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Delivery Exception

A delivery exception occurs when a package or item encounters an issue during transportation, leading to it being delivered incorrectly or not at all. This can happen due to various reasons, such as an incorrect address, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, or problems with the shipping company.

When Encountering Delivery Exception, What should I do?

When you come across a delivery exception, it's important to take immediate action to ensure that the package reaches the correct destination. Depending on the situation, you may need to contact the shipping company, the recipient, or both to resolve the problem. Some exceptions can be quickly resolved, while others may take more time and effort.

Regardless of the situation, it's crucial to stay calm and act promptly to minimize any inconvenience or delays. A delivery exception means that the package is temporarily delayed in transit due to an unforeseen reason, which may affect its arrival time.

Common Scenarios Explained

  • Weather-Related Delays: Severe weather conditions such as winter storms, wildfires, hurricanes, or other uncontrollable acts of nature can render delivery routes impassable. Consequently, delays in deliveries may occur due to these weather-related challenges.
  • Transit Loss: Occasionally, even when everything seems to be going smoothly, a package may go missing during transit. When no one can locate the package, this becomes the most severe type of delivery exception.
  • Address Inaccuracy: When the address provided on the package label is incorrect, unclear, incomplete, or simply not deliverable, the chances of a delivery exception happening increase significantly. This is particularly common in international shipping situations.
  • Missed Drop-off: This scenario frequently arises when a delivery driver arrives at your residence or apartment, requiring a signature to complete the delivery, but no one is available to receive the package.

What does Delivery Exception do to my Business?

Delivery exceptions can have a significant impact on eCommerce retailers and their business. These exceptions can affect important factors and lead to various consequences. For example, one major consequence is the increased number of "Where Is My Order?" (WISMO) calls from customers who feel uncertain about their delivery due to an exception.

While eCommerce brands may not always be responsible for delivery exceptions, some customers may blame them regardless. Even if the exception was caused by the customer's own mistake, such as entering an invalid or undeliverable address, it can still result in dissatisfaction with the brand.

How to Reduce the Frequency of Delivery Exceptions

Although some delivery exceptions are unavoidable, there are steps you can take to minimize their occurrence:

  1. Build a tracking page: Provide a tracking page that allows customers to monitor their shipments in real-time. Increased visibility into delivery updates helps ensure someone is present when the package arrives.
  2. Enable shipping notifications: Share tracking links and send proactive updates via email and text messages to keep customers informed about their package's progress.
  3. Verify delivery address: Ensure the accuracy and completeness of delivery addresses. Include all necessary information to help the carrier successfully deliver the shipment. Use tools that can assist in preventing address-related errors.
  4. Use Shipping Software: Utilize shipping software solutions that streamline processes and provide automation features. AfterShip Shipping is an example of shipping software that enables complete control over order fulfillment, carrier account setup, shipping rate calculations, label generation, and address validation worldwide. It also offers shipping automation rules to ensure fast processing and error-free shipping. It’ll help you improve successful delivery rate while reducing missing packages and entailed costs.

By implementing these practices and leveraging shipping software like AfterShip, you can reduce the frequency of delivery exceptions and improve the overall delivery experience for your customers.

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