Are you better equipped today to handle high volumes compared to last year? The holiday season is just around the corner, and there’s a lot at stake for 2023. If there’s a shipping delay, for example, 58% of customers will never do business with you again.
Even during the rest of the year, things can go wrong for reasons beyond your control. As a small business owner, your eCommerce support is your last line of defense in such situations.
You need a plan for improving response time and keeping resolution rates up. That includes systems and processes to help your agents provide accurate answers quickly.
The good news is you can learn from the experiences of other eCommerce small businesses that have been through it all. And you don’t even have to ask!
In this article, we bring you select eCommerce customer support case studies that will spark new ideas and validate some of the process improvement ideas you might already have.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
23 eCommerce Customer Support Case Studies For Learning and Inspiration
1. Mabel’s Labels
Mabel’s Labels makes personalized, waterproof name labels for kids.
The challenge
The team’s customer support handling time was high, and managers could barely track agent performance because of inefficient manual processes. This also impacted performance improvement initiatives.
The solution
The company implemented Help Scout email automation and knowledge base features to drive self-service and reduce email volumes. And it did the trick!
The results
The team reported a massive 58% reduction in email volume, a CSAT score of better than 90% as FAQ page visits increased 122%.
2. Puppy Dogs and Ice Cream
Puppy Dogs and Ice Cream is an online bookstore for children ages three to eight.
The challenge
CSAT scores were hit due to high volumes and slow response time. The company wanted to introduce self-service to decrease operating costs and improve agent productivity.
The solution
After a review, the company chose Rich Panel to automate FAQs with saved responses, allow customer service agents to manage orders, and view subscription data from a single location.
The results
The team quickly achieved its objectives. There was a 55% reduction in ticket volumes due to automation, a 4X increase in repeat orders, and a 30% higher CLV in one year. CSAT scores closed at a phenomenal 98%.
3. Cymax
Cymax sells home and office furniture across multiple eCommerce marketplaces.
The challenge
At Cymax, support agents manually answered customer queries by logging into marketplace tools and social media platforms. This affected the first response time and contributed to customer dissatisfaction. What they needed was a centralized inbox.
The solution
eDesk proved a good solution, providing complete visibility into customer interactions across channels.
The result
The top highlights were as follows: Response times improved due to using a common inbox for all marketplaces. Agent productivity increased due to role-specific access to customer data.
Read also: eCommerce Support Guide: Key Types and Strategies
4. CarParts.com
CarParts.com is a supplier of aftermarket car parts and accessories and has been in the business for over 27 years.
The challenge
The team’s response time had been skyrocketing due to multiple messaging channels. To make matters worse, they were using manual tracking via Excel spreadsheets, which only complicated process improvement efforts.
The solution
eDesk integrated its messaging channels, enabling skill-based routing, real-time collaboration, and advanced reporting.
The results
Response time reduced by 10.2%.
5. Loop Earplugs
Loop is known for its stylish earplugs and accessories.
The challenge
High volumes and inefficient workflows affected response time and resolution rate.
The solution
The company looked at many alternatives and finally picked Gorgias to help streamline ticket management and enable self-service.
The results
The team reported a remarkable 12% decrease in WISMO (Where Is My Order) queries and a 43% increase in revenue from its excellent customer service.
6. BumpBoxx
BumpBoxx specializes in retro radios, CD players, and audio systems.
The challenge
The team struggled with high handle time as agents spent much time manually collecting customer data. The result was a high return rate and customer complaints.
The solution
Rich Panel’s automation features allowed the team to streamline FAQs, process refunds and order changes faster, and deal with complaints more effectively.
The results
The team received 42% fewer tickets due to a self-service portal powered by Rich Panel. The first response time decreased to less than 10 minutes, while the average resolution time dropped to just 5 seconds.
Read also: 30 eCommerce Customer Service Skills To Master
7. Wetsuit Outlet
Wetsuit Outlet is an online water sports equipment business based in the UK.
The challenge
The team used bespoke CRM, phone, and live chat tools that were disconnected, affecting efficiency and productivity. They didn’t have the ability to assign tickets or track response time. Neither could the team trust their reporting data.
The solution
eDesk’s centralized ticket management and multi-lingual live chat helped streamline customer support.
The results
The team performed beyond all expectations, with a 38% reduction in response time and improved CSAT scores.
