2026-03-22
Customer service SLAs every ecommerce brand should set
The response times and resolution standards that separate professional brands from the rest.
Most ecommerce brands have no service level agreements. Not externally — internally. Nobody has written down how fast different types of enquiries should be answered. So everything gets the same priority, which means nothing gets the right priority.
SLAs that work for growing brands
| Enquiry type | Target response | Target resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-purchase (sizing, availability) | Under 30 minutes | Same session |
| Order issue (wrong item, missing) | Under 2 hours | 24 hours |
| Shipping/tracking | Under 4 hours | Provide tracking info |
| Returns/exchanges | Under 24 hours | 3 business days |
| Complaints | Under 2 hours | 48 hours |
| General questions | Under 24 hours | 48 hours |
Why this matters
Without SLAs, you're guessing. With them, you can measure. And what gets measured gets managed.
Pre-purchase enquiries have the highest revenue impact — every minute of delay costs conversion. That's why they get the fastest target. Returns and general questions have lower urgency and can be batched.
How to actually hit these
Triage first. Categorise every incoming email before anyone reads it. AI can do this automatically by reading the subject line and first sentence.
Template the repeats. If the same question comes in 10 times a day, the answer should be one click away — not retyped every time.
Measure weekly. Track average response time and resolution time by category. Share it with your team (even if your team is just you). The act of measuring it improves it.
Automate what you can. Tracking enquiries, return requests, and FAQ answers can all be handled by AI with zero human involvement. Reserve your time for complaints and complex issues.
See how AI affects customer service roles →
Further reading
Related AI impact pages
Sync your email. Get a step-by-step action plan for your business.
See my action plan