If you run a Shopify store, your phone is probably both a valuable tool and a major distraction.
A call can be a great way to connect with a customer and build loyalty. But calls can also derail your entire day, and a missed call often means a missed sale.
It's tough to offer solid phone support all the time, especially after business hours. Customers can end up feeling ignored, which is a quick way to lose business.
In this guide, we'll walk through what a Shopify calling integration is, the different kinds you can get, and what to look for. We'll also compare a few popular options to help you find the right fit.
Understanding Shopify calling integrations
A Shopify calling integration isn't just about putting a phone number on your website. It's a system that connects your phone directly to the backend of your Shopify store, making every call smarter.
When a customer calls, a good integration pulls up their entire profile instantly. You can see their name, order history, and shipping status before you even say "hello." This means you can give them quick, personal help without asking them to repeat their order number.
Contrast that with a regular VoIP phone that's not linked to your store. Your support team is stuck asking for an order number, opening a new tab, searching in Shopify, and flipping back and forth. It's slow, awkward, and not a great experience for the customer.
The goal is to turn your phone into a tool that uses your store's data to make support better and customers happier.
Types of Shopify calling integrations
You have a few options for adding phone support to your Shopify store, each with its own level of tech and automation. Let's look at the main types.
Simple click-to-call buttons
These are a very basic solution. Apps like SimpleCall or World Phone Call Button add a small floating button to your site. A customer on their phone taps it, and it opens their dialer with your number already in it.
They're suitable for tiny businesses or one-person shops who just want to make it slightly easier for people to call.
The main drawback is the lack of connection to your Shopify data.
When someone calls, you won't know who they are or what they bought. It functions primarily as a link to dial and does not integrate with your Shopify data to enhance the support experience.
Helpdesk and VoIP platforms with Shopify integrations
This group includes customer service platforms like Gorgias, Aircall, or Richpanel.
They're built to pull all your customer chats, emails, and social media messages into one spot, with phone support as one of the features. The idea is to give your agents one screen with all the customer info they need.
These platforms work well for stores that already have a support team and need a central place to manage communications. An agent can see a customer's full history, including old emails and chats, while on a call with them.
However, these systems are tools for human agents and do not automate the call itself, so you still need people available to answer.
The effectiveness of these platforms can also hinge on the quality of their Shopify integration. For example, some user reviews on the Shopify App Store for Aircall's integration mention challenges with reliability and support.
Dedicated AI phone agents
This is a more recent and automated approach. A dedicated AI phone agent, like Seth from Ringly.io, works as your main phone support representative. It's designed to solve customer problems by itself.
It uses AI to understand what a customer is saying, connects to your Shopify store to check order details or start a return, and then responds in a natural-sounding voice.
It’s made to handle the most common questions from beginning to end.
This is a useful option for stores that want to offer 24/7 phone support without hiring a large team. It can answer "Where is my order?" or "How do I make a return?" on its own.
That lets your team handle the trickier conversations that really need a person.
Key features to look for in a calling integration
Before you decide on a tool, it's good to know which features are most important. Here’s a quick list of what to look for.
- Deep Shopify integration: The system should do more than just show a customer's name. It needs real-time access to order info, tracking numbers, product details, and return status to give correct answers.
- 24/7 availability: Customers have questions at all hours, not just 9-to-5. A good solution should offer support around the clock. An automated agent that can resolve a problem at 2 AM offers a different approach than a system that creates a ticket for your team to handle in the morning.
- Autonomous resolution rate: The tool shouldn't just connect calls; it should solve them. Look for platforms that can demonstrate they handle a high percentage of calls without human involvement. For example, tools like Ringly.io are designed to resolve up to 73% of calls on their own.
- Ease of setup: You're busy running a store, not an IT department. The right tool should be ready to go in minutes without you needing to hire a developer. A quick Shopify app install and a few clicks should be enough.
- Call analytics and insights: The platform should tell you why people are calling. Good analytics show you call volume, common questions, and how many calls get resolved. This data can help you spot patterns and improve your store.
A comparison of popular calling integrations
Let's compare a few popular options to see how they measure up.
Gorgias
Gorgias is a well-known helpdesk in the Shopify ecosystem. It's recognized for its deep integration that pulls all customer data into one timeline for agents.
If you want a single tool to manage all your support channels, it's a strong contender. Its AI Agent can also automate up to 60% of text-based support like emails and chats.
It's a great fit for teams who need one platform for everything: email, chat, social media, and phone. The Shopify integration is top-notch for giving human agents the context they need to solve problems.
