Search our articles
Search

Featured articles

Conversational Commerce Strategy

AI in CX Webinar Recap: Building a Conversational Commerce Strategy that Converts

By Gabrielle Policella
0 min read . By Gabrielle Policella

TL;DR:

  • Implement quickly and optimize continuously. Cornbread's rollout was three phases: audit knowledge base, launch, then refine. Stacy conducts biweekly audits and provides daily AI feedback to ensure responses are accurate and on-brand.
  • Simplify your knowledge base language. Before BFCM, Stacy rephrased all guidance documentation to be concise and straightforward so Shopping Assistant could deliver information quickly without confusion.
  • Use proactive suggested questions. Most of Cornbread's Shopping Assistant engagement comes from Suggested Product Questions that anticipate customer needs before they even ask.
  • Treat AI as another team member. Make sure the tone and language AI uses match what human agents would say to maintain consistent customer relationships.
  • Free up agents for high-value work. With AI handling straightforward inquiries, Cornbread's CX team expanded into social media support, launched a retail pop-up shop, and has more time for relationship-building phone calls.

Customer education has become a critical factor in converting browsers into buyers. For wellness brands like Cornbread Hemp, where customers need to understand ingredients, dosages, and benefits before making a purchase, education has a direct impact on sales. The challenge is scaling personalized education when support teams are stretched thin, especially during peak sales periods.

Katherine Goodman, Senior Director of Customer Experience, and Stacy Williams, Senior Customer Experience Manager, explain how implementing Gorgias's AI Shopping Assistant transformed their customer education strategy into a conversion powerhouse. 

In our second AI in CX episode, we dive into how Cornbread achieved a 30% conversion rate during BFCM, saving their CX team over four days of manual work.

Top learnings from Cornbread's conversational commerce strategy

1. Customer education drives conversions in wellness

Before diving into tactics, understanding why education matters in the wellness space helps contextualize this approach.

Katherine, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Cornbread Hemp, explains:

"Wellness is a very saturated market right now. Getting to the nitty-gritty and getting to the bottom of what our product actually does for people, making sure they're educated on the differences between products to feel comfortable with what they're putting in their body."

The most common pre-purchase questions Cornbread receives center around three areas: ingredients, dosages, and specific benefits. Customers want to know which product will help with their particular symptoms. They need reassurance that they're making the right choice.

What makes this challenging: These questions require nuanced, personalized responses that consider the customer's specific needs and concerns. Traditionally, this meant every customer had to speak with a human agent, creating a bottleneck that slowed conversions and overwhelmed support teams during peak periods.

2. Shopping Assistant provides education that never sleeps

Stacy, Senior Customer Experience Manager at Cornbread, identified the game-changing impact of Shopping Assistant:

"It's had a major impact, especially during non-operating hours. Shopping Assistant is able to answer questions when our CX agents aren't available, so it continues the customer order process."

A customer lands on your site at 11 PM, has questions about dosage or ingredients, and instead of abandoning their cart or waiting until morning for a response, they get immediate, accurate answers that move them toward purchase.

The real impact happens in how the tool anticipates customer needs. Cornbread uses suggested product questions that pop up as customers browse product pages. Stacy notes:

"Most of our Shopping Assistant engagement comes from those suggested product features. It almost anticipates what the customer is asking or needing to know."

Actionable takeaway: Don't wait for customers to ask questions. Surface the most common concerns proactively. When you anticipate hesitation and address it immediately, you remove friction from the buying journey.

3. Implementation follows a clear three-phase approach

One of the biggest myths about AI is that implementation is complicated. Stacy explains how Cornbread’s rollout was a straightforward three-step process: audit your knowledge base, flip the switch, then optimize.

"It was literally the flip of a switch and just making sure that our data and information in Gorgias was up to date and accurate." 

Here's Cornbread’s three-phase approach:

  1. Preparation. Before launching, Cornbread conducted a comprehensive audit of their knowledge base to ensure accuracy and completeness. This groundwork is critical because your AI is only as good as the information it has access to.
  2. Launch and training. After going live, the team met weekly with their Gorgias representative for three to four weeks. They analyzed engagements, reviewed tickets, and provided extensive AI feedback to teach Shopping Assistant which responses were appropriate and how to pull from the knowledge base effectively.
  3. Ongoing optimization. Now, Stacy conducts audits biweekly and continuously updates the knowledge base with new products, promotions, and internal changes. She also provides daily AI feedback, ensuring responses stay accurate and on-brand.

Actionable takeaway: Block out time for that initial knowledge base audit. Then commit to regular check-ins because your business evolves, and your AI should evolve with it.

Read more: AI in CX Webinar Recap: Turning AI Implementation into Team Alignment

4. Simple, concise language converts better

Here's something most brands miss: the way you write your knowledge base articles directly impacts conversion rates.

Before BFCM, Stacy reviewed all of Cornbread's Guidance and rephrased the language to make it easier for AI Agent to understand. 

"The language in the Guidance had to be simple, concise, very straightforward so that Shopping Assistant could deliver that information without being confused or getting too complicated," Stacy explains. When your AI can quickly parse and deliver information, customers get faster, more accurate answers. And faster answers mean more conversions.

Katherine adds another crucial element: tone consistency.

"We treat AI as another team member. Making sure that the tone and the language that AI used were very similar to the tone and the language that our human agents use was crucial in creating and maintaining a customer relationship."

As a result, customers often don't realize they're talking to AI. Some even leave reviews saying they loved chatting with "Ally" (Cornbread's AI agent name), not realizing Ally isn't human.

Actionable takeaway: Review your knowledge base with fresh eyes. Can you simplify without losing meaning? Does it sound like your brand? Would a customer be satisfied with this interaction? If not, time for a rewrite.

Read more: How to Write Guidance with the “When, If, Then” Framework

5. Black Friday results proved the strategy works under pressure

The real test of any CX strategy is how it performs under pressure. For Cornbread, Black Friday Cyber Monday 2025 proved that their conversational commerce strategy wasn't just working, it was thriving.

Over the peak season, Cornbread saw: 

  • Shopping Assistant conversion rate jumped from a 20% baseline to 30% during BFCM
  • First response time dropped from over two minutes in 2024 to just 21 seconds in 2025
  • Attributed revenue grew by 75%
  • Tickets doubled, but AI handled 400% more tickets compared to the previous year
  • CSAT scores stayed exactly in line with the previous year, despite the massive volume increase

Katherine breaks down what made the difference:

"Shopping Assistant popping up, answering those questions with the correct promo information helps customers get from point A to point B before the deal ends."

During high-stakes sales events, customers are in a hurry. They're comparing options, checking out competitors, and making quick decisions. If you can't answer their questions immediately, they're gone. Shopping Assistant kept customers engaged and moving toward purchase, even when human agents were swamped.

Actionable takeaway: Peak periods require a fail-safe CX strategy. The brands that win are the ones that prepare their AI tools in advance.

6. Strategic work replaces reactive tasks

One of the most transformative impacts of conversational commerce goes beyond conversion rates. What your team can do with their newfound bandwidth matters just as much.

With AI handling straightforward inquiries, Cornbread's CX team has evolved into a strategic problem-solving team. They've expanded into social media support, provided real-time service during a retail pop-up, and have time for the high-value interactions that actually build customer relationships.

Katherine describes phone calls as their highest value touchpoint, where agents can build genuine relationships with customers. “We have an older demographic, especially with CBD. We received a lot of customer calls requesting orders and asking questions. And sometimes we end up just yapping,” Katherine shares. “I was yapping with a customer last week, and we'd been on the call for about 15 minutes. This really helps build those long-term relationships that keep customers coming back."

That's the kind of experience that builds loyalty, and becomes possible only when your team isn't stuck answering repetitive tickets.

Stacy adds that agents now focus on "higher-level tickets or customer issues that they need to resolve. AI handles straightforward things, and our agents now really are more engaged in more complicated, higher-level resolutions."

Actionable takeaway: Stop thinking about AI only as a cost-cutting tool and start seeing it as an impact multiplier. The goal is to free your team to work on conversations that actually move the needle on customer lifetime value.

7. Continuous optimization for January and beyond

Cornbread isn't resting on their BFCM success. They're already optimizing for January, traditionally the biggest month for wellness brands as customers commit to New Year's resolutions.

Their focus areas include optimizing their product quiz to provide better data to both AI and human agents, educating customers on realistic expectations with CBD use, and using Shopping Assistant to spotlight new products launching in Q1.

Build your conversational commerce strategy now

The brands winning at conversational commerce aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the largest teams. They're the ones who understand that customer education drives conversions, and they've built systems to deliver that education at scale.

Cornbread Hemp's success comes down to three core principles: investing time upfront to train AI properly, maintaining consistent optimization, and treating AI as a team member that deserves the same attention to tone and quality as human agents.

As Katherine puts it:

"The more time that you put into training and optimizing AI, the less time you're going to have to babysit it later. Then, it's actually going to give your customers that really amazing experience."

Watch the replay of the whole conversation with Katherine and Stacy to learn how Gorgias’s Shopping Assistant helps them turn browsers into buyers. 

{{lead-magnet-1}}

min read.

AI Chatbot Not Working? 7 Common Issues and How to Fix Them

If your AI chatbot is looping, escalating too fast, or giving wrong answers, here’s how to fix it.
By Christelle Agustin
0 min read . By Christelle Agustin

TL;DR:

  • If your AI is giving wrong answers or getting stuck, it’s likely due to missing or conflicting knowledge. Ensure your AI is trained with up-to-date documents and add guardrails to prevent off-topic replies.
  • Loops and escalations usually mean your escalation rules aren’t specific enough. Define when AI should step in, when it should hand over, and create “escape phrases” that trigger human takeover.
  • Customers still want human help. Always offer a path to a real person and make sure your agents get full conversation context when a handoff happens.
  • Inconsistent tone between AI and agents can make disjointed experiences. Align your brand voice across all support channels and choose tools that let you customize AI tone.
  • AI works best when its role is clearly defined. Decide which topics it can handle, train it using real conversations, and review performance regularly to fine-tune your setup.

You’ve chosen your AI tool and turned it on, hoping you won’t have to answer another WISMO question. But now you’re here. Why is AI going in circles? Why isn’t it answering simple questions? Why does it hand off every conversation to a human agent?

Conversational AI and chatbots thrive on proper training and data. Like any other team member on your customer support team, AI needs guidance. This includes knowledge documents, policies, brand voice guidelines, and escalation rules. So, if your AI has gone rogue, you may have skipped a step.

In this article, we’ll show you the top seven AI issues, why they happen, how to fix them, and the best practices for AI setup. 

{{lead-magnet-1}}

1. AI sends the wrong answer — with confidence

AI can only be as accurate as the information you feed it. If your AI is confidently giving customers incorrect answers, it likely has a gap in its knowledge or a lack of guardrails.

Insufficient knowledge can cause AI to pull context from similar topics to create an answer, while the lack of guardrails gives it the green light to compose an answer, correct or not.

How to fix it: 

  • Update the AI knowledge base. Create a new document that covers the affected topic in its entirety. To ensure AI follows every step, write your instructions in a when/if/then format.
  • Define topics that AI should not handle. As a preventive measure, specify the topics the AI should skip and hand over to a human agent. For example, add words such as ‘disappointed’, ‘bad’, and ‘unacceptable’ to your AI off-limit list, so that human agents automatically handle negative-intent tickets.

2. Customer is stuck in an AI loop 

This is one of the most frustrating customer service issues out there. Left unfixed, you risk losing 29% of customers

If your AI is putting customers through a never-ending loop, it’s time to review your knowledge docs and escalation rules.

