Step 1 — Install the app
Open the supportif.ai listing in the Shopify App Store and click Install. Shopify shows you the permissions the app requests — supportif.ai needs read access to products, orders and customers so the AI can answer accurately, and write access for the actions you approve (refunds, cancellations, discount codes). Confirm, and the app opens embedded in your Shopify admin.
Step 2 — Choose your plan
On first launch you pick between Free (no subscription; AI usage billed at provider cost +30% via Shopify, with a spending cap you set) and Pro ($99/month; bring your own OpenAI/Anthropic API keys, zero usage fees). Not sure? Start on Free — you can switch anytime, and the billing guide explains when Pro pays off. Shopify's standard approval dialog confirms your choice and cap.
Step 3 — Connect your support mailbox
Go to Settings → Mailboxes → Add mailbox. If you use Gmail or Google Workspace, click Sign in with Google and approve the OAuth prompt — done in 30 seconds. For all other providers, pick a preset (Outlook, GMX, IONOS, Zoho, World4You) or enter IMAP/SMTP details manually. The full walkthrough for every scenario is in Connect Your Email.
After connecting, supportif.ai imports your recent email history. Remember the cutoff rule: old emails are used for learning only — the AI never auto-replies to conversations that started before this moment.
Step 4 — Link Telegram (optional but recommended)
If you want to approve escalations from your phone, set up a Telegram bot for your mailbox. It takes five minutes with BotFather, and our Telegram guide covers each step. You can skip this now and add it later — everything also works in the Shopify admin alone.
Step 5 — Review the AI settings and go live
Open Settings → AI and check three things:
- Automation level — start with suggest-only if you want to review every draft first, or go straight to full automation.
- Confidence threshold — 85 is a sensible starting point; details in the AI settings guide.
- Tone of voice — pick “like my previous emails” to use the learned style guide, and decide whether emojis are allowed.
That's it. The next customer email that arrives will be triaged automatically: simple questions get answered and marked “Answered by AI”, complex cases receive an acknowledgement with a ticket number and appear in your Tickets view with a full analysis, a reply draft and prepared Shopify actions — waiting for your one-click approval.
What to do in your first week
- Watch the inbox and tickets daily; edit any drafts that miss your tone — every correction improves the style guide.
- Browse Knowledge to see what the AI learned from your shop data and history; deactivate anything that's outdated.
- Once edit rates drop, raise automation: lower the confidence threshold gradually or switch from suggest-only to full automation.