About the client
A growing online store in the United Kingdom, handling more than 3,000 orders and over 10,000 customer emails a month.
The challenge
When the store came to us, more than 15,000 customer emails were waiting for a reply. Some had gone unanswered for over a month, and many customers had written ten or more follow-ups without hearing back.
The silence was costing the business. Negative reviews were building up on Trustpilot, social media and the store's own website. Customers were losing trust and asking for refunds, and a large number of PayPal disputes and Shopify chargebacks were open, most of which the store had been losing.
The owner needed the backlog cleared fast, customers answered properly, refunds brought under control and the disputes won.
What we did
A dedicated agent was live in Zendesk within three days, working the store's business hours.
- Cleared the backlog in priority order. The longest-waiting customers, repeat follow-ups, refund requests and high-risk cases went first, and every customer got a real resolution, not just a reply.
- Reduced full refunds. For eligible cases we introduced a retention offer: a 30% refund plus 50% store credit. Customers got an immediate resolution and a reason to order again, and the store kept revenue it would otherwise have lost.
- Turned disputes around. The store had been losing around 90% of its PayPal disputes and Shopify chargebacks, mostly because responses were weak and lacked evidence. We rebuilt how each case was presented, with the right information and proof every time.
- Fixed the policies behind the disputes. We found gaps in the store's shipping and refund policies and recommended changes to the website, so the policies supported the store in future disputes.
- Answered social media and reviews. Unanswered comments, direct messages and Trustpilot reviews were picked up and replied to.
The results
Within the first month, according to our reports:
- The email backlog went from more than 15,000 to zero.
- Replies came well within a 24-hour target.
- PayPal disputes and Shopify chargebacks went from about 10% won to more than 90% won.
- The refund rate fell by 40%.
- All outstanding social media comments and messages were cleared.
What happened next
The owner first came to us only to clear the backlog. Once the results were in, the store handed us social media, Trustpilot, order processing and dispute handling as well, and added a second dedicated agent. In a review meeting the owner rated our service 10 out of 10.