How to fix it:

  • Double-check for conflicts in knowledge. You may have provided multiple resolutions for the same issue across different knowledge sources, such as uploaded documents, website pages, and in-app instructions.
  • Add “escape routes”. Choose a set of phrases that automatically escalate conversations from AI to your support team. For example, “it’s not working” or “I already tried that”.
  • Set a max number of failed interactions before escalation. Opt for a one-fail-and-escalate approach for every conversation, or specify the number of failed interactions for certain topics.

3. AI escalates too quickly, even for easy questions

It can be frustrating when AI can’t do the bare minimum, like automate WISMO tickets. This issue is likely due to missing knowledge or overly broad escalation rules.

How to fix it:

  • Train AI on your FAQs and common issues. Which customer questions do you repeatedly receive? Create a document that lists out every question and its answer.
  • Update vague escalation rules. AI works best with specificity. For example, if you told it to escalate conversations about “returns,” it may even escalate frequently asked questions about return eligibility.

4. Customers can’t find a way to reach a human

One in two customers still prefer talking to a human to an AI, according to Katana. Limiting them to AI-only support could risk a sale or their relationship. 

The top live chat apps clearly display options to speak with AI or a human agent. If your tool doesn’t have this, refine your AI-to-human escalation rules.

How to fix it:

  • Set phrases to trigger escalation. In your knowledge docs, define which phrases should tell AI to hand a conversation over to your support team. For example, “I want to talk to someone” or “Can I talk to a human?”
  • Add a visible option to connect with a human. This can be a button in your chat widget, a note in your contact page, or even a link in your website footer. At minimum, give customers an easy-to-find way to reach a real person.

5. Handoff happens — but the agent gets no context

If your agents are asking customers to repeat themselves, you’ve already lost momentum. One of the fastest ways to break trust is by making someone explain their issue twice. This happens when AI escalates without passing the conversation history, customer profile, or even a summary of what’s already been attempted.

How to fix it:

  • Use rules to auto-tag conversations based on AI activity. Set up logic to tag tickets when certain conditions are met — like when AI attempted a specific action, couldn't resolve the issue, or triggered escalation.
  • Audit your escalated tickets. Look for patterns where context is missing, and adjust the AI-to-human transition logic accordingly.
  • Use an AI platform that provides automated ticket summaries. Choose a tool like Gorgias that provides a quick overview of every ticket.

6. The tone between AI and agent is jarring

Sure, conversational AI has near-perfect grammar, but if its tone is entirely different from your agents’, customers can be put off.

This mismatch usually comes from not settling on an official customer support tone of voice. AI might be pulling from marketing copy. Agents might be winging it. Either way, inconsistency breaks the flow.

How to fix it:

  • Create shared brand voice guidelines. Align tone, formality, and language rules across both AI scripts and agent responses.
  • Define emojis and punctuation use. A consistent visual style helps conversations feel smoother and more human.
  • Use AI tools that allow tone control. Choose platforms that let you customize the voice and personality of your AI to match your brand.
  • Train your agents with examples of ideal tone. Give your team brand voice examples of how conversations should continue when handed off.

7. You haven’t defined what AI should actually handle

When AI is underperforming, the problem isn’t always the tool. Many teams launch AI without ever mapping out what it's actually supposed to do. So it tries to do everything (and fails), or it does nothing at all.

It’s important to remember that support automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” It needs to know its playing field and boundaries.

How to fix it:

AI should handle

AI should escalate to a human

Order tracking (“Where’s my package?”)

Upset, frustrated, or emotional customers

Return and refund policy questions

Billing problems or refund exceptions

Store hours, shipping rates, and FAQs

Technical product or troubleshooting issues

Simple product questions

Complex or edge‑case product questions

Password resets

Multi‑part or multi‑issue requests

Pre‑sale questions with clear, binary answers

Anything where a wrong answer risks churn

How to set up AI that actually works

Once you’ve addressed the obvious issues, it’s important to build a setup that works reliably. These best practices will help your AI deliver consistently helpful support.

1. Define clear AI boundaries

Start by deciding what AI should and shouldn’t handle. Let it take care of repetitive tasks like order tracking, return policies, and product questions. Anything complex or emotionally sensitive should go straight to your team.

2. Train it using real customer conversations

Use examples from actual tickets and messages your team handles every day. Help center articles are a good start, but real interactions are what help AI learn how customers actually ask questions.

3. Set up fallback triggers

Create rules that tell your AI when to escalate. These might include customer frustration, low confidence in the answer, or specific phrases like “talk to a person.” The goal is to avoid infinite loops and to hand things off before the experience breaks down.

4. Make sure agents receive full context

When a handoff happens, your agents should see everything the AI did. That includes the full conversation, relevant customer data, and any actions it has already attempted. This helps your team respond quickly and avoid repeating what the customer just went through. 

An easy way to keep order history, customer data, and conversation history in one place is by using a conversational commerce tool like Gorgias.

5. Keep tone and voice consistent

A jarring shift in tone between AI and agent makes the experience feel disconnected. Align aspects such as formality, punctuation, and language style so the transition from AI to human feels natural.

6. Review handoffs regularly

Look at recent escalations each week. Identify where the AI struggled or handed off too early or too late. Use those insights to improve training, adjust boundaries, and strengthen your automation flows.

If your AI chatbot isn’t working the way you expected, it’s probably not because the technology is broken. It’s because it hasn’t been given the right rules.

AI that works your way and knows when to escalate

When you set AI up with clear responsibilities, it becomes a powerful extension of your team.

Want to see what it looks like when AI is set up the right way?

Try Gorgias AI Agent. It’s conversational AI built with smart automation, clean escalations, and ecommerce data in its core — so your customers get faster answers and your agents stay focused.

Get started with Gorgias AI Agent →

min read.

How to Pitch Gorgias Shopping Assistant to Leadership

Want to show leadership how AI can boost revenue and cut support costs? Learn how to pitch Gorgias Shopping Assistant with data that makes the case.
By Alexa Hertel
0 min read . By Alexa Hertel

TL;DR:

  • Position Shopping Assistant as a revenue-driving tool. It boosts AOV, GMV, and chat conversion rates, with some brands seeing up to 97% higher AOV and 13x ROI.
  • Highlight its role as a proactive sales agent, not just a support bot. It recommends products, applies discounts, and guides shoppers to checkout in real time.
  • Use cross-industry case studies to make your case. Show leadership success stories from brands like Arc’teryx, bareMinerals, and TUSHY to prove impact.
  • Focus on the KPIs it improves. Track AOV, GMV, chat conversion, CSAT, and resolution rate to demonstrate clear ROI.

Rising customer expectations, shoppers willing to pay a premium for convenience, and a growing lack of trust in social media channels to make purchase decisions are making it more challenging to turn a profit.  

In this emerging era, AI’s role is becoming not only more pronounced, but a necessity for brands who want to stay ahead. Tools like Gorgias Shopping Assistant can help drive measurable revenue while reducing support costs. 

For example, a brand that specializes in premium outdoor apparel implemented Shopping Assistant and saw a 2.25% uplift in GMV and 29% uplift in average order volume (AOV).

But how, among competing priorities and expenses, do you convince leadership to implement it? We’ll show you.

Why conversational AI matters for modern ecommerce

1) Meet high consumer expectations

Shoppers want on-demand help in real time that’s personalized across devices. 

Shopping Assistant recalls a shopper’s browsing history, like what they have clicked, viewed, and added to their cart. This allows it to make more relevant suggestions that feel personal to each customer. 

2) Keep up with market momentum

The AI ecommerce tools market was valued at $7.25 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $21.55 billion by 2030

Your competitors are using conversational AI to support, sell, and retain. Shopping Assistant satisfies that need, providing upsells and recommendations rooted in real shopper behavior. 

3) Raise AOV and GMV

Conversational AI has real revenue implications, impacting customer retention, average order value (AOV), conversion rates, and gross market value (GMV). 

For example, a leading nutrition brand saw a GMV uplift of over 1%, an increase in AOV of over 16%, and a chat conversion rate of over 15% after implementing Shopping Assistant.

Overall, Shopping Assistant drives higher engagement and more revenue per visitor, sometimes surpassing 50% and 20%, respectively.

AI Agent chat offering 8% discount on Haabitual Shimmer Layer with adjustable strategy slider.
Shopping Assistant can send discounts based on shopper behavior in real time.

How to show the business impact & ROI of Shopping Assistant

1) Pitch its core capabilities

Shopping Assistant engages, personalizes, recommends, and converts. It provides proactive recommendations, smart upsells, dynamic discounts, and is highly personalized, all helping to guide shoppers to checkout

Success spotlight

After implementing Shopping Assistant, leading ecommerce brands saw real results:

Industry

Primary Use Case

GMV Uplift (%)

AOV Uplift (%)

Chat CVR (%)

Home & interior decor 🖼️

Help shoppers coordinate furniture with existing pieces and color schemes.

+1.17

+97.15

10.30

Outdoor apparel 🎿

In-depth explanations of technical features and confidence when purchasing premium, performance-driven products.

+2.25

+29.41

6.88

Nutrition 🍎

Personalized guidance on supplement selection based on age, goals, and optimal timing.

+1.09

+16.40

15.15

Health & wellness 💊

Comparing similar products and understanding functional differences to choose the best option.

+1.08

+11.27

8.55

Home furnishings 🛋️

Help choose furniture sizes and styles appropriate for children and safety needs.

+12.26

+10.19

1.12

Stuffed toys 🧸

Clear care instructions and support finding replacements after accidental product damage.

+4.43

+9.87

3.62

Face & body care 💆‍♀️

Assistance finding the correct shade online, especially when previously purchased products are no longer available.

+6.55

+1.02

5.29

2) Position it as a revenue driver

Shopping Assistant drives uplift in chat conversion rate and makes successful upsell recommendations.  

Success spotlight

“It’s been awesome to see Shopping Assistant guide customers through our technical product range without any human input. It’s a much smoother journey for the shopper,” says Nathan Larner, Customer Experience Advisor for Arc’teryx. 

For Arc’teryx, that smoother customer journey translated into sales. The brand saw a 75% increase in conversion rate (from 4% to 7%) and 3.7% of overall revenue influenced by Shopping Assistant. 

Arc'teryx Rho Zip Neck Women's product page showing black base layer and live chat box.
Arc’teryx saw a 75% increase in conversion rate after implementing Shopping Assistant. Arc’teryx 

3) Show its efficiency and cost savings

Because it follows shoppers’ live journey during each session on your website, Shopping Assistant catches shoppers in the moment. It answers questions or concerns that might normally halt a purchase, gets strategic with discounting (based on rules you set), and upsells. 

The overall ROI can be significant. For example, bareMinerals saw an 8.83x return on investment.  

Success spotlight

"The real-time Shopify integration was essential as we needed to ensure that product recommendations were relevant and displayed accurate inventory,” says Katia Komar, Sr. Manager of Ecommerce and Customer Service Operations, UK at bareMinerals. 

“Avoiding customer frustration from out-of-stock recommendations was non-negotiable, especially in beauty, where shade availability is crucial to customer trust and satisfaction. This approach has led to increased CSAT on AI converted tickets."

AI Agent chat recommending foundation shades and closing ticket with 5-star review.

4) Present the metrics it can impact

Shopping Assistant can impact CSAT scores, response times, resolution rates, AOV, and GMV.  

Success spotlight

For Caitlyn Minimalist, those metrics were an 11.3% uplift in AOV, an 18% click through rate for product recommendations, and a 50% sales lift versus human-only chats. 

"Shopping Assistant has become an intuitive extension of our team, offering product guidance that feels personal and intentional,” says Anthony Ponce, its Head of Customer Experience.

