How to Create a Shopify Omnichannel Customer Support Inbox App.pdf

Learn to create a Shopify omnichannel customer support inbox app. Streamline your customer interactions and improve service efficiency with our comprehensive guide.

1. HOW TO CREATE A SHOPIFY
OMNICHANNELOMNICHANNEL
CUSTOMERCUSTOMER
SUPPORTSUPPORT
INBOX APPINBOX APP
www.elightwalk.com

2. Aggregate messages from many channels, like email,
Amazon, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram, into a single inbox. All in one dashboard for
all channels without switching Slack or other
platforms. The app can auto-respond and tag
messages for easy organization. Businesses of all sizes
can use the app to streamline communication and
improve efficiency.
Automated responses, message tagging, and
ticket management capabilities help businesses
stay organized and focus on important messages
within the app's dashboard.
With AI integration, the app can provide more
personalized and efficient responses to customers
across various communication channels.
1. Define the scope and features1. Define the scope and features

3. Multi-Channel SupportMulti-Channel Support
Integrate with Gmail, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Facebook, and Instagram. The app can streamline
communication and improve response times across
many channels.
Analytics and Reporting:
Provide insights on support metrics, such as response
time and customer satisfaction. Customization lets
users tailor the app to their organization's needs.

4. 2. Plan User Experience2. Plan User Experience
Identify Primary Users:
Customer Support Agents: They need a clear and
efficient interface to manage and respond to customer
inquiries. Streamline workflows. Provide quick access to
customer info. This will boost productivity.
Store Managers: They may need access to analytics and
insights into customer interactions and support
performance.
Regional Managers: They may need to see multiple stores
to track trends and ensure consistency.

5. 3. Map Out User Journeys3. Map Out User Journeys
Log in to the app and access a
unified dashboard.
View an overview of all incoming
messages and support tickets.
Access a consolidated inbox
displaying messages from various
channels (email, chat, social media).
Online shops should have search and
filtering capabilities to efficiently
manage thousands of daily inquiries,
as proper organization can save time
and improve customer data.
Open and respond to individual
messages or tickets.
View customer profile information,
previous interactions, and order
history.
Create, update, and assign tickets.
Make better use of categories and
tags to prioritize and organize tasks.
Set up and manage automated
replies and responses.
Get an overview of key performance
indicators, including average response
time and customer satisfaction scores.
Look for patterns and figure out how to
make customer support better.
Login and Dashboard:
Customer Interaction
Reporting and Analytics:
Inbox Management:
Filter and search:
Automated Responses:
Ticket Management:

6. 4. Set Up Your Development Environment4. Set Up Your Development Environment
Collaboration with Shopify Partner process steps and
unites data in harmony.
Create a Shopify Partner Account: Register for a
Shopify Partner account to access development tools
and resources.
Create a Development Store: Set up a development
store for testing and integration.
Choose Your Technology Stack:
Backend: Decide on a backend framework from
Node.js, Ruby on Rails, or Python.
Frontend: Select a frontend framework or library like
React, Vue.js, or Angular.
Database: Select a database solution if needed.
PostgreSQL, MongoDB

7. 5. Develop the App5. Develop the App
Install the Shopify CLI, which helps you scaffold
apps, serve them locally, and manage various
aspects of app development. npm install -g @shopify/cli
Step 1: Create a New Shopify App
shopify app create node
cd your-app-name
Start the development server and expose
it to the internet using ngrok (Shopify
requires HTTPS for communication).
shopify app serve
Run Your App Locally:
Install Shopify CLI:

8. Set Up OAuth AuthenticationSet Up OAuth Authentication
Configure OAuth:
Shopify apps require OAuth 2.0 for authentication. Implement
Shopify's OAuth authentication to allow stores to install your app
Create the /auth/callback endpoint in your app:
app.get('/auth/callback', async (req, res) => {
const session = await Shopify.Auth.validateAuthCallback(req, res, req.query);
// Store the session in the database for future use.
res.redirect('/'); // Redirect back to your app's main page.
});
Store session tokens:
Save the session token securely, which will be used for subsequent API calls to Shopify.
Design the Unified Inbox Interface
Set up your frontend using a modern framework like React.js. You can start with a simple inbox interface:

9. Create an API endpoint to fetch customer
messages from different platforms:
app.get('/api/messages', async (req, res) => {
const messages = await getMessagesFromChannels(); // This function
will fetch messages from integrated channels.
res.json(messages);
});
Backend API for MessagesBackend API for Messages

