How to Maximize Customer Messages

11/13/2025

Chat Tool

Summary

What are the key features and tools available in TikTok Shop’s Customer Messages to enhance pre-purchase communication with buyers?

Sellers can automate greetings and FAQs via Seller Center > Customer Messages > Automation to create a strong first impression and quickly engage buyers, helping convert first-time visitors into loyal customers.
Automated replies and chatbots can handle common inquiries about products and logistics, improving response speed and buyer experience.

How can sellers effectively manage post-purchase communication and handle return or refund requests on TikTok Shop?

Sellers can use the aftersales icon to enable buyers to initiate return requests independently and track return/refund status through detailed timestamps and logistics updates in the Seller Center.
Sellers can respond to return/refund requests by reviewing uploaded evidence and making decisions within a set timeframe before auto-approval, ensuring timely resolution.

What tools does TikTok Shop provide for managing customer service teams and chat workflows?

Team management features allow sellers to monitor agent availability and capacity, transfer chats between agents, and manage workload efficiently to maintain high-quality customer support.
Sellers can proactively contact buyers regarding shipping issues or delays via chat or email to improve communication and customer satisfaction.

How can sellers leverage marketing tools within Customer Messages to boost sales during conversations?

Sellers can send active coupons directly through the Customer Messages workbench to incentivize purchases and accelerate buyer decision-making.
Product recommendations can be shared during chats by selecting product cards from the workbench, enhancing personalized selling opportunities.

What role does the Knowledge Base and reply recommendation feature play in improving seller responses?

Sellers can customize FAQs in the Knowledge Base to cover specific scenarios, enabling automated replies that match buyer questions accurately.
The reply recommendation algorithm suggests high-satisfaction responses based on past interactions, helping sellers provide effective and consistent answers quickly.

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Are you overwhelmed with hundreds of chats you get every day?

Do you feel you don't know how all of these features work?

Are you trying to figure out what is the best SOP for you to reply to all of your messages?

Here is a guideline for you to maximize all of the Customer Messages features. We will break it down to 3 categories and layout what tools can help you to achieve certain objectives:

Pre-purchase Customer Messages Ability
Post-purchase Customer Messages Ability
Agent and Chat Management Ability

Pre-purchase Customer Messages Ability:

This phase is crucial for making a strong first impression. Delivering a great shopping experience from the start helps build a long-lasting relationship and can turn a first-time buyer into a loyal customer.

Quick step to access automation tools: Seller Center > Customer Messages > Automation

Scenario	Seller Customer Messages Action	Buyer Experience
Greetings	Turn on automated greeting in [automation tool] Define suggested FAQs for buyers to start a conversation quickly	When buyer initiates a conversation with the seller, the greeting message will be sent automatically
Inquiries (Product, logistics, etc)& FAQ setting	Turn on automated reply-Chatbot in [automation tool]Please make sure you have selected the desired scenarios to be covered. You can define FAQs in Knowledge base to add more customized Q&A for your shop.
Purchase incentive (Coupons)	If you have active coupons, you will see them on Customer Messages workbench. You can choose and send it to the customer to accelerate their purchase decision. Coupons can be set up in Marketing-Promotionshttps://seller-us.tiktok.com/promotion/marketing-tools/tool-choose?shop_region=US
Recommend product	During your conversation with customers, if you want to recommend a product from your shop, you can choose from the workbench and send over the product card
Reply recommendation	You can turn on reply recommendation in [automation tool], when Customer’s question matches the “Knowledge base” and What you type matches the "Knowledge base" The reply recommendation would be effective. Note: algorithm will detect responses that has a higher satisfaction and recommend sellers to use that response.	/

Post-purchase Customer Messages Ability:

After a customer makes a purchase, the relationship doesn't stop there. Make sure customers can rely on you regarding all of your post purchase needs. Here are the scenarios and features that you can leverage.

Scenario	Seller Center Action	Buyer Experience
Buyer wants to start a return	When Sellers click the aftersales icon, it sends the aftersales request button. Buyers can immediately start the return request on their own.	Point of View (POV) seller sending portal for buyers to return
Buyer wants to know the status of a return/refund in progress	Sellers can click View Detail to see the return record, which shows timestamps of request, dropoff, delivered return, approval/rejection, dispute initiation, dispute outcome. Sellers can then click Send order, which sends the order card. When buyers tap View Details, they're taken to the main order details page for their order.	When buyers tap Refunds, they're taken to the Refund Details Page where they can see additional details on the status of their return/refund.If a return has not been refunded yet, the buyer can tap Shipping Status under Return Shipping to see the journey of their return, which includes the logistic timestamps of the return delivery.Alternatively, they can tap Request Record, which shows a high level summary of the aftersales records, including times when the requests are initiated, declined, approved, or refunded.
Buyer wants to confirm completed cancellation or refund	When clicking Send Order, the buyer gets the order card. When buyer taps View they're taken to the Main Order Details Page.	Buyer is able to see the status of the cancellation/refund at the top of the page. When tapping see more, the buyer can see the refunded amount and the payment method funds were returned to.
Buyer wants to know the status of an order's delivery	Sellers can click Order details to review the full details of the order, then click Tracking package to view logistics details including the information on the courier site and proof of deliverySellers can click Send Updates to show the Logistics Card which takes the buyer to the logistics details in the app.	The buyer will be taken to the Logistic Details Page, where they can see the timestamped details of their order's journey.
Seller wants to respond to a return/refund request	The request type will be shown to the seller with the amount of time the seller has remaining before the request is auto-approved. The seller can click the image thumbnails to review uploaded photos in the request and click Response to make a decision.
Need to contact a buyer due to shipping issue	Contact customer starts a chat with the buyer so the seller may proactively message them If order is delayed, click Send email

Agent/Chat Management Ability

Do you have a team to help you with handling a chat? Is time to manage your customer service team effectively with these key features.

Team managementA place where you can manage agents' availability and capacity	Go to chat setting on the top right corner Click on Team management to view and manage agent status
Transfer chatYou can transfer open chat to other agents	On the top right corner of the chat, you can find a button to transfer the current chat to other agents.*Only available agents will show up here