 

AI Agent chat assisting customer about 18K gold earrings, allergies, and shipping details.
Caitlyn Minimalist leverages Shopping Assistant to help guide customers to purchase. Caitlyn Minimalist 

5) Highlight its helpfulness as a sales agent 

Support agents have limited time to assist customers as it is, so taking advantage of sales opportunities can be difficult. Shopping Assistant takes over that role, removing obstacles for purchase or clearing up the right choice among a stacked product catalog.

Success spotlight

With a product that’s not yet mainstream in the US, TUSHY leverages Shopping Assistant for product education and clarification. 

"Shopping Assistant has been a game-changer for our team, especially with the launch of our latest bidet models,” says Ren Fuller-Wasserman, Sr. Director of Customer Experience at TUSHY. 

“Expanding our product catalog has given customers more choices than ever, which can overwhelm first-time buyers. Now, they’re increasingly looking to us for guidance on finding the right fit for their home and personal hygiene needs.”

The bidet brand saw 13x return on investment after implementation, a 15% increase in chat conversion rate, and a 2x higher conversion rate for AI conversations versus human ones. 

AI Agent chat helping customer check toilet compatibility and measurements for TUSHY bidet.
AI Agent chat helping customer check toilet compatibility and measurements for TUSHY bidet.

6) Provide the KPIs you’ll track 

Customer support metrics include: 

  • Resolution rate 
  • CSAT score 

Revenue metrics to track include: 

  • Average order value (AOV) 
  • Gross market value (GMV) 
  • Chat conversion rate 

Shopping Assistant: AI that understands your brand 

Shopping Assistant connects to your ecommerce platform (like Shopify), and streamlines information between your helpdesk and order data. It’s also trained on your catalog and support history. 

Allow your agents to focus on support and sell more by tackling questions that are getting in the way of sales. 

{{lead-magnet-2}}

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

Further reading

Guide More Shoppers to Checkout with Conversation-Led AI

By Emily Hooker
min read.
0 min read . By Emily Hooker

TL;DR:

  • Shopping Assistant is your new AI sales closer. It jumps in when shoppers hesitate, delivering real-time, personalized support that drives conversions.
  • It boosts revenue by acting like your best salesperson. It knows when to recommend, upsell, or offer a discount, without being pushy.
  • It remembers what shoppers do mid-session. That means smarter conversations, better suggestions, and bigger order values.
  • It’s already delivering results. Brands using Shopping Assistant are seeing 62% more conversions, 10% higher AOV, and 5x ROI.
  • You control the strategy. Customize how it promotes discounts, when it steps in, and how it speaks.

What’s the common factor between shoppers debating between products and considering a splurge? Hesitation. 

Today’s shoppers are overwhelmed with choices. They don’t want to be left to figure things out on their own. They want guidance.

But most brands are missing that crucial piece of the puzzle. They lack a strategy that accompanies shoppers on their journey. A tool that encourages shoppers to proceed to checkout. And, ultimately, a customer experience devoid of a sales approach.

That’s why we built Shopping Assistant, an AI Agent that proactively engages browsers, offers context-aware product recommendations, and turns hesitation into conversions in real time.

And it’s working. Brands using Shopping Assistant are seeing a 62% uplift in conversion, 10% higher average order value, and 5x ROI.

Here’s a closer look at what’s behind the magic.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

AI-powered shopping, built for sales

Most traditional chatbots passively wait for questions and deliver answers that aren’t personalized to each shopper's preferences. 

Unlike these bots, Shopping Assistant reads real-time signals like pages viewed, cart contents, and conversation tone. This results in a solution that not only offers support but also offers personalized, proactive selling. This enables Shopping Assistant to continuously refine and adjust its playbook, evolving with each shopper as their journey matures.

Here’s how Shopping Assistant engages with customers across the shopping journey:

  1. Discovery: Gathers preferences and educates.
  2. Interested: Makes targeted product suggestions.
  3. Ready to Buy: Assists with checkout, nudges purchases with discounts.

Take this example below. When a customer vaguely asks “how to make up,” Shopping Assistant interprets it as a sign of interest in makeup products and recommends a starter kit.

Shopping Assistant helps a customer with makeup product recommendations.

Personalization that understands you

Where traditional bots reset with every message, Shopping Assistant does the opposite. It has built-in context-aware intelligence that remembers what shoppers have clicked, viewed, and added to their cart during a session. 

This enables natural, relevant, and persuasive conversations that truly resonate with each shopper. It goes beyond reading messages and observes behavior to adapt its responses.

That means it knows if someone has:

  • Viewed three red lipsticks but didn’t add to cart
  • Repeatedly checked sizing info for the same dress
  • Added two serums to their cart after browsing dry skin FAQs

With plenty of context to work with, Shopping Assistant is not only smarter but also more profitable than the average chatbot. It drives more conversions with product recommendations and lifts average order value with timely upsells based on what’s been added to the cart or viewed. 

Here’s what it looks like in action: When a customer engages through a product page, Shopping Assistant recommends a matching outfit, suggesting it’s aware of alternate product variants and the customer's likely interest in that style.

Shopping Assistant suggests a complementary product to the initial product a customer is looking at.

Dynamic discounts that convert without undercutting

Promotions are powerful, but they’re not one-size-fits-all. 

With Shopping Assistant, merchants can define their discount strategy to align with their brand. These strategies can range from offering no deals to using aggressive promotions. 

Once the strategy is set, Shopping Assistant waits for hesitation and customer intent to trigger a discount, firing it at the most conversion-worthy moment.

Proactive engagement in 3 ways

Shopping Assistant initiates conversations. It’s built to engage shoppers, spotting when they linger or show signs of confusion, stepping in with timely, personalized help.

Every second counts in ecommerce. If a shopper pauses on a product page or is left scrolling through an endless search results page, Shopping Assistant detects it in real-time and reaches out with a relevant prompt like:

  • “Need help picking the right shade?”
  • “Want to know our return policy before you buy?”

Here’s how Shopping Assistant reduces drop-off, builds confidence, and drives faster decision-making in three different ways.

1. Suggested product questions 

Shopping Assistant automatically triggers commonly asked questions depending on the product currently being viewed. In one click, shoppers can get the answer to the question they’re curious about. This combats hesitation caused by a lack of information, resulting in more confident conversions.

2. Ask Anything Input

When shoppers land on the homepage, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and not know where to navigate. The Ask Anything Input provides an easy way to start a conversation with Shopping Assistant and get the guidance they need.

Shopping Assistant can refine its response to the customer based on the page context. For example, when the customer is on a product page, Shopping Assistant knows exactly what product is being asked about.

3. Trigger on Search

Shopping Assistant can step in to offer pinpointed help based on a shopper’s search query. Instead of scrolling through a results page, Shopping Assistant triggers a message based on what the shopper entered, offering an easier and faster way to find what they need.

Smart recommendations and relevant upsells

Shopping Assistant’s suggestions are rooted in real context: what the shopper has viewed, added to cart, or asked about. Whether they’re exploring a specific product line or revisiting a category they’ve shown interest in, Shopping Assistant delivers relevant upsells and complementary items that make sense for the customer.

This personalized approach to upselling increases cart size without feeling forced—it’s smart, seamless, and sales-driven.

Shopping Assistant can even turn vague product questions into upsell opportunities. By asking questions, it learns more about an individual to come up with recommendations that best fit their preferences.

Try Shopping Assistant today

Shopping Assistant is transforming the way shoppers engage and helping ecommerce brands sell more effectively. Through smarter conversations and real-time personalization, it turns every interaction into an opportunity to convert, build trust, and drive revenue.

{{lead-magnet-2}}

Coach AI Agent in One Hour a Week: SuitShop’s Guide

By Tina Donati
min read.
0 min read . By Tina Donati

TL;DR:

  • Don't just turn it on, coach it. Treating your AI Agent like a team member, not a plug-and-play tool, is what makes it truly helpful and memorable.
  • One owner and one hour a week is enough to make a big impact. SuitShop’s Katy Eriks runs QA and training solo, using a repeatable system to log feedback and improve performance weekly.
  • Don't forget to pause and evaluate. SuitShop temporarily turned off AI to improve their help content, making automation far more effective when it came back online.
  • Let your best human agents guide your AI. Katie studied her top-performing teammate's tickets to teach AI the best responses and macros.
  • Brand voice matters as much as accuracy. SuitShop's AI Agent "Max" is trained to sound warm, helpful, and on-brand. Customers even thank it by name.

The most coachable team member on your support team might not be human.

Brands that want to keep up with rising customer expectations are turning to AI to help meet demand. But as SuitShop’s Director of Customer Experience, Katie Eriks, will tell you, great results don’t come from flipping a switch.

They come from coaching.

Since implementing Gorgias AI Agent, SuitShop has reached a 30% automation rate, all while maintaining a lean CX team and giving every customer the tailored experience they expect (literally and figuratively).

“I consider myself its boss,” said Katie, who runs the entire coaching process solo. With under an hour of weekly maintenance now, SuitShop’s AI Agent runs efficiently, accurately, and on-brand.

Katie spoke at Gorgias Connect 2025 to share exactly how she got there. You can watch her full session below:

The case for coaching your AI Agent 

When brands think about automation, they often imagine flipping a switch and watching repetitive tasks vanish. But in practice, it’s not that simple, at least not if you care about customer experience.

Gorgias encourages brands to treat their AI Agent like a junior teammate — someone you onboard, train, observe, and coach over time.

Brands that do this well are already seeing massive gains:

  • 60%+ of customer conversations fully automated
  • First response times under 30 seconds
  • Consistent CSAT scores of 4.5 and above
  • Major cost savings during high-volume seasons

For SuitShop, automation was about creating space for their small team to focus on specialized service. Space to scale without scaling headcount. And space to do it all without losing their voice.

SuitShop uses Gorgias AI Agent to allow them to answer repetitive questions directly on their website.

Step-by-step: SuitShop’s AI coaching workflow

Katie and her team had been longtime Gorgias users, but when they turned on AI Agent in August 2023, the results were unremarkable. The responses weren’t inaccurate, but they weren’t helpful enough either.

What Katie learned was to “Be hands-on early. Use downtime to train. And never stop refining.”

So she got to work, not by replacing the tool, but by going deeper into it. Here are her coaching tips: 

One owner, one hour a week

Katie made herself the sole point of contact for training and QA. That might sound like a lot, but over time, it became a light lift.

“At this point, it’s definitely less than one hour per week,” she said. “In the beginning, it was more time-consuming because I needed to create help center articles and Guidance regularly. Now I’ve got it down to a pretty quick thumbs-up, thumbs-down kind of process.”

Katie uses Monday mornings to review AI Agent tickets from over the weekend, when fewer human agents are available and AI takes the lead.

Read more: Why your strategy needs customer service quality assurance

Pause and perfect before scaling

Unlike many retail brands, SuitShop’s busiest time isn’t the holiday rush — it’s wedding season in the summer and fall. So when things quieted down in December, Katie used that time strategically.

She temporarily turned off the AI Agent to regroup.

“I decided to turn it off and really beef up our Help Center,” she explained. “I went back to the tickets I had to answer myself, checked what people were searching in the Help Center, and filled in the gaps.”

She built out content with a mix of blog knowledge, internal macros, and ChatGPT. Once she felt confident the content base was solid, she turned AI back on.

Read more: How to optimize your Help Center for AI Agent

Use data to guide your coaching plan

Once SuitShop’s foundational content was in place, Katie didn’t just sit back and hope for the best. Instead, she built a repeatable feedback loop grounded in data — one that helped her spot opportunities for improvement before they became issues.