However, Gorgias Voice is an add-on, not a standalone automated tool. Its AI is effective for text, but the phone feature is mainly there to route calls to your team and provide them with information, not to resolve calls on its own.
Pricing: Starts at $50/month for the Basic plan, which covers 300 tickets. Voice and SMS are extra.
Aircall
Aircall is a cloud phone system that recently added an AI Voice Agent to qualify inbound calls 24/7. It connects with many different platforms, including Shopify.
It provides a standard VoIP phone system with features like call recording and analytics. The AI agent can assist when your team is busy or offline.
When considering this option, it's advisable to check recent reviews on the Shopify App Store, as some users have reported issues with the integration's stability.
It's also important to note their pricing often has a three-user minimum, which can affect the starting cost.
Pricing: Starts at $30 per user/month (billed annually), but the user minimum is a key factor. The Shopify App Store shows the starting plan at $120/month.
Richpanel
Richpanel is an e-commerce helpdesk focused on self-service. The main idea is to reduce support tickets by 30% by giving customers a portal to solve their own issues, like tracking an order or starting a return.
It's a good option if you want to prevent common questions from becoming support tickets. The self-service widget is quite effective, and it handles phone calls through an integration with Aircall.
The platform isn't focused on automating voice support. The phone feature is one piece of a larger system for human agents. It helps you manage calls, but it won't resolve them for you with an AI voice.
Pricing: The Help Desk plan starts at $29/user/month. The Self-Service Portal is priced separately, starting around $99/month depending on your store's order volume.
Ringly.io
Ringly.io offers a different model. It provides your store with an AI phone agent named Seth, who is built to be the first point of contact and resolve calls for your Shopify store.
It was created to do one thing well: automate repetitive support calls. Seth can answer "Where is my order?", manage returns and exchanges, and answer FAQs 24/7 in over 40 languages.
He is designed to solve problems, not just pass them off to a person. If a call gets too complicated, it's handed off smoothly to your team.
This approach is designed to address common phone support challenges, such as call volume and 24/7 availability. With a proven average resolution rate of 73%, it can reduce a team's workload. You can set it up in about three minutes.
Pricing: Ringly.io has a unique guarantee: you don't pay until the AI resolves at least 60% of your first 100 calls. After that, the Grow Plan is $349/month for 1,000 call minutes, with other plans available.
How to choose the right integration for your store
The best option depends on what your store needs. If you have a large team and want one system to manage every conversation, a helpdesk like Gorgias is a solid choice.
For a business focused on a phone system for internal sales or support teams, Aircall could be an option.
For stores looking to provide scalable phone support without significantly increasing staff, an automated solution is a strong alternative.
Traditional helpdesk systems equip teams to manage calls efficiently, while a dedicated AI phone agent is built to resolve them autonomously.
By handling most of the repetitive questions on its own, an AI agent lets your team focus on the conversations that truly require a person.
This means you can offer great, 24/7 service that scales with your business, not your headcount.
For a hands-on look at how AI can transform your customer service, check out this video on automating Shopify support without needing any code.
This tutorial shows how to automate Shopify customer service with AI, no coding required.
Start your free trial and get your AI phone rep set up in just three minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a good calling integration for a small team?
For a small team, an option that automates repetitive calls can be very effective so you aren't constantly tied to the phone. An AI phone agent can handle common questions like "Where is my order?" on its own, freeing you up to focus on growing the business.
How can I offer 24/7 phone support?
To offer 24/7 support, an automated solution is almost essential. An AI phone agent is designed to be available around the clock, resolving customer issues at any time of day or night, which is something a human-only team can't do without significant cost.
Does order volume affect which calling integration I should choose?
High order volume usually means high call volume. If you're dealing with hundreds or thousands of orders, an AI-powered integration is often a highly scalable choice. It can handle a large number of concurrent calls about order status or returns without getting overwhelmed, a common problem for manual support teams.
What is the easiest type of calling integration to set up?
Ease of setup is crucial. Look for a solution that offers a simple Shopify app installation and doesn't require any code. An AI agent like Seth from Ringly.io, for example, can be set up in just a few minutes, making it a great choice for store owners who aren't developers.
Which integration is best for handling repetitive questions?
If most of your calls are about the same few topics (e.g., order tracking, returns), an AI phone agent is a strong option. These systems are specifically built to autonomously resolve those common questions, which can free up a significant portion of your support team's time.
What if I already use a helpdesk like Gorgias?
If you're already using a helpdesk, you have two main options. You can use their built-in voice feature, which is usually designed to help your human agents manage calls. Alternatively, you can integrate a dedicated AI agent like ringly.io to handle the initial calls and escalate the complex ones back to your team within your helpdesk.
