Gorgias automation add on: A complete 2025 overview

If you're in the e-commerce game, you know the feeling. Your customer support queue is a never-ending stream of the same questions. "Where's my order?" "Can I make a return?" "How much is shipping?" It’s a groundhog day that can wear out even the best support agents and leave customers tapping their fingers waiting for simple answers.

Automation seems like the perfect answer. It can give customers the instant gratification they want and free up your team for the trickier conversations that actually build loyalty and drive sales. And when you look into automation, the Gorgias Automation Add On is a name that pops up a lot.

But what is it, really? How much does it actually cost, and is it the right fit for your business? Let's cut through the jargon and get you a straight answer. This guide will walk you through what the Gorgias Automation Add On (now part of Gorgias Automate and AI Agent) is all about, from features and setup to the pricing and limitations you need to understand before you sign up.

What is the Gorgias Automation Add On?

First, let's get the name straight. What used to be called the "Automation Add-on" from Gorgias has since been split into two main products: Gorgias Automate and the AI Agent. The name might be different, but the goal is the same: to handle common, repetitive questions so customers can get answers on their own.

The idea is to resolve straightforward questions through self-service options in your chat widget, help center, or even via email, without a human needing to get involved. This means you can offer basic support around the clock. When a customer asks, "Where is my order?" (WISMO) at 2 AM, they can get an answer without waking anyone on your team up.

Behind the scenes, it uses intent detection to figure out what a customer is asking. If an email comes in about an order status, the system recognizes it, automatically replies with the tracking info, and closes the ticket. It often never even makes it into an agent's queue.

A screenshot of the Gorgias helpdesk showing the AI assistant automatically replying to a customer's order status query with tracking information.

Gorgias Automation Add On: Key features and capabilities

The Gorgias automation suite comes with a few different tools to handle various parts of the customer journey. Here’s a look at what you’re actually getting.

Self-service order management

This is probably the biggest time-saver for e-commerce brands. It lets customers manage their own orders right from your chat widget or help center, which is a win-win for everyone. Instead of waiting for an agent, they can:

• Track an order: Get live shipping updates and tracking links on their own.

• Start a return: Kick off the return process themselves, following the rules you set (like being within a 30-day window).

• Cancel an order: Put in a cancellation request, as long as the order hasn't been fulfilled yet.

• Report an issue: Use guided flows for common problems, like entering the wrong shipping address or forgetting to add a discount code. This creates a ticket with all the details, so if an agent does need to step in, they have the full story from the start.

Quick response flows

We've all been there, you're about to click "buy" but have one last question. Quick response flows are built to answer those common pre-sale questions on the spot.

You can set up buttons in your chat for FAQs like "What's your shipping policy?" or "How do I wash this?". When a customer clicks, they get an instant, pre-written answer. The chat then follows up to ask if the answer was helpful. If they say no, a ticket is created for a human to take over. It's a simple way to smooth out the buying journey and grab sales that might have otherwise slipped away.

Autoresponders and AI agent actions

On the email side, Gorgias uses intent detection to power its autoresponders. It can spot common questions and fire back a templated reply without human intervention. For the classic WISMO request, this means sending the tracking link and marking the ticket as resolved.

The next level up is a feature of the AI Agent called Actions. This lets the AI do more than just send info; it can actually perform tasks in other tools you've connected, like Shopify or ShipStation. For instance, it could cancel an order in Shopify for a customer or update a delivery address in your shipping software.

A view of the Gorgias interface showing how AI Agent Actions can be configured to perform tasks in connected applications like Shopify.

While these Actions are pretty neat, they usually require the customer to confirm the change before it goes through. This adds a layer of security but also shows that the system is more of an assistant than a fully independent worker. It’s designed to help your agents move faster, not necessarily to replace them.

How to set up the Gorgias Automation Add On

Getting Gorgias automation up and running isn’t a one-click affair. It’s more of a configuration process to get all the pieces talking to your store correctly.

Generally, you'll go through these steps:

1. Enable the add-on: You'll start in your Gorgias settings and subscribe to a plan that includes the automation tools you want.

2. Integrate with chat: Next, you'll connect the self-service portal to your Gorgias chat widget so the order management options show up for customers.