Rather than combing through tickets at random, Katie created custom views inside Gorgias to zero in on the most impactful coaching moments:

  • Low CSAT tickets: Any conversation that ended with a customer satisfaction score below expectations got flagged. These were clear indicators that something about the tone, accuracy, or clarity of the AI response had fallen short.
  • High handover rates: Katie looked at the tickets AI Agent was regularly handing off to humans. Many of these were actually answerable. The handover just meant that guidance was missing, miscategorized, or too vague.
  • Agent-tagged tickets: To make this scalable, Katie empowered her team to flag any strange or impressive responses from the AI. By using a tag like AI_agent_feedback, team members could drop tickets into a coaching queue without needing to write a full explanation.

To keep all of this actionable, Katie logs insights in a shared spreadsheet that functions as a live to-do list. Every row includes:

  • A link to the ticket
  • A summary of the issue
  • The resolution (e.g., new Guidance or macro needed)
  • A status tracker (not started / in progress / completed)
  • A link to the resource she created in response

These insights are also available in Gorgias’s dashboard, where you can identify the top issues customers had.

Gorgias's Top Product Insights can show which products customers talk about most.

“Sometimes I do it all in the moment. Other times I’ll log it and come back later when I can take the time to do it right.”

By combining frontline feedback with structured ticket views, Katie turned scattered QA into a consistent coaching system — one that ensures SuitShop’s AI Agent keeps getting smarter every week.

Learn from your human agents

One of Katie’s most effective strategies comes from her own team.

Like many CX leads, she noticed that some agents consistently resolved tickets in a single touch. That pattern, Katie realized, wasn’t just a win for customers, it was a roadmap for an AI-driven support strategy.

Her teammate Tacy quickly became her go-to signal for what the AI Agent needed to learn next.

“I pull her tickets often to see what she’s responded with. It helps AI learn from her directly.”

By reviewing Tacy’s ticket history, Katie identified standard replies that didn’t yet exist as macros or Guidance. If Tacy was writing the same sentence repeatedly or copy-pasting a reply manually, that meant it could (and should) be taught to the AI Agent.

She also tracked Tacy’s macro usage rate. If Tacy frequently used a macro for a certain issue, but other agents weren’t, it flagged an opportunity to standardize responses across the team and the AI.

The key insight? If it only takes one touch for a human to answer, the AI can be trained to do it too.

These small efficiency wins added up quickly, especially during peak season, when the ability to automate just a few extra conversations per day created meaningful breathing room for the rest of the team.

Related: How to automate half of your CX tasks

Make your AI sound human (and on-brand)

Automation without brand voice feels robotic. Katie made sure SuitShop’s AI Agent sounded like a natural extension of the team, and that started with a name: Max.

“We get replies like, ‘Thanks Max!’ from customers who think it’s a real person.”

Using AI Agent’s tone of voice settings, Katie went deep on personalization. She customized everything from sentence structure and greeting format to whether or not emojis and exclamation marks should be used (they shouldn’t, in SuitShop’s case).

SuitShop customers can talk to AI Agent across the website including product pages.

Her AI Agent instructions include clear direction on:

  • Tone: Warm, empathetic, clear, especially with high-stress wedding-related issues
  • Structure: Shorter responses for chat, slightly more detailed for email
  • Dos and Don’ts: Specific words or phrases to use or avoid, pulled from real team responses
  • First/last name use: Always first name only, to keep things friendly but respectful

Katie also made sure she instructed AI Agent to acknowledge customer emotions — especially frustration — and to offer reassurance when things went wrong.

And because AI responses are written at lightning speed, she regularly reviewed messages to ensure they didn’t come off as cold or abrupt, especially in sensitive situations like delayed wedding orders or size issues close to the event date.

Live coaching: What it looks like in practice

In the workshop, Katie walked through two real support tickets where AI missed the mark and how she used those moments to improve.

In one case, a customer asked a common question: “The navy suit I’m looking at says ‘unfinished pant hem.’ Will the pants need to be hemmed?”

Despite having help articles and macros explaining this exact issue, AI Agent responded: “I don’t have the information to answer your question.”

That was a red flag.

Katie immediately stepped in to coach the agent by:

  • Applying the correct existing resources
  • Writing an ideal sample reply as an internal note
  • Checking tone, empathy, and phrasing
  • Testing the fix by pasting the same question into the test environment

“I like to write a short internal note, so if I see that ticket again, I know exactly how I coached it.”

In another case, AI Agent was incorrectly handing off a sizing question about jacket sleeve length. Katie realized that a previous broad handover topic ("sizing and fit questions") was causing confusion by flagging issues that the AI should have been able to handle.

So she deleted the handover topic and replaced it with a clear guidance article — complete with example questions, macros, and links to sizing resources.

AI Agent successfully answers a customer's question about sizing by linking to their fit finder, sizing guide, and video tutorial.

“Once I added specific questions in quotes, it made a huge difference.”

What's next: AI tools that help you scale faster

SuitShop didn’t automate 100% of CX — but that’s not the point. At 30% automation (and growing), Katie gives her team more time to specialize, connect, and handle urgent or emotional conversations with care.

Here’s what Gorgias offers to help as well:

  • Optimized intent dashboards: These show the most common topics customers ask about, the AI’s performance on those topics, and how much opportunity there is to increase automation.
  • Auto-generated knowledge: Based on your macros, Help Center, and even Shopify data, Gorgias can now draft suggested guidance for your review, making it faster to train your AI Agent without starting from scratch.
  • Auto QA: This tool scores every AI (and human) response based on resolution, accuracy, communication, and tone. It gives you full visibility across your team and automations, without needing to review each ticket manually.

Whether you’re just getting started or trying to move beyond basic automation, Katie’s approach proves that coached AI outperforms out-of-the-box tools every time.

Want to coach your AI Agent like SuitShop? Book a demo to see how Gorgias can help you scale smarter.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

How Do You Build a Support Sales Flywheel? Lessons from 4 Experts

By Holly Stanley
min read.
0 min read . By Holly Stanley

TL;DR:

  • Segment customers for personalized support. Use purchase history and behavior data to tailor every interaction, making conversations more relevant and higher-converting.
  • Offer onboarding calls for complex products. TUSHY's "Poo-Rus" turned free install calls into a $15 paid service that dramatically boosts customer LTV and retention.
  • Pick up the phone strategically. Use voice calls for abandoned carts, stuck tickets, and VIP follow-up.
  • Give agents freedom to make judgment calls. Empower your team to bend policies and offer solutions that prioritize retention over rigid rules—confident agents drive more cross-sells.
  • Train for helpful selling, not pushy pitches. Use roleplaying to teach agents how to spot buying signals and offer value naturally.

At Gorgias Connect LA 2025, CX leaders from Tommy John, TUSHY, Triple Whale, and Talent Pop shared how support teams solve problems and drive revenue.

This shift, known as the support sales flywheel, doesn’t involve massive overhauls or shiny new tools. Instead, it means doing the small things exceptionally well, like picking up the phone, empowering agents to make judgment calls, and adding a personal touch where others automate.

These brands have shown that when support teams focus on consistency, connection, and conversion, the results compound. Every thoughtful interaction spins the flywheel faster, boosting loyalty, LTV, and revenue.

Ahead, we’re breaking down the most actionable takeaways so your team can start building its own support-led growth engine.

Watch the full panel here:

5 tactics that power the support sales flywheel

From scrappy install calls to AI-powered training, these CX leaders aren’t only talking about driving revenue, they’re doing it. Here’s how they’re turning support into a sales flywheel, and the tactics your team can start testing today.

1. Personalization at scale starts with smart data

“Customer service done right is actually a great source of revenue.” That’s how Tamanna Bawa, Tech Partner Manager at Triple Whale, kicked off the conversation on how data can transform CX from reactive to revenue-driving.

She advises segmenting customers based on purchase history and behavior to deliver more personalized, higher-converting interactions. 

In a market where margins are razor-thin and ad costs are high, Tamanna emphasized that “incremental gains from personalization are the difference between companies that are thriving and the ones that are just surviving.”

Steal this strategy 

  • Segment customers based on behavior and purchase history using your helpdesk, CRM, or analytics tool.
  • Give agents access to this data so they can personalize every interaction.
  • Use macros that adapt based on customer segments, like VIP status, product interest, or past issues.
  • Focus on relevance over volume: one well-timed, tailored message converts better than a generic one.

2. The power of onboarding calls

What do you do when your hero product needs a cultural shift as much as it needs installation instructions? If you’re TUSHY, you send in your “Poop Gurus.”

Ren Fuller-Wasserman, Senior Director of CX at TUSHY, shared how her team launched a scrappy, free CX-led service that has now become a legendary video install program to help customers set up their bidets.

The real value wasn’t just tech support. As Ren put it, “It wasn’t about the actual install process, it was the encouragement they needed to change culture.” These calls sparked deeply personal moments (yes, even with cats and toddlers wandering in) and created the kind of emotional connection customers never forget.

Today, that service has evolved into a $15 paid add-on at checkout, and the customers who use it have significantly boost LTV and retention. It’s a masterclass in turning support moments into revenue through genuine human connection.

Steal this strategy

  • Identify a product or feature your customers often hesitate to use, install, or fully understand.
  • Offer free, low-lift onboarding calls via Zoom or Google Meet to guide them through setup or usage.
  • Track LTV, CSAT, or repeat purchase rates for those who opt in.
  • If it drives results, package it as a paid add-on at checkout or use it to surprise and delight key segments.
  • Use simple tools like Calendly and Typeform to automate scheduling and reduce lift on your team.

3. When in doubt, pick up the phone

Phone support is back, and it’s becoming one of the most effective ways to turn conversations into conversions.

Ren from TUSHY swears by it. Her team uses customer phone numbers from abandoned carts to reach out directly. “You can send a hundred emails,” she said, “but a voicemail from a real person cuts through the noise.” Even if customers don’t answer, the fact that a brand called is memorable, and often enough to drive them back to checkout.

Max Wallace, the Director of CX Tommy John echoed the value of voice. His team recently implemented Gorgias Voice, using it to track conversion rates by agent. That visibility helps them identify what top performers are doing differently and replicate it across the team. “By the end of a tough call, customers often apologize for how they started. You can’t get that kind of de-escalation over email.”

In a world where inboxes are crowded and chat fatigue is real, a real voice builds real trust and real revenue.

Steal this strategy

  • Start small: offer limited phone hours once your chat and email support are dialed in.
  • Use phone strategically—for abandoned cart outreach, stuck tickets, or VIP follow-ups.
  • Track call outcomes with tools like Gorgias Voice to see which agents are converting.
  • Train agents to de-escalate and personalize through roleplaying or AI-based call simulations. 

Pro Tip: Don’t rush into phone if your other channels aren’t dialed in. “Master email and chat first. Then, start with limited phone hours. Taste it before scaling it,” said Armani Taheri, the co-founder of TalentPop. 

4. Trust your team to use their judgment

For Max at Tommy John, revenue-driving support starts with two things: deep product knowledge and the freedom to bend the rules.

“We have five different fabrics for men’s underwear alone,” Max shared. To help customers choose the right one, agents need firsthand experience. That’s why Tommy John sends new products directly to the support team, so they can offer real, personalized recommendations like “Try Second Skin instead of Cool Cotton.”

But product knowledge is only half the equation. The other half is empowering agents to make judgment calls. Tommy John’s “Best Pair Guarantee” allows customers to try a product and get a refund or replacement if it’s not the right fit. 

Agents are trained to prioritize retention, offering replacements instead of refunds, recommending better-suited products, and using their own discretion to keep customers happy.

As Max put it, “We don’t have really strict policies… we want them to use their best judgment.” That confidence translates into smoother resolutions, more cross-sells, and customers who stick around.

