Guide to building vs. buying an AI Agent for customer service
This guide will help you assess the build vs buy question from 5 main angles so you can make a confident, informed decision.
Learn MoreIn the hyper-competitive ecommerce market, finding ways to stand out from the crowd can be tough. Choosing the right ecommerce customer service software is a great place to start.
To truly meet and exceed customer expectations, you need to choose software that’s streamlined, effective, and automated.The use of AI in the ecommerce market is projected to reach $14 billion by 2028 , so adopting a solid AI-first strategy isn’t just an option — it’s a must have.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a breakdown of ecommerce customer service software that can simplify your job and help your brand stand out.
Customer service software is a collection of apps finely tuned to make customer interactions smoother. It’s a suite of applications meticulously designed to streamline and enhance various facets of customer interactions.
The purpose of ecommerce customer service software (and customer service software in general) is to: equip businesses with vital tools to provide unmatched support experiences for their customers.
From managing incoming inquiries to offering real-time assistance, ecommerce customer service software can revolutionize the way businesses engage with their customers — if you choose the right ones.
A general software rule of thumb is to first align software features with business objectives and your customers' needs. For ecommerce customer service software, you should not only look for features that cater specifically to the needs of your organization, but capabilities that will alleviate any blockers for customers to go from interest to checkout. Some of these include:
77% of customers think good customer service is critical to earning brand loyalty and generating business.
- Netomi
Whether it's managing queries, providing multi-channel support, or utilizing automation, your ecommerce customer service tool should meet the unique needs of your customers while saving your team time and energy.
Customer service software isn't just a tool — it's a strategic asset that can elevate a business's competitive edge and drive sustainable growth in the ever-evolving world of ecommerce. Investing in the right tools — and an AI-first strategy, of course — benefits you, your team, and your bottom line.
Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting software for ecommerce customer service.
Best AI agent for customer service
Ada ranks high on the ecommerce customer service software list due to its ability to and actually resolve customer inquiries with AI-powered automation that’s relevant, accurate, and safe.
Ada distinguishes itself by offering AI agent solutions specifically tailored for ecommerce operations. Their AI Agent draws on existing knowledge sources and data from third-party tools to reason through each situation. It considers past actions and the context of the conversation to determine how to best resolve an inquiry and deliver a truly personalized resolution. This allows Ada to automatically resolve more than 70% of customer service inquiries — both common and complex — like shipping questions, warranty information, and exchanges.
Best for ecommerce companies with high order value
Aircall is a cloud-based business phone system designed to streamline and enhance customer service interactions for ecommerce businesses. With its intuitive interface and easy integration capabilities, Aircall empowers ecommerce teams to manage customer inquiries efficiently, while providing personalized, responsive experiences.
Best for unifying customer communication channels for ecommerce
Dixa is a conversational customer service platform designed for ecommerce brands, providing a unified channel view and robust analytics. Its agent workspace integrates all channels seamlessly, eliminating the need for plug-ins, streamlining workflows, and ensuring consistent and personalized customer support. With features like intelligent routing and real-time customer context, Dixa boosts agent productivity and delivers exceptional customer experiences.
Best for customer support ticket management
Freshdesk's range of customer support tools, such as ticketing, live chat, and phone support, cater to the diverse needs of ecommerce businesses. Its automation features help streamline repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on resolving complex customer issues efficiently. With multichannel support capabilities, Freshdesk ensures that ecommerce businesses can provide seamless assistance across different communication channels, meeting customers wherever they are in their purchasing journey.
Best for ecommerce shop integrations – specifically Shopify
Gorgias takes a comprehensive approach to streamlining customer interactions across multiple channels with its advanced automation features and deep integration capabilities with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento. Its AI-powered tools enable streamlined communication, efficient ticket management, and personalized customer support.
Best for smaller, growing teams
Help Scout's emphasis on personalized customer support and team collaboration makes it a compelling choice for ecommerce businesses looking to build strong customer relationships. Its email management features allow businesses to provide timely and relevant responses to customer inquiries, while the knowledge base functionality helps empower customers with self-service options. By facilitating communication and collaboration among team members, Help Scout enables ecommerce businesses to deliver consistent and high-quality customer service experiences.
Best for companies using Gmail
Hiver offers an easy setup and intuitive interface integrated directly into Gmail meaning users can monitor, and collaborate on customer emails, along with utilizing analytics and automation directly within Gmail. Hiver also enables businesses to centralize customer conversations, collaborate effortlessly with team members, and efficiently manage incoming queries, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Best for streamlining ecommerce chatbots
LiveAgent is a versatile ecommerce customer service software tool designed to streamline ecommerce customer service support operations and enhance customer experiences. It integrates with various communication channels, including email, calls, social media, and live chat into one dashboard, simplifying the management of customer inquiries. LiveAgent empowers ecommerce businesses to efficiently handle customer interactions without the need for extensive training.
Best for large enterprise ecommerce companies
Zendesk's agent-first approach shines through its highly customizable and flexible features, such as ticketing systems and live chat support. This emphasis on off-loading tasks to support agents makes it a versatile solution for ecommerce customer service. With Zendesk, users can easily send email updates to customers, facilitating efficient communication. The platform's multi-channel support capability allows for seamless management of customer conversations across email, phone, and social channels, enhancing accessibility and responsiveness.
Additionally, Zendesk's extensive integration options with applications like Jira, Salesforce, Slack, and SurveyMonkey further enhance its functionality and versatility, making it a top choice.
You’ve probably gathered that AI is revolutionizing ecommerce.There is significance in the growth strategies utilizing AI to enable businesses to uncover lucrative cross-sell and upsell opportunities, as well as devising effective strategies for customer win-back initiatives.
Through sophisticated analysis of customer data, AI meticulously sifts through vast buckets of information to detect emerging trends and patterns, shedding light on potential avenues for driving sales growth and maximizing revenue streams.
Imagine effortlessly resolving customer inquiries, anticipating their needs, and driving growth with personalized interactions — it’s all possible with an AI agent.
Looking to better understand the difference between chatbots and AI Agents? Download this guide to become an expert on the topic, and discover the success criteria you should be testing to get the most ROI.
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