The questions that fill a support queue
Most support inboxes are dominated by a short list of repeat questions. An assistant can answer these from your written policies and saved replies:
- Where is my order, and when will it arrive?
- How do I return or exchange something?
- I cannot log in or reset my password.
- How do I use this feature or product?
- Can I change or cancel my order?
- Do you ship to my area, and what does it cost?
- Was my payment received?
Messages outside these patterns, such as complaints, legal threats, press inquiries or refund requests above your set limit, are tagged and handed to a named person on your side.
Macros, saved replies and a tone guide
Saved replies are where consistency comes from. In Zendesk they are macros, in Help Scout they are saved replies, and in Gorgias they are macros with variables. Each one holds your approved wording for a common question, with blanks for order numbers, names and dates.
An assistant usually starts by gathering the answers you already send, cleaning them up and loading them into the tool. A short tone guide sits alongside: how formal to be, whether to use first names, how to apologize, which phrases to avoid, how to sign off. Saved replies are a starting point, and the assistant adjusts each one to what the customer actually asked.
As new questions appear, new replies get drafted for your approval, so the library grows with the business.
Your policies are the script
An assistant can only answer as well as your policies are written. Before support starts, gather what customers are told about shipping times, returns windows, refund conditions, warranty claims and order changes. If those rules only exist in someone's head, this is the moment to write them down.
Approval limits belong in the same document. Spell out which refunds, credits or replacements the assistant can offer alone, if any, and which need a person on your side. Note anything legal or regulated that support should never touch. The FTC has plain guidance for businesses on topics such as consumer protection rules that may affect how your policies are worded; your own counsel decides what applies.
Questions about customer email and chat support
Can the assistant issue refunds?
Only if you decide they can, and within limits you set. Most businesses keep refunds, credits and exceptions as approval items: the assistant gathers the details, writes a short summary and routes it to a named person, who decides. The customer is told someone will follow up, without a promise of the outcome.
How do we see what customers are asking about?
Through tags. Each conversation is tagged by topic, such as shipping, returns, billing or product questions, and most help desks can count tickets per tag. A short note at the end of each week can list the questions that came up most and any reply that might need a new saved answer.
Is email support scoped differently from live chat?
Usually. Email can be answered in batches during set hours, while live chat needs someone watching the widget while it is switched on. Many businesses start with email and add chat once saved replies and escalation rules are settled. Ask the service partner to price the two separately.
Ready to hand off the first few recurring jobs? Use the quote form to get started.
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Admin and data entry
Spreadsheet updates, order entry, document filing and list cleanup, done in your own files by an assistant working from a written checklist.
Sales admin support
Lead list building, meeting booking, proposal prep and activity logging for a sales team that would rather be selling.
Receipts and bills
Receipts collected and matched, bills entered and vendor records kept tidy, ready for your accountant to check.