Organize website consultations as a sequence of actions: receive the question, check the necessary information, give a specific answer, and agree on the next step. The store owner should assign someone to handle inquiries and decide who takes over when that person is absent.
Before launch, test the chat on a smartphone. Customers should be able to send a message, return to the product, and continue placing an order. Separately, agree on consultation hours with employees and prepare a message for out-of-hours periods.
Test the chat on the mobile site
Ask an employee to follow the customer journey: open a product page, select an option, type a question, send it, and minimize the chat. Check that the chat button or window does not cover size selection, the cart, or checkout buttons.
If the conversation opens in a separate tab, also check that the customer can return to the site and then to the conversation. Record the specific obstacle for the person responsible for the website: which page it appears on and what action it prevents. After changing the settings, repeat the same steps.
Show the actual response schedule
State the hours when employees can reply in chat. Align them with the consultant’s work schedule. Assign someone to handle new inquiries on each shift, as well as a replacement when that person is absent.
For out-of-hours periods, prepare a message stating the next time someone will be available. If an answer requires checking, the consultant should give a deadline agreed with the responsible employee. Do not promise an immediate reply if you cannot deliver one.
Check the product before replying
Give consultants up-to-date product cards and the manufacturer’s documentation. For questions about specifications or compatibility, first confirm the exact model and its variant. If the necessary information is unavailable, pass the question to an employee who can find it out.
For availability inquiries, confirm the product, size, color, and store if needed to answer. Before promising dispatch, check that the inventory data is current and that the order can be fulfilled. While checking, tell the customer what you are verifying.
Checking size availability in Torgsoft
If a customer asks about a particular size, the consultant needs to find out which store in the chain shows it in the inventory records. Torgsoft lets you view product size availability across different stores in a retail chain. This capability is described in the article about accounting for size-based products.
Use the results to identify which store to contact for further confirmation. Ask the consultant to check with the responsible employee at that store before giving a final answer about whether the customer can get the product.
Do not use recorded stock availability as the sole basis for promising a product to a customer. Separately check whether the required product is actually available and whether the order can be fulfilled. Then share the agreed outcome of the consultation.
Answer the specific question
Start the message by answering the customer’s question. Then add any necessary conditions or limitations. If the answer is still being checked, say what you are verifying: size, specification, compatibility, or the possibility of dispatch.
Prepare short templates for recurring situations, but add details from the inquiry before sending them. Check that the message answers the question asked and makes the next step clear.
Hand over inquiries with the details
Tell the customer before passing the inquiry to another consultant. Say who will handle it and exactly what needs to be checked. Pass the request, product details, and information already confirmed to the new person responsible.
Assign an employee to get back to the customer. Suggest recording three things for each open inquiry: the person responsible, the next action, and the agreed deadline. If the deadline changes, ask that employee to inform the customer and agree on a new one.
When a customer reports an unresolved issue or expresses dissatisfaction, briefly explain the next steps. State what the store will do, whether more information is needed, and when the next message will arrive.
Illustrative dialogue
- Customer: “Is this shirt available in size M?”
- Consultant: “Please specify the color or send a link to the shirt. I’ll check whether the requested option is available.”
- The customer sends a link.
- Consultant: “I’m passing your inquiry to an employee at the store to check availability. I’ll get back to you by 14:30. It’s 14:10 now. Would you like me to reply in this chat?”
In this example, the consultant agreed to take 20 minutes to check. Set a deadline for your own store based on how long the responsible employee needs to complete the check.
Store owner’s working checklist
- Follow the mobile journey from the product page to sending a message and returning to the cart.
- Check that chat hours match employee availability.
- Assign someone to handle inquiries and a replacement.
- Prepare sources of product information.
- Set a process for checking actual availability.
- Review templates for a specific answer, conditions, and the next step.
- Before the end of a shift, hand over open inquiries with response deadlines.
Go back to the previous step