# AI receptionist for ecommerce stores

Shoppers call when the tracking page stops making sense.

Nuteq picks up your store’s support line so a small team is not tied to it. It answers shipping and returns questions from what you publish, and writes up each order problem with the order number. It never promises a refund or changes an order.

*Industries · Last updated 2026-10-02*

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## What does an AI receptionist do for an ecommerce store?

An AI receptionist for an ecommerce store answers the support number printed on your packing slips and contact page, at any hour, and sorts each shopper into an existing order or a question before buying. For an existing order, Nuteq asks for the order number first, reads it back, takes the name and the email or number the order was placed with, and records what went wrong: late, missing, damaged, the wrong item, or a return. For a question before buying, it answers from the product, shipping, and returns information you have published. It does not look inside your store, so it cannot see tracking or stock, and it never promises a refund, a replacement, or a delivery date. It does not place, change, or cancel orders. Each call is saved with a recording, transcript, and summary, so support starts with the facts instead of a voicemail.

- **Answers:** Phone, text messages, WhatsApp, and website chat
- **Order problems:** Captured with the order number for your team
- **Shipping and returns:** Answered from the policy you publish
- **Refunds:** Never promised; your team decides
- **Card details:** Never taken; checkout only
- **Your number:** Keep it and forward calls, or get a new one

### What it will not do

- It does not place, change, or cancel orders. It captures the request for your support team.
- It does not promise a refund, replacement, exchange, discount, or delivery date. Your team confirms the outcome.
- It does not connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce today, so it cannot look up tracking, stock, or order history.
- It never takes a card number, security code, or account password. Payment stays in your checkout.

## The order and pre-sale calls an online store gets

Most shoppers never call. The ones who do have usually tried the tracking page and the help centre already, and want to know that someone has their order number.

### Tracking has not moved in five days and the shopper wants an answer

*where is my order*

Explains your published delivery times, then takes the order number and contact details for the team to check with the carrier.

Outcome: Order issue captured

### A mug set arrived with two pieces broken

*damaged*

Asks which item and what arrived, takes the order number, and says the team may ask for a photo.

Outcome: Saved for support

### A customer wants to send back shoes that do not fit

*return*

Explains the returns policy you publish, then records the item and the reason. Does not approve the return itself.

Outcome: Return request recorded

### A shopper asks whether you ship to Canada before checking out

*pre-sale*

Answers from your shipping page. If the page does not say, takes contact details so the team can reply.

Outcome: Answered, lead saved

### A customer sees two charges for one order

*urgent*

Takes the order number and details without any card number, flags it urgent, and offers a callback from support.

Outcome: Flagged urgent

### An order placed an hour ago is going to an old address

*after hours*

Does not change the order. Records the correct address and flags it urgent so the team sees it before it ships.

Outcome: Flagged before dispatch

## Example call record

**Priya Nair** · Support line · phone · 1:52

Outcome: Order issue captured

Tags: existing order, wrong item, support follow-up

- **Agent:** Thanks for calling Harbor and Pine. Are you calling about an existing order, or do you have a question before you buy?
- **Caller:** An existing order. The box came today and it is the wrong lamp.
- **Agent:** I am sorry about that. What is the order number?
- **Caller:** H P 2 0 8 1 4.
- **Agent:** That is H, P, 2, 0, 8, 1, 4. What name and email was the order placed with, and which lamp arrived instead?
- **Caller:** Priya Nair, priya at example dot com. I ordered the brass floor lamp and got the black desk lamp.
- **Agent:** Thank you. I have passed this to the support team, who review each order and confirm what happens next. They may ask you for a photo of what arrived.

### Call summary

Priya received the wrong item on order HP20814: a black desk lamp instead of the brass floor lamp she ordered. The receptionist read the order number back, took the name and email on the order, and told her the support team reviews each order and may ask for a photo. No refund or replacement was promised.

- Read the order number back character by character
- Took the name and email the order was placed with
- Recorded what was ordered and what arrived
- Saved the issue for the support team

## Nuteq vs an ecommerce answering service vs voicemail

| | Nuteq | Typical answering service | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Order problems** | Order number read back, issue written up for support | Message taken; detail depends on the script | A recording with a mumbled order number |
| **Shipping and returns questions** | Answered from the policy pages you publish | Read from a script you supply | Not answered |
| **Refunds and replacements** | Never promised; left for your team to decide | Some agents can act in your store; varies by provider | Not handled |
| **Store platform** | Does not connect to Shopify or WooCommerce; records stay in Nuteq | An outsourced ecommerce call center may log in to your store | None |
| **Sale weekends** | Answers many calls at once | Depends on staffing, usually booked ahead | The mailbox fills up |
| **What support reads** | Recording, transcript, summary, and contact details | A message by email | An audio message |

## One agent on every channel

- **Phone:** Answers the support number on your packing slips and contact page. Keep the number and forward it.
- **Text messages:** Replies to shoppers who text a shipping or returns question.
- **WhatsApp:** Takes order problems from customers who would rather message than call.
- **Website chat:** A chat on your store that answers questions before checkout and collects order issues.

