Checkout friction is measurable, repeatable, and therefore perfect for agentic workflows. A conversion concierge agent listens for struggle signals, tests the smallest helpful nudge, and hands off only the conversations that need humans.
Use this playbook to define one conversion concierge role that lives between PDP, cart, and support. It outlines the triage prompts, incentive rules, and monitoring cadences required to cut abandonment by double digits within one month.
Key outcomes from this playbook
Triggered reminders and dynamic incentives that fire within five minutes of friction.
Guided flows with proactive issue detection keep shoppers moving without manual chats.
High-value shoppers reach a human or SMS concierge before they churn.
Agentic blueprint
Phase 1: Map abandonment signatures
Identify the micro-events that indicate doubt or friction so the agent knows exactly when to step in.
- Track payment declines, repeated coupon attempts, address errors, and long idle time during checkout.
- Label each signature with recommended play types: reassure, clarify, or incentivize.
- Connect signatures to audience segments so VIPs receive personal outreach while browsers get education.
Phase 2: Script the concierge agent
Give the agent friendly but assertive language. Every response must tie a friction reason to a fast remedy.
- Use second-person copy, cite order-specific context, and always offer a next step.
- Limit incentives to approved tiers (free shipping, 5 percent, or loyalty credit) with rate limits.
- Provide escalation macros for finance, inventory, or fraud questions so the agent never guesses.
Phase 3: Automate test-and-learn loops
Treat the concierge like a CRO pod. It proposes fixes, ships micro-tests, and reports on lift every day.
- Route all transcripts and metrics into Looker or Amplitude for squad review.
- Have the agent submit experiment summaries with hypothesis, variant, and revenue impact.
- Reinforce governance by requiring human approval before rolling incentives to 100 percent of traffic.
Rapid launch checklist
Tag every failed checkout with reason codes and revenue exposure to prioritize agent triggers.
Write response templates for five friction themes: payment, shipping, pricing, trust, and urgency.
Connect the agent to onsite modal, SMS, and email so it can pick the least intrusive channel per user.
Keep 20 percent of traffic on the old experience until the agent shows consistent conversion lift.
Metrics to watch
Target under 3 seconds from friction event to concierge outreach.
Track incentive cost versus recovered revenue to maintain positive ROI.
Percent of issues solved without human involvement. Aim for 70 percent once mature.
Compare CSAT and NPS for agent-assisted checkouts versus standard flows.
Suggested toolkit
Segment, RudderStack, or Snowplow streaming to deliver checkout signals in near real time.
OpenAI GPT-4o mini or Claude 3.5 Sonnet with Retrieval API pointed at policy docs.
Intercom, Attentive, or Klaviyo flows triggered by the agent via API calls.
Daily Notion or Asana report summarizing experiments, wins, and transcripts needing training.
Quick answers
Where should the agent live in the funnel?
Place the concierge wherever abandonment spikes: PDP scroll depth, cart review, or multi-step checkout. It should be invisible until friction appears.
How do we keep discounts from spiraling?
Tie incentives to cart value, inventory, and customer tier. Set a daily budget and require human approval for anything above five percent off.
Can the agent handle compliance or tax questions?
Yes, as long as you restrict knowledge sources to verified policy content. Add automatic escalations for anything mentioning tax exemption, export rules, or refunds beyond policy limits.
Need a builder for this playbook?
These playbooks are designed for teams that want clarity fast. If you prefer to skip the trial and error, I can architect the agentic workflow, integrate your tool stack, and train your team on continuous improvement.