Reminder: SellerSmile sees Shopify apps as helpful tools that can extend your support team’s capabilities and not as a replacement for good customer service. It’s still up to you and the business to ensure the desired experience shines through at each touchpoint. Obsess over your customers and you’ll win!

Introduction to Shopify customer service apps

In 2023 over 2 million merchants offer their products for sale through Shopify sites and each one of those sites must offer some form of customer service to their shoppers.

While Shopify’s system covers the basic functions of the online shopping experience, including cart, checkout, and payment, Shopify’s app store offers a plethora of ready-to-use tools merchants can choose to quickly customize the function and experience of their store and brand.

“It’s important to provide good customer service, whether you’re selling in person or online. When you offer good customer service, your customers are more likely to be happy after interacting with you, your products, and your services.”

“Providing online customer service” by Shopify Help Center

“Customer service” apps are ones that help merchants provide a positive experience, especially when answering customer questions or resolving issues.

Since SellerSmile is a customer service provider, managing support for dozens of Shopify stores, we’ve had the opportunity to use a variety of customer service apps over the years, some good, some great! 

With all of that experience, we wanted to recommend a selection of notable apps that can dramatically improve your customer service. Our recommendations will follow Shopify’s four subcategories of customer service apps:

1. Customer accounts – Apps that affect the customer login experience through the storefront.

2. Managing customers – Apps that provide a way for merchants to monitor and manage their customer interactions and relationships beyond individual purchase history.

3. Post-purchase services – Apps that offer services to individual customers after they’ve completed checkout.

4. Support – Apps that help answer customer questions or otherwise resolve issues.” 

Source: “App categories” by Shopify

Managing customers

According to Shopify, these apps “…provide a way for merchants to monitor and manage their customer interactions and relationships beyond individual purchase history.”

Think: what happens before and/or after the sale.

Today, this category has plenty of apps about loyalty, rewards, referrals and wishlists.

1- Yotpo Loyalty & Rewards

The first app we present is Yotpo Loyalty & Rewards by Swell Rewards. This app is important because it gives shoppers a strong incentive to stay engaged with your store. 

Bonus: Yotpo recently shared about the depth of their integration with Shopify, “We’re excited to announce a multi-year platform partnership that will create a deeper integration between the two technologies, and closely align Yotpo’s product roadmap with Shopify.”
We highly recommend their other app, Yotpo Product Reviews & Photos, from the Marketing/Conversion category.

• Rating: 4.7 of 5 stars (Over 2k reviews)
• Cost: free – $250+ per month.
• Shopify app link

2- Clean Size Charts

Clean Size Charts by TaskHusky made our list because apparel or gear that are meant to be worn or other similar items (where size really matters) will attract significant customer service activity related to sizing issues. Make it crystal clear to your shoppers about which item they need and you will prevent unnecessary returns, complaints, and critical reviews.

Several of our clients sell conventional clothing like t-shirts and hoodies. It is common that different fabrics and pieces may be sized and cut differently depending on the manufacturer so clear size charts that are specific to your products will help to reduce the confusion. 

When it comes to non-conventional wearables, we suggest making your charts similar to something else shoppers are familiar with.

Of course, shoppers will still order the wrong size even when you have the most perfect charts, descriptions, and images. The goal here isn’t to eliminate, but to reduce the number of shoppers making mistakes by making the products easier to understand and add to cart. 

• Rating: 4.9 of 5 stars (Over 90 reviews)
• Cost: free – $4.99 per month
• Shopify app link

Support

This category is for apps that help customers find answers to their questions or resolve issues.

Even though SellerSmile uses and recommends Help Scout to communicate with customers, any system that helps categorize and craft responses to your customers is key. If you’re using Help Scout, we recommend the article, “Integrate Shopify with Help Scout.”

3- Shopify Inbox

Most Shopify merchants are doing email customer service from the start, but offering something like live chat can be intimidating, especially for a new store owner. Enter: Shopify Inbox, from Shopify themselves!

Shopify Inbox provides merchants a free and trusted way to try live chat to your store in the form of a customizable widget that appears near the bottom of the page.

Shoppers that start chats are usually ready to buy from you and so getting an answer to their question fast can make the difference between capturing a sale and an abandoned cart. According to Shopify, “[chat] could be a boost for your store’s sales, since, “70% of Shopify Inbox conversations are with customers making a purchasing decision.”

Bonus: Shopify Inbox connects with a variety of services including Instagram, read “Setting up Messenger for Instagram to use with Shopify Inbox.”

