Automate E-Commerce Customer Support With Gorgias
Your inbox is drowning in 'where's my order' emails. Your DMs are full of sizing questions. You're copy-pasting the same refund policy 20 times a day. You need a help desk that's actually built for e-commerce — one that can see order data and answer customers automatically. Here's how to set up Gorgias.
Tools You'll Need
| Tool | What It Does | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gorgias | E-commerce help desk that pulls order data from your store and automates responses to common questions | $10 – $60/month depending on ticket volume | Get it → |
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Connect Gorgias to Your Store
What to do: Sign up at Gorgias and install the integration for Shopify or BigCommerce. Gorgias pulls in your order data, customer profiles, and product catalog so support agents (or automations) can see everything about a customer without switching tabs.
Why you’re doing it: When a customer asks “where’s my order,” you shouldn’t have to open Shopify, search their name, find the order, check the tracking number, and paste it into an email. Gorgias shows the order details right next to the customer’s message.
What to expect: 15 minutes. Order history and customer data sync immediately.
Step 2: Connect All Your Support Channels
What to do: In Gorgias, connect your email, live chat widget, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and any other channels where customers contact you. Every message from every channel appears in one unified inbox.
Why you’re doing it: Customers don’t care how they reach you — they care about getting an answer. A unified inbox means you never miss a message regardless of which channel it comes through, and you stop juggling between Gmail, Instagram, and Facebook.
What to expect: 15 minutes to connect all channels.
Step 3: Set Up Automated Responses (Macros)
What to do: Create macros (template responses) for your most common questions: order status, shipping times, return policy, sizing guides, and payment issues. Use Gorgias variables to auto-insert the customer’s name, order number, and tracking link. Set up rules to auto-respond to simple queries like “where’s my order” without human intervention.
Use this prompt to write your Gorgias macros: Ask Claude: “Write 8 e-commerce customer support macros for a [type of store] store. Cover: (1) order status with tracking link placeholder, (2) shipping delay apology, (3) return request approval, (4) exchange instructions, (5) damaged item response, (6) wrong item received, (7) refund confirmation, (8) discount code for customer service recovery. Each macro: under 100 words, professional and empathetic, with [Customer Name] and [Order Number] placeholders.”
Why you’re doing it: If 50% of your tickets are “where’s my order” and you can auto-respond with tracking info in 2 seconds instead of 5 minutes, you just freed up hours every week. Macros with variables make automated responses feel personal.
What to expect: 45 minutes to create macros for your top 10 questions. Auto-response rules for order tracking take another 15 minutes.
Step 4: Set Up the Chat Widget
What to do: Install Gorgias’s chat widget on your website. Configure it to show quick-reply buttons for common questions (order tracking, returns, sizing) and connect it to your macros so most questions get answered instantly.
Why you’re doing it: Live chat reduces cart abandonment. When a customer has a question during checkout — “does this ship to my state?” or “what’s your return policy?” — an instant answer keeps them buying instead of bouncing.
What to expect: 15 minutes to install and configure. The widget is customizable to match your store’s branding.
Step 5: Monitor and Improve
What to do: Check Gorgias’s analytics weekly. Track: first response time, resolution time, automation rate (% of tickets resolved without a human), and customer satisfaction scores. Identify new repetitive questions and create macros for them.
Why you’re doing it: The goal is to automate more over time. Every new macro means fewer manual responses. An 80%+ automation rate means your support essentially runs itself for routine questions, freeing you to handle only complex issues.
What to expect: 15 minutes per week. Automation rate should climb steadily as you add macros for new recurring questions.
Confidence Level
This workflow is Beta — Based on Best Available Knowledge. Gorgias is a leading e-commerce help desk platform with deep Shopify and BigCommerce integrations.
What to Do If It Doesn’t Work
- Order data not showing: Re-authenticate the Shopify/BigCommerce integration and check API permissions.
- Auto-responses sending incorrect information: Review your macro variables — make sure they’re pulling from the correct data fields.
- Customers annoyed by automation: Add a “Talk to a human” option in every automated response. Automation should deflect simple queries, not trap frustrated customers.
- Need more help? Gorgias Support or email us at hello@thenewsbakery.com.