in. It also allows customers to plan for an outage, especially if your website is one they rely on or visit often. 

Hi {{Customer first name}},

We’re currently experiencing a service outage for {{Website / Product / Service}}. We’re actively working on resolving the issue, which we believe is due to {{Reason for outage}}. We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you we’ll have everything up and running as quickly as possible.

Stay tuned at {{Website / Social media page}} for the latest updates.

Thanks, 

{{Current agent first name}}

6) Announce a pricing increase

Raising prices, especially for a subscription service that’s automatically billed monthly? Loyal customers likely want a heads up and an explanation. If you give customers enough notice, it keeps them from feeling swindled.  

Hi {{Customer first name}},

Starting on {{Date}} we are increasing the pricing for {{Product or service}} to {{New pricing information}}. 

We don’t take pricing increases lightly, and we know it’s not the news our customers want to hear! Given {{Reason for pricing increase}}, we feel that this is the right move for our business and the best way to continue offering the best product possible. 

We are grateful to have you as a customer! 

{{Company name}} 

Order status update (before an order ships) emails

‎"Where is my order" is the main repetitive question that businesses get — up to 40% of all tickets, for some brands using Gorgias. Automating shipping confirmation emails and including a tracking number will provide a better shipping experience that doesn’t require shoppers to contact you whenever they want an update.

A helpdesk or customer service platform like Gorgias can help. Gorgias’s Macros automatically pull important personalized variables like the most recent order number or tracking information into the template. This is possible because Gorgias has a direct connection to your Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento store, and can save your team hours each week. 

‎Regardless of whether you use Macros or another solution, here are a few plug-and-play email templates to get you started:

7) Change shipping address

Customers might be in the process of moving, planned a last minute trip, or realized they used an outdated shipping address for an order, which can cause panic. A quick email resolution will put them at ease and ensure their order goes to the right location. 

Hi {{Customer first name}},

I’ve updated your shipping address for order {{Number of last order}} and you should be all set now. You will receive a confirmation email when your package ships. 

Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with! 

{{Current agent first name}}

8) Order/shipping status (Where is my order?): Not shipped, preorder

When a customer inquires about an order that hasn’t shipped yet or an order that includes a pre-order item, make sure agents know your own internal policy and warehouse process. If something looks stuck for a long period of time (and it’s outside the warehouse’s SLA (Service level agreement), agents might have to open an internal investigation. 

Hi {{Customer first name}}, 

Thanks for getting in touch. 

It looks like your last order (order {{Number of last order}} from {{Date of last order}} includes a pre-order item. These take a bit longer to ship! 

If you haven’t received a tracking number in the next five days, please respond back to me and I’ll look into it. 

Thanks for your patience! 

{{Current agent first name}}

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

Sometimes items take longer to ship than usual, or a customer isn’t familiar with your company’s estimated dispatch times. This is a common question, and its response can quell fears of an order being lost or out of stock. 

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}}

10) Order Is out of stock

This template proactively informs shoppers of a delay and lets them know when they can expect their order to ship. 

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}}

11) Order change/cancel: Cancel and refund last order 

Sometimes customers change their minds about an order, and want to cancel before it gets shipped out so they don’t have to deal with returning it. This template provides a speedy response and solution. 

Hi {{Customer first name}}, 

I’ve canceled your last order (order {{Number of last order}}) and issued a refund. As a reminder, this was for {{Product name}} purchased on a credit card ending in {{Last four digits of credit card number}}.

The refund itself can take 3 to 5 days to process and will refund the original amount to the same card. Please let me know if you don’t see this reflected in your account after that time. 

Here if you need us, 

{{Current agent first name}}

12) Order change/cancel: Customer changed mind 

Simple automations can help catch requests like this before it’s too late. With Gorgias, you can swap out items (like switching a blue bike for a black one) without leaving the helpdesk, thanks to its deep integration with your ecommerce platform. 

