Customer service agent · Lesson 3 of 5

The customer and their order next to the conversation

When someone asks where their parcel is, you don't want to switch between your store and your inbox. What you need sits right next to the conversation, as long as it's the right customer and the right order.

6 minAvailable from Starter

This part starts at 0:59 in the video.

What you'll learn

  • Reading what's next to the conversation
  • Understanding how an order is found
  • Pinning the right order
  • Linking one customer across several channels

Step by step

  1. 1

    Connect your system first

    An admin connects the store once under Settings › Integrations. A panel per connection then appears to the right of the conversation, for example WooCommerce, Shopify, Lightspeed, Picqer, DHL, Returnless or Bol.com. If you don't see one, that connection doesn't exist or the panel is hidden.

  2. 2

    Open the right panel

    Click the panel of your store. In WooCommerce you see at the top how many Orders the customer has placed, what they've Spent and Customer since when, with their orders and status below. The order number opens it straight in WooCommerce.

  3. 3

    Understand how the order is found

    Bugalou searches with what's on the contact. WooCommerce searches by email address, and by phone number if there's no email; Shopify searches by email address. So a WhatsApp customer who ordered with a different number won't be recognised automatically.

  4. 4

    Search yourself if nothing shows up

    If it says No orders found automatically for this contact, search by order number, name or email. Ask the customer for their order number if the name is a common one. Always check the details match before you share anything about an order.

  5. 5

    Pin the right order

    If the conversation is about one particular order, click Pin to this ticket on that order. A colleague who takes over later sees at once which one it is. Find another order finds a different one, and Unpin from this ticket removes it again.

  6. 6

    Link the same customer across channels

    If a customer emails and also sends a DM, those start out as two contacts. Click Add profile on the right and choose Link to Existing Profile or Create New Profile. You then find their conversations together, which also helps an accountant whose regular clients ask questions on different channels.

  7. 7

    Merge duplicate conversations

    More actions › Merge conversation pulls another ticket into this conversation. The messages move here and the other ticket is archived. It only works between conversations on the same channel, so you link a WhatsApp and an email through a profile instead.

Common mistakes

Sharing details without checking

A phone number can belong to a family member and a name to someone else. Check the order number or address before you mention any details, so you don't share an order with the wrong person.

Assuming there's no order

An empty panel only means nothing was found automatically. Search manually and then ask the customer, before you reply that you can't find anything.

Merging when you mean linking

Merging moves messages into one conversation. If you only want to show that two contacts are the same person, use a profile.

Tips

  • Use Customize panels to decide which panels you want to see.
  • Add an email address to the contact as soon as you know it, and the next order is more likely to be found by itself.
  • Write down anything important for next time under Notes: that stays with the customer.

You're done when

  • Your store is connected and you see its panel in a conversation
  • You've searched for an order manually
  • You've pinned an order to a ticket
  • You've linked two contacts to one profile

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I see a WhatsApp customer's order?

Usually the contact has no email address, or the customer ordered with a different phone number. Search manually by order number, name or email, and pin the order.

Do I need a web shop to use this?

The order panels are for web shops and shipping systems. Without a store you still have All conversations, Contact fields and Notes next to the conversation.

What's the difference between a contact and a profile?

A contact belongs to one address or number on a channel. A profile bundles several contacts of the same person, such as their email address and their WhatsApp number.