10. Email Integration
const {google} = require('googleapis');
async function fetchEmails() {
const auth = new google.auth.OAuth2(CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, REDIRECT_URL);
const gmail = google.gmail({version: 'v1', auth});
const res = await gmail.users.messages.list({
userId: 'me',
labelIds: 'INBOX',
maxResults: 10,
});
return res.data.messages;
}
Step 4: Integrate Communication ChannelsStep 4: Integrate Communication Channels
Use an email API (like SendGrid or Gmail API) to fetch and send
emails. Example of fetching emails using Gmail API

11. const axios = require('axios');
async function fetchChats() {
const response = await axios.get('https://api.intercom.io/conversations', {
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${INTERCOM_ACCESS_TOKEN}`
}
});
return response.data.conversations;
}
Integrate with chat platforms like Intercom
or Zendesk via their APIs to fetch live chat
conversations:
Live Chat Integration:
Social Media Integration
Use Facebook Messenger API or
Twitter API to manage conversations
from social media:
const fetchFacebookMessages = async () => {
const response = await axios.get(
`https://graph.facebook.com/v10.0/me/messages?
access_token=${FACEBOOK_PAGE_ACCESS_TOKEN}`
);
return response.data.data;
};

12. Use the Shopify Admin API to fetch
customer details and order history:
Step 5: Build Customer ProfilesStep 5: Build Customer Profiles
Display Customer Profiles in the Inbox:
When a support agent clicks on a message, show the
customer’s profile, including past orders and previous
conversations.
app.get('/api/customers/:id', async (req, res) => {
const customerId = req.params.id;
const session = await Shopify.Utils.loadOfflineSession(customerId);
const client = new Shopify.Clients.Rest(session.shop,
session.accessToken);
const customer = await client.get({
path: `customers/${customerId}`,
});
res.json(customer.body);
});

13. const CustomerProfile = ({ customerId }) => {
const [customer, setCustomer] = useState(null);
useEffect(() => {
fetch(`/api/customers/${customerId}`)
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => setCustomer(data));
}, [customerId]);
if (!customer) return <div>Loading...</div>;
return (
<div>
<h2>{customer.first_name} {customer.last_name}</h2>
<p>Email: {customer.email}</p>
<p>Total Orders: {customer.orders_count}</p>
</div>
);
};

14. Step: 6Step: 6
Add Automated Responses andAdd Automated Responses and
Ticket ManagementTicket Management
Automated Responses:
Implement automation rules for responding to
messages. For instance, send a "thank you"
message after a user submits a query:
Ticket System:
Implement ticket creation and status updates. Each
message can be converted into a ticket for tracking
purposes:
app.post('/api/messages', async (req, res) => {
const message = req.body.message;
if (message.content.includes('order status')) {
await sendAutomatedResponse(message.customerId, 'Your order is
being processed.');
}
res.sendStatus(200);
});
async function sendAutomatedResponse(customerId, responseText) {
// Logic to send an automated message back to the customer
}
app.post('/api/tickets', async (req, res) => {
const ticket = {
customerId: req.body.customerId,
status: 'open',
createdAt: new Date(),
};
await saveTicket(ticket); // Save the ticket in your database.
res.json(ticket);
});

15. Step: 7Step: 7
Implement Analytics & ReportingImplement Analytics & Reporting
Tracking Metrics:
Collect data on response times, ticket resolution
times, and customer satisfaction using your database.
Example of calculating average response time:
Generate Reports:
Provide visual representations of customer support
performance (e.g., using charting libraries like
Chart.js):
app.get('/api/analytics/response-time', async (req, res) => {
const responseTimes = await getResponseTimes(); // Get response times
from the database.
const avgResponseTime = responseTimes.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0) /
responseTimes.length;
res.json({ avgResponseTime });
});
const AnalyticsDashboard = () => {
const [responseTime, setResponseTime] = useState(null);
useEffect(() => {
fetch('/api/analytics/response-time')
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => setResponseTime(data.avgResponseTime));
}, []);
return (
<div>
<h3>Average Response Time: {responseTime} minutes</h3>
</div>
);
};

16. Put your Shopify development store through its paces to see how
well the app works.
Verify accurate customer data retrieval and seamless operation of
all integrated communication channels.
Building a Shopify Omnichannel Customer Support Inbox App
requires careful planning, integration of multiple APIs, and efficient
UX design. By following the steps outlined, you can create a robust
platform that allows customer support agents and store managers
to manage all communication in one place, streamline workflows,
and provide personalized customer support.
Step 8: Testing and Launching
Testing:

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