8. QParts 24
Qparts 24 is an online auto parts provider for leading European car brands.
The challenge
Sales inquiries were not being handed off on time, affecting follow-ups and leading to negative reviews.
The solution
eDesk combined queries from multiple channels into a single tool with automatic prioritization and assignment. Its search functionality allowed the team to see the interaction history for each customer and close sales faster.
The results
Within weeks, the team reported increased positive customer reviews and achieved their 24-hour response time SLAs with various marketplaces. Team productivity increased dramatically, with each rep handling 50 tickets daily.
9. Trainz.com
Trainz.com is an online marketplace for toy trains, parts, and accessories.
The challenge
Response time was less than ideal. They had problems tracking open tickets, so they could not prioritize pending ones. Handle time and resolution rate on eBay, the biggest sales channel, was poor. This impacted the company’s expansion plans.
The solution
With eDesk, the team implemented a single workflow for customer queries and canned responses for FAQs.
The results
The team had much to cheer about: A 3x revenue growth, a 100% ticket resolution rate on eBay with a 95% response rate within an SLA of 24 hours.
Read also: eCommerce Customer Expectations: The Science of Delight
10. Snow
Snow is an oral care and cosmetics brand based in Arizona, USA.
The challenge
High ticket volumes around the holiday season impacted service quality.
The solution
They ultimately decided to integrate self-service to reduce workload, and Rich Panel proved to be the ideal solution.
The results
In a short span of time, the team’s CSAT score improved by 87%. This meant that agents could focus better on high-priority tickets thanks to a 60% reduction in ticket volume within 30 days of roll-out.
11. Procosmet
Procosmet offers natural hair and beauty products to customers around the world.
The challenge
Customer service reps at the company processed refunds and change requests manually. This affected resolution time and customer experience.
The solution
The team brought in a live chat platform, Tidio, to enable reps to update existing orders from one location and for managers to get real-time reports on ticket status. They also deployed a chatbot to answer FAQs.
The results
The team saw a 23% increase in sales, and their Shopify rating went from 3.8 to 4.7 out of 5.
Read also: How Small Businesses Can Provide Exceptional Customer Service
12. BEL USA
BEL USA is a custom merchandise store serving corporate clients across the USA.
The challenge
The company wanted to transition to omnichannel customer support to manage increasing call volumes. Tickets were hard to track and were not always assigned to the right agents.
The solution
Freshdesk’s live chat and helpdesk capabilities helped the team centralize messages from multiple channels and route them correctly.
The results
The team soon reduced their average response time to 1 minute 4 sec. The call volume has declined by 40% since they introduced live chat. The average resolution time was reduced to 11 minutes.
13. Art of Skin Care
Art of Skin Care is a natural beauty brand selling mainly on BigCommerce.
The challenge
Customer service reps could not follow up on tickets within defined SLAs as order management and customer data were scattered across multiple tools.
The solution
The company zeroed in on Re:maze to sync BigCommerce data to a single dashboard and process tickets faster. They introduced live chat to reduce phone calls to customer service.
The results
The team handles 60-80 live chat tickets a week today from about 1-2 per week earlier.
14. Mac of all Trades
Mac of all Trades is an Inc. 5,000 reseller of Apple products and has been in business for over 27 years.
The challenge
The company wanted to replace its legacy system to improve customer experience.
The solution
Re:maze had everything they needed – an integrated helpdesk and CRM system with email, live chat, and reporting capabilities.
The results
Customer review ratings on the Apple e-store increased by 42%.
Read also: eCommerce Support Technologies To Help Build Your Moat
15. Built Bar
Built Bar’s protein bars had great reviews on Shopify, but all was not well with customer support.
The challenge
Their main problem was slow response time. It was a systemic issue – they couldn’t segment messages from multiple channels and route them to the right reps. Management realized they needed a single customer view to manage orders, rewards, and email preferences.
The solution
The team chose to integrate a new helpdesk, Re:amaze, with their rewards management tool and website. This gave them one inbox for multi-channel messages and real-time reports. It also helped reduce conflicts in case handling.
The results
Response time reduced 5.6 X from an average of 20 min to around 3 min.
16. Japan Crate
Japan Crate is an eCommerce subscription service that ships traditional Japanese candies to customers worldwide.
The challenge
The company had set its sights on scaling customer support to deal with declining customer satisfaction and bad reviews on social media.