Steal this strategy

  • Send new or popular products to your CX team so they can speak from firsthand experience.
  • Build simple product cheat sheets or comparison guides to help agents make tailored recommendations.
  • Give agents clear guidelines—but also the freedom to make judgment calls when it comes to refunds, replacements, or policy exceptions.
  • Let your team know it’s okay to “bend the rules” if it means keeping a customer happy.
  • Track outcomes like retention and CSAT to show how empowered agents directly impact loyalty and LTV.

5. Training teams to sell without the push

How do you train outsourced agents to drive revenue, without sounding like a sales team? According to Armani Taheri of TalentPop, it starts with confidence and context.

“You have to tailor-fit the training approach to each brand,” he explained. That means grounding agents in product knowledge, tone of voice, and customer journey before they ever interact with a shopper.

One of the most effective tactics is roleplaying. Armani’s team uses both live roleplays and AI-powered chat simulations to prepare agents for real conversations, pre-sales, post-sales, and everything in between. Tools like Replit and Lovable help create lightweight, brand-specific training environments agents can practice in at their own pace.

The goal isn’t to turn CX reps into hard sellers. It’s to give them the confidence and consistency to recognize revenue opportunities, and act on them in a natural, helpful way.

Steal this strategy

  • Start with the basics: make sure agents understand your product, tone of voice, and customer journey.
  • Roleplay low-pressure scenarios, then layer in more complex ones.
  • Try AI-powered training tools like Replit or Lovable to create brand-specific simulations agents can practice anytime.
  • Emphasize helpfulness over selling: coach agents to spot buying signals and offer value, not push products.
  • Review transcripts together to highlight great conversations and show how small shifts lead to better outcomes.

Tools to power your flywheel

Ready to turn your CX team into a revenue engine? Here are some of the tools mentioned by the panelists that help make it happen:

  • Gorgias Voice: Track revenue by agent, spot top performers, and improve conversion rates across the team.
  • Flip CX: Automate common phone interactions with AI-powered voice support.
  • Kixie: Drop voicemails, integrate with Klaviyo and Shopify, and build smart call queues for abandoned cart outreach.
  • Calendly + Typeform: Scrappy, low-lift tools for scheduling paid or free support calls that drive LTV.

Whether you're scaling phone support or experimenting with post-purchase outreach, the right tools make the flywheel spin faster.

Your CX team might be your best-kept sales secret

They’re on the front lines with your most engaged customers, answering questions, easing doubts, and uncovering what really drives purchases. With the right tools and training, they resolve tickets and help close the sale.

With tools like Gorgias Voice, it’s easier than ever to connect the dots between conversations and conversions.

Want to see how your CX team can help drive growth?

Book a demo to see how Gorgias Voice powers sales through support.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

Every Successful Marketing Campaign Starts with a Customer Question

By Holly Stanley
min read.
0 min read . By Holly Stanley

TL;DR:

  • Start with your CX team—they know what customers are asking. Their insights reveal what’s confusing, what’s converting, and what’s causing returns before marketing ever gets involved.
  • Turn pre-sale questions into better messaging. Use common support queries to improve landing pages, product descriptions, and emails so customers feel confident enough to convert.
  • Your best-performing products aren’t always the most hyped. Let real customer comments guide your messaging by identifying what people rave about in chats and reviews.
  • Customer confusion and returns usually stem from messaging gaps. Fix product pages, policies, and descriptions to better reflect what people need to know upfront.

Your CX team talks to customers every day. They know what’s confusing, driving purchases, and causing returns, because they hear it firsthand.

But all too often, those insights stay siloed in support tickets and live chat transcripts instead of informing the campaigns that shape the customer journey.

This post is here to change that. We’re breaking down the most valuable questions marketing teams should be asking their CX counterparts. When marketing and CX work together, you get more relevant messaging, smarter product positioning, and campaigns that convert.

Whether you’re planning a big seasonal push or just want to improve product education, this is where to start.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

1. What do customers ask about before buying?

Your CX team knows what makes shoppers hesitate. They’re the ones fielding questions like: Does this come in a larger size? Is it final sale? Will it arrive in time?

Beyond being pre-sale inquiries, they’re signals. They reveal what your customers care about most, and where your messaging may be falling short. When marketing teams tune into this, they can proactively address objections in landing pages, product detail pages (PDPs), emails, and top-of-funnel content.

AI Agent answers questions on email and chat.
No matter the product, Gorgias AI Agent can answer your shoppers’ questions right in chat.

At luxury jewelry store Jaxxon, Director of Customer Experience Caela Castillo saw firsthand how important it is to address these questions early. 

Chat used to be a support tool for repetitive questions and problem-solving, but now AI Agent takes care of that for us,” she said. Once those friction points were handled upfront, the CX team could focus on more meaningful conversations, and conversions improved.

And when AI recommended the wrong products? Conversions dropped. It was a clear signal that relevance matters, especially before the sale.

Ask your CX team:

“What do customers most often need to know before they buy, and how can we answer that earlier in the journey?”

2. What product do customers rave about—and why?

Your best-selling product isn’t always your hero product. Sometimes, it’s that under-the-radar item that customers can’t stop talking about. The one that shows up again and again in reviews, chats, and post-purchase surveys.

The insight is gold for marketers. The key is to find out why people love it. Is it the fit? The feel? The results?

At online fashion brand, Princess Polly, Alexandria shared that her team expected Gen Z shoppers to lean on AI for recs, but what really influenced them was customer feedback. Reviews, not bots, built trust. That’s why campaigns built around real customer language and experiences often outperform the most polished product copy.

Shopping Assistant can turn those rave reviews into real-time action. It highlights top products using your Shopify product catalog to make personalized recommendations, proactively assists shoppers by using behavior signals, and even offers tailored discounts when they’re ready to convert. That means less guesswork, greater relevance, and an easier path to purchase.

Ask your CX team:

“Which product do customers rave about most, and what exactly are they saying?”

3. What product causes the most complaints?

When customers are frustrated, it’s easy to blame the product. But in many cases, the issue isn’t quality, it’s communication.

At Shinesty, a men’s underwear brand, Molly Kerrigan, Senior Director of Retention, observed that high return rates often stemmed from unmet customer expectations

She noted the importance of maintaining clear and consistent communication as the company grows, “We get a lot of praise from our customers, and they talk highly of our CX team after 1:1 interactions. We can’t lose that as we scale.” 

Molly notes that using Gorgias AI Agent enables Shinesty’s customers to receive quick answers, freeing her team's time for more complex or sensitive issues.  

Similarly, Princess Polly saw that delivering a standout customer experience meant being fast, consistent, and helpful at every stage. After switching to Gorgias, their support performance improved dramatically:

  • 80% decrease in resolution time
  • 95% decrease in first response time
  • 40% increase in efficiency

Before changing the product, try updating the messaging. Use insights from CX to rewrite descriptions, add size guides, include user-generated content, or even build a quick-fit quiz. Small tweaks help set clearer expectations and reduce unnecessary returns.

Ask your CX team:

“Which products are driving the most complaints, and what do customers wish they knew before buying?”

4. What confuses customers the most?

Confusion is a conversion killer. If a customer isn’t sure about how something works, what’s included, or whether it’s right for them, they’re more likely to bounce.

That’s why it pays to ask your CX team where customers get stuck. Is it a product feature that needs more context? A vague store policy? A missing detail on a bundle?

The good news is that most confusion is fixable. Start with the following steps: 

  • Simplify your product pages
  • Add quick-hit FAQs to your emails
  • Use plain language and real examples

If you’re using Shopping Assistant, you can go even further. It can detect when shoppers are hesitant and provides real-time nudges. Like an assistant who knows all your needs, Shopping Assistant automatically surfaces the questions customers are likely to ask when evaluating a product, so they’re equipped with the clarity they need to proceed to checkout.

Gorgias Shopping Assistant can surface questions while shoppers browse and search for products.
Shopping Assistant uses a shopper’s browsing behavior to answer potential hesitations and questions automatically.

TUSHY, a modern bidet brand, faced similar challenges. As bidets aren't mainstream in North America, shoppers often had concerns about product compatibility and installation. They’d ask questions like:

  • Will a bidet fit my toilet?
  • Is installation complicated?
  • Which bidet is right for me?

Without immediate answers, many potential buyers would abandon their purchase. To address this, TUSHY implemented Shopping Assistant, providing instant support. Taking this approach resulted in an 81% higher chat conversion rate compared to human agents and a 13x return on investment.

“The Shopping Assistant has been a game-changer for our team, especially with the launch of our latest bidet models. Expanding our product catalog has given customers more choices than ever, which can overwhelm first-time buyers. Now, they’re increasingly looking to us for guidance on finding the right fit for their home and personal hygiene needs,” said Ren Fuller-Wasserman, Sr. Director of Customer Experience at TUSHY.  

Ask your CX team:

“Where do customers get confused most often—and how can we clear that up sooner?”

5. Which products are frequently bought together?

Your CX team picks up on patterns that analytics sometimes miss. They hear which items customers ask about in the same chat, which products get added to carts together, and which pairings people reorder time and time again.

That intel is a goldmine for bundling and upselling. It helps you build smarter campaigns that feel relevant and drive real value.

Zoe Kahn, owner of Inevitable Agency and former VP of Retention and CX at Audien Hearing, emphasizes the importance of using AI to enhance customer interactions.

“A lot of that revenue was potentially missed revenue because these were customers sitting on the site, asking questions about the products, and wanting an answer now so they could purchase…Now, AI can answer those questions immediately and convert those customers.”

With Shopping Assistant, you can act on these insights in real time. It will surface personalized product pairings, bundle suggestions, or accessories based on customer behavior. All before they hit the checkout page.

Shopping Assistant can detect shoppers' likelihood to convert
Shopping Assistant initiates relevant conversations by monitoring shopper behavior.

6. Which products lead to the most returns, and why?

Returns cut into your margins and chip away at trust. Most of the time, they’re not caused by poor-quality products. They happen because expectations weren’t met.

Your CX team already knows which items come back the most and why. Maybe the color doesn’t match the photos. Perhaps the fit runs small, or the product description left out a crucial detail. 

Instead of pushing the product harder, reframe how you present it. Add real customer photos. Include fit notes or a sizing chart. Call out anything that might surprise the customer post-purchase. A little clarity upfront goes a long way in reducing returns and boosting retention.

At Pepper, an intimates brand specializing in bras for small-chested bodies, they recognized the importance of pre-sale education. When customers have sizing questions, their AI Agent, Penelope, can provide immediate assistance.

“Penelope takes the information we give her and responds better than a Macro. She tailors it so that it sounds like a natural conversation between two people,” said Gabrielle McWhirter, CX Operations Lead at Pepper.

By proactively providing instant support, Pepper improved customer satisfaction and saw an 18% uplift in average order value.

Ask your CX team:

“Which products get returned the most—and what could we do upfront to change that?”

CX + marketing = smarter campaigns, better results

Before you launch your next campaign, start with a quick sync with your CX lead. They already know what your customers need to hear. You just have to ask.

From fixing messaging gaps to surfacing the right products at the right time, these insights help you connect with customers in personal, timely, and relevant ways.

Tools like Shopping Assistant make it easier than ever to act on this data in real time. You can turn CX knowledge into dynamic recommendations, personalized nudges, and smarter discounts.

Ready to see how you can improve your online shopping experience? Book a demo to see how Gorgias Shopping Assistant engages customers in real-time.

How to Use CX Data to Improve Marketing, Messaging & Conversions

By Alexa Hertel
min read.
0 min read . By Alexa Hertel

TL;DR:

  • Your support inbox is full of marketing gold. CX insights can sharpen messaging and inspire high-impact campaigns.
  • Ticket data unlocks smarter segmentation. Use support interactions to build more relevant, behavior-based audiences.
  • Chat campaigns work better with CX insights. Tackle objections in real time and lift conversions with proactive messages.
  • Use objection data to reduce drop-offs. Identify common blockers and address them in product pages, ads, and chat prompts.
  • Help Center stats guide better content. Turn top-searched questions into FAQs, landing pages, and ad copy.

