Ecommerce customer service and AI glossary

Plain definitions of the AI, post-purchase and metrics terms ecommerce customer service teams use every day.

AI & agentic

AI that pursues a goal with limited supervision, planning steps and taking actions.

Shopping in which AI agents find, recommend or buy products for shoppers or retailers.

Software that uses AI and connected systems to complete tasks on someone’s behalf.

Chatbots answer questions from scripts, while AI agents plan steps and take actions.

Buying and selling through chat, messaging apps and voice assistants.

Language models combined with defined workflows that control which actions are taken.

AI that identifies what a customer wants from their message, such as a return.

Every interaction a customer has with a brand after buying.

Contacting customers about an issue or update before they contact you.

How a retailer handles returns, from the customer’s request to the refund or exchange.

An online order delivered in two or more separate packages.

A request for a repair, replacement or refund for a faulty product under warranty.

Customer questions asking where an online order is or when it will arrive.

The percentage of conversations an AI agent resolves fully, with no human involved.

The average time an agent spends on one customer interaction, including follow-up work.

The number of customer service contacts a retailer receives for every order placed.

A score showing how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction or purchase.

The share of customer issues fully resolved in the first interaction.

How long a customer waits for the first reply from a support team.

The share of customer questions handled by self-service or automation without an agent.