Suppose you are a customer who has just ordered a dress online, possibly for a special event, or as a gift for a friend’s birthday. Days have passed, and you are still clueless about its whereabouts. What would you do? Calling the store’s customer support, right?
Now roles are switched, you are the store owner, when tons of similar WISMO or “Where is my order?” queries flood in, what could you do? Anxiously contacting your shipment partners for package tracking, and then updating your customers while trying to calm them down to avoid negative reviews? That definitely spells disasters!
In fact, research by Bungii shows that 93% of consumers want to know the whereabouts of their purchased item at every stage of the delivery process! If you want to gain an edge in the eCommerce world, you will need to know and tackle WISMOs.
This guide will uncover everything you need to know about WISMO, from its importance in the e-commerce industry to common challenges and practical solutions. So, let’s dive in!
What is WISMO?
WISMO refers to a customer inquiry or request for information about the status and location of their order. Customers frequently want to stay informed about their package delivery process.
For instance, they may approach your customer team with questions like:
- It’s been five days since my order’s placement. How long is it going to take to get delivered?
- Will there be a delay in the delivery?
- The delivery date has already passed. When can I expect a delivery? It’s urgent!
- The package is marked as delivered. However I have not received that yet. Can you kindly look into the matter?
Why does WISMO happen?
There are several reasons why WISMO requests may be on the rise, such as:
- Customer expectations: Customers may call to inquire during each step of the order, i.e., whether it has been processed, packed, or shipped. They may also want to know when the order will be delivered or if there are any delays. In some cases, customers may wish to change the delivery address or cancel the order altogether.
- Delivery issues: Customers may call if they have not received their order within the expected timeframe or if there are issues with the delivery, such as a missing or damaged package. They may want to know when the package will be delivered or if it needs to be reshipped.
- Accidental delayed shipment: Let’s not overlook situations like COVID-19, when our packages took an eternity to get delivered, irrespective of the urgency. During that time, the number of WISMO calls only increased, seeing no mercy for retailers or business owners.
- Unfriendly tracking page: Being an eCommerce site owner, you must understand your service is for all, it surpasses the limitations of age group or literacy. Hence, you may have customers who feel overwhelmed with the tracking page or may not even know how to use the page or check track the product. Thus, take the assistance of WISMO calls.
This also applies in case of customers who are waiting to receive a high-value or time-sensitive package. They may want to know the exact location of their package and when it will be delivered.
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- Returns and exchanges: The process of returning or exchanging a product is hectic for both the parties. Customers may call to inquire about the process for returning or exchanging their order, which consumes a lot of iterations of pickup dates. And the query or pain point is not limited to this. Consumers even experience uncertainty with the refund. And hence, may end up calling your customer support quite a few times.
- Bad weather or heavy traffic: During peak hours, shippers may experience limited shipping capacity and be unable to keep up with the high supply demands, resulting in delays and customer inquiries. The same applies in case of bad weather, which confines the ease of delivery, thus delaying the process.
- A delay due to festivals: During the holiday season, workers may take time off to celebrate, leading to a backlog of orders and delays in the shipment process. Supply chain and logistics issues can also result in late-arriving products and further cause WISMO requests.
Furthermore, other issues like inaccurate or incomplete addresses, customers being ignorant on how to check a tracking page, etc., can cause delays in the shipment process.
According to a survey during 2018, approximately, 99% of the US consumers prefer ‘fast delivery’ in case of online purchases. And as per the statistics, it can be clearly briefed that most of the consumers depend a lot on WISMO calls concerning their precious orders.
How do WISMO requests affect your eCommerce business?
While these requests may seem harmless at first, they can have a significant impact on your business. Here are some of the ways WISMO requests can affect your eCommerce business:
- The management cost can prove to be heavy on your wallet
For example, if your customer service team spends an average of 10 minutes resolving each WISMO request, and you receive 100 requests per day, that’s over 16 hours of work per day just on WISMO requests. This can be a significant drain on your business resources and can increase your management costs, let alone the emotional stress dealing with angry and upset customers daily.
Moreover, your customer team can hardly have time focusing on other aspects of the business
- The customer experience can be poor
If customers have to constantly contact your customer service team for updates on their orders, they may feel frustrated and unsatisfied with their overall experience. This can lead to negative reviews and a decrease in customer loyalty.
- Your revenue could drop
If customers have a poor experience with your brand due to WISMO requests and delays in order fulfillment, they may be less likely to make future purchases from your business. This can result in decreased revenue over time.
- It can hurt your brand reputation
In today’s connected world, word of mouth travels fast. If your business receives a lot of negative feedback and reviews related to WISMO requests, it can harm your brand reputation and make it difficult to attract new customers.
How to Reduce WISMO Requests and Improve Customer Experience?
As an eCommerce business owner, reducing WISMO (Where is my order) requests should be a top priority. It can greatly enhance your customer experience, helping you retain older customers or converting first buyers into repeat customers. Here are some of the methods you can use to help reduce WISMO requests and improve your customer experience:
- Branded Tracking Page
With professional real-time tracking solutions like the TrackingMore, you can customize a branded tracking page that matches your website’s branding while allowing your shoppers to check their packages’ whereabouts anytime. This increases your reliability and gives your customers a seamless experience.
- Customer Email or SNS Notifications
You can also set up automatic package status notifications for your customers via email, message or SNS (social networking service) platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. This allows your customers to receive updates on their package’s whereabouts and estimated delivery date without constantly checking the tracking page or calling customer service. This can also be done with TrackingMore as well.
- Estimated Delivery Date
One of the main reasons customers make WISMO requests is because they want to know when their package will arrive. With Trackingmore, you can provide estimated delivery dates based on the carrier’s tracking information. This gives your customers a better idea of when to expect their package, reducing the need to contact customer service.
- Accessible Tracking on Mobile & Laptop
The package status should be available to your customers via both laptop and mobile. This makes it easier for them to keep tabs on their orders and reduces the need for them to call or
- Shipping FAQ
By providing a comprehensive shipping FAQ on your website, you can answer common questions customers may have about the shipping process. This can be especially useful if you haven’t implemented an order tracking solution and your customer team is overloaded. Customers can help them themselves on the FAQ pages to get to know their package status, regaining peace of mind.
- Post-Purchase Live Chat System
You can set up a live chat system that lets customers chat directly with your customer service representatives from the tracking page. This means that customers can get their questions answered in real time without navigating to a separate page or making a phone call.
Wrapping up
WISMO requests are an essential aspect of the e-commerce industry. Customers want to stay informed about their package delivery status. By implementing a comprehensive tracking solution like Trackingmore, businesses can ensure that their customers receive timely and accurate information about their orders, leading to a better customer experience and, ultimately, the business’s long-term success.