Choosing a customer service agency for your store: specialist, generalist or in-house?
If you want to outsource the customer service of your store, you have roughly three options: an agency that works for one platform only, a broad customer contact agency that covers many platforms, channels and sectors, or hiring someone yourself. Backbone Customer Service is the first: a Dutch agency that works only for Shopify stores. Below the three sit side by side, including when another option suits you better than we do.
The three options side by side
The "broad customer contact agency" column describes what we usually see in the market. It differs per agency, so check it in the quote.
| Aspect | Shopify specialist (Backbone) | Broad customer contact agency | In-house team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Exclusively Shopify stores and e-commerce brands | Many sectors: e-commerce, retail, B2B, services | Your store only |
| Platform knowledge | Shopify, Shopify Payments and the common apps, every day | Multiple platforms and often marketplaces; knowledge per platform less deep | As deep as you build it yourself |
| Channels | Email, live chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger; phone in the proposal where it fits | Broad, often including phone and Google Business | Whatever you can staff |
| Availability | Monday to Saturday 07:00-23:00 CET, all channels | Differs per agency; email often only on weekdays during office hours | Office hours, unless you set up shifts |
| Helpdesk software | Zendesk Enterprise, included and configured by us; every Shopify order connected | Usually in the tool you already have; licenses at your expense | Choose, pay for and maintain it yourself |
| Payment disputes | Part of the service: Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Klarna, Whop, Ocean Payments and other payment providers | Rarely included, sometimes as a separate service | Do it yourself, often under time pressure |
| Reporting | Four real-time dashboards plus automatic reports: refunds, dispute rates, contact reasons | Differs, often a monthly report | Whatever you build |
| Pricing model | One custom proposal per store | Per hour, per contact, per FTE or on quote | Payroll plus software and management |
| Absorbing peaks | Agents plus AI, capacity scales with you | Depends on the agency's pool | Overtime or backlog |
| Time to live | Usually 3 days, complex 1 to 2 weeks | Weeks, depending on onboarding and tooling | Weeks to months: hiring, training and setup |
When each option fits better
A broad customer contact agency probably fits better if you
- sell on WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed or a marketplace such as Bol.com or Amazon next to Shopify
- have phone as your main channel, or want to outsource B2B customer contact as well
- want to keep working in your own helpdesk tool and carry the licenses yourself
- are also looking for recruitment, training or staffing of employees
An in-house team probably fits better if you
- have enough tickets in one language to keep several people busy full time, during office hours
- see customer service as a core activity you want to manage and develop yourself
Backbone probably fits better if you
- run a Shopify store or Shopify brand and want a team that works only in that
- want to be reachable early in the morning and late in the evening on email, chat and social, Monday to Saturday
- do not want to carry Zendesk Enterprise, the Shopify integration and their maintenance yourself
- want payment disputes from all your payment providers handled by the same team that runs your inbox
- want to watch tickets, refunds and disputes in real time, and know why customers get in touch
- prefer short lines: your own Slack channel with the team and direct contact with the founders
Almost every agency now combines people with AI, so that is not where the difference sits. A broad agency can do many different things. We do one thing well, and on that one platform we also take the software, the integrations, the disputes and the reporting off your hands.
Five questions for any customer service agency
- Who does the work, and where?Fixed agents or a rotating pool? Ask about the team your store will get.
- What is included?Helpdesk licenses, integrations, disputes, returns, reporting, opening hours and languages. A lower rate that leaves these out is often more expensive.
- How is quality measured?CSAT per ticket, response time per SLA, dispute rate, and whether you can see those numbers yourself in real time.
- How fast are you live, and how fast can you leave?Setup in days or weeks, and what happens to your macros and history if you stop.
- How exactly does AI work?Which questions AI handles, who checks that, and what happens when AI is not sure.
These factors drive the cost and this is what Backbone takes over for Shopify stores.
Is Backbone an alternative to a broad customer contact agency?
For Shopify stores, yes. We take over email, chat, social DMs and payment disputes with a fixed team and AI, including Zendesk Enterprise and reporting. If you also sell on other platforms or marketplaces, or want phone as your main channel, a broad agency makes more sense.
Can I switch from another agency to Backbone?
Yes. We configure a new Zendesk Enterprise environment, bring your macros and knowledge base along and connect your Shopify store(s). Most stores are live within three days. We plan the handover so there is no gap in availability.
Does Backbone also work with WooCommerce, Magento or Lightspeed?
No. Backbone works exclusively for stores on Shopify. That choice is deliberate, because it is why our agents know the order flow, Shopify Payments and the common apps inside out and why the integrations and dashboards are set up in days.
Why would you be better than a larger agency?
Not necessarily better, but different. A larger agency offers breadth, we offer depth on Shopify: every order connected in Zendesk, disputes from all your payment providers in one overview, automatic reports on refunds and contact reasons, and a team you can reach directly. Which of the two you need depends on your store.
Related pages
Curious what this looks like for your store?
Book a free 30-minute call. You talk to Jeffrey directly.