Going live vs. launching: what customer service looks like in a new market

A customer in Germany ordered a jacket as a birthday gift. The wrong size arrives on Thursday, and the birthday is on Saturday.

She looks for a phone number so she can explain that it is a gift and that she is short on time. There is none. So she fills in the contact form. The reply comes back the next day, in English, with a link to the standard returns process.

Are we the only ones who see a problem with this? 😇 Our CEO, Max Riis Christensen, luckily has a lot to say in this matter. 

At first glance, it probably looks okay. She got an answer, and the answer helped her return the jacket for the right size.

But try to look at it from her side.

She does not need a refund in 5 business days. She needs the right jacket by Saturday. So she sends the jacket back. She could order it again in the right size, but through the  webshop cannot promise it will arrive before the birthday. So she goes to another webshop that promises delivery before Saturday and buys a gift there instead. And next time, she will probably start there too.

Now try the same scenario again
On Thursday evening, she opens the chat on the webshop. The chatbot answers in German and gives her the option to chat with a person.

She does, and writes that the wrong size has arrived and that it is for a birthday on Saturday. A German colleague reads the message, understands the deadline and orders the right size straight away. The jacket goes out with DHL, a carrier she knows, and arrives on Friday. The return label for the wrong size is in the box.

Same mistake. Completely different outcome.

There is a name for this: the service recovery paradox. When something goes wrong and a person listens and finds a solution, you end up with a more loyal customer than before the mistake happened. As Max puts it, “It can turn a one-star review into a five-star review.”



Do you launch, or do you just go live?
When e-commerce brands scale into new markets, customer service is often set up like this. Everything is ready to go. You have a skilled person in customer service who can manage it all, and a good chatbot set up to take part of the load.

When you look at it, it looks efficient. You are set to go and ready to launch.

But do you launch? Or do you just go live in the market?

Going live means your webshop is open. Launching means your customers in that market get the experience they expect, from the question they have before they buy to the jacket that arrives in the wrong size. And that difference is decided in customer service.

The setup only works with the right people behind it
A chatbot can take a lot of the simple questions off your hands, like where an order is or how returns work.

We have written more about how to find the right balance between AI and people here.

But even the best chatbot does not run itself.

Sephora is a good example. We have worked with them for several years, and their chatbot has been adapted over time to the specific use cases in their setup. Continuous, focused work has brought the resolution rate to a high level - especially in peak seasons. But it was not only the technology that made the difference. It was also the skilled people who kept checking what the chatbot could and could not do, and fixed what did not work.

The same goes for the cases the chatbot hands over. In the jacket example, the German colleague only saved the customer because the message can be flagged and let's her order the jacket there and then. If every solution needs approval from someone else, your specialist ends up sending the same returns link as the chatbot. Because sometimes the link to the standard return process is sufficient, but it is to have a setup that allows people the mandate to solve the problem in the conversation.

The same reply can be right in one market and wrong in the next
The right people also need to know the market. Not just the language, but how customers there expect to be spoken to.

Take Denmark and Sweden. They are neighbours, and on paper they look almost the same. But Danes always use the informal “du” and read directness as a trustmark. In Sweden, the “lagom” mentality (not too much and not too little) also applies to tone. A reply that sounds friendly and energetic to a Dane can come across as pushy to a Swede. T

And when something has gone wrong, a second language makes everything harder.

“A German, French or Dutch customer with an unfortunate case needs to explain it precisely to get it solved,” says Max.

English is not enough for that.

Customer service starts before the first question
Customers decide very early whether a webshop feels safe, often the moment they land on it from an ad. Max describes the red flags they look for: unclear delivery, no phone number to call, an unknown carrier and a returns process abroad that they do not know.

If you raise those flags, you lose customers before your product and price even come into play. That is why customer service in a new market is not only about answering questions. It is about making sure customers do not have to ask them.

Your customer service conversations show you what to fix
Every conversation with a customer tells you something about the market. Today, AI can tag all of them across live chat, phone and email, so you can see patterns across, for example, all German webshops. Which problems keep coming back? Which carriers perform best? Which returns processes create the least friction?

That turns customer service into something you can act on, like adjusting your size guide or returns process to local expectations.

“It is not one thing that decides success in a new market, but many small adjustments over time,” says Max.

Customer service market by market
Every market has its own expectations. Here is what our native specialists see as the things you need to get right in each one. It is the difference between a five-star review and a lost customer, especially when you have paid for the ad that brought them to your site ⭐️

What should you know about customer service in Germany?
German customers read vague or overly casual replies as unprofessional. Use “Sie” unless your brand has a clear reason to use the informal “Du”. Return rates in fashion and footwear are much higher than most brands expect, so plan your customer service and margins for it. On the webshop, Impressum, GDPR, return rights and the upcoming withdrawal button rule are a legal requirement, and clear returns and privacy policies help you sell. 

What should you know about customer service in Norway?
Everyone in Norway speaks English, BUT that is very common in the Nordics. You still need proper Norwegian to get to that five-star.review. Keep the tone simple and factual. Customers want to know exactly how and when their parcel will arrive, and they expect to see the final price, including delivery and fees - so make sure to have that ready. Many brands copy their Swedish setup, but Norway is part of the EEA, not the EU, so VAT and registration work differently.

What should you know about customer service in Denmark?
For the customer service in Denmark Max puts it this way: if a German brand opened a webshop in Denmark, we would recommend a Danish site too. Not because Danes cannot read English, but because it signals longer delivery and makes customers worry about support and returns - especially if you don't show the prices in DKK. Trustpilot carries real weight in Denmark, and our Danish specialist’s advice is to answer all negative reviews with your side of the story. 

What should you know about customer service in Sweden?
Keep the tone understated and factual. Hype and superlatives can make you look untrustworthy. Swedish consumers are also well trained in spotting scam sites. English-only print, no Swedish organisation number on the site and no BankID, Swish or Klarna can be enough for customers to leave. Returns need to be generous and easy, because both the law and customer expectations are strict on this area.

What should you know about customer service in the Netherlands?
Speed is expected, not appreciated as an extra. That goes for delivery, replies and returns. At the same time, Dutch customers want honest answers about what you can and cannot do, so it is better to underpromise and overdeliver. Reviews are decisive, especially for brands customers do not know yet, so respond professionally to negative feedback. iDEAL is the standard payment method, and free or affordable shipping and easy returns are strong reasons to buy, particularly in fashion.

What should you know about customer service in Finland?
Finns value privacy and personal space, so overly familiar or enthusiastic replies can feel intrusive. A straightforward, respectful and useful answer works better. Be honest about delivery times. Finland is large relative to its population, and delivery outside the main cities can take longer than in the rest of the Nordics. Promising faster delivery than you can keep backfires quickly. Finnish customers also expect things to simply work, from how fast the webshop loads to how smooth the checkout is.

A local tip: Plan your campaigns around local moments

A good place to start is your campaign calendar. Our content calendar gives you the key dates, holidays and shopping moments across European markets, so you can plan communication that hits the right moment in each country.

Download the content calendar →

Not sure where your next market should be? 💌

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