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The Order Status (WISMO) skill

Written by Joseph Russo, Principal Architect, Networks and Tech, AskVault · Reviewed by Allison Chan
Last updated: · 4 min read

What WISMO means

WISMO ("Where Is My Order?") is the single most common e-commerce support question. For many stores it is a large share of inbound support, and most of it is a simple lookup the customer could do themselves if they remembered where the tracking page was.

The wismo_order_status skill deflects WISMO entirely. The bot pulls live order data from your e-commerce backend and answers without human intervention. Available on Growth and above. Growth+

How it works

The flow:

  1. Customer asks "where is my order?" or similar.
  2. Bot asks for the order ID or email used at checkout.
  3. Customer provides one.
  4. Bot calls the e-commerce platform's Orders API in real time.
  5. Bot replies with the order status and tracking link.

Each lookup reads Shopify live, so the answer reflects the order as Shopify has it.

Supported platforms

Two integrations live today:

  • Shopify via the Shopify Admin API. OAuth flow. Read-only scopes: read_products, read_orders, read_online_store_pages, read_legal_policies. Connects through Automation > Skills > wismo_order_status > Connect Shopify.
  • WooCommerce via the WooCommerce REST API. API-key flow. WooCommerce issues one read/write key: this skill only reads orders, and the write permission is used to register AskVault's webhooks on your store.

For Magento, BigCommerce, and other platforms, use the custom_webhook skill to call your own backend. Native integrations for these are on the roadmap.

Setup with Shopify

Five minutes end-to-end.

  1. Enable the skill. In AskVault, Automation > Skills > Order Status (WISMO) > Enable.
  2. Click Connect Shopify. OAuth consent flow opens.
  3. Approve the requested scopes (read_products, read_orders, read_online_store_pages, read_legal_policies). Read-only. (Rolling out: turning on an order-changing skill also asks for write_orders; see Shopify setup.)
  4. You're redirected back to AskVault. Connection shows active.
  5. Configure trigger phrases under Skills > wismo_order_status > Triggers. Default list includes "where is my order", "track my order", "status of my order", "did my order ship".

Test it. Open your widget, type "where's my order?". Bot asks for an order ID, you provide one, bot looks up the order, replies with live status.

Setup with WooCommerce

Slightly more manual.

  1. Generate WooCommerce API credentials. In your WordPress admin, WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > REST API > Add Key. Read permissions only.
  2. Copy the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.
  3. In AskVault. Automation > Skills > Order Status (WISMO) > Connect WooCommerce. Paste the store URL, Consumer Key, and Consumer Secret.
  4. Test the connection. AskVault makes a sample API call to verify credentials work.

If your WooCommerce store is on a subdomain or non-standard port, adjust the store URL accordingly (e.g., https://shop.acme.co).

Customer-facing UX

The bot's response looks like:

Here's the status of your order #1234:

Status: Shipped Tracking: https://tools.usps.com/track?...

Anything else I can help with?

Tracking links are click-through to the carrier's site. If the order has no tracking link yet, the bot gives the status only.

For orders that haven't shipped yet, the bot returns "Processing" status with an expected ship date. For canceled orders, "Canceled" with date.

Privacy and security

Two things to know:

  • Read-only access. The skill cannot modify orders, refund, or change shipping addresses. If a customer asks for a refund, the bot escalates to a human via the escalate_to_human skill.
  • Customer identity matters. The bot doesn't reveal order details until the customer provides matching info. The customer gives the order number and the email used at checkout. On Shopify, for an order with no email on file, the bot asks for the full phone number recorded on the order.

Limits

The skill is on Growth and above.

The Shopify Admin API has rate limits (40 requests per app per minute on standard stores, higher for Plus). High-volume stores with 100+ WISMO queries per minute should monitor for 429s under Channels > Channel Health.

Common pitfalls

Bot says "I couldn't find that order". Customer's order number doesn't match. Common causes: missing # prefix, typo, or order was placed on a different Shopify store. Bot offers to escalate to a human.

Bot returns stale status. The lookup reads what Shopify has at that moment. A carrier scan can take a while to reach Shopify, so very recent movements may not show yet.

Bot can't see orders older than 60 days. AskVault requests Shopify's read_orders access, which Shopify limits to the last 60 days of orders. Older orders can't be looked up today.

Multi-store setup confuses the bot. Each Shopify store needs its own AskVault workspace + integration. Cross-store lookups aren't supported.

FAQ

Can the bot cancel an order?

Not with this skill: order status is read-only, and for cancellations the bot escalates to a human. Separate Fix Shipping Address and Cancel & Refund Order skills are rolling out. They stay off until you turn them on, and Shopify asks you to allow order changes when you do (see Shopify setup).

Does the bot show order line items?

No. The skill returns the order status and tracking link only, not the products or quantities.

Can the bot handle multiple orders for the same customer?

Yes. When a customer asks "where are my orders?", the bot lists the most recent 5 with status for each. Customer picks one to see details.

What about partial shipments?

If the order has multiple shipments, the bot lists each with its own status and tracking. Useful for stores that ship from multiple warehouses.

Can the bot answer "when will my order arrive?"

Not with a date. The bot returns the order status and the carrier tracking link; the carrier's tracking page shows its own delivery estimate. For a firm promise ("by 5pm tomorrow"), the bot hands off to a human.

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