The solution
To achieve their goals, they integrated Gorgias, an eCommerce helpdesk, with Siena AI, a multilingual chatbot.
The results
The team’s first response time was reduced by 98%, and resolution time declined by 84% within 30 days of implementation. They automated 41% of order-related and subscription FAQ queries even as they expanded coverage.
Read also: The Beginner’s Guide to eCommerce Support Outsourcing
17. Princess Polly
Princess Polly is a boutique women’s fashion brand catering to customers in the US and Australia.
The challenge
The team was doing badly on almost all customer service KPIs – first response time, resolution rate, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
The solution
They need a custom solution, which Gorgias, a leading eCommerce helpdesk platform, was able to provide.
The results
The team finally had a workflow that automatically consolidated and segmented tickets by location and across channels. It unlocked their true potential. Resolution time improved by 80%, first response time reduced by 95% while agent productivity increased by 40%.
18. Veloretti
Veloretti is an e-bike brand with customers in 27 countries across the EU.
The challenge
Social media and inbound customer service operated in silos. The lack of reporting and analytics made process improvement difficult.
The solution
The team chose Gorgias for its live chat, knowledge base, and centralized inbox capabilities.
The results
The average resolution time was reduced to 5 min and 4 sec, while the first response time was reduced to 54 sec. The use of standardized responses allowed 22% of tickets to be resolved with one reply.
Read also: eCommerce Support Team Training Guide For Beginners
19. Jetson Health
Jetson Health is an eCommerce subscription service that provides nutritional supplements for gut health.
The challenge
The existing CRM worked well for email tickets but couldn’t track SMS and social media messages. In turn, this affected performance tracking and reporting.
The solution
Gorgias plugged this gap by syncing multi-channel tickets to one dashboard.
The results
It was an all-round success. The team reduced their first response time by 50%, resolution time by 30%, and maintained an NPS score of 4.8/5 despite handling more tickets than before.
20. Try the World
Try the World is a food box subscription service that delivers authentic fare from around the world.
The challenge
The team used 7 different CRM tools, but not one could capture the interaction history. To make matters worse, order and fulfillment records were split between Shopify and in-house tools. This affected agent productivity and CSAT negatively.
The solution
The team pinned its hopes on Gorgias to sync order history and subscription details with ticketing data. This would provide agents with the context they sorely needed to help customers.
The results
Try the World agents now handle 120 tickets per day, and response time is down to just one business day.
21. Sunski
Sunski sells designer sunglasses for outdoor enthusiasts on Shopify.
The challenge
The small eCommerce support team of 2 agents couldn’t cope with increasing customer queries. This sent the first response time through the roof, and follow-ups were late.
The solution
Gorgias integrated with Shopify to display order information on one dashboard. This has allowed the team to process orders much faster.
The results
The team now handles over 50,000 customers.
Read also: eCommerce In-house Support: Pros and Cons Explained
22. MNML
MNML is an affordable menswear brand selling mainly on Shopify and Facebook Messenger. The company typically retargeted abandoned carts via automated reminders, which got routed to customer service.
The challenge
The helpdesk they used didn’t integrate with Shopify and wasn’t particularly user-friendly. The team needed to close each manually and every abandoned cart ticket, as the existing chatbot couldn’t do it on its own.
The results
Gorgias handled abandoned cart follow-ups perfectly well, except in cases where the customer may have had additional questions. It also synced Shopify data, allowing agents to improve service quality.
The MNML team now has a 35% lower first response and resolution time even though ticket volume has increased 50%.
23. Darn Good Yarn
Darn Good Yarn provides artisanal yarn and has a women’s clothing line.
The challenge
The team used 3 different tools to manage subscriptions and orders, which only affected response time and resolution rate.
The solution
The team used Gorgias to sync their subscription and order management tools with the helpdesk and automate FAQs.
The results
These improvements reduced handle time to 1.5 sec per ticket from 17 sec. The team of 14 saves around 335 customer service hours a year.
Read also: Types of Customer Services & What Suits Your Small Business Best
Conclusion
The eCommerce customer support case studies you’ve just read are no substitute for doing your own homework. After all, your business has its own unique needs. Free trails are a great way to do this.
If you are looking for an eCommerce CRM solution that doubles up as a marketing automation tool and a free helpdesk, try EngageBay!
