# Turn Tickets Into Trust: A PHP Engineer’s Playbook

Support is a data pipeline with people at both ends. If your WooCommerce store lives on WordPress and your team handles email/chat in Help Scout, the difference between “busy” and “calm” is whether context moves with the customer. This deep dive is a practical, engineer-first runbook for deploying TNC FlipBook — PDF viewer for WordPress—kidding 😄—for deploying Help Scout Integration for WooCommerce in production, tuned for the learnku.com PHP community: event-driven flows, privacy boundaries, idempotent webhooks, SLOs, and code you can actually paste.

0) Executive Summary (for the person who must say “ship it”)

• Objective: Eliminate “what’s your order number?” by automatically attaching order/customer/state to Help Scout conversations—securely and fast.
• Scope: WooCommerce events → Help Scout sidebar data + smart reply templates + automation triggers.
• Non-goals: Replacing your CRM or rewriting checkout.
• Success Criteria:
  • First response time (FRT) down 20–40%.
  • “Where is my order?” tickets down 15–25% via proactive status blocks.
  • Agent handle time (AHT) down 10–20% with macros + data hydration.
• Guardrails: PII minimization, idempotent event delivery, safe fallbacks when APIs lag, and operability (dashboards, alarms, runbooks).

1) Architecture at a Glance

Actors

• WooCommerce — order lifecycle + customer profile
• Help Scout — conversations + mailbox automations
• Integration plugin — authenticates, maps Woo data → Help Scout customer attributes & sidebar cards

Data Flow (request/response)

1. Event source: order created/paid/status_changed/refunded (Woo hooks).
2. Adapter: map to Help Scout attributes; redact PII; add order summary block.
3. Delivery: Help Scout API (HTTP/JSON).
4. Observation: log success/failure, retry with backoff, raise signals if breached.

Reliability Design

• Idempotency key: order_id:status_timestamp per push.
• Outbox table: store undelivered payloads; cron runner with exponential backoff.
• Timeout budget: 1500–2000ms per call; never block checkout or “Thank you” page.

2) Data Model (What Moves—and What Must Not)

Must move (context)

• Order ID, status, paid flag, totals, items (name/SKU/qty), shipping method + ETA, tracking link, RMA window, coupons used.
• Customer: name, email, phone (optional), customer note, lifetime value (LTV), order count.

Must not move (PII minimization)

• Full card details (ever), plaintext addresses beyond city/state/country unless required.
• OAuth tokens, WordPress user roles/caps.

Derived signals

• Risk score (simple heuristics), VIP flag (LTV threshold), first-time buyer, subscription info.

3) Capability Map (What You Get Day One)

• Customer sidebar in Help Scout with Woo data + quick links (PDP, order page, tracking).
• Auto-matching between incoming email and Woo customer by email (fallback: order number regex in subject/body).
• Macros / saved replies with smart placeholders (e.g., {{order.status}}, {{order.tracking_url}}).
• Automations: tag/severity routing (“refund request”, “address change”) triggered by structured fields.

4) Install & Hardening Checklist (15 Minutes)

1. Backups (DB + files), staging first.
2. Install plugin → connect Help Scout via OAuth/API key; restrict to the specific mailbox(es).
3. Role policy: only Admin/Shop Manager configure; lock API secrets to wp-config.php constants where supported.
4. Choose data mapping: which order fields appear; redact address line 1 by default.
5. Turn on the outbox: enable queue/retry; schedule cron at 1–5 min.
6. Limit rate: set per-minute cap to stay under Help Scout thresholds.
7. Observability: enable logs, add WP-CLI commands (wp hs:queue status), wire alerts.

5) Event Hooks (PHP you can paste)

Goal: push context without slowing the UI. Use async queue (options table or custom table) and process via cron or Action Scheduler.

<?php
// functions.php or a small mu-plugin

add_action('woocommerce_order_status_changed', function($order_id, $old, $new){
    $order = wc_get_order($order_id);
    $payload = [
        'idempotency_key' => sprintf('%d:%s', $order_id, $order->get_date_modified()->getTimestamp()),
        'order_id'        => $order_id,
        'status'          => $new,
        'email'           => $order->get_billing_email(),
        'total'           => (float) $order->get_total(),
        'currency'        => $order->get_currency(),
        'items'           => array_map(function($item){
            return [
                'name'  => $item->get_name(),
                'sku'   => $item->get_product() ? $item->get_product()->get_sku() : '',
                'qty'   => (int) $item->get_quantity(),
                'price' => (float) $item->get_total()
            ];
        }, $order->get_items()),
        'shipping_city'   => $order->get_shipping_city(),
        'shipping_ctry'   => $order->get_shipping_country(),
        'ltv'             => (float) wc_get_customer_total_spent($order->get_user_id()),
        'orders_count'    => (int) wc_get_customer_order_count($order->get_user_id()),
    ];
    // Queue for async delivery
    add_option('hs_outbox_'.uniqid(), wp_json_encode($payload), '', false);
}, 10, 3);

