How do you keep B2B support fast and consistent on BigCommerce as orders, quotes, and account requests pile up across regions and channels? The short answer is to bring every message and order into one inbox with full context. Then add smart routing, reusable templates and AI first drafts to cut handle time while keeping replies on brand.
In this guide, we’ll show you how eDesk works with BigCommerce to pull every message and order into one inbox, automate the busywork, and track the metrics that keep B2B support moving.
Why B2B support gets hard as you scale on BigCommerce
On paper, B2B looks simple. But in real life, a single buyer can have multiple contacts, purchase orders (POs), approval chains, tax exemptions, and custom pricing that all need to line up before anyone can ship a box. That means every question about an order drags in more context than a typical retail ticket.
There’s also the fun of terms and timing. Net-30 invoices, credit holds, and partial payments live alongside split shipments, backorders, and substitutions. One order can leave the warehouse in three waves with two carriers, which turns a quick “Where’s my order” into a puzzle that spans line items, tracking numbers, and promised dates.
Tickets themselves get heavier. A single email might reference three POs, five SKUs, and a serial number that needs an RMA (return merchandise authorization). You often need photos for quality checks, a warranty outcome agreed with the supplier, and a credit note from finance before you can close the loop.
Channels multiply too. Buyers write from a shared mailbox, a procurement portal, and a website form, then follow up on chat when the warehouse gets busy. SLAs (service level agreements) vary by customer tier, so two nearly identical questions can require different handling, tone, and timelines.
The fix is more structure: one place to see the whole account story, smart routing by intent, and reusable decisions that hold up under pressure. Let’s walk through how BigCommerce plus eDesk sets that up so your team can move faster without breaking trust.
Checkout complexity remains a top abandon driver, with 17% of shoppers quitting due to a long or complicated flow.
What happens when you connect BigCommerce to eDesk?
Connect BigCommerce to eDesk and you get a centralized inbox for every storefront and channel, with order, shipment, and buyer details next to each thread. Rules route by intent and account, templates keep answers consistent, and AI builds the first draft so agents personalize and send in seconds.
Account-aware context on every ticket
Agents see company, order value, items, carrier status, and prior history inside the thread. That keeps responses accurate when there are negotiated terms or partial shipments.
Quote and order workflows that feel seamless
When quotes become orders, the ticket keeps the trail. Agents can reference agreed pricing, lead times, or delivery windows without leaving the inbox.
One inbox for every channel
Email, live chat, BigCommerce contact forms, and marketplace messages land in a single queue. Rules auto-tag by store, language, topic, and account tier.
AI that speeds the boring parts
AI drafts first replies that include tracking, return windows, and policy snippets. Agents approve, tweak the tone, and move on.
BigCommerce B2B Edition earned 24 of 24 medals in the 2024 Paradigm B2B Combine.
How to connect BigCommerce to eDesk
Setup is straightforward and worth doing once with a real test ticket at hand.
- Install and authorize the BigCommerce connector so eDesk can read orders and match messages.
- Forward support email and chat into the centralized inbox so every channel hits one queue.
- Map each store view to a queue or tag so routing and reporting stay clean.
- Create tags for the top intents such as Where’s my order, returns, exchanges, quotes, and wholesale pricing.
- Send a test message about a real order and confirm items, courier, and tracking show inside the thread.
Mobile drove 54.5% of online holiday revenue in 2024.
Five ways to save hours each week
Here’s where the time savings really kick in. Small tweaks to routing, replies, and context can remove dozens of clicks a day, help you keep on top of SLAs when orders spike, and make every response feel on-brand without extra effort. Below are five automations you can get up and running fast.
1. Auto-triage by account and intent
Route new tickets by store, language, and topic so the right team sees them first. Keep queues simple and aligned to everyday work such as “where is my order?” (WISMO), returns, quotes, and wholesale pricing.
2. Instant WISMO replies with tracking
WISMO threads feel repetitive and time-sensitive. Auto-insert carrier, current status, and a realistic delivery window, then leave a space for a human note so the reply feels personal.
3. Consistent returns and RMA outcomes
Give agents outcome macros such as label issued, partial refund with reason, and replacement confirmation. Tie each macro to the right template, tags, and refund rules so reporting stays clean.
4. SLA-aware routing for priority accounts
Flag VIP and key distributor accounts and apply tighter SLA targets. Escalate aging threads to a named owner before deadlines slip.
5. AI first drafts with policy and order data
Start from a complete draft that already knows the items, tracking, and returns policy. Agents focus on tone and edge cases rather than hunting for details.
WISMO can account for up to half of inbound contacts for retailers.
Numbers to watch for B2B success
Dashboards can feel endless, but only a few numbers make the true difference. Focus on the signals that tell you where replies slow down, where returns sprawl, and where “where’s my order” questions start piling up. Pick the ones below, check them on the same day each week, and make one small tweak at a time.
Start with first response time by store. If one storefront always replies slower, you probably have routing gaps or uneven staffing. Move those tickets into a dedicated queue and add a simple triage rule so new messages land with the right owner first time.
