For years, support has been the department you called when something went wrong. An order was delayed, a size didn’t fit, a product broke – support was there to fix it.
But if you look closely at what customers actually say in chat windows, emails, and phone calls, you’ll see something different. Customers aren’t just asking for help. They’re signaling intent. They’re giving you buying cues.
And for too long, most businesses have missed it!
Traditional customer support works… But it stops too early
Let’s be honest: traditional customer support did its job.
- It answered questions.
- It resolved issues.
- It kept customers from churning when something went wrong.
For decades, this was the standard. “Good support” meant fast replies and polite answers.
But here’s the problem: support stops at solving problems.
A customer asks: “Do you ship to Canada?”
Support answers: “Yes, we do. Here’s our shipping page.”
The problem is solved. The ticket is closed. But the sale? The sale is gone.
That’s the blind spot. For years, we trained support teams and chatbots to end conversations quickly, when what customers really needed was guidance to keep moving toward purchase.
The real question is: what if we could do more than just solve problems?
Yes, the AI enhancement can help you do more than solve issues!
Take Chatty, the Shopify AI chatbot and live chat, as an example. It shows exactly how support can evolve:
1. Be available 24/7
Your customers don’t shop on a 9-to-5 schedule. They shop at midnight, on weekends, and on holidays.
Human teams can’t scale infinitely. Chatty can. Every customer gets instant answers, whether it’s 11 a.m. on a Tuesday or 2 a.m. on a Sunday.
That availability alone prevents cart abandonment and builds trust.
2. Get instant training
Training human support reps takes weeks or months. Training a chatbot like Chatty takes minutes
Feed it your product catalog, FAQs, and policies, and it’s ready to go. But more importantly, it doesn’t just memorize. It learns.
It can understand relationships between products, spot compatibility, and adapt to seasonal trends. If ski season is coming, it automatically prioritizes winter sports gear. If a product line changes, it updates instantly.
3. Go beyond support: Proactive sales
This is the real breakthrough. Chatty AI doesn’t just answer “yes/no” questions. It can guide the conversation forward.
- Customer: “Do you ship to Canada?”
- AI: “Yes! Orders over $100 qualify for free shipping. Would you like me to show you our bestsellers that qualify?”
This is the difference between ending a chat and ending with a sale.
So, what does this mean to customer support teams?
Instead of answering the same questions about shipping policies or sizing charts hundreds of times a week, teams can let AI handle the repetitive workload.
This shift frees human agents to focus on higher-value work:
- Solving edge cases that require judgment and empathy.
- Helping VIP customers with complex orders.
- Building relationships that turn first-time buyers into loyal fans.
It also changes the daily pressure. Support pros no longer feel like “human FAQ machines.” They get to use their expertise, creativity, and empathy where it matters most.
Let’s see the real impact
Take Decathlon, the global sports retailer with over 1,700 stores and more than 10,000 products online.
Their challenge was clear: sports equipment is technical. Customers don’t just ask, “Is this in stock?” They ask:
- “What size wetsuit fits a 5’8” swimmer?”
- “Will this tent survive Alpine weather?”
- “Which sleeping bag works in -10°C?”
For years, their support team was swamped. Response times stretched to hours. Staff felt like human FAQ machines. Customers abandoned carts when they couldn’t get answers quickly enough.
When Decathlon added Chatty’s AI live chat, the shift was immediate:
- The AI learned all 10,000+ product specs, compatibility rules, and sizing charts.
- It handled 2k+ conversations in the first 7 days, automatically.
- Resolution rates hit 98.47%.
- It directly generated €10k in attributed revenue in that first week.
And something unexpected happened: customers began to prefer chat over phone support. They liked instant, expert answers. Staff got to spend more time on high-value conversations. And the business didn’t just save costs, it grew revenue.
The future of collaborative support
Looking ahead, support won’t be divided into “human” or “AI.” It will be collaborative by default.
- AI handles the repetitive, high-volume, fact-based questions – fast, accurate, 24/7.
- Humans excel at handling nuance, building relationships, and solving complex problems.
And together, they’ll redefine support entirely:
- Faster service for customers.
- Less burnout for staff.
- More revenue for the business.
Support becomes more than a cost center. It becomes a profit driver.
What does this mean for your business?
It means the old playbook (focusing only on deflection and resolution time) is no longer enough.
Customers expect instant answers, personalized guidance, and smooth buying journeys. If you don’t provide it, someone else will.
The good news? The tools exist today. You can adopt an AI-driven support approach now, without waiting for years of product development.
The merchants who make this switch early are already seeing results: higher conversion rates, higher order values, and happier teams. Early adopters see gains aligned with eCommerce conversion rate optimization.
To recap
Support isn’t just support anymore. It’s the fastest-growing sales channel in e-commerce. And 2,000+ brands are already proving it with Chatty.
Book your demo today and see how Chatty turns conversations into conversions!