What is e-commerce customer support?
Short answer: E-commerce customer support is the work of answering shoppers' questions and resolving problems before and after a purchase, mainly by email and live chat. It covers order tracking, delivery questions, product enquiries, returns, exchanges and complaints.
What it typically covers
Most enquiries fall into a few groups: where is my order, can I change or cancel it, how do returns work, is this product right for me, and something went wrong.
Handling these quickly and consistently affects repeat purchases, reviews and how much of the owner's day goes to the inbox.
Channels
Email is the baseline for most stores. Live chat suits stores whose shoppers ask questions during browsing, but it needs staff available at scheduled times. Social messages can be added when volume justifies it.
When to outsource
Consider outsourcing when the owner is answering the same questions daily, response times are slipping, or growth is limited by inbox time. Start by writing down your policies, because any support person, in-house or outsourced, can only be as consistent as the policy they follow.
Next step
See how OPREVIQ delivers scheduled e-commerce customer support, or request a consultation to discuss your volume.
Related: our services, pricing, FAQ.
Discuss your store's support needs
Tell us about your store, customer volume and the tasks taking your time. We will explain what we can take on and how scope is agreed.