Today’s best marketing starts with your customers.

According to Forrester’s 2024 research, “Customer-obsessed organizations reported 41% faster revenue growth, 49% faster profit growth, and 51% better customer retention than those at non-customer-obsessed organizations.”

Support teams interact with hundreds or thousands of customers every week, collecting valuable insights in the process. This voice of the customer (VOC) data is a goldmine for marketers, but it too often stays siloed among CX teams.

Ahead, we’ll break down how ecommerce brands can tap into CX insights to drive better marketing.

5 ways to use CX data to improve marketing

CX can play a crucial role in driving growth, but many brands aren’t leveraging it for marketing insights yet.

When connected to marketing, CX becomes a proactive engine that fuels better segmentation, sharper messaging, smarter campaigns, and more personalized content. 

Support functions collect objections, complaints, compliments, and pre-purchase questions. When you capture and apply those insights, your marketing can target the precise roadblocks—and key sales differentiators—customers care about.

Here’s how to turn CX insights into a high-impact marketing strategy, with real examples from brands using Gorgias.

  1. Leverage ticket insights to improve messaging
  2. Segment customers based on support interactions
  3. Launch more targeted chat campaigns
  4. Reduce drop-offs and abandoned carts
  5. Monitor Help Center and Dashboard stats to craft smarter content

1) Leverage ticket insights to improve messaging 

When you want to sharpen your brand messaging, there’s no better place to look than your support inbox. Your support inbox is a rich resource full of information specific to your brand and your customers. 

Tools like Gorgias Ticket Insights help surface recurring themes, top questions, and friction points across all conversations. By analyzing these patterns, marketers can identify the exact words customers use to describe problems, questions, or product feedback and then reflect that language across ads, landing pages, and emails.

How to implement 

Spikes in tickets around specific topics (sizing, shipping timelines, and materials, for example) are insights marketers can use to update and improve corresponding content. 

This can increase confidence and conversion on key pages. 

By incorporating the same terminology and phrasing customers use in support conversations, brands can also increase resonance across ads, emails, and social media. Messaging that mirrors the customer’s language builds trust and helps audiences feel understood. 

Ask your CX team 💬 What product issues or themes have emerged this quarter?

A line graph showing trends in topics mentioned in tickets. Mentions about damage, refunds, and replacements are displayed.

For example, cordless heating cushion brand Stoov® used Ticket Fields in Gorgias to understand and resolve a ticket spike. By figuring out that some customers were dissatisfied with the battery life of its core product offering, the team was able to add an optional upsell. For €20, shoppers now have the option to purchase a larger battery. 

The results were meaningful: the brand saw 50% of customers opt for this battery, resulting in a 10% increase in average order value (AOV). And while the team saw a significant increase in revenue, they saw no increase in support ticket volume. 

2) Segment customers based on support interactions

Most marketers rely on transactional data—like past purchases or time since last order—to build audience segments. But support data reveals a whole new layer of context: behavior, concerns, sentiment, and urgency.

Tools like Gorgias’s Ticket Insights and Ticket Fields allow CX teams to customize different properties attached to tickets. Agents can fill these out to capture data more accurately. 

Here’s how these types of tools work: tickets come with a mandatory field for return reasons, product feedback, contact reason, etc. Before the agent closes the ticket, they use a dropdown menu to fill out the ticket field. 

How to implement 

Studying support interactions helps answer key questions around why customers are getting in touch. This data can provide marketing teams with a way to build smarter segments for campaigns or personalized journeys.

For example, if one product is getting a large amount of inquiries, marketing teams could segment customers interested in those products and launch pre-sales education campaigns.

Fashion brand Psycho Bunny switched from Zendesk to Gorgias to improve access to reporting tools that surfaced customer patterns and support trends. 

“By cross-referencing our Gorgias data with insights around basket size, product performance, and store performance, we can inform broader business decisions. For example, we can see if a certain store location generated more tickets or how many incoming queries are about a certain product,” says Jean-Aymeri de Magistris, VP IT, Data & Analytics, and PMO at Psycho Bunny.

By integrating insights like these with marketing workflows, teams can build more relevant segments that improve retention and engagement.

Ask your CX team 💬 Which customer segments are most likely to churn or repurchase?

3) Launch more targeted chat campaigns

Chat campaigns are proactive messages that trigger based on real-time behavior and context. You can use CX trends to design campaigns that directly address common objections, answer FAQs, or deliver tailored offers.

How to implement 

Start by reviewing your most common pre-purchase questions with your CX team. Then, create chat prompts that address those concerns exactly where they arise. For example, a sizing guide prompt on product pages or a shipping FAQ in the cart. 

Make sure your message feels helpful and not overly salesy. Conversational AI assistants like AI Agent can also tailor responses in real-time, helping customers get what they need without leaving the page.

Pepper product page showing wireless bras with a customer support chat box.
Intimates brand Pepper uses AI Agent to provide chat to help answer FAQs while customers shop.

Pepper, a size-inclusive bra brand, put this into practice by combining their AI Agent (named Penelope) with targeted chat campaigns to guide shoppers through one of their most common friction points: sizing. Thanks to insights from their support team, Pepper created messaging that helped customers find the right fit instantly. The result was an 18% uplift in average order value. 

“With AI Agent, we’re not just putting information in our customers’ hands; we’re putting bras in their hands. With Penelope on board, we’re turning customer support from a cost center to a revenue generator,” says Gabrielle McWhirter, CX Operations Lead at Pepper. 

Ask your CX team 💬 How are customers reacting to recent promotions or launches?

4) Reduce drop-offs and abandoned carts

When shoppers hesitate at checkout, it’s often because they don’t have the information they need.

Tapping into support conversations allows CX teams to identify common objections. They can then share those insights with marketing to refine product messaging, improve product pages, ads, and marketing campaigns.

How to implement 

Use customer service data to identify the top three objections customers have before converting. These might be concerns about sizing, compatibility, delivery time, or product setup. Then, pair that knowledge with a proactive AI sales tool like Shopping Assistant to offer timely answers that move shoppers closer to purchase.

For example, TUSHY, a modern bidet company, found that many prospective customers were hesitant because they weren’t sure how difficult the installation would be. By using a real-time shopping assistant to address these concerns directly on-site, TUSHY was able to guide shoppers past uncertainty.

TUSHY uses AI Agent helping a customer install an electric bidet on a skirted toilet.
TUSHY’S AI Agent can sense when a customer lingers for a while on a page, and offers help to guide them to checkout.

Ask your CX team 💬 What are the top three reasons customers contact us before they buy?

5) Monitor Help Center and Dashboard stats to craft smarter content

If you want to know what content your customers actually need, your Help Center holds the answers. Real customer questions are found right in Help Center search queries and article analytics.

By tracking which articles are most viewed, most searched, and most frequently updated, marketers can spot common knowledge gaps and fill them with high-value content.

How to implement 

Start by reviewing your Help Center Statistics to see which articles are performing well, which ones are underutilized, and what terms customers are searching for. 

If an article about “returns policy” is getting a spike in views, that’s your cue to simplify the policy or preempt questions with a dedicated email campaign. Marketing teams could also use this insight to build FAQ-rich landing pages, preempt questions in email flows, or even turn top-performing help content into organic blog posts or performance ad copy.

Dashboard showing support metrics by channel and ticket response performance.
Set up your Gorgias Dashboard based on your goals.

You can also use Gorgias's Dashboard to spot emerging trends across all your channels. This custom reporting feature lets you choose from various charts that reveal high-level patterns—like the most common contact reasons or sudden spikes in ticket volume—giving marketers early insight into shifting customer sentiment and trending topics across social platforms.

Ask your CX team 💬 Which articles in our Help Center are most searched right now?

Find alignment between CX and marketing teams

When support and marketing teams collaborate, you unlock a cycle of continuous improvement. CX teams surface the insights, marketing turns them into strategy, and both sides drive measurable results.

Here’s how to make it work:

  • Set up recurring syncs between CX and marketing teams to review insights from customer service reports.
  • Involve support in campaign planning to consider what customer objections might come up. 
  • Encourage CX to tag tickets based on themes or behavior that marketing can act on.

Unlock revenue by listening to your customers

We need to reframe CX as a proactive function that drives revenue.

Support teams already have the answers marketers are searching for. You just need the tools to tap into them. Gorgias makes that easy, with flexible reporting features, powerful AI, automated tagging, and integrations that bridge the gap between CX and marketing.

Want to connect your support data to better marketing?

Explore Gorgias’s analytics tools or book a demo to speak to a product expert about how to integrate your support strategy with marketing.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

Stop Resolving These 7 Tickets Manually (Use AI Agent Actions Instead)

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

TL;DR:

  • Actions are tasks automatically performed by AI Agent for customers. From address changes and subscription pauses to order cancellations, Actions can fulfill requests for your customers, even when your human agents are offline.
  • Actions connect directly to your ecommerce apps. Currently, Actions have native integrations with Shopify, ShipMonk, ShipHero, ShipStation, Stay AI, Recharge, Loop, Subscriptions by Loop, Skio, Seal Subscriptions, and Wonderment.
  • Use pre-built Actions or build your own. There are 12 Action templates available, or you can build Actions using custom HTTP requests.
  • Watch out for setup snags. Conflicting Guidance, multiple matching Actions, older orders, or broken logic can block an Action from executing.

Automated responses don’t actually resolve anything. In reality, they increase customer wait time.

What a customer really wants is immediate resolution, whether they’re looking to cancel an order, change a shipping address, or pause a subscription.

So, how do you go beyond automated text responses? AI Agent Actions. 

Below, we’ll go over the 7 most common customer service requests you can resolve with AI Agent Actions, so your team gets time back to strengthen customer relationships, increase revenue, and improve your CX strategy. 

{{lead-magnet-1}}

What are AI Agent Actions?

AI Agent Actions are tasks AI Agent can complete for your customers, such as canceling an order or updating a shipping address. 

Instead of handing it off to a human agent, AI Agent resolves the ticket by connecting to your ecommerce apps and performing the action on its own.

You get maximum control over when and how Actions are executed. Before performing the Action, AI Agent asks customers for confirmation, respecting your processes and maintaining a high level of customer service. Once an Action has been taken, you can even share feedback with your AI Agent to reinforce its behavior or finetune it further.

How AI Agent works: Guidance, knowledge sources, and Actions.

Pro Tip: Unlike Guidance, which tells AI Agent how to respond in a conversation, Actions determine what happens. It’s the difference between saying “I’ll refund your order” and doing it.

Related: How AI Agent works & gathers data

Top 7 customer requests you should be automating with AI Agent Actions

Ready to resolve requests in seconds? Activate these pre-built Actions in Gorgias to keep your team efficient and your customers happy. 

Gorgias provides 12 Action templates. You can also create your own custom Actions.
Choose from 12 Action templates which you can edit to fit your workflow. You can even create custom Actions.

1. Customer wants to update their shipping address

Action to use: Update shipping address

Supported apps: Shopify, ShipMonk, ShipHero, ShipStation

Incorrect shipping addresses lead to costly re-shipments, delays, and even refunds. Catch errors early to keep customers satisfied and excited about their order.

AI Agent can update shipping addresses for customers.
AI Agent can update shipping addresses for customers without handing it off to a human agent.

Why do you need this Action? 