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}}

📚Recommended reading: Check out or post on how to prioritize customer requests so urgent questions like these don't get lost

Update on order status (after an order ships) email templates

‎Shipping comes with its own challenges: issues with carriers, delays due to weather or staffing, orders getting lost, or increased volume during busy seasons slows packages down. As a company, first align on your policy for shipping-related issues. Then, you can incorporate templated work flows that include features like a snooze button. This can come in handy when you need the customer to take action before you can help, like looking out for a package that was supposedly delivered.  

Gorgias Macros have a snooze functionality that reminds support agents to follow up in a given amount of time. For example, a Macro might snooze the ticket for two days to remind an agent to check back in about an order status. 

13) Order/shipping status (Where is my order?): Shipped

An extremely common question, customers like to be able to follow along with tracking information to see exactly when their order will arrive, whether they’re excited or need it by a certain date. 

Hello {{Customer first name}}, 

Thank you for reaching out! Your order has shipped and I’ve included the information below so that you can track it right to your doorstep. 

Order: {{Number of last order}}

Shipping date: {{Shipping date of last order}}

Tracking number: {{Tracking url of last order}}

Get back in touch if you need any more help. 

Thanks, 

{{Current agent first name}}

📚Related reading: Learn more about where is my order (WISMO) requests and how to reduce them with convenient self-service.

14) Order change/cancel: Already shipped

Sometimes shoppers change their mind when it’s too late, so having a template that lets them know how they can get a refund or an exchange quickly gives them a resolution, even if it’s not exactly what they want. 

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}}

15) Order is lost 

A lost order can be frustrating, especially because it means that it’s been delayed. This template offers a solution to get a shopper a new item or get them their money back.  

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}}

📚 Recommended reading: Learn how to deal with lost ecommerce packages.

Update on order status (order has arrived) email templates

‎Once an order arrives, customers might need help locating a missing package, initiating a return or exchange, or getting a replacement for a damaged item. 

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

Similar to a lost order, one that shows as being delivered but that hasn’t been received can cause anxiety for customers. This template offers up a solution and shares the internal policy for these types of packages. 

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}}

17) Item arrived damaged 

Items that shipped damaged or were damaged in transit can break trust between customer and company or spike quality concerns, especially for first-time purchases. This template asks for an image of the item so that the agent can offer a quick solution. 

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}} 

18) Item arrived damaged – follow up

A follow up email for items that arrived damaged. 

Hi {{Customer First Name}}, 

Thanks for sending over the photo of your damaged item. I've ordered a replacement to go out {{Insert policy: free of charge, just pay the cost of shipping, etc}}. Once the item ships we will send you an email confirmation. 

For your damaged item you can go ahead and {{Insert policy: donate, discard, send back to us, give to a friend, etc}}. 

{{Current agent first name}} 

📚 Recommended reading: Check out our list of essential ecommerce best practices.

Help with product exchanges, returns, and cancellations

According to the National Retail Federation, online purchases have a return rate of 20.8%. That means that many shoppers are writing into support teams to ask for an exchange or return if the online store doesn’t offer a self-serve return portal. 

Having a clear return policy minimizes questions, sets clear expectations before a customer makes an order, and can protect the business from losing too much revenue through returns or exchanges. Your policy should be where shoppers can find it easily: in your FAQ section, in your confirmation emails, and within your order flow. When a shopper requests an exchange or return, these templates can provide you with an effective email support script. 

19) Exchange request after order arrives

There’s a reason returns for online businesses average at 20% versus 9% for retail businesses: customers can’t experience what an item actually looks like, get a sense of its size, or try it on in person. The following two templates help with exchange and return requests. 

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}}

📚Recommended reading: 

• A User-Friendly Guide to Ecommerce Tech Stacks
• 150+ Top Tools for Ecommerce

20) Request for return/refund (item 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}}

🤔 Getting too many refund requests? Check out our guide to reducing returns in ecommerce.

21) Request for return/refund (item not eligible) 

Items aren’t always eligible for returns, which can cause tension between a customer and business. Here’s a template for how to handle it. 

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}}

Angry customer response email templates

The Effortless Experience notes that interactions with support teams are 4x more likely to cause disloyalty in customers rather than loyalty. So, unhappy customers who have had a bad experience expect a quick and kind email response. The following sample emails should help set your team up to support these customers with empathy.