## How do you set up an AI receptionist for an online store?

Nuteq can be answering your store’s line the same day. Pick the ecommerce template, point it at your shipping and returns pages, list the situations that count as urgent, test an order call in your browser, then forward the support number.

1. Sign up and pick the Ecommerce & Online Store template, which asks for the order number first.
2. Add your website so it can answer from your product, shipping, and returns pages, and say who should hear about urgent issues.
3. Test a wrong-item call and a pre-sale question from your browser, then forward your support number.

## Questions store owners ask

### Is Nuteq an ecommerce answering service?

Nuteq is an AI receptionist that does the work of an ecommerce answering service: it answers every shopper, handles shipping and returns questions, and hands your team each order issue in writing.

### Can it tell a customer where their order is?

Nuteq cannot see tracking, because it does not connect to your store or carrier. It explains your published delivery times and captures the order number so your team can check and reply.

### Can it issue a refund or send a replacement?

Nuteq never promises a refund, replacement, exchange, or discount. It records what went wrong and tells the shopper that your support team reviews the order and confirms the outcome.

### Can it change or cancel an order?

Nuteq does not place, change, or cancel orders. It captures the request, such as a corrected address, and flags it urgent so your team can act before the parcel leaves.

### Does it work with Shopify or WooCommerce?

Nuteq does not connect to Shopify, WooCommerce, or other store platforms today. It learns your policies from your website, and order issues are saved in Nuteq for your team to work through.

### What happens if a shopper starts reading out a card number?

Nuteq stops the caller and says payment is handled only through your store’s secure checkout. It never asks for or keeps a card number, security code, or account password.

### How much does an AI receptionist for ecommerce cost?

Nuteq charges stores the way it charges everyone, by minutes and by how many conversations run at once, and it has a free plan that needs no card. See the pricing page for plans.

### Can it replace an ecommerce call center for a small store?

Nuteq covers first contact for a small store: answering, policy questions, and writing up issues. Your own team still decides refunds and edits orders, which an outsourced ecommerce call center may do inside your store.

### Can it help shoppers in other languages?

Nuteq replies in the shopper’s language once you add that language to your agent, which helps a store that ships abroad take an order problem without a translator.

### How it works in the docs

- [Add your shipping and returns pages](https://nuteqai.com/docs/knowledge/add-a-website)
- [Review an order issue](https://nuteqai.com/docs/conversations/review-a-conversation)
- [Put the chat on your store](https://nuteqai.com/docs/connections/website/publish-the-widget)

## Other industries we serve

- [Plumbers](https://nuteqai.com/for/plumbing): Picks up the 2am burst-pipe call, sorts emergencies from routine jobs, and books the van.
- [HVAC](https://nuteqai.com/for/hvac): Answers the whole queue on the first hot or cold day, books repair visits, and qualifies install leads.
- [Electricians](https://nuteqai.com/for/electrician): Answers the no-power call at midnight, escalates a hot panel, and books the charger install.
- [Roofers](https://nuteqai.com/for/roofing): Takes the whole storm surge in one afternoon, books inspections, sorts leaks from hail claims.
- [Garage doors](https://nuteqai.com/for/garage-door): Answers the trapped-car call at any hour, books spring repairs, never coaches a DIY fix.
- [Locksmiths](https://nuteqai.com/for/locksmith): Picks up the 2am lockout before the caller’s battery dies, pins the spot, and dispatches.
- [Appliance repair](https://nuteqai.com/for/appliance-repair): Screens the brand, finds the model tag, and never promises a fix on the first visit.
- [Pest control](https://nuteqai.com/for/pest-control): Answers the one-roach panic call, books quarterly visits, and never guesses at a pest.

- [See all industries](https://nuteqai.com/for)
- By language: [Spanish](https://nuteqai.com/languages/spanish), [French](https://nuteqai.com/languages/french), [Chinese](https://nuteqai.com/languages/chinese), [Hindi](https://nuteqai.com/languages/hindi), [Arabic](https://nuteqai.com/languages/arabic), [Portuguese](https://nuteqai.com/languages/portuguese), [Vietnamese](https://nuteqai.com/languages/vietnamese), [Korean](https://nuteqai.com/languages/korean), [Dutch](https://nuteqai.com/languages/dutch), [Thai](https://nuteqai.com/languages/thai), [Indonesian](https://nuteqai.com/languages/indonesian), [Bengali](https://nuteqai.com/languages/bengali), [Tamil](https://nuteqai.com/languages/tamil), [Telugu](https://nuteqai.com/languages/telugu), [Urdu](https://nuteqai.com/languages/urdu), [German](https://nuteqai.com/languages/german), [Japanese](https://nuteqai.com/languages/japanese), [Russian](https://nuteqai.com/languages/russian), [Turkish](https://nuteqai.com/languages/turkish), [Italian](https://nuteqai.com/languages/italian), [Polish](https://nuteqai.com/languages/polish)

## Start with the ecommerce template.

[Set up for your store free](https://nuteqai.com/signup?return_to=%2Fonboarding%3Ftemplate%3Decommerce) · [See pricing](https://nuteqai.com/pricing)