Want to get the most out of your BigCommerce store?
If you’re a retailer with an online store, you already know that things don’t always go smoothly.
The platform locks up. One of your plugins malfunctions. Or even worse…Your checkout process stops working in the middle of your busiest sales day of the year.
The Problem: Unless you have the right support available to you, a technical issue can cost you thousands in lost sales.
Which is why selecting the right type of support for your BigCommerce store is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a merchant.
What you will learn:
- Why Support Matters For Your Store
- Understanding BigCommerce Support Options
- How To Choose The Right Support Partner
- Maximizing Your Store’s Performance
Why Support Matters For Your Store
Support is about more than just fixing things when they break.
Professional BigCommerce support providers can help you make sure your online store is always performing optimally. That means you can focus on what’s important. Selling products and growing your business.
Support is not an afterthought. When customers can’t complete their purchase or a technical issue ruins their experience, they leave your store and go to your competitors. 9 in 10 American shoppers say they use customer service as a deciding factor when choosing whether or not to do business with a brand.
If your store goes down, you start losing money every minute that it’s offline. Professional BigCommerce support services provide you with experts that you can trust to fix any technical problems quickly before they affect your sales.
Support isn’t just for emergency situations…
Good support can help you optimize your store’s performance, add new features, and gain a competitive edge. It can be the difference between a store that functions well and one that actually thrives.
Understanding BigCommerce Support Options
BigCommerce comes with built-in support for all merchants that use the platform.
In 2024, BigCommerce achieved a 91% satisfaction rate amongst merchants, primarily based on their 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support. These stats are pretty impressive when you compare them to industry averages.
BigCommerce Support Includes:
The BigCommerce team is able to provide support with platform-specific questions, basic troubleshooting, and general guidance. You can access their knowledge base, community forums, and get direct support via multiple channels.
What BigCommerce Support Doesn’t Include:
Support from BigCommerce has its limitations. The company focuses on the platform itself and cannot provide support for your customizations, third-party apps, or other advanced integrations. This is where a third-party support partner comes in.
When you need more than basic support
Ok, let’s be real for a second. Most successful BigCommerce stores will require more than the standard support that comes out of the box with the platform.
Why? Because successful ecommerce stores are complicated. You’ve got custom themes, multiple integrations, marketing automations, specialized functions, and other features that make your store unique.
If something breaks with your custom setup, BigCommerce support might not be able to help you. At best, they will point you in the right direction, but you will still need to work with developers that understand both BigCommerce and your specific configuration.
This is when you need a specialist.
Specialist support partners bring a combination of in-depth BigCommerce expertise, along with development capabilities. They can cover custom development, emergency support, and performance optimization all in one.
How to choose the right support partner
Finding the right support partner isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but you do need to do some research.
When evaluating potential partners, check out their BigCommerce experience. How many stores have they supported? Do they have any BigCommerce certifications? Can they show you examples of their work with other stores?
Also consider:
Response times are more important than you think. A partner that takes two days to get back to you won’t be much use when your checkout breaks on Black Friday. Look for a partner that offers priority support with guaranteed response times.
Communication style is key, too. You want a support partner that can explain technical issues in layman’s terms, not a partner that emails you in paragraphs full of tech jargon. The best partners educate you while they solve your problems.
Proactive support is as important as reactive fixes. The best support partners will monitor your store for issues before they become a problem. They will also offer suggestions for performance improvements.
Types Of Support You Might Need
Support doesn’t all come in the same package.
Stores have different support needs depending on their size, complexity, and stage of development.
Here are the main types:
Emergency support is for those “something broke” moments. Emergency support includes 24/7 availability, guaranteed response times, and access to experts that can step in and resolve urgent issues quickly.
Ongoing maintenance is all about keeping your store in good health. This includes regular updates, security patches, performance monitoring, and small fixes.
Development support is for adding new features and functionality to your store. Need to add a custom calculator? A unique checkout flow? This is the type of support you need.
Strategic support can go beyond technical fixes. This is about optimization, conversion improvements, and guidance on using BigCommerce features to improve your store’s growth.
Getting the most from your support
Having a support partner available is one thing. Knowing how to use them is another.
The best way is to treat your support partner as part of your team. Tell them about your business goals. Keep them up to date on what’s working and what’s not. The more they understand about your business, the better they can serve you.
Keep them informed of any changes you make. If you install a new app or customize something yourself, tell them. This helps them troubleshoot when things go wrong.
Pro tip: Schedule regular check-ins, even when everything seems to be working fine. Use this time to ask questions, discuss performance, and get advice on improvements. Prevention is always better than emergency fixes.
Common Support Scenarios
Wondering what most BigCommerce stores need support with?
Performance issues are at the top of the list. Slow loading times, page lags, or checkout takes too long. Performance problems hurt your conversions and irritate your customers. Good support partners can identify the cause and fix it properly.
Integration issues are another common problem. You install a new app or integrate a service and suddenly something else stops working. Support can help you troubleshoot these issues.
Theme customizations can be tricky and often require expert help. You want to change the way something looks or works, but you’re not sure how without breaking something else. Specialists can make these changes safely and without issue.
Planning for peak season
Here’s a piece of info that many retailers often miss out on…
Support is even more critical during your peak season. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas. These are the times when even minor issues can spiral out of control.
Plan ahead with a pre-season check of your store. Have your support partner give your entire store a check over before the busy period starts. Tackle any potential issues before you’re swamped with orders.
Make sure you have priority support for peak times. Many partners offer enhanced support packages to cover the busy season. It’s more expensive, but it’s worth every penny if a problem could cost you thousands in sales.
Wrapping this up
BigCommerce support can help you keep your store running smoothly and focus on selling and growing your business without worrying about technical issues. Whether you’re using BigCommerce’s own support or have third-party specialist partners, you need to have reliable support available to you.
The key is understanding what type of support you need and finding partners that can provide this support. Don’t wait until you have a problem — set up the proper support before you need it.
Support is an investment in your store, not an expense. The right support partner becomes a valuable asset that helps you avoid downtime, optimize performance, and focus on your core business.
Now you know exactly what to look for with BigCommerce support and how to get the most value out of it!