‎22) General frustration with product or experience

This template provides a response for customers who complain about their overall experience with a brand. 

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}}

💡Tip: Build an escalation process internally to handle extremely frustrated customers who post publicly about a negative experience. This allows agents to refer these customers to a lead or manager for assistance. For very angry customers, using a template is usually not the right move, because their situations tend to vary on a case-by-case basis and require someone with experience to provide the best resolution. 

23) Escalate angry customers to more technical support

Occasionally, one rep might not have the information they need to figure out what went wrong or how to fix it. In that case, you might need to pass a customer onto an agent who has the resources to help. 

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 agent first name}} on this email. They will be able to figure out what happened here and ensure that we resolve this for you. 

{{Current agent first name}} 

Make sales

While customer support emails are not marketing emails, you do have an opportunity to drive sales when having a conversation with a customer. A personal note at the end of a positive customer service experience may be more impactful than a mass email marketing campaign because it’s direct, builds upon any context from the full conversation, and can be adapted for the customer’s exact needs.

While you should never sacrifice quality of support to push a sale, here are some templates you can consider using to gently push customers back to your site for repeat purchases and upsells. 

24) Soft launch a product to a small group of customers 

Drum up hype, test out reception to a new item, establish product market fit, or get valuable feedback from a smaller group of customers before launching a new product to everyone. 

Hey {{Customer first name}}! 

We have been developing {{New product type}} for a long time now, and we can’t wait to release it to the world. Because you’re {{An email subscriber, SMS subscriber, made 5+ purchases, or other criteria}}, we’d like to give you the opportunity to buy this before everyone else can. 

{{Link to purchase page}}

Cheers, 

{{Company name}}

25) Promote sales and time-sensitive deals 

These types of targeted sales can help increase subscribers to different platforms (like social media, email, or SMS). They also create exclusivity and urgency for shoppers, who might jump on an item they’ve been waiting on to get a deal. 

Hey {{Customer first name}}!

Here at {{Company name}} we’re always looking for more and better ways to reach even more people with our exciting lineup of {{Products/services}}.

I’m excited to let you know about a deal that’s only available for {{Email subscribers, SMS subscribers, Instagram followers, etc.}}. 

For the next {{Length of time}}, we’re offering {{Offer details}} on {{Products/services}}.

We stand behind our quality {{Products/services}}, and sales like this don’t come often. That makes now the perfect time to {{Desired action -buy/expand/upgrade/sign up}}!

For starters, check out our {{Popular Sale Item/Service}}, it’s already selling fast!

Best,

{{Current agent first name}}

📚 Recommended reading: Email isn't the only channel to offer discounts and timely deals. Check out our guide to omnichannel customer service to see how you can expand your support and revenue-driving conversations.

26) Convert abandoned carts

With 70% of ecommerce shoppers abandoning their carts, reducing the number of customers who leave items unpurchased can increase your revenue. 

Hey there {{Customer first name}}!

We couldn’t help but notice you stopped by today, and you were this close to making {{Product name}} yours.

In case you were interrupted or pulled away, it’s not too late to buy!

{{Abandoned Cart Link}}

I can even offer you a {{Coupon/special offer}} if you’re ready to buy right now. This link will give you {{Describe the offer or discount}} if you purchase within {{Timeframe}}.

Thanks again for checking out our store! Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Best,

{{Current agent first name}}

27) Upsell customers 

Upselling existing customers is less expensive than going out and obtaining new customers for your business. The more purchases returning customers make, the less business have to spend on acquisition costs. 

Hi {{Customer first name}},

Thanks for your recent purchase of {{Product name}} — all of us here at {{Company name}} truly appreciate your business.

I’m reaching out today because I want to make sure you’re getting the most out of that purchase. {{Product name}} is fantastic as a standalone, but it shines when you use it alongside some of our other offerings.

For example, {{Strong explanation of how product/service enhances product they bought}}.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? If so, check out {{Product link}} or simply reply to this email.

