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Order Reply Drafts

for WooCommerce
Order Reply Drafts
Order Reply Drafts
Current Version
1.0.1
Requires WordPress
6.5
Tested Up To
7.0
Translations included
🇺🇸 English
🇪🇸 Spanish
🇫🇷 French
🇩🇪 German
🇨🇳 Chinese
🇯🇵 Japanese

Overview

Order Reply Drafts helps store staff generate customer-ready order replies from the WooCommerce order screen. It combines live order data, recent order notes, a selected reply intent, and optional staff-entered facts to draft a reply that can be reviewed, edited, and copied before sending.

The plugin does not send emails or messages automatically. It creates a draft only.

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.5+
  • WooCommerce
  • WellPlayedWP Library for private plugin update checks
  • At least one AI provider configured through either:
    • WordPress AI Connectors, or
    • a plugin-level OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google API key saved in the plugin settings

What the Plugin Does

When you open a WooCommerce order, the plugin adds an AI Reply Drafts box in the order admin screen. That box:

  • shows a quick summary of live order facts
  • includes recent order notes in the AI context
  • lets you choose the kind of customer reply you want to generate
  • lets you choose the tone for the draft
  • lets you add extra staff-only facts for the current reply
  • generates a plain-text reply you can copy and send through your usual support channel

The plugin also shows a small Reply context snapshot panel near the order details area to surface key order facts at a glance.

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  2. Activate the plugin in Plugins.
  3. Make sure WooCommerce is active.
  4. Configure at least one AI provider:
    • connect a provider through WordPress AI Connectors, or
    • open the plugin settings and save a plugin-level API key

Initial Setup

Open WooCommerce > Order Reply Drafts to configure the plugin.

General Tab

  • Primary connector
    • The first AI provider the plugin will try.
  • Fallback connector
    • An optional second provider used if the primary provider fails.
  • Default tone
    • The starting tone used in the order metabox. Staff can still change it per order.
  • Additional draft rules
    • Permanent instructions appended to every draft prompt.
    • Write one rule per line.
    • Example rules:
    • Never mention the customer email address.
    • Always list the next step clearly.
    • Keep replies under 120 words.

OpenAI Tab

  • Save an OpenAI API key.
  • Choose the OpenAI model the plugin should use when OpenAI (plugin API key) is selected as a provider: OpenAI: Best Quality (gpt-5.5), OpenAI: Balanced (gpt-5.4), or OpenAI: Fast / Lower Cost (gpt-5.4-mini).

Anthropic Tab

  • Save an Anthropic API key.
  • Choose the Claude model the plugin should use when Anthropic (plugin API key) is selected as a provider: Claude: Best Quality (claude-opus-4-8), Claude: Balanced (claude-sonnet-4-6), or Claude: Fast / Lower Cost (claude-haiku-4-5).

Google Tab

  • Save a Google API key.
  • Choose the Gemini model the plugin should use when Google (plugin API key) is selected as a provider: Gemini: Balanced (gemini-3.5-flash) or Gemini: Fast / Lower Cost (gemini-2.5-flash).

Using the Plugin

  1. Open a WooCommerce order.
  2. Find the AI Reply Drafts metabox.
  3. Review the Live order facts summary.
  4. Check whether recent order notes are being included.
  5. Choose a Reply intent.
  6. Choose the Tone.
  7. Add any temporary Additional facts that the AI should use for this order only.
  8. Click Generate draft.
  9. Review the generated text in Draft output.
  10. Click Copy draft if you want to paste it into email, chat, or your help desk.

Reply Intents

The plugin currently includes these reply intents:

  • Where is my order?
    • For shipment-status replies and next-step updates.
  • Delay / no movement update
    • For delayed shipments or stuck-tracking situations.
  • Refund status update
    • For refund progress and refund-state replies.
  • Backorder or preorder update
    • For items that are not yet ready to ship.
  • Address or delivery issue
    • For delivery blocks, address corrections, or handoff problems.

Tone Options

  • Warm and reassuring
    • Friendly and calming while staying practical.
  • Concise and direct
    • Short, operational, and efficient.
  • Premium brand voice
    • Polished and more elevated without losing clarity.

What Information Is Included in a Draft

The generated prompt can include:

  • order number
  • order date
  • order status
  • order total
  • refund state
  • refunded amount
  • remaining paid amount
  • shipping method
  • tracking number if present in the _tracking_number order meta field
  • order items
  • up to a few recent order notes
  • your selected reply intent
  • your selected tone
  • any order-specific additional facts you typed in
  • any permanent plugin-wide additional draft rules

Important Behavior

  • The plugin drafts replies only. It does not send anything automatically.
  • The generated output is plain text.
  • The plugin is designed to avoid invented claims by instructing the AI to use only facts from the order context and your added facts.
  • If tracking is not available, the prompt tells the AI not to pretend otherwise.
  • The plugin tries the primary provider first and then the fallback provider if one is configured.