The reality is your agents aren’t available 24/7. Unless you hire a team to cover night and weekend shifts (which is unlikely), requests will be missed. AI Agent fills in that gap, handling time-sensitive issues when your team is off the clock. Missing them isn’t just about poor customer experience—it can also lead to extra costs, like reshipping orders.

2. Customer wants to cancel an order

Action to use: Cancel order 

Supported apps: Shopify, ShipMonk, ShipHero, ShipStation

Perhaps a customer ordered the wrong item, chose the wrong size, used the wrong card, or simply changed their mind. Allow them to quickly cancel their order and receive a refund in one go.

AI Agent cancels an order for a customer.
AI Agent can autonomously cancel an order for a customer.
“Actions responds to tickets within about 30 seconds and is available 24/7. Regardless of when a customer places their order, the likelihood of quickly catching and canceling the order has increased by 70% since we started using Actions. It’s an exceptional result."

—Jon Clare, VP of Customer Service at Trove Brands

3. Customer wants to replace/remove an item in their order

Actions to use: 

  • Replace item, or 
  • Remove item

Supported app: Shopify

It happens—shoppers order the wrong size or color and want to change their order immediately. Regardless of the reason, make their new decision easy to implement. Quick, accessible order updates prevent returns, lost revenue, and, most importantly, customer disappointment.

Here’s what the replace order item setup looks like in Gorgias:

Replace order Action settings in Gorgias
Before AI Agent can replace an item, it checks to make sure the order is unfulfilled.

Pro Tip: If you have unique workflows, you can create advanced, multi-step Actions and connect to your tools beyond our default integrations. This option requires some tech know-how (like custom HTTP requests), so feel free to bring in your developers for assistance.

4. Customer wants to skip or pause a shipment

Actions to use:

  • Skip next subscription shipment, or
  • Pause subscription

Supported apps: Stay AI, Recharge, Subscriptions by Loop, Skio, Seal Subscriptions

Subscriptions shouldn’t be all or nothing. Let customers skip a shipment or pause their subscription, so they can come back when they’re ready. Giving them full control lets them manage their subscription on their own terms, reducing churn rate in the process.

Here’s how AI Agent handles a skip shipment request: 

AI Agent asking a customer to confirm that they want to skip a subscription shipment.
AI Agent asks for confirmation before skipping a customer’s shipment.

5. Customer lost or damaged their order in transit

Action to use: Reship order for free

Supported apps: Shopify, ShipMonk

No customer expects a lost or damaged order. Let customers know that you have their backs by reshipping a new order free of charge. Fast resolutions during unexpected events demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

“An instant response builds confidence. We live in a world with short attention spans, so customers appreciate how quickly we can respond to their inquiries. Customers aren’t worrying unnecessarily for longer than they have to for an address change or order cancellation.”

—Mia Chapa, Sr. Director of Customer Experience at Glamnetic

6. Customer wants to know their return shipping status

Action to use: Send return shipping status 

Supported app: Loop

Customers want to know that their return package is on its way to you, so they can redeem their refund. Easily send them a shipment tracking link to give them that peace of mind.

7. Customer wants to know about order status

Action to use: Get order info 

Supported apps: Shopify, ShipHero, ShipMonk, ShipStation, ShipBob, Wonderment

Based on Gorgias data, order status ranks among customers' top 10 questions for support teams. Reassure your customers with quick updates on their orders, including product details, shipping progress, expected delivery date, and other helpful information.

What to know before turning on Actions

Here are a few helpful setup tips to make sure Actions run without a hitch:

  • Guidance can override Actions. If conflicting Guidance exists, it may prevent an Action from triggering, even when all conditions are met. Review your Guidance to avoid overlaps, or write your logic into the Action description instead.
  • Any Action that changes data requires shopper confirmation. Actions like canceling orders, updating addresses, or canceling subscriptions mean AI Agent will always ask the shopper to confirm before making a change.
  • Currently, only one Action can run per ticket. If multiple Actions qualify, none will run, and the ticket will be handed off. Use conditions carefully to ensure only one Action matches per use case.
  • AI Agent can only access the shopper’s last 10 orders. If the customer references an older order, the Action won’t trigger and the ticket will be handed over for manual handling.

AI Agent Actions speak louder than words

If you want…

  • Fewer repetitive tickets
  • Faster customer support
  • Happier customers who get what they need instantly
  • More time for your team to strategize
  • Lower costs and higher efficiency

AI Agent Actions can get you there.

You’ve now seen how Actions can resolve tickets in a snap—no unnecessary handoffs, canned responses, or long response times.

Book a demo to see AI Agent Actions work in real time and start automating what you shouldn’t be doing manually anymore.

{{lead-magnet-2}}

How to Write Guidance with the “When, If, Then” Framework

By Holly Stanley
min read.
0 min read . By Holly Stanley

TL;DR:

  • AI Agent is only as good as the instructions you give it. Clear Guidance enables it to perform like your best support teammate.
  • The “When, If, Then” framework makes writing Guidance easy and repeatable. Start with the scenario (when), define the conditions (if), and list specific actions (then) to create structured Guidance.
  • Use Guidance to handle frequently asked questions, like returns, cancellations, or discount code inquiries, so your team can focus on more complex issues.
  • If your Guidance isn’t working, formatting or logic gaps might be to blame. Check for missing conditions, unsupported tasks, or confusing formatting.

AI Agent is built to deliver fast, accurate support at scale, but like any teammate, it performs best when given clear and specific instructions. 

That’s where Guidance comes in. Writing structured prompts that tell your AI Agent exactly what to do in a given scenario helps reduce escalations, speed up resolutions, and create a more consistent customer experience. 

One simple, repeatable way to do that is with the “When, If, Then” framework. 

In this post, we’ll show you how it works, using examples from our Gorgias Academy course, Improve AI Agent with Better Guidance

You’ll learn how to write Guidance that results in:

  • Fewer escalations
  • Faster resolutions
  • Smarter, more consistent AI behavior

Let’s break it down.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

What is Guidance?

Guidance is how you tell your AI Agent what to do. It’s a set of instructions that outlines how your AI Agent should respond in specific situations. 

When Guidance is available, your AI Agent follows it first, even before checking your Help Center or website content.

That means if your Guidance is missing, unclear, or incomplete, your AI Agent might escalate the ticket, or worse, give a confusing or unhelpful response. Here’s an example:

Let’s say a customer wants to return an item. A human agent would send them a link to the return portal and explain the steps. But without that instruction in Guidance, your AI Agent might skip straight to escalation, turning a simple request into unnecessary work for your team.

That’s why clear, step-by-step Guidance is key to help your AI Agent respond the way your best support agent would.

How AI Agent works: First it uses Guidance, knowledge sources like Help Center aticles, then performs Actions.
AI Agent starts with using Guidance, followed by knowledge sources like Help Center articles, and then, if enabled, it performs automated Actions on your behalf.

Learn more: Create Guidance to give AI Agent custom instructions 

Introducing the “When, If, Then” framework

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start when writing Guidance. The “When, If, Then” framework gives you a simple, repeatable structure to follow, so there’s no need to guess. 

Taking this approach mirrors how AI Agent processes information behind the scenes. When you write clear Guidance, your AI Agent can follow it step by step, just like a support teammate would.

Let’s walk through the three parts of the framework.

WHEN: Set the scenario

Start by identifying the situation your Guidance applies to. This is the trigger or scenario. Use it as the title of your Guidance so it’s easy to find later.

Example:

  • WHEN a shopper asks to return an order
  • WHEN a customer wants to cancel their subscription

Keep it simple and action-oriented. You’re setting the stage for what comes next.

The Guidance name uses the when statement, 'When a customers asks for a return or exchange'
Use your WHEN statement as the name of the Guidance. It makes it easier to identify and organize Guidance as your collection grows.

IF: Add conditions

Once you’ve defined the scenario, add any conditions that determine what should happen. “If” statements help your AI Agent understand what to do based on specific details, like timing, order history, or customer tags.

Example:

  • IF the order was placed less than or equal to 15 days ago
  • IF the customer has a VIP tag in Shopify

Use as many “if” conditions as needed to guide different outcomes. Just make sure you cover all the possibilities so your AI Agent doesn’t get stuck.

THEN: Define the actions

This is where you tell your AI Agent exactly what to do. Be specific and use bullet points or numbered steps to keep things clear.

Example:

  • Tell the shopper they’re eligible for a return
  • Send them a link to the return portal
  • Let them know they’ll receive a prepaid label once the form is submitted

The more clearly you outline the steps, the more consistently your AI Agent will perform.

The framework keeps your Guidance simple, structured, and easy to understand—for both your team and your AI Agent. When your AI Agent knows exactly what to do, it can deliver fast, accurate, and helpful responses that keep customers happy.

Put it all together

Say a shopper messages your store asking to return an item and you want AI Agent to send them to your return portal.

Here’s how this looks in a complete piece of Guidance:

WHEN a shopper asks to return an order:

IF the order was placed less than or equal to 15 days ago,   

THEN

  • Tell the shopper they’re eligible for a return
  • Send them a link to the return portal
  • Let them know they’ll receive a prepaid label via email once they submit the form

9 support scenarios made better with Guidance

These nine scenarios come up constantly in ecommerce support, and they’re perfect candidates for automation. They follow predictable patterns and are quick to resolve when your AI Agent knows what to do.

Use the examples below to jumpstart your setup. Each one is written using the When, If, Then framework and can be copied directly into Gorgias.

1. Where’s my order? (WISMO)

WHEN a customer asks about their order status:

IF tracking information is available,

THEN

  • Provide the tracking number and link to the carrier's tracking page.
  • Inform the customer of the expected delivery date.

IF tracking information is unavailable,

THEN

  • Inform the customer that the order is being prepared for shipment.
  • Provide an estimated shipping date.

2. What size should I order?

WHEN a customer inquires about product sizing for [item name]:

IF the customer asks what size to get, or mentions they’re unsure about sizing,

THEN

  • Share the sizing chart or guide.
  • Offer recommendations based on common fit feedback.

3. Can I change my shipping address?

WHEN a customer requests to change their shipping address:

IF the order has not been fulfilled,

THEN

  • Confirm the new address with the customer.
  • Update the shipping address in Shopify (or your chosen platform).

IF the order has already been fulfilled,

THEN

  • Inform the customer that the address cannot be changed.
  • Provide options for order interception or return.

4. Can I cancel my order?

WHEN a customer asks to cancel their order:

IF the order has not been fulfilled,

THEN

  • Confirm that we can cancel their order.
  • Tell them they’ll receive their refund in 5-10 business days.

IF the order has already been fulfilled,

THEN

  • Inform the customer that the order cannot be cancelled.
  • Help to initiate a return once the item is delivered.

5. How do I return an item?

WHEN a customer asks about returning an item:

IF the return is within the allowed return window of [x] days after the order was received,

THEN

  • Provide the return instructions and link to the return portal.
  • Inform the customer about the refund process.

IF the return window has expired,

THEN

  • Inform the customer that the return period has ended.
  • Offer alternative solutions if available.

6. Do you have any discount codes?

WHEN a customer inquires about discounts or promo codes:

IF there is an active promotion for [item name],

THEN

  • Share the current discount code and its terms.

IF there are no active promotions for [item name],

THEN

  • Inform the customer that there are no current promotions.
  • Suggest subscribing to the newsletter or following social media for future promos.

7. I want to pause my subscription.

WHEN a customer requests to pause their subscription:

IF the customer has an active subscription,

THEN

  • Provide instructions on how to pause the subscription through their account.
  • Confirm the pause and inform them of the next billing date.

8. When will this item be back in stock?

WHEN a customer asks about product restocking:

IF a restock date is available,

THEN

  • Inform the customer of the expected restock date.