Best,

{{Current agent first name}}

Collect feedback with these email templates

Customer feedback is powerful data for your business, helping you shape the future direction of your products or services and improve your email open rates. Customers enjoy feeling valued and knowing that you're working to make the product and service experience better and better for them can increase happiness and loyalty.

28) Request customer feedback

This gives customers an open invitation to share how their experience went, so you know what aspects went well and where you can improve. 

{{Customer First Name}},

Thanks so much for your recent purchase. By now, your item should have arrived, and you likely have a good idea of what you think about your purchase.

I’d love to get some feedback from you about your experience so far with us. You can just reply to this email and share your thoughts if you’d like. Even more helpful is if you wouldn’t mind filling out this {{Survey link}}. It shouldn’t take more than {{Estimated completion time}}, and it will help us keep improving as our business grows.

Of course, if you’re having trouble of any kind (or your purchase hasn’t arrived yet), please let me know. I’ll do everything I can to help.

Thanks again for your time!

{{Current agent first name}}

29) Thank customers for their feedback (positive)

Reviews go a long way to build trust in your business. Aside from thanking someone for taking the time to provide positive feedback, it’s a good idea to ask them to write a public review about their experience. 

{{Customer first name}},

Thanks so much for taking the time to give us feedback. We’re always working to improve our products and services, and we’re thrilled when we hear that we’re doing something right. Constructive criticism is great, too, since it helps us improve!

If you’re still feeling the love from your recent purchase, would you mind writing a quick review of your positive experience with us on {{Review site}}? It may not seem like much, but these reviews go a long way.

Thanks again,

{{Current agent first name}}

30) Request feedback from customers who left a negative review

Understanding why someone left a negative review is where, as a support team, you’re going to learn the most. Doing some outreach for customers who left a bad CSAT, NPS score, Yelp or Google review, etc. to see if they are willing to share a bit more information will help you improve the overall experience. 

{{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}}

📚 Recommended reading: How to Collect Customer Feedback From Support Tickets (+ 8 Other Methods)

Emails that tell customers that they’re chatting with a bot 

31) Tell customers they’re getting an automated email response 

Automated responses can feel impersonal, especially if a shopper is upset. Letting someone know they’re getting an automated response and exactly how to reach a human if they need one can save time for busy teams and get customers a near immediate response. 

{{Customer first name}},

This is an automated response. We are a growing business and, in our best effort to deliver the information you’re looking for as quickly as possible, we do use some automation. 

We think you’re asking about the status of your order and have included information for it below. If you still need support or this didn't answer your question, just respond to this email and a live agent will jump in to help. 

{{Company name}}

Why use email templates for customer support?

Using response templates for your most frequently sent emails means a lower resolution time for customers and higher efficiency for your agents who no longer need to type out each response. For example, the brand Bagallery found that Macros (Gorgias’s version of templates) increased delivery by 3x. 

And templates (for chats and emails alike) don’t have to feel impersonal. While reps might start out with a template, they can personalize templated emails by filling in customer information (like the customer’s name) and important order details (like order tracking numbers). Scroll down to our section on Macros to learn how you can automatically include this kind of personalized information.

Overall, templates create a better, faster experience for everyone. They can:

• Decrease first response time
• Decrease resolution time
• Save time for your customer service team
• Provide an overall better customer experience

Decrease first response time

When customers write in for support, they expect a quick response no matter if they’re giving positive feedback or have an urgent issue they need resolved. By starting first with a pre-written email template, you can fast-track your team’s first-response time, which can lower anxiety in your customers, give them the answers they need, and allow your team to provide a personalized and high-quality experience at scale. 

A pre-written template might provide a response that lets a customer know the team will be with them shortly — but asks the customer several detailed questions upfront so that the agent can get them an answer faster. 

For example, Jetson, an ecommerce company that sells gut-healing probiotics and prebiotics, saw a 60% decrease in first response time by using Macro email templates.

Decrease resolution time 

Your email templates will also be detailed and quality-assured, helping fully resolve customer issues as quickly as possible. For example, templates might include links to a knowledge base or FAQ center that answers lingering questions. Or, you might be able to drop in detailed tracking information if your system allows for dynamic fields. 