Look at resolution time by topic. Returns and wholesale quote threads often balloon when policies or templates are unclear. Tighten one template, clarify one exception, and you’ll usually see handle time fall without adding headcount.
Watch WISMO volume against delivery performance. If Where’s my order questions spike while carrier scans look normal, your shipping message is the culprit. Update your pre-delivery wording and links, then check whether duplicate tickets drop next week.
Review refund rate and the top reasons. If “wrong size” or “not as described” keeps appearing, edit the product page before you change price or boost ads. A tidy size chart or compatibility note usually saves more margin than another promotion.
Track CSAT or a simple thumbs-up rating by store and by topic. You will spot tone issues and training gaps faster than with long surveys. Nudge one macro at a time until the lowest-scoring flow starts to match your best one.
After adopting eDesk, Sauder increased support efficiency by 66%, with agents personally replying to 50+ tickets per day and customer satisfaction at 98%.
Pitfalls in the wild, and how teams like yours fixed them
When you’re juggling B2B buyers, multiple catalogs, and busy seasons, small gaps turn into big headaches fast. So let us show you where teams like yours hit a bump in the road, what changed, and how they fixed it. You can use them as quick spot checks before your next surge, rather than learning the hard way.
Splitting queues by inbox instead of intent
Dan ran three BigCommerce stores and kept three separate inboxes. The same customer could email one store and message another, and his team answered in different places with different SLAs. He consolidated into one inbox, routed by intent, and suddenly agents saw the full order timeline and stopped tripping over each other.
Letting duplicates pile up
Priya noticed buyers would email, open chat, and ping a marketplace about the same late delivery, so three agents worked the same problem. She turned on auto-merge by order ID and customer email, which pulled everything into one thread. Duplicates tailed off, replies got shorter, and customers stopped chasing because the latest update was always in one place.
Inconsistent policies across brands
Luis managed two brands with different return habits, so one team refunded in a day and the other took a week. The gap annoyed buyers and confused agents. He wrote one returns and replacements playbook with standard outcomes, kept brand voice in the templates, and the back-and-forth vanished because decisions were consistent across stores.
Manual lookups inside BigCommerce
Sofia’s agents still copied order numbers from the inbox into BigCommerce and then hunted for tracking in a carrier portal. Every reply took minutes and errors crept in. She surfaced order items, courier, and tracking in the ticket view and mapped the fields once, so agents answered in context and moved to the next thread without tab surfing.
No ownership on delayed tickets
Jake saw threads age quietly whenever someone went off shift, then customers wrote again and queues ballooned. He added aging rules that flagged stalled tickets and reassigned them to a named owner at set time thresholds. Nothing sat forgotten, SLAs steadied, and the team spent their time resolving, not firefighting.
Cyber Week 2024 hit a record $16.1B in US online sales on Cyber Monday alone, which stresses support operations that are not automated.
The plan from here
Remember:
- One shared inbox across stores prevents missed tickets and duplicate work.
- Routing by intent protects SLAs when volume spikes.
- Reusable templates plus AI drafts keep replies fast and on brand.
- Weekly metric reviews turn small tweaks into big time savings.
Do these next:
- Connect all BigCommerce stores and map each one to queues or tags.
- Create three templates: WISMO with tracking, return approved, partial refund with a clear reason.
- Turn on AI first-reply drafts for WISMO and returns to cut handle time.
- Add tags for the top five topics and auto-route each to the right owner.
- Review first response time and refund reasons next Friday and pick one process to improve.
Has this guide got you curious how many hours you can save in a typical week and which workflows would help most for your B2B accounts? Book a free demo and we’ll show you how to centralize messages, add AI, and scale support across every BigCommerce store.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does eDesk match BigCommerce orders to tickets across multiple stores?
The integration pulls order data per store and matches by order ID, buyer email, or reference. When a message arrives, the ticket shows items, shipping status, and prior history, even if the buyer used another channel. That means agents reply with context instead of jumping between tabs.
Can we keep brand voices separate while using one inbox?
Yes. Use store-level tags to trigger the right signature, tone templates, and knowledge base articles. Routing can still send tickets to brand specialists, but the team benefits from shared SLAs, dashboards, and macros. It keeps replies consistent without losing brand nuances.
What about SLA management for VIP or distributor accounts?
Create VIP tags and apply tighter targets for first response and resolution. Add aging alerts and escalation rules so stalled threads move to a named owner before deadlines slip. This protects key relationships without creating a separate tool for those accounts.
Will AI replies sound robotic?
AI builds a complete, policy-aware draft and inserts order details, tracking, and return windows. Agents personalize tone and add any account-specific notes before sending. That balance keeps responses fast and human while cutting repetitive typing.
Can this setup include marketplaces and chat alongside BigCommerce?
Absolutely. Bring Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, and live chat into the same inbox so you keep one customer view. The same automations apply across channels, which simplifies training and reporting, and reduces duplicate work.
