Returns Assistance
When Return Request Assistant is on, ShopChat recognises return and refund messages (for example "return", "refund", "exchange", "damaged", "wrong item").
Checking an Order
If the message includes an order number (for example "I want to return order #10452, my email is [email protected]"), ShopChat checks it:
- The customer must own the order - they're logged in to the account that placed it, or they include the order's billing email.
- The order must be Completed (or have a custom Delivered status).
- It must be within the Return Window (days) since completion (default 30).
ShopChat then tells the customer whether the order is eligible, or why not. Return questions without an order number - such as "What's your return policy?" - are answered from your knowledge base, so keep your returns policy on a page.
Submitting a Return Request
The order is eligible
Below the answer, the chat shows a small form: "Why are you returning this order?" and a Submit return request button.
The customer submits
ShopChat checks eligibility again and records the request.
You're notified
- An order note is added: "[ShopChat] Return request submitted via AI chat. Reason: …"
- An email goes to the Support Email (Live Agent Handoff settings), or the site admin email if that's empty.
- The customer sees a confirmation that your team will contact them at the order's billing email.
Each order can be submitted once. A second attempt gets "A return request for Order #… was already submitted on …", so double clicks don't create duplicate notes or emails.
Eligibility checks are logged on the Chat Logs tab (type Return requests) and counted as deflected tickets. Submitted requests are counted as Return Requests on the ROI Dashboard.
ShopChat records the request; you handle the actual return (label, refund, restock) in WooCommerce. For a full self-service returns portal with approvals, exchanges and refunds, pair it with WindCodex ReturnDesk.
Developers can change which order statuses are returnable with the shopchat_returnable_statuses filter - see the Developer Reference.