How do I answer shipping and returns questions automatically?
You answer shipping and returns questions automatically by publishing the policy as two short articles and letting the chat widget quote them. The widget answers delivery windows, return periods and refund timing instantly, from your words only. Anything the articles do not cover, like a damaged parcel, becomes a ticket for a person.
Last updated: October 2026 · View as Markdown
Why does this keep happening?
Shipping and returns are the two policies every shopper reads after they have a problem, not before. The page exists, but it is three clicks away and written as a contract. So they open the chat and ask, and the same answer gets typed again.
The questions are predictable: how long to my country, can I return a sale item, when does the refund land, who pays return postage. Forrester found half of US online adults abandon a purchase when they cannot find a quick answer, so a slow reply is not only a cost, it is a lost sale.
A policy written as answers can be quoted by a machine. A policy written as legal text cannot. That rewrite is most of the work.
How do I fix it, step by step?
Rewrite the two policies as questions and answers
One short paragraph per question: delivery time by region, return window, condition rules, who pays postage, refund timing in business days. Numbers, not adjectives.
Publish them as knowledge base articles
Add both to your DeskCrew knowledge base. They also appear on your public help center, so search engines and shoppers can find them without the chat.
Install the widget on the store
Shopify has an app, WooCommerce uses the WordPress plugin, every other platform takes one script tag. The launcher shows on every page, including the product pages where the question is asked.
Let the widget answer from the articles only
When a shopper asks about shipping or returns, the AI answers from your two articles. It does not invent a country you do not ship to. If the question is outside them, it says so and opens a ticket with the email attached.
Handle the exceptions as tickets, then write them down
Damaged parcels, wrong items and goodwill refunds go to a person. After a month, the repeated exceptions become new paragraphs in the article, and the widget answers those too.
What is true about this today?
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US online adults who abandon a purchase when they cannot find a quick answer | Half | Forrester, Kate Leggett, March 2018 |
| Share of ecommerce support requests that are "where is my order" | 18% on average | Gorgias, WISMO benchmark, updated November 2023 |
| Customers who want to resolve as many issues as possible on their own | 69% | Zendesk, self-service research, July 2021 |
| DeskCrew free plan | 10 AI answers and about 100 conversations a month, no card | DeskCrew pricing, October 2026 |
What changes, and what does not?
Policy answers, not order lookups
The widget tells a shopper the return window. It does not yet see whether their specific order is inside it. Those requests become tickets with the order details in the message, and per-order lookup is on the public roadmap.
Your policy has to be decided first
If the return rule for sale items is "it depends", the AI cannot answer it, and neither can a new hire. Writing the article forces the decision, which is a feature.
Free plan limits
Ten AI answers a month on the free plan proves the setup. A store with daily questions moves to Pro at $29 a month flat, with 150 answers included.
What else do people ask?
Can the AI answer international shipping questions?
Yes, if the article lists the regions and times. Write a line per region: "EU: 5 to 8 business days, duties paid by the customer." The widget quotes the matching line. If a shopper asks about a country you have not listed, the AI says it does not know and opens a ticket rather than guessing a delivery time it cannot stand behind.
What about returns for sale or personalised items?
State the rule plainly in the returns article and the widget applies it. "Sale items can be returned for store credit within 14 days; personalised items are final sale." A rule with exceptions needs each exception written down, because the AI will not invent a kinder version of your policy to please a shopper who asks nicely.
Will shoppers trust an automated answer?
They trust a clear one. The answer comes from your policy word for word, in the chat they opened, within seconds, which beats a reply the next morning. If they want a person they can ask for one at any point, and the conversation becomes a ticket with the history attached, so nobody repeats themselves.
Does it handle refund status questions?
It answers the policy side: refunds land within five business days of the return arriving, for example. Whether a specific refund has been issued is an order question, so it goes to your team as a ticket with the customer email. That split keeps the automated answers accurate and the private details with a person who can check.
How much does this cost for a small store?
Nothing to start. The free plan includes the widget, ticketing, the public help center and ten AI answers a month, with no card. Stores with more volume move to Pro at $29 a month, flat for the workspace rather than per seat, with 150 AI answers and email-to-ticket included in the price.
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