• Rating: 4.4 of 5 stars (Over 900 reviews)
• Cost: Free
• Shopify app link

4- Gorgias – Live Chat & Helpdesk

After your store’s sales pick up and you start to expand your presence on the internet, you may start to become overwhelmed with the amount of daily customer service activity. At this stage, an advanced ticketing system may be needed to keep it organized and efficient. 

Gorgias is a modern, robust customer relationship management tool that has been tailored for e-commerce merchants. It can handle all of your channels and they offer a wide suite of tools that help merchants reach the next level of customer support productivity.

• By: Gorgias
• Rating: 4.6 (Over 500 reviews)
• Cost: Starting at $60 per month
• Shopify app link

Post-purchase services

This category is for apps that offer services to customers after they’ve completed their purchase.

Depending on your customers and niche, the right after-purchase follow-up can make a positive impact on your store’s growth, but remember, following up with your customers should be done with care, as some may see these interactions as aggressive and unwanted.

5- Returnly

One of SellerSmile’s clients has used Returnly for over two years and we’re big fans of it too. Its user interface is intuitive and it helps capture and organize the customer’s return details for the support agent to take action.

• By: Returnly Holdings, LLC
• Rating: 4.6/5 (over 150 reviews)
• Cost: From $29/month. 14-day free trial
• Shopify app link

Managing returns manually (without an app) can be painstaking: You have to wait for the customer to email you, then correspond to figure out which order and which item/s and what the issue is, determine if the items are returnable and if the order is within your return policy’s window, maybe ask for photos, login to your UPS account to enter your customer’s info to generate a return label, email that label to the customer and ask them to return it to you, wait for the item to arrive at your return location, then re-locate the customer’s conversation to issue a final resolution as a refund, a replacement, or other.

Harnessing the power of an app like Returnly to help with the heavy work of online returns management can save your team time and energy while making it easier for your customers.  

6- Route

We were introduced to Route about a year ago. One of our clients was experiencing a higher rate of product defects based on its storage sensitivity coupled with delivery and timing issues. They used Route to offer their customers a chance to purchase order protection.

When customers purchase Route protection at checkout, the merchant can refer the customer to file claims in the Route app should any defects occur. However, if the customer does not purchase protection, the merchant still must cover the full cost of the replacement or refund. 

If you think your customers would appreciate the assurance and enhanced tracking after they checkout, then something like Route might be what your store needs. 

• By: RouteApp LLC
• Rating: 4.0/5 (Over 300 reviews)
• Cost: Free (customers opt in to a fee at checkout)
• Shopify app link

Customer accounts

This category includes apps that modify the customer’s experience of logging in through the storefront.

7- Loox

Since we started out as an Amazon-first agency, we understand how product reviews (number and rating) can drive sales. Allowing customers to express their thoughts is not only good practice, but nearly essential.

Photo reviews can impart even more trust than written reviews alone and Loox allows you to display them to your customers in several ways.

Loox has a high rating with a very many reviews, indicating a lot of very happy users.

• By: Loox
• Rating: 4.9 (about 9,000 reviews)
• Cost: From $9.99 per month. 14-day free trial. Additional charges may apply.
• Shopify app link

8 – App: Wishlist Plus

Depending on what you sell or how often you release new items, your customers may want to save items for later, this is where the wishlist comes in!

With Wishlist Plus, merchants can show the number of times an item has been added to a wishlist for added social proof.

Since Amazon’s wish list feature is still part of their experience, you can assume it’s a good idea for your store too.

• By: Swym Corporation
• Rating: 4.9 (over 1500 reviews)
• Cost: Free to $99 per month
• Shopify app link

Summary

Customer service is a differentiator in today’s marketplace and Shopify merchants have access to some of the most powerful customer service applications in the world. 

It’s important to choose a combination of apps that create the right experience for your brand and store without encumbering your customer service team.

In general, choose apps that get the job done in a simple way and reduce effort for your customers. Glitchy features or confusing design can lead to frustration, returns, lost sales, and even negative reviews. 

Which Shopify apps are your favorite when it comes to customer service? Which app do you wish existed? Let us know in the comments.

Curious to discuss your customer service apps and their configurations? Schedule a call with SellerSmile today!

Helpful references

• Link: Customer service apps on Shopify
• Article: “App categories” by Shopify Developers
• Article: “Providing online customer service” by Shopify Help Center
• Article: “Customer Service 101: A Guide to Providing Stand-Out Support Experiences” from Shopify’s blog