Faster Is Better: The Strategy We Used To Cut Support Response Times by 75%

As a Shopify entrepreneur, you already know that customer support is key. Slow or inconsistent support can quickly erode buyer confidence and tarnish your brand's reputation. Whether it's delayed shipping updates, unanswered sizing questions, or unclear returns information, every minute your customers spend waiting is another minute they might consider shopping elsewhere. So what can you do?

Men's fashion brand Jack Archer offers a compelling example. After joining OpenStore and deepening their focus on customer experience, they saw their revenue grow by 10x. And a key piece of that puzzle involved giving shoppers the fast, personal attention they crave.

Below, we'll explore how Jack Archer did it, walk through the typical bottlenecks that slow down ecommerce support, and explain how OpenDesk — our AI-powered solution — helps brands like yours slash response times by up to 75%.

The high stakes of a bad customer experience

In the world of ecommerce, poor customer experiences can hurt in more ways than one:

• Lost sales: Prospective customers might abandon their carts if they encounter friction or can't find what they need.
• Damaged reputations: Frustrated shoppers share negative feedback on social media or review sites.
• Team burnout: Repetitive inquiries can pile up, leaving your people overwhelmed and unable to handle complex issues.

The Jack Archer story highlights how investing in customer experience can counter these risks. Their men's apparel line took off when they put the customer first, making a few small changes to reinforce confidence in every buyer's journey. In short, CX wasn't just a convenience; it was a growth strategy.

How Jack Archer achieved growth driven by customer satisfaction

Jack Archer's success didn't hinge solely on stylish, comfortable clothes. Their approach to customer care also set them apart. After the brand was acquired by OpenStore in 2022, a few key investments helped drive Jack Archer's 10x revenue growth:

• In-SMS checkout, which helped combat cart abandonment
• A native iOS app, which led to in-app shoppers being 19% more likely to return and make repeat purchases
• An AI-powered sizing and fit recommendation tool, which increased orders by more than 200%

These seemingly small changes made a big impact — because they removed friction from the buying process and gave shoppers more confidence in their Jack Archer purchases. Over time, this emphasis on CX fueled repeat purchases and positive word of mouth. It's one reason Jack Archer could scale so fast under OpenStore's umbrella.

Looking for quick CX wins: Customer support bottlenecks

These aren't the only ways Shopify brands can invest in CX, though. You can also zero in on your customer support response times.

For many Shopify brands, slow response times aren't about lacking motivation or skill — they stem from operational friction. Common roadblocks include:

• Repetitive questions like "Where's my order?" and "Do you have size X in stock?"
• Lack of centralization. Queries come in via email, social media, and chat, creating scattered workflows.
• No clear analytics. Without metrics, you might not see that one product or policy is generating half your support load.

When your team is trapped in a reactive mode — tackling a queue of repetitive tickets day after day — it's tough to step back, find the root causes, and deliver the lightning-fast responses customers want.

OpenDesk: Harnessing AI for speed, insights, and efficiency

Our success with Jack Archer convinced us that any brand could also achieve growth by focusing on its customer experience, and that's what informed the three pillars behind OpenDesk:

1. Streamlining your support inbox. Consolidating all channels (email, socials, chat) into a single interface reduces the time spent jumping between tabs or apps. The simpler your workflow, the faster you can respond.
2. Automating common inquiries. While personal touch matters, not every ticket needs a custom reply. By training AI on your brand's most frequent questions — from shipping timelines to return policies — you can free up human staff to tackle more complex concerns that do need a human to reply.
3. Measuring the right metrics. Speed doesn't just mean answering today's tickets faster; it also means preventing tomorrow's tickets. With OpenDesk, you can track your Tickets Per Order (TPO), a percentage of how many support tickets you receive relative to your total number of orders fulfilled. If TPO spikes, it signals an operational or product-related issue you can address to reduce future ticket volume.

These three pillars collectively help any Shopify business replicate Jack Archer's "fast and friendly" standard. By removing bottlenecks and shining a light on root causes of issues, you transform support from a pain point into a strategic advantage.

How to cut support times by 75% using OpenDesk

Now, let's outline a straightforward strategy that can yield big gains in speed — and how OpenDesk's features fit in:

Step 1: Centralize and prioritize

First, combine all inbound messages into a single queue. Then, use OpenDesks's auto-tagging to highlight urgent inquiries (e.g., shipping complaints) to address first.

Step 2: Automate FAQs

Let OpenDesk handle routine questions with automated, brand-consistent answers. Human intervention remains an option, but automation drastically cuts the backlog.

Step 3: Leverage TPO to fix root causes of issues

Analyze which products or policies trigger the most tickets. Based on your analysis, update product descriptions, shipping estimates, or marketing materials to reduce confusion for future buyers. Fewer repetitive tickets means your team has more bandwidth for quality, one-on-one interactions.

Step 4: Review your results and iterate for continuous improvement

After a few weeks, measure your TPO again and see if response times have improved. Double down on solutions that eliminate friction points, and keep refining your approach.

Why support speed powers your brand's bottom line

Still wondering if faster responses are worth the effort? Consider the ripple effects:

• Improved conversion rates: Shoppers on the fence feel reassured when they receive quick, accurate replies.
• Higher customer satisfaction: Happy customers are more likely to repurchase and recommend your brand to friends.
• Fewer refunds and returns: Many avoidable returns happen because of confusion. Quick clarifications can prevent some of that churn.
• Boosted team morale: It's easier to keep morale high when your staff isn't drowning in a chaotic ticket backlog.

At Jack Archer, the link between speed and brand growth was clear: they fostered loyalty by eliminating friction in the buying process. And that’s a principle any Shopify brand can leverage.

Next steps: Making faster support your brand's competitive edge

In ecommerce, speed really is everything — especially for customer service.

Jack Archer's success story proves that investing in your customer experience creates loyal customers who trust you enough to come back (and tell their friends). Any Shopify brand can follow that formula: streamline and centralize your support channels, automate what's repetitive, track Tickets Per Order to find root causes, and keep refining until quick, quality replies are the norm.

Then, use customer support to help your Shopify business stand out from the competition:

1. Sign up for a free trial of OpenDesk. We built it precisely to help brands cut response times and discover operational insights that drive fewer tickets in the first place. With unified inbox management, AI-driven responses, and TPO included in the analytics dashboard, you'll have the tools to replicate Jack Archer's fast-support success.
2. Start tracking your TPO. Even if you don't jump into automation right away, begin by measuring how many tickets you field per order. Identify trends: Are certain products causing confusion or complaints?
3. Automate one FAQ at a time. Pick your most common inquiry, like "Where's my order?" or "What's your return policy?" Then, use a templated response or AI suggestion to handle it automatically. Notice how quickly your support load drops.
4. Close the loop with your team. Gather feedback from staff and customers to ensure the changes align with your brand voice. Continue refining your approach — faster support is an ongoing evolution, not a one-and-done fix.

At OpenDesk, we're excited to help you conquer support once and for all. Ready to transform your response times — and delight shoppers in the process? Sign up for our free trial to see how combining AI automation with strategic insights can reduce your support load by 75% or more. After all, delivering fast, friendly answers is more than good customer service; it's the key to long-term, profitable growth for your Shopify brand.