A brand sends its launch email at ten in the morning. Within five minutes, traffic is ten times normal. Within fifteen, the inbox has more messages than a usual day, all asking variations of the same six questions, and the team is simultaneously trying to watch stock levels and fix a checkout issue.
Launch day support is entirely predictable, and almost entirely preventable.
Step 1: write the launch FAQ before the email
Stock quantities, whether there is a limit per customer, when orders ship, whether the discount code applies to new items, whether it is restocking, what sizes run small, and the returns window. Writing this the day before is the highest-value hour in the whole launch.
Step 2: answer stock honestly
Customers accept "sold out" far better than silence. Publishing whether a restock is planned, and roughly when, keeps interest alive rather than losing it to disappointment.
Step 3: set shipping expectations upfront
Launch orders ship slower than normal because volume spikes. Saying so before purchase prevents a second wave of messages three days later asking where orders are, which is the ongoing problem described in where is my order questions that flood DTC inboxes.
Step 4: prepare for the code question
Every launch produces confusion about whether existing discount codes, loyalty points or free shipping thresholds apply to new products. Deciding and publishing this in advance saves a hundred identical messages.
Step 5: let the answers be found automatically
SpideyChat for online stores answers from your launch FAQ at any hour, handling every visitor simultaneously while the team watches stock and fulfilment.
Customer: Is the new colourway still in stock, and does my code work on it? Assistant: The product page shows current availability by size. The launch terms explain that new releases are excluded from promotional codes for the period listed, and free shipping still applies above the threshold shown.
Step 6: watch the questions during the launch
The questions arriving in the first hour show exactly what the product page failed to explain. Fixing the page mid-launch, and updating the FAQ, cuts the volume immediately.
Step 7: handle waitlists properly
Capturing interest for sold-out sizes turns disappointment into a restock sale, provided the brand actually follows up.
Step 8: protect the team
Launch day is exhausting for small teams, and the people fixing checkout problems are the same people reading messages. Handling routine questions automatically keeps the team on the work only they can do, which on a launch day is usually fulfilment, stock and the one customer whose order genuinely went wrong.
Pre-orders
If launching by pre-order, the questions change to charge timing, shipping estimates and cancellation rights, and those need their own published answers.
Faults and warranty afterwards
A launch is followed by a wave of aftercare questions, handled as described in warranty claims and faulty item questions done properly.
Subscription products
Brands launching subscriptions face additional questions about commitment and cancellation, covered in subscription questions that lead to cancellations.
Answering before support sees it
The general approach is described in how to answer product questions before they reach support.
Setting it up
Write the launch FAQ, publish it, train the assistant on it and test it the day before. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain how.