// Cron runner (every 2 minutes)
if ( ! wp_next_scheduled('hs_delivery_tick') ) {
    wp_schedule_event(time() + 60, 'minute', 'hs_delivery_tick');
}

add_action('hs_delivery_tick', function(){
    global $wpdb;
    $rows = $wpdb->get_results("SELECT option_id, option_name, option_value FROM {$wpdb->options} WHERE option_name LIKE 'hs_outbox_%' LIMIT 25");
    foreach ($rows as $row) {
        $payload = json_decode($row->option_value, true);
        $ok = hs_push_to_helpscout($payload);
        if ($ok) {
            delete_option($row->option_name);
        } else {
            // Exponential backoff: reinsert with suffix
            update_option($row->option_name, $row->option_value, false);
        }
    }
});

function hs_push_to_helpscout(array $data): bool {
    $endpoint = 'https://api.helpscout.net/v2/customers'; // illustration endpoint
    $token    = get_option('hs_api_token'); // or from wp-config.php
    $args = [
        'timeout' => 2.0,
        'headers' => [
            'Authorization' => 'Bearer '.$token,
            'Content-Type'  => 'application/json',
            'Idempotency-Key' => $data['idempotency_key'] ?? '',
        ],
        'body' => wp_json_encode([
            'emails' => [['value' => $data['email']]],
            'properties' => [
                ['name' => 'Woo Order ID', 'value' => (string)$data['order_id']],
                ['name' => 'Woo Status',   'value' => $data['status']],
                ['name' => 'LTV',          'value' => $data['ltv']],
                ['name' => 'Orders',       'value' => $data['orders_count']],
            ],
        ])
    ];
    $res = wp_remote_post($endpoint, $args);
    if (is_wp_error($res)) return false;
    $code = wp_remote_retrieve_response_code($res);
    return $code >= 200 && $code < 300;
}

Notes
• Replace endpoint/payload with the plugin’s built-in methods if provided; the above shows extension patterns.
• For heavy traffic, prefer a dedicated custom table + Action Scheduler for robust retries.

6) Conversation UX: Design the Sidebar for Speed

Above the fold (3 rows, max)

• Order summary: #10045 · Paid · Preparing · $87.20
• ETA / tracking: “Arrives Wed · Track →”
• Customer at a glance: “First order • LTV $87 • Coupon: WELCOME10”

Expandable sections

• Items list (name/SKU/qty)
• Addresses (city/state only by default)
• Subscription info (if applicable)
• RMA window / policy link

Reply macros (with placeholders)

• Where is my order? → template inserts tracking + status + policy.
• Wrong address → template offers same-day window + self-serve edit link (if enabled).

7) Routing & Automations (Mailbox Rules That Matter)

• Tagging by keyword + structured fields: “refund”, “cancel”, “address change”, “arrived damaged”.
• Queue split: VIP (LTV ≥ threshold) → senior queue; first-time buyers → education sequence.
• Urgency: Orders in pending_payment older than 30 minutes → alert ops (payment gateway check).
• Self-serve: auto-reply with tracking link when subject matches “where is my order” and order is in completed/shipped.

Automations should reduce toil, not hide humans. Keep a daily review of autoclosed tickets.

8) Privacy, Security, Compliance (Pragmatic)

• PII scope: Default to city/state/country. Full street visible only to verified agents or after explicit customer consent.
• Token storage: Put Help Scout credentials in wp-config.php constants; the plugin should reference constants > DB.
• Audit trail: Log field changes pushed to Help Scout with hashed email + order ID, not plaintext.
• Right-to-be-forgotten: Provide a WP-CLI command to purge customer attributes in Help Scout by email hash.
• Incident ready: document the “pull the plug” step (disable sync) without killing Woo.

9) Observability: SLOs, Dashboards, Alerts

Golden signals

• Hydration success rate ≥ 99.5% last 24h
• p95 delivery latency ≤ 5s (event → Help Scout visible)
• Queue depth < 100 items steady-state
• API failure ratio < 0.5% (5xx + timeouts)

Alarms

• Queue depth > 500 for 10 min → page on-call
• p95 > 10s for 15 min → investigate tokens/rate limits
• 401/403 spikes → rotated/expired credentials

Dash ideas (SQL-ish)

-- Outbox backlog (estimate)
SELECT COUNT(*) AS pending FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE 'hs_outbox_%';

-- Failures last hour
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wp_hs_logs WHERE success = 0 AND ts > NOW() - INTERVAL 1 HOUR;

10) Playbooks (Do These When…)

API outage (Help Scout down)

• Keep queueing; do not drop.
• Exponential backoff to 5/15/60 minutes.
• Post banner in the support channel: “Context delayed; verify order in Woo.”

Credential leak or rotation

• Rotate keys in Help Scout; update constants; purge cached tokens.
• Requeue last 24h events with fresh idempotency keys to ensure hydration.

Data drift (wrong order attached)

• Verify matching rule: primary = email; fallback = order regex; last resort = manual link.
• Add a “Confirm order” inline tool for agents (writes order_id attribute explicitly).

