E-commerce
June 28, 2026
A commercial gesture can repair a bad experience, but it can also create misunderstanding if the criteria are not clear. The customer wants to know why a discount, a credit note, or a gift is offered, and why sometimes nothing is possible.
The chatbot must explain the options available according to the policy, gather the context, and transfer situations that require a human decision. It must not promise a benefit solely to calm the conversation.
This guide shows how to manage commercial gestures with consistency and respect for the customer.
Summary
Why should commercial gestures be regulated?
A commercial gesture touches upon trust and fairness. Two customers in similar situations must receive a consistent response, even if each case retains its own unique characteristics.
Without a framework, support can provide different answers depending on the channel, the agent, or the level of customer insistence. This creates more tension in the long run.
A commercial gesture is only useful if it repairs an experience without becoming an improvised promise.
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What types of gestures can be distinguished?
A distinction must be made between immediate discount, credit note, partial refund, gift, free delivery, discount code, and replacement. Each option meets a different situation.
A credit note may be suitable after a slight delay, while a partial refund may be more appropriate for a damaged product kept by the customer. The chatbot must explain the logic without internal jargon.
Which criteria to check?
The bot must check the order, the problem, the evidence, the timeframe, the return policy, the customer history, previous goodwill gestures, brand liability, and the value of the request.
It must also recognize sensitive situations: unkept promises, very late delivery, product errors, double payments, or particularly bad experiences.
How to respond without promising too soon?
The chatbot can say that it is checking the available options instead of immediately announcing compensation. This formulation leaves the door open without creating an unvalidated commercial debt.
If the case exceeds the automatic rules, the bot must forward the file with the evidence and the customer's expectations.
How can the windfall effect be avoided?
The framework must prevent gestures from being granted only to the most persistent customers. The bot must apply the same criteria to comparable situations and keep a record of decisions.
This consistency also protects human agents, who take over a case with a clear view of what has already been proposed or refused.
Which flow to follow?
The flow must start from the actual problem, not the requested compensation.
Identify order, incident, evidence, delay, customer impact and gesture requested.
Verify the applicable policy, gestures already granted, and liability.
Only offer automatically authorized options if they exist.
Clearly explain why an option is possible, limited, or impossible.
Escalate out-of-rule gestures, disputes, highly unsatisfied customers, and high amounts.
Which messages should be used?
To set boundaries: "I will check the options available for this type of situation before confirming a gesture."
To explain: "In this case, the available option is a credit note, because the order was correctly delivered but with a confirmed delay."
To transfer: "Your request falls outside the automatic framework; I am forwarding the file with the elements already provided."
When to transfer?
Transfer is necessary if the customer disputes a refusal, if the amount is high, if multiple incidents accumulate, if a promise was made by an agent, or if the requested gesture is not covered by the policy.
The bot must transmit the order, incident, evidence, impact, requested gesture, consulted rule, history, and tone of the conversation.
Which KPIs should be monitored?
Track gestures granted by reason, contested refusals, amounts, repurchases after gesture, satisfaction, detected abuses, unkept promises, and manager escalations.
This data allows for rules to be adjusted without losing commercial control.
Which mistakes should be avoided?
Avoid promising a discount to calm the customer down, treating similar cases differently, forgetting the history, or refusing without explaining the rule.
The commercial gesture must be clear, proportionate, and trackable.
How can Qstomy help?
Qstomy can connect the chatbot to the catalog, stocks, pre-orders, commercial gesture rules, prices, companion apps, accessory compatibilities, warranties, and support procedures to respond clearly, and then transfer sensitive cases with an actionable summary.
The chatbot helps the customer move forward without inventing a availability date, a discount, a compatibility, a crossed-out price, or a technical solution that has yet to be confirmed by a reliable source.
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Key takeaways
Key Takeaways
Commercial gestures must follow clear criteria: incident, proof, impact, policy, history, and proportionality.
What the customer must understand
The customer must understand why a discount, a credit note, a gift, or a refusal is being offered.
The right limit for the chatbot
The chatbot can handle simple options, but it must transfer disputes, high amounts, promises, and out-of-rule cases.
Enzo
June 28, 2026
