How to use AI with Gorgias for returns and exchanges: 2025 guide

Let's be honest, processing returns and exchanges is a necessary evil for any ecommerce business. Every minute your support team spends digging up order details, explaining the same policies over and over, and sending return portal links is a minute they aren't helping a customer with a trickier, more valuable problem.

The good news? You can automate a huge slice of this repetitive work. If you're using Gorgias as your helpdesk, you already have some AI tools at your fingertips. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to use AI with Gorgias for returns and exchanges. We'll start with the built-in features and then show you a much more powerful way to build a smooth, automated workflow that actually works for your brand.

What you'll need to get started

Before we jump in, let's get our ducks in a row. This whole process works best when you combine your helpdesk with a dedicated returns platform and a smart AI tool that ties everything together.

• A Gorgias account: Obviously! This guide is all about automating workflows inside the Gorgias helpdesk.

• A returns management platform account: You'll need a tool like Loop Returns, AfterShip Returns, or ReturnGO to handle the backend logistics. Make sure you have admin access to grab an API key.

• An AI automation platform: While Gorgias has its own AI Agent, a dedicated platform like eesel AI gives you a lot more flexibility and control. Plus, the setup is much easier, and you don't need to be a developer. We'll use it to build out our advanced workflow.

How to automate returns in Gorgias with AI

Alright, let's get into the details. We'll start with the native Gorgias method and then level up with a more advanced solution.

Method 1: Using the native Gorgias AI agent

Gorgias's built-in AI Agent can manage some basic automation by connecting to your other apps through what it calls "Actions." It’s a decent starting point if your needs are pretty straightforward.

1. Generate an API key from your returns platform:

   • First, log into your returns platform (like Loop or AfterShip).

   • Head over to the settings or developer section and look for the API keys menu.

   • Generate a new API key with permission to read order and return data, then copy it. Think of this key as a secure handshake that lets Gorgias ask your returns app for information on your behalf.

2. Create an "Action" in Gorgias:

   • In your Gorgias admin panel, go to "AI Agent" > "Support Actions".

   • Click "Create from template" and search for your returns platform (e.g., "Send Loop Returns portal deep link").

   • It will then ask you to authenticate by pasting in the API key you just copied.

3. Configure the action's conditions:

   • Once connected, you can set the rules for when the Action should trigger. For example, if you have a 30-day return window, you can set a condition like "Order Date is less than 30 days ago".

   • This tells the AI Agent to only send a return link for eligible orders. Anything outside those rules gets left for your human team to review.

The native approach works for simple cases, but it can feel a bit rigid. You're mostly stuck with the pre-built templates, and if you want to customize the AI's logic or pull answers from multiple knowledge sources, you’ll likely hit a wall. This is where a more flexible tool comes in handy.

Method 2: Building an advanced workflow with eesel AI

If you want total control and a smarter AI, bringing in a tool like eesel AI is the way to go. It plugs right into Gorgias, letting you build custom workflows in minutes, and it learns from all your existing company knowledge.

1. Connect eesel AI

Some tools require you to sit through long sales calls and complicated onboarding sessions. With eesel AI, you can get everything connected yourself with just a few clicks.

• First, sign up for an eesel AI account.

• In the dashboard, go to Sources and click "Add Source."

• Select Gorgias and authorize the connection. This lets eesel AI read your past tickets to automatically learn your brand's voice and see how you’ve solved similar issues before.

• Next, connect your other knowledge sources. This part is a game changer. You can add your public Help Center, internal Confluence pages, Google Docs with return policies, or even Notion databases. The AI pulls all this knowledge together instantly, so it always has the most accurate info before talking to a customer.