IF the restock date is unknown,

THEN

  • Offer to notify the customer when the product is back in stock.
  • Suggest similar products.

9. Do you ship internationally?

WHEN a customer inquires about international shipping:

IF international shipping is available,

THEN

  • Confirm that international shipping is offered.
  • Provide estimated delivery times and any additional fees.

IF international shipping is not available,

THEN

  • Inform the customer that shipping is limited to specific regions.

Pro Tip: Test out your Guidance by going to AI Agent > Test, and iterate as you go.

Troubleshooting: Why Guidance might not trigger

If your AI Agent isn’t following your Guidance, or it’s escalating tickets you thought it could handle, run through this quick checklist to spot the issue:

  • Has a descriptive, easy-to-understand name: Name your Guidance based on the scenario (e.g. When a shopper asks about returns).
  • Clear IF and THEN conditions: Make sure your Guidance spells out what to do when a condition is met.
  • Covers all variations (no gaps in logic): Don’t leave your AI Agent hanging. Include fallback instructions for all scenarios.
  • No wall-of-text formatting: Break things up with line breaks, headers, and spacing to help AI Agent scan quickly.
  • Clearly written steps with bullets or numbers: Use lists to make actions easy to follow, like you would for a teammate.
  • Doesn’t include unsupported tasks: Avoid unsupported instructions like “send macro,” “assign to agent,” or “delay the response.”

Bonus: Let AI do the heavy lifting

Don’t have time to write Guidance from scratch? The good news is AI can help with that, too.

AI-generated Guidance is available for all AI Agent subscribers. This feature analyzes your historical ticket data and uses it to generate ready-to-use, customizable prompts for your AI Agent.

Here’s what it does:

  • Analyzes past tickets to identify common support scenarios
  • Generates step-by-step Guidance based on what’s worked before

Ready to level up your Guidance?

Clear, structured Guidance is the key to unlocking better performance from your AI Agent. With just one well-written “When, If, Then” prompt, you can reduce escalations, speed up resolutions, and give your shoppers a smoother experience.

Not sure where to start? Try writing Guidance for one common question today—like returns, order status, or promo codes. Or, if you want to go deeper, check out our free Gorgias Academy course. 

When Should You Migrate Helpdesks? 5 Signs to Watch Out For

By Tina Donati
min read.
0 min read . By Tina Donati

TL;DR:

  • Your helpdesk shouldn't hold you back. If your team is buried in tickets or bouncing between tools, your platform might be the problem—not your process.
  • Rising ticket volumes, slower response times, and clunky integrations are signs you’ve outgrown your platform. Don’t wait for these issues to impact revenue or retention.
  • You’re not alone—fast-growing brands hit these roadblocks too. Dr. Bronner’s, Psycho Bunny, and Audien Hearing all switched platforms to support bigger growth with less friction.
  • Helpdesk migration doesn’t have to be scary. With the right migration support, you can move quickly, avoid downtime, and give your team a tool they actually want to use.

As ticket volume grows, even the best CX teams start running into roadblocks: limited integrations, repetitive manual work, clunky interfaces, and slower response times. You patch things together. You make it work... until you can’t.

Many growing ecommerce brands find themselves trapped in a system that demands constant workarounds just to function.

If your current customer service platform feels more like a burden than a backbone, you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck.

In this post, we’ll walk through:

  • The key signs it’s time to switch platforms
  • What to prioritize when choosing your next one
  • How brands like Pepper made a smooth move to Gorgias

The 5 warning signs you’ve outgrown your helpdesk

There’s a tipping point most brands hit as they scale. The signs are subtle at first—maybe your agents are taking longer to respond, or the volume of customer support tickets quietly outpaces your team. Then it starts affecting revenue, customer satisfaction, and retention. Big yikes.

Left unchecked, small inefficiencies can snowball into bigger operational challenges.

Catch these warning signs before they start costing you growth:

1. Rising ticket volume and slower resolution times

Support teams that are always playing catch-up rarely have time to focus on higher-value work. If your inbox is constantly overflowing or first response times are creeping up, it’s likely a sign your tools aren’t scaling with your business.

That’s exactly what happened with apparel brand Psycho Bunny.

“As we grew and expanded, we needed a tool that was better suited for Shopify, easier to manage, and offered better support to help us get the most out of the tool,” said Jean-Aymeri de Magistris, VP IT, Data & Analytics, and PMO at Psycho Bunny.

2. Agents constantly toggling between tabs and tools

If your agents are spending more time gathering context than solving problems, you’re losing time (and likely, patience) on both sides of the conversation. Fragmented tools can seriously undercut productivity.

Dr. Bronner’s experienced this firsthand, juggling Salesforce, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems.

“When I joined, we were logging calls and emails in Excel. It wasn’t scalable,” recalled Emily McEnany, Senior CX Manager at Dr. Bronner’s.

3. Clunky or missing integrations with your ecommerce stack

Some platforms require technical support even for small changes, such as custom workflows, new automations, or basic integrations. That may work at the start, but it becomes a bottleneck as your brand grows.

Disconnected systems strip away context, increasing the risk of mistakes. Whether it’s pulling up an order status or managing a return, agents need tools that work together, not against each other.

4. You’re stuck answering the same questions over and over

Every support team deals with repetitive inquiries. But without automation or self-service options, those tickets eat into your team’s time and keep you from focusing on higher-impact conversations.

Nude Project struggled to keep up with their ticket volume due to Zendesk’s lack of intuitive automation features. During Black Friday, the team received a record-high number of tickets—more than double their average volume.

“Connecting with customers through a screen is not always easy. With the high volume of messages, we need a tool that simplifies operational tasks while enabling effective communication and organization,” said Raquel J. Méndez, CX Manager at Nude Project.

5. Onboarding takes too long

Your platform should be easy for new hires to learn and for your team to evolve with. If ramping up agents takes weeks (or months), the platform might be getting in the way more than it’s helping.

Arcade Belts went through this process, trying one system, then switching back to one that better matched their needs.

“It just took a demo or two to realize what was actually going to support our team the way we needed,” their Ecommerce Coordinator, Grant, shared.

If any of these challenges sound familiar, you’re not alone. 

The important part is recognizing when you’ve outgrown your current setup—and knowing that there are options out there to help you move faster.

What to look for when switching CX platforms

Switching platforms isn’t just about solving today’s problems. It’s about creating space for your team to be efficient, serve customers better, and turn support from a cost center into a real growth engine.

Need to migrate to a new platform? Look for the following:

1. A system that keeps up with rising ticket volumes

As your brand grows, support volume naturally increases. 

Find a stable infrastructure that can handle that growth, has zero platform lag, and a robust engineering team that continuously makes the tool better for your needs.

To Psycho Bunny, Zendesk was a “legacy tool”—so they switched to Gorgias.

In just a few weeks, they migrated all historical conversations, tags, and Macros to Gorgias. Jean-Aymeri, their VP IT, credits Gorgias’s helpful onboarding specialists for making it effortless to integrate their apps and onboard their team onto a brand new tool.

Related: The engineering work that keeps Gorgias running smoothly

2. Automation for repetitive tasks (that maintains the human touch)

From “where’s my order” questions to return policies, prioritize AI tools that can automate repetitive inquiries.

Dr. Bronner’s implemented AI Agent to handle rising volumes of FAQs, allowing their team to focus on complex requests that require a human touch.

In just two months, they saw:

  • 45% of all customer service tickets automated
  • $100,000 saved per year by switching from Salesforce to Gorgias
  • 4 days per month in team time savings
  • 11% higher customer satisfaction score 

By systematizing the simple stuff, they freed up bandwidth to focus on what matters most—building relationships and solving more nuanced problems.

Dr. Bronner's performance dashboard on Gorgias shows they saved over $5k by automating 48% of customer support tickets.
In a month, Dr. Bronner’s saved $5,248 by automating almost half of their support tickets.

3. Built-in features that turn support into sales

More brands are rethinking how support contributes to revenue. Look for a tool that combines support and sales. The most effective ones use AI to initiate upselling conversations, so your team can generate new revenue without needing to scale headcount at the same rate.

For jewelry brand Caitlyn Minimalist, which normally saw 30,000 tickets per month, AI Agent was the perfect fit. On top of answering FAQs, AI Agent also helped recommend products based on customer needs.

These conversations often begin as simple inquiries (“What should I get for my friend’s birthday?” or “What product suits me?”) and end in a purchase—handled entirely by AI. In fact, AI Agent’s conversion rates were 150% higher than the team average, proving that automation can support and sell.

4. A more efficient workflow—without relying on developers

The last thing scaling brands should have to worry about is relying on developers for basic changes. That includes being able to create macros and automations in-house and access key customer data without toggling across tools. 

The platform should fit into your existing ecommerce stack—not fight against it.

That’s where Audien Hearing found themselves before switching to Gorgias.

“I’ve seen companies lose a lot of money because it’s not efficient,” said Zoe Kahn, former VP of CX. “You try to save money early on, but then you look at your helpdesk a year later and think, ‘Oh no, what’s happening?’”

Since switching from Richpanel, Audien Hearing’s CX team has been able to run CX on their own terms—without the bottlenecks.

They now resolve 9,000 tickets per month through self-service alone (including a customer knowledge base), cut first response times by 88%, and reduced return rates by 5%. With more time for one-on-one conversations, CSAT jumped from 80 to 86.

What migration actually looks like

“But migration sounds hard.”

We get it. Moving your entire CX operation can feel intimidating. But with the right partner (and the right platform), it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s how Gorgias makes switching smooth and stress-free:

  • A dedicated onboarding team: Our team is with you every step of the way—from initial setup to post-launch optimization.
  • A platform built for ecommerce workflows: Gorgias is designed to work the way ecommerce brands do, not the other way around.
  • Fast setup and agent training: Most brands are up and running in days, not weeks. And because the interface is intuitive, teams can get comfortable quickly without heavy, time-consuming training.
  • Full data migration support: Whether you’re moving from Gladly, Zendesk, or another platform, we’ll help you bring your history, macros, and workflows over smoothly.

Most Gorgias customers are fully live within just a few days—ready to serve customers faster, smarter, and with less manual lift.

How Pepper made a smooth switch to Gorgias

When fast-growing intimates brand Pepper outgrew their old CX platform, they knew they needed a system that could scale with them—without sacrificing speed or quality.

“Gladly didn’t offer any automation or inbox organization features. Our queue got really messy. We got 400 tickets a day during Black Friday, and we didn’t clear that backlog until the following Spring. We knew we couldn’t do that again,” explained Gabrielle McWhirter, CX Operations Lead at Pepper.

With Gorgias, Pepper was able to:

  • Fully migrate their workflows and history
  • Train their team quickly on the new platform
  • Launch their AI Agent ("Penelope") to automate more than 50% of support tickets
Pepper uses AI Agent to help customers find the right bra size.

And the results spoke for themselves:

  • 16.5x ROI on AI-driven sales interactions
  • 90%+ decrease in first response and resolution times
  • 18% uplift in average order value

See how Pepper made the switch happen (and why they’re never looking back):

Is it time to make the switch?

If you’re seeing the warning signs, here’s a quick gut check:

  • You’re drowning in tickets and toggling between tabs
  • You can’t track or tie support to revenue
  • You need better integration with your tech stack
  • You’re not using automation, or it’s not actually saving time
  • Your team dreads logging into your current tool

The right platform won’t just help your team work better. It’ll help you drive more revenue, boost customer retention, and actually make customers want to talk to you.

See what switching to Gorgias could do for your brand. Book a demo today.

{{lead-magnet-1}}

Building delightful customer interactions starts in your inbox

Registered! Get excited, some awesome content is on the way! 📨
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
A hand holds an envelope that has a webpage coming out of it next to stars and other webpages