3. Configure flows: This is where you'll spend some time. You'll need to set up your quick responses and customize the "Report an Issue" options to cover the most common problems your customers have.

4. Activate autoresponders: Lastly, you’ll switch on the pre-built rules for handling automated email replies for things like order tracking.

Getting these rules and flows just right can involve a lot of trial and error. Honestly, it can be a bit of a slog. If you're looking for a faster path, modern AI platforms are built to simplify this. For example, eesel AI lets you connect your helpdesk and knowledge sources in just a few clicks, so you can go live in minutes instead of spending weeks fine-tuning rules.

Gorgias Automation Add On pricing explained

Okay, this is where it can get a little confusing. Gorgias has a ticket-based pricing model, and its automation features come with an extra, variable cost that can be tough to predict.

First, you pick a base plan that gives you a set number of "billable tickets" each month. A billable ticket is basically any conversation that gets a response from an agent, a rule, or the AI. If you go over your monthly limit, you start paying overage fees.

On top of that, the AI Agent has its own price tag for each "automated interaction." According to their pricing page, this works out to between $0.90 and $1.00 for every ticket the AI resolves on its own. This means your monthly bill can jump around quite a bit, making budgeting a challenge. Run a successful sale, and your support costs will shoot up right along with your revenue.

Here’s a rough idea of how the costs can pile up:

Plan Tier	Base Monthly Price (example)	Included Tickets	Overage Cost (per 100 tickets)	AI Agent Cost (per interaction)
Basic	$50	300	$40	$1.00
Pro	$300	2,000	$36	$0.90
Advanced	$750	5,000	$36	$0.90

This pricing structure is a major headache for a lot of growing brands. For teams that need a predictable monthly bill, other solutions offer a much clearer picture. eesel AI, for instance, has plans based on features and overall capacity, not per-resolution fees. You get a flat, transparent price, so you won't get an unpleasant surprise on your invoice after a busy month.

Limitations and when to look for an alternative

While the Gorgias automation tools are a decent first step for handling the basics, they have some pretty big limitations, especially if you're looking to scale with more advanced AI.

Here are a few key drawbacks to keep in mind:

• It still needs hand-holding: The Gorgias AI is designed to be an assistant, not a fully autonomous agent. Most of its actions need to be double-checked by a human or confirmed by the customer. This limits how much it can truly reduce your team's workload.

• It only learns from a few places: The AI pulls its knowledge primarily from your Gorgias help center and Shopify data. It can't easily connect to and learn from all your company's knowledge, like internal guides in Confluence, process documents in Google Docs, or, most importantly, the subtle lessons buried in thousands of past support tickets.

• The costs are unpredictable: The mix of ticket-based plans, overage fees, and per-interaction AI charges turns budgeting into a guessing game. Your support spending is tied directly to your ticket volume, which basically penalizes you for growing.

• Customization is limited: You can set up self-service flows, but the AI's core behavior isn't very flexible. You're stuck working within the guardrails Gorgias has set, which might not work for your specific operational needs.

This is the point where a more powerful platform becomes a necessity. Tools like eesel AI are designed to solve these exact problems. eesel gives you fully autonomous agents that can handle issues from start to finish. It unifies all of your company knowledge to give more accurate answers and even has a powerful simulation mode. This lets you test the AI on thousands of your past tickets, risk-free, so you can see exactly how it will perform before you turn it on for your customers.

Gorgias Automation Add On: Good for starters, but scaling requires more power

So, what's the verdict? The Gorgias Automation Add On is a respectable starting point for Shopify-based brands wanting to test the waters of automation. It does a fine job handling basic WISMO requests and provides simple self-service options that can deflect a chunk of your repetitive questions.

But as your business grows, its limitations can become a real bottleneck. The complicated and unpredictable pricing, the AI's need for supervision, and its inability to learn from all your knowledge sources mean you’ll likely hit a ceiling.

For businesses serious about building a smart, cost-effective, and truly autonomous support strategy, it's worth looking beyond your helpdesk's built-in tools. If you're ready to go beyond basic deflection and see what automation can really do, eesel AI offers a powerful, self-serve platform that works with your existing tools to create a better experience for your customers and your team.