Supported AI Provider Sources

The plugin can use:

  • connected WordPress AI providers detected through WordPress AI Connectors
  • OpenAI with a plugin-level API key
  • Anthropic with a plugin-level API key
  • Google with a plugin-level API key

If no provider is available, draft generation is disabled until one is configured.

Localization

User-facing plugin strings use the order-reply-drafts text domain. A POT template is available at languages/order-reply-drafts.pot for creating translations.

Permissions

The settings page requires WooCommerce management access.

Draft generation is limited to users who can manage WooCommerce or edit the relevant order.

Troubleshooting

The metabox says no AI provider is available

Make sure one of the following is true:

  • a supported WordPress AI Connector is connected and configured, or
  • a plugin-level API key has been saved in the plugin settings

After saving settings, reload the order screen.

The provider fails when generating a draft

Check:

  • the selected provider is still configured
  • the saved API key is valid
  • the selected model is available for that provider
  • your site can make outbound HTTPS requests

If a fallback provider is configured, the plugin will automatically try it after the primary provider fails.

The draft is too generic

Improve the input quality:

  • add more specific order notes when appropriate
  • enter temporary order-specific facts in Additional facts
  • add reusable policy instructions in Additional draft rules

Tracking information is missing

The plugin looks for the tracking number in the _tracking_number order meta field. If your shipping workflow stores tracking elsewhere, the plugin will not show it unless that data is copied into _tracking_number.

Uninstall and Data Cleanup

Deactivating the plugin stops the order-screen drafting workflow but keeps saved settings in place. Deleting the plugin through WordPress removes the plugin’s current settings option and legacy settings option.

Data Handling Notes

  • The plugin reads WooCommerce order data and recent order notes to build the draft context.
  • The generated prompt is sent to the configured AI provider when you click Generate draft.
  • The draft output is shown in the admin screen and can be copied manually.
  • The plugin does not send customer messages on its own.

Developers

The plugin does not currently register custom action hooks or filter hooks for third-party integrations.

It does expose several prefixed helper functions that other code can call if needed. Use function_exists() checks before calling them.

Get Available Reply Intents

Use mbordfw_get_reply_intents() to retrieve the current built-in intent list.

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'mbordfw_get_reply_intents' ) ) {
    $intents = mbordfw_get_reply_intents();

    foreach ( $intents as $intent_key => $intent_label ) {
        echo esc_html( $intent_key . ': ' . $intent_label );
    }
}

Check Whether Any AI Provider Is Available

Use mbordfw_ai_connector_available() to see whether the plugin can currently attempt draft generation.

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'mbordfw_ai_connector_available' ) && mbordfw_ai_connector_available() ) {
    // The plugin has at least one connected or configured AI provider available.
}

Read the Current Plugin Settings

Use mbordfw_get_settings() to inspect the resolved plugin settings with defaults applied.

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'mbordfw_get_settings' ) ) {
    $settings = mbordfw_get_settings();
    $default_tone = isset( $settings['default_tone'] ) ? $settings['default_tone'] : '';
}

Get the Current Provider Choices

Use mbordfw_get_available_provider_choices() to get the provider choices currently available in the plugin UI.

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'mbordfw_get_available_provider_choices' ) ) {
    $providers = mbordfw_get_available_provider_choices();

    foreach ( $providers as $provider_id => $provider_label ) {
        echo esc_html( $provider_id . ': ' . $provider_label );
    }
}

Build an Order Summary Array

Use mbordfw_get_order_summary() to retrieve the summary lines the plugin uses when generating a draft.

<?php
$order = wc_get_order( 123 );

if ( $order && function_exists( 'mbordfw_get_order_summary' ) ) {
    $summary_lines = mbordfw_get_order_summary( $order );

    foreach ( $summary_lines as $line ) {
        echo esc_html( $line );
    }
}

Get Recent Order Notes in Plugin Format

Use mbordfw_get_recent_order_notes() to retrieve recent formatted order notes for draft context.

<?php
$order = wc_get_order( 123 );

if ( $order && function_exists( 'mbordfw_get_recent_order_notes' ) ) {
    $notes = mbordfw_get_recent_order_notes( $order, 4 );

    foreach ( $notes as $note ) {
        if ( isset( $note['label'] ) ) {
            echo esc_html( $note['label'] );
        }
    }
}

Support Expectations

This plugin is best suited for store teams that want faster order-response drafting inside WooCommerce without replacing their existing inbox or support workflow.

Changelog

1.0.1 – 2026-06-01

  • Add curated OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini model choices for plugin-level API providers.
  • Add admin dependency notices for required support plugins.
  • Add WellPlayedWP author metadata for plugin distribution.
  • Add standalone private update integration.
  • Update plugin version metadata to 1.0.1.

0.1.0 – 2026-03-25

  • Add WooCommerce order metabox for AI-generated support reply drafts.
  • Add live order facts summary, tone selector, and additional facts input.
  • Add recent order note context to help AI drafts use shipping and refund updates.
  • Add uninstall cleanup for plugin-owned settings.
  • Document localization support with a generated POT template.
  • Document the initial release for store teams drafting customer support replies.