Proven Strategies to Cut ‘Where Is My Order?’ Inquiries and Boost Efficiency

Waiting for packages to get shipped is never a pleasant situation for customers. They check the tracking page every few minutes to know where their order is. The reality is that “Where is my order?” (WISMO) inquiries is one of the most common customer frustration issues for ecommerce and retail stores. 96% of customers track their order status online and 43% check the delivery status daily.

WISMOs keep going up as on-demand expectations increase. But it's not just about addressing customers' inquiries and improving operational effectiveness, it is about providing an overall great post-purchase service. In this post, we will examine the effectiveness of the post purchase experience and share strategies that can improve the overall your retail business operations by cutting shipping-related queries.

The Negative Impact of ‘Where Is My Order?’ Inquiries

When a customer reaches out with a WISMO inquiry, it’s a sign that something went wrong in the delivery or communication process. And while it may seem like a minor issue, these inquiries in large numbers can affect both your customers and your brand image.

1. WISMOs Shake the Customer Experience

When WISMOs get in the way of customer experiences, a lot is at stake. Here are a few effects of a negative experience from the customer’s end.

• Customers get frustrated: Each time a customer has to ask “Where is my order?” is a potential point of dissatisfaction, and in an increasingly high-stakes e-commerce environment, a frustrated customer is less likely to return.

• Trust is compromised: Customers expect accuracy and transparency, and when they do not receive it, they lose trust in your brand.

• Loyalty is lost: Customer inquiries and delays around tracking and delivery chip away at your efforts to build loyalty at every turn.

2. Operational Strain

WISMOs have a significant impact on operations, compromising the rest of the shipping process.

• Customer Service Burden: Customer service teams have to resolve order inquiries by devoting long hours to WISMO pile-ups. This can create escalations in costs to your operational overhead, especially if your customer service representatives are fielding that same inquiry constantly.

• Delayed Delivery: To resolve WISMO inquiries brands must investigate tracking, delays via carrier, inventory statuses. Manual intervention in these tasks can take time and delay deliveries.

• Active vs. Reactive: You are forced to be reactive to questions and your time is taken away from being active to identify ways to improve the customer experience.

3. Added Cost Incursions

Extra costs can pile up due to various reasons as a result of excessive WISMOs.

• Staffing: Increased volumes of inquiries translate directly to needing more customer service reps to answer their questions resulting in increased staffing costs.

• Customer Attrition: If problems are not resolved in a timely and effective manner, customers may decide to abandon their purchases or not return for future orders. This isn’t just the cost of a lost sale but also the cost of the customer’s lifetime value.

• Lost Revenue: The time and effort it takes to manage the WISMO inquiries could be better spent focusing on improving delivery processes, managing your inventory or working to grow your business.

Streamlining Post-Purchase Operations to Prevent WISMO Inquiries

A proactive approach to logistics and customer service can make a huge difference when it comes to reducing WISMO inquiries. Here are a few strategies to consider:

1. AI-Driven Carrier Allocation

By utilizing machine learning algorithms to identify the ideal couriers, based on various business rules including speed, cost, delivery service levels, and exception rates.

By automatically identifying the best-fit courier for each shipment eliminates human error and ensures your customers receive the most dependable and on-time deliveries.

What Does This Mean? More reliable deliveries translate to fewer questions from customers asking "Where is my order?"

2. Real Time Tracking and Custom Notifications

70% of customers buy more productions from brands that offer multiple channels for communication This includes real-time order updates through SMS or emails to WhatsApp, and IVR calls.

3. Branded Tracking Pages

Custom branded tracking pages provide another level of professionalism and other ways to reach your customers - care instructions, product recommendations, or loyalty offers.

4. Checkpoint-based Notifications

Providing continual notifications at every significant milestone of the order journey means more reliable service and fewer response inquiries.

Boost Operational Efficiency with Automation

The smoother the logistics operations, the fewer opportunities there are for things to go wrong, whether it’s with tracking or delivery. Automation plays a key role in reducing WISMO inquiries in shipping operations.

Automating Manual Tasks:

• Order Manifestation: Automatically generating shipping manifests for bulk shipments eliminates the need for manual intervention and instantly reduces errors.

• Bulk Label Generation: Instead of having to create labels one by one, automate the bulk generation of shipping labels to save time and minimize mistakes.

• Proof of Delivery (POD): Digital PODs eliminate the risk of lost paperwork, making it easy to resolve delivery-related inquiries quickly.

• Serviceability Checks: Before shipping, automatically check whether the destination is serviceable by the carrier, ensuring that only feasible deliveries are scheduled.

• Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) Predictions: Let customers know when to expect their packages, reducing the chances of them asking “Where is my order?” because they weren’t sure when it would arrive.

Offer the Most Seamless Customer Experience

Ultimately, customers expect seamless and transparent experiences from order to delivery. By implementing these strategies, you can create an experience that’s efficient, reliable, and memorable.

• Proactive Communication: 90% of customers expect immediate responses. Automated updates build trust with your customers and remove the need for them to inquire.

• Easy Returns & Support: Simplified returns and self-service options make it easy for customers to manage their orders without needing constant assistance.

• Personalization: Custom branded tracking pages and personalized communication make customers feel more valued.

How ClickPost Slashed WISMOs for The White Willow?

The White Willow, a premium lifestyle brand, faced growing challenges in efficiently managing its logistics operations. With rapid growth, the brand began to experience an increasing volume of WISMO (Where Is My Order?) inquiries, a sign of breakdowns in communication and delivery efficiency. The White Willow needed to streamline its processes to maintain high customer satisfaction and reduce operational strain.

The Struggle:

Before implementing ClickPost’s logistics intelligence platform, The White Willow struggled with:

• Delayed Shipments: Inefficiencies in choosing the right courier led to delays and missed delivery windows.

• Numerous WISMOs: A high volume of WISMO inquiries and delivery-related complaints bogged down their customer service team.

• Lack of Visibility: The company lacked a consolidated platform to track performance, which led to difficulties in understanding delivery issues and improving them over time.

The Result after adopting ClickPost’s solutions:

• Reduced WISMO Inquiries: Real-time tracking, personalized notifications, and automated exception handling led to 56% reduction in WISMO inquiries.

• Faster Resolution of Delivery Issues: Automation in NDR (Non-Delivery Report) management ensured quicker resolutions and 50% reduction in failed deliveries.

• Improved Operational Efficiency: Automation of manual tasks like label generation and serviceability checks reduced human error and improved up fulfillment times.

Bottom Line

Reducing ‘Where Is My Order?’ inquiries is not just about answering customer questions, it’s about providing a seamless, efficient experience that builds trust, creates loyalty, and ultimately grows your business. 

With solutions like AI-enabled carrier allocation, real-time tracking, shipping automation, and data smart decision-making, it’s possible to reduce customer headaches and be on the same page with them throughout the fulfillment journey.

ClickPost’s all-in-one platform can help you achieve these outcomes and provide forward and actionable insights for improving the post-purchase experience. It’s time to end operational chaos and get to a harmonious, higher-quality delivery process.

Would you be interested to learn more about how ClickPost can optimize your logistics? Book a demo with us today!