11) Performance Tuning (Core Web Vitals Friendly)

• Don’t load integration UI on pages without conversations (obvious but common).
• Server-side cache: exclude the minimal endpoints the plugin uses (AJAX).
• Fonts: two weights, font-display: swap; set fixed heights for any sidebar widgets to avoid CLS.
• Network: set Accept-Encoding: gzip, br for Help Scout requests; short timeouts (2s) + fast fails.

12) Developer Extension Patterns

Enrich with shipment tracking plugin

add_filter('hs_payload_enrich', function($payload, $order_id){
    $tracking = get_post_meta($order_id, '_tracking_number', true);
    if ($tracking) {
        $payload['tracking'] = [
            'carrier' => get_post_meta($order_id, '_tracking_carrier', true),
            'number'  => $tracking,
            'url'     => get_post_meta($order_id, '_tracking_url', true),
        ];
    }
    return $payload;
}, 10, 2);

Mask addresses unless agent verified

add_filter('hs_payload_before_send', function($payload){
    if (empty($payload['agent_verified'])) {
        unset($payload['shipping_address_line1']);
        unset($payload['billing_address_line1']);
    }
    return $payload;
});

Manual re-sync (WP-CLI)

// wp hs:resync --order=12345
WP_CLI::add_command('hs:resync', function($args, $assoc){
    $order_id = (int) ($assoc['order'] ?? 0);
    if (!$order_id) { WP_CLI::error('Missing --order'); }
    do_action('woocommerce_order_status_changed', $order_id, '', wc_get_order($order_id)->get_status());
    WP_CLI::success("Queued order {$order_id}");
});

13) Agent UX: Templates That Save Hours

Shipping status (macro)

Hi {{customer.first_name}},
Your order #{{order.id}} is {{order.status}}. ETA {{order.eta}}.
Track anytime: {{order.tracking_url}}
If the address needs a tweak within {{policy.address_window}}, reply “Address update” and we’ll help.

Refund policy (macro)

We can refund to your original payment method within {{policy.days}} days if items are unused.
Your window for #{{order.id}} ends on {{order.rma_deadline}}.
Start here: {{self_serve.rma_url}}

First-time buyer welcome

Thanks for your first order! We’ve added a quick-start link: {{onboarding.link}}.
If you prefer a call, choose a time: {{calendly.link}}.

14) Cross-Stack Note (PHP + Python apps)

If post-purchase value lives in a Django app, keep the handshake simple:

• Woo → Django webhook: order.paid, subscription.renewed, refund.issued.
• Django → Help Scout note: “Activated plan X” with a deep link (“View in app”).
• Never block purchase on Django latency; show the “Activate” button with optimistic UI and poll in the background.

15) Risks & Mitigations

• Key sprawl → store tokens as constants; restrict wp-admin capability to a small group.
• Over-context (TMI in tickets) → progressive disclosure in the sidebar; collapse long sections.
• Rate limits → batches + backoff; favor updates over creates; coalesce duplicate events.
• Human override → provide “Refresh from Woo” and “Detach order” tools to agents for edge cases.

16) Two-Week Rollout Plan (You’ll Actually Finish)

Day 1 — Decide scope & PII policy, pick attributes.
Day 2 — Install plugin on staging; connect Help Scout sandbox mailbox.
Day 3 — Map fields; design sidebar; test 5 order paths.
Day 4 — Queue/retry wired; logs visible; WP-CLI commands ready.
Day 5 — Macros written; automations drafted; tags defined.
Day 6 — Perf/a11y pass; CLS check; timeouts set.
Day 7 — Failure drills (token revoked, API 500s, network blips).
Day 8 — Data minimization & deletion paths documented.
Day 9 — Train agents (15-min video + cheat sheet).
Day 10 — Soft launch for 10% orders; monitor SLOs.
Day 11–12 — Fix top issues; adjust macros.
Day 13 — 100% rollout; turn on alerts.
Day 14 — Retro; record before/after metrics; lock the runbook.

17) What to Measure Weekly (and Why)

• FRT (first response time): should drop; reason to hire less “urgency” capacity.
• AHT (handle time): reveals macro quality.
• One-touch resolution rate: the best north star for context quality.
• Deflection rate: % of tracking tickets solved with auto-reply.
• Reopen rate: signals we’re answering but not solving.

Make one change per week, not ten; attribute wins properly.

18) Quiet Sourcing Note

Version sanity saves weekends. Keep staging and production on aligned plugin builds with snapshots before promos. If you want predictable releases and clean rollbacks while you focus on ops and copy, gplpal offers a tidy catalogue that helps keep versions consistent across environments.

19) Final Word

The best support feels like telepathy because the right data shows up at the right time, for the right person. Help Scout Integration for WooCommerce isn’t just a connector; it’s a chance to redesign your operations loop: event-driven, privacy-aware, observable, and frankly—boringly reliable. Ship the pipeline, write the macros, hold the line on PII, and your “Where’s my order?” queue will finally turn into “Thanks, that was fast.”

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