Guides / Shopify support
Outsourcing Shopify customer support: what it costs and what to hand over
Outsourcing support means handing one inbox and your written policies to someone who replies in your store's voice, with a clear list of decisions that stay with you. The work to hand over is smaller than most owners expect. You hand over inbox access, your policy pages and the limits you want enforced.
What you hand over
Start with access to one support inbox or helpdesk. Then send the pages that decide most answers. That means your shipping page, your returns page and product care notes, plus any sizing or compatibility notes. Add the last few replies you sent so the person taking over can hear how you write.
The last piece is the escalation list. Write down the refund cap, the cases that must come to you and the tone you want for a no. Without that list, every hard message becomes a interruption, and the inbox slows down.
What comes back to you
You get a daily log of every reply and every message passed to you. You also get a weekly summary of what customers asked and a written list of any policy gap that showed up. You keep the inbox and the customer list, and every template used.
Ask for the log in a format you can search. A spreadsheet or a shared document is enough. The point is to see what was said in your name without reading every thread.
What it costs
Our price is $149 for the 7-day pilot, then $1,100 a month for one inbox. The pilot fee comes off month one if you continue, and you can cancel by email. A part-time hire or an agency is the usual alternative, and both need the same policy pack and the same escalation list. Ask either of them to quote against the list on this page so you're comparing the same work.
We don't quote a number for a hire or an agency because the cost depends on hours, how many messages arrive, and where the person works. Get their quote in writing and compare it with the work above instead of a headline rate.
Copy-paste reply templates
Handover email to the person taking the inbox
Hi [first name],
Attached are our shipping, returns and product pages, plus the last ten replies we sent. Our refund cap is [amount], and anything above it comes to [owner name] before you answer.
The inbox is [inbox address]. Please use the reply templates in [folder] and log every hand-off in [log]. Start with the oldest unanswered message each morning.
Thanks,
[your name]
Customer reply template for a refund request
Hi [first name],
I can refund [order number] for [amount]. I've sent it back to your original payment method today, and your bank usually shows it within a few business days.
You don't need to send anything back for this one.
Thanks,
[your name]
Customer reply template for a stock question
Hi [first name],
[item] is out of stock until [date]. I can hold your order until then, swap it for [alternative], or refund [amount] now.
Tell me which you'd prefer and I'll confirm today.
Thanks,
[your name]
When to escalate to the owner
- Any refund above the amount you set as the inbox cap.
- A legal threat, a regulator, a chargeback or a press request.
- An injury or a safety problem with a product.
- A policy gap that needs a written decision from the owner.
- A customer who has written three times without a new question.
We answer these emails for you. 7-day pilot $149, then $1,100 a month.
Pay $149 and start the pilotOr read about the $1,100 monthly plan.