A two-way SMS support playbook for ecommerce teams

1. Decide what a text conversation can resolve

Begin with your most common order and store-policy questions. Write approved answers for delivery estimates, returns eligibility, contact details, and how to find an order. Each answer should link to the current store policy and identify the owner who can change it. Date the document so agents can spot outdated instructions.

This guide is an operating recommendation, not a list of automatic OneMoreSend features. Decide where your team will keep assignments, notes, and escalation records, then confirm the tools and access needed. An agent’s ability to answer a refund question does not automatically include permission to issue a refund.

2. Give every incoming conversation a next step

A simple triage routine can work even with a small team: read the full exchange, identify the customer’s request, choose an owner, and record the next action. Separate urgent operational deadlines from ordinary questions. A request to change an unshipped order needs the fulfillment owner’s attention before the packing cutoff.

• Routine question: use a current approved answer and check that it addresses the specific request.
• Order-specific request: verify identity using the store’s agreed process before disclosing details or making changes.
• Exception or dispute: acknowledge the request, summarize it for the decision-maker, and state when the customer should expect the next update.
• Opt-out: honor the withdrawal immediately through the agreed suppression process. Do not turn an unsubscribe into a sales conversation.
• Sensitive or medical question: follow the business’s escalation policy and avoid collecting health information or providing medical advice over this channel.

3. Verify enough without collecting too much

An order number can help locate a record, but it may not be enough to authorize an address change or account action. Agree on stronger verification for those requests and move the customer to the store’s approved secure process when necessary. Do not assume possession of a phone proves ownership of an order.

Ask only for information needed to resolve the issue. Do not request payment-card numbers, passwords, government identifiers, or medical histories by text. OneMoreSend’s acceptable-use policy excludes sensitive health and financial data from the platform. Keep a handoff summary focused on the issue and requested action rather than copying unnecessary personal details.

4. Make an escalation easy to act on

Use a consistent handoff: customer request, verified order reference if appropriate, facts already checked, action required, deadline, and named decision-maker. A note saying ‘customer unhappy’ leaves the next person to repeat the investigation. Record who will return to the customer after a decision so the conversation does not disappear between teams.

For example: ‘Customer requests a delivery-address change. Order has not yet been confirmed as shipped. Fulfillment must check status and authorize the change before today’s cutoff. Support will update the customer once fulfillment responds.’ This illustrates a process, not a promised integration or fulfillment service.

5. Set realistic expectations about hours

Publish staffed hours wherever customers discover the number. Decide whether an out-of-hours acknowledgment is appropriate and supported by your setup, and agree on holiday coverage. State the next staffed window accurately. Avoid promising an instant response unless someone is actually available to deliver it.

OneMoreSend offers support your team manages or managed text support for an additional $500/month to your plan. Managed coverage is Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern Time. Conversation volume and messaging charges are confirmed in the quote. Coverage hours do not establish a guaranteed response time or authorize marketing sends at every hour of that window.

6. Review resolution quality every week

Review a small sample of resolved and reopened conversations. Check whether the answer was accurate, the customer’s request was addressed, identity checks were appropriate, and the handoff reached the right person. Track unresolved cases and repeated questions alongside response times. Fast replies that leave the issue open are not successful support.

Finally, keep permission boundaries intact. Twilio’s policy permits a relevant exchange when an individual initiates a message, but says that exchange does not authorize ongoing recurring engagement. A support reply should not silently add the customer to promotional campaigns or reverse a previous opt-out.

Common questions