Jetson also saw a 30% decrease in resolution time by using templated responses, improving the customer experience and giving the customer service team more time for their highest-value conversations. 

When implementing templates, make sure you’re including all the information the customer needs for a one-touch resolution. Ideally, customers won’t need to respond with follow-up questions. 

📚 Recommended reading: Our Director of Support’s complete guide to measuring and lowering resolution time.

Save time for your customer service team 

If reps start emails from scratch every time, they’ll spend hours each week typing up the same information, lowering efficiency and taking them away from more important projects. Templates raise the number of chats, emails, and SMS tickets agents can handle in a given day. Increasing efficiency without decreasing quality also means you won’t always have to hire new agents to handle more tickets.

In addition, if your team is not able to pull in customer data within the email platform, they’ll have to toggle back and forth to find it. Or worse, they’ll need to go back and forth with the customer to get simple info like their order number or tracking information.

Templates are especially helpful to help agents during customer service training, or to quickly onboard any temporary help you bring on to help during busy periods like Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM).

📚 Recommended reading: Learn how Princess Polly saw a 40% increase in agent productivity after switching to Gorgias and implementing templates and other time-saving features.

Provide an overall better customer experience

The quicker and easier you make the full support experience, you decrease the chance of the customer putting in a high level of effort. The Effortless Experience shows that 96% of customers who have to work hard to get support feel disloyal to the brand after.

🤔 Not convinced yet? Read our post on the importance of customer service to learn why customer service is more closely linked to revenue than you think. 

Why Macros are superior to regular templates

While regular email templates can be helpful in saving time for your support team, setting up automation takes your support one step further. This is possible with a tool like Gorgias, which offers Macros, or specialized templates that pull in data from a Shopify, Magento, or BigCommerce store.

‎Here’s how Macros upgrade your customer support templates:

They help you automatically personalize messages

Macros allow you to pop in variables like customer name, order number, tracking info, or delivery date, and what they ordered, which makes the entire experience feel more personal — even with templates.

Because Gorgias integrates with your ecommerce store, you don’t have to search or ask for customer data (like past order information, reviews left on your site, and so much more). 

‎You can automate follow-up actions

Macros can also be combined with Rules to automatically fire based on certain customer questions and trigger actions, like canceling an order. They can also snooze certain messages that might require a follow-up email so that support agents never leave a conversation without a full resolution. 

‎They include visual product links

When you link a product in a standard template, the customer only sees a URL or hyper-linked text. Plus, agents still have to copy the URL from your store and paste it in the email. But Gorgias’s Shopify product picker lets you search from your product library, select products, and include a visual link that entices customers to click back to your store.  

‎They work across channels

Macros can be used for any channel, not just email, since Gorgias is a centralized helpdesk. You can create shorter variations of your email templates to use for live chat, social media, SMS, and more.

They come with a supported Macros Library 

When you sign up for Gorgias, you’ll get access to a Macros Library, which has pre-made and dynamic templates to help get you started. 

These emails are a starting point for agents to save time and ensure consistency and correctness. Then, agents can further tweak templates based on each customer’s needs.  

You can easily measure template utilization

Gorgias comes with a number of Statistics dashboards that measure important customer support metrics like first-response time, revenue generated from customer support, and much more. The Statistics section includes a Macros tab, which shows you how frequently your agents use each Macro:

‎Customer support leaders can use this tab to understand the effectiveness of each Macro and identify when new Macros are needed.

📚 Recommended reading: Evaluating Customer Service: Why, Challenges, and KPIs That Matter

Create loyal and happy customers from day one with Gorgias

Loyal customers come out of great service experiences. Email templates help create a solid baseline so that teams are more equipped to provide high quality support. By removing the need to type out tedious responses to the same questions, email templates give teams the headstart they need so they can provide fast, personalized responses to repetitive questions and spend more time on higher-value conversations.

Gorgias is a customer service platform built for ecommerce merchants. Features like Macros help you provide personalized, self-service responses to repetitive questions and spend more.

Check out our video below to learn more or read our CX Growth Playbook to learn how to generate consistent revenue from your customer support team. 

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