What does delivery exception mean and how can you react to it? (2023)

We live in a society where online shoppers expect to get what they want, when they want it. If an order is incorrect ordelayed deliveryPeople aren't exactly happy.

You may even have checked your tracking status and found that it was marked as an exception with an impacted delivery date.

While carriers do their best to ensure packages meet delivery dates, there are many instances where the ability to deliver on time is beyond everyone's control. It happens, that's life after all.

But being prepared for such events and responding to customers when they do happen can impact whether they will buy from you again in the future.

Let's talk about delivery exceptions and their impactEcommerce Shipping.

What does delivery exception mean?

A delivery exception occurs when, for unforeseen reasons, a package is temporarily stopped in transit and could affect arrival at the destination.

Note: A delivery exception does not mean a late delivery, but there was an obstacle (sometimes literally) that stopped progress or required attention at some point in the journey.

Delivery exceptions are one reason carriers like UPS and FedEx provide you with a tracking number for your package(s).

Why are Delivery Exceptions Important for Ecommerce Businesses?

Even the most reliable.Ecommerce Order Tracking, a lot can happen to a package in transit.Delivery exceptions can result in delayed (or undelivered) packagesand frustrated customers.

Delivery disruptions, while always unintentional and often unavoidable, remain a point of frustration for customers and need to be managed carefully. Therefore, ecommerce businesses need to be prepared and have a system in place to deal with delivery exceptions.

5 Common Causes of Delivery Exceptions

While the vast majority of online shoppers receive their packages on time, you are likely to encounter exceptions when it comes to delivery. Here are the typical culprits.

1. Customs Delays

international deliveryit doesn't come without its challenges. Packages are often held at customs longer than expected, which can lead to missed delivery dates. Make sure you have the correct rate codes at the SKU level to make the shipping process smoother.

2nd federal holiday

Parcels can be delayed if a national holiday occurs, either in the country of origin or in the country of destination while a parcel is in transit.When it is a federal holiday, the carriers do not operate. Due to the non-working day, it is not uncommon for freight forwarders to fall further behind schedule due to backlogs.

3. Weather Conditions

If a weather problem or natural disaster (such as a hurricane, tornado, wildfire, or flood) makes a delivery route impassable, the package is likely to be delayed. These types of unpredictable delays that are beyond our control and known as "force majeure" are often regional.

And use itdifferent processing centers, you may be able to ship the order from another location, as long as it's outside of the route to avoid. Safety is a priority, but so is customer service. Many carriers have contingency plans in place and shipping will arrive as soon as it can resume in the affected area.

4. Damaged or missing labels

If heshipping labelis damaged in a package and the carrier cannot read or scan the shipping addressshipping barcode, the package may be delayed.If important details are unreadable or cannot be scanned, an exception code is generated.

Likewise if the tag contains aWrong address(undeliverable, unrecognized by carrier, incomplete, etc.) then you can get stuck in a delivery exception.

5. No one was home to receive the package

Packages can be delayed if a signature is required upon receipt and no one was home to accept the package.. If a recipient is unavailable, in most cases delivery will be attempted again the next day.

Customers can use for freedelivery managementTools (provided by some carriers) that allow the recipient to decide how, where and when home delivery will take place to fit their schedule, such as: B. UPS My Choice®for UPS shipments orFedEx deliveryManager® forFedEx shipments.

3 Delivery Exception Results

Even if one of the events listed above happens, your potential delays will be avoided, especially if the delivery window hasn't closed yet. It can happen.

1. The package will still be delivered on time

Sometimes a delivery exception is just a proactive notificationthat your package may be delayed for various reasons (e.g. bad weather), but still arrive on time.

2. The package is delivered late

Delivery exception delays are usually relatively short;Delivery exceptions often arrive the next day(For example, if no one was home when the first delivery attempt was made, the carrier will try again the next day).

3. The package will be returned

If the carrier is unable to deliver the package (e.g. due to an incorrect address or a damaged label), you may need to return the package to the sender.

Except for delivery by the carrier

All major carriers have a delivery exception procedure in place and the consumer hasTo useto choose the carrier that best suits your needs. Check out the ShipBob pageUSPS vs UPS vs Fedex, To discover more.

FedEx Delivery Exceptions

FedEx is arguably the most reliable of the major airlines, specializing in night services andto expressBroadcast. Hefedex-Websiteexternal appointmentfactorslike the weather or even a puncture, which are the cause of most delays. But they correctly state that just because there is a delivery exception, it doesn't mean the delivery is late.

Exceptions to UPS Delivery

UPS is known forBroadcastlarger, more valuable products, which makes a delivery exception all the more concerning. According to theups-Website,a foreignThe address, damaged goods or missing signature upon delivery are commonReasonsforException.

USPS Delivery Exceptions

Because USPS is responsible for thatUnitFederal statesGovernment, the most common reason for a delivery exception is a national holiday, of which there are 11 customersreceivea delivery exception notification when tracking your package if there is a delay. USPSencouragedCustomers to manage and monitor their ordersArepackages with theirstext tracking™ yinformed delivery® functions.

Exceptions for DHL delivery

DHL also refers toAreDelivery exceptions as shipping exceptions, and as DHL is primarily an international carrier, this is often due to customs delays. Look at herside tocustoms compliance.

How should ecommerce businesses respond to delivery exceptions?

Depending on the cause of a delivery exception, you may need to take specific actions.If you encounter an exception while transmitting a packet, do the following.

1. Contact the carrier

You should be able to search online for the exact location of the package and whyDelivery exception.If you use FedEx, you have themFedEx-Tracking-Nummerreadily available so you can track the shipment and share it with the customer (if you want to give them the opportunity).shipment tracking).

2. Contact the customer

If the customer's shipping address is unknown or incorrect, you should contact them to verify the accuracy of the mailing address and make any necessary corrections.

If you are aware of a delay and the reason (e.g. bad weather conditions that closed the shipping location or caused the carrier to stop operations), be sure to inform the customer of the delay and the reason.

Please email those affected, apologizing for the possible delay in shipping and thanking them for their patience.

Any opportunity to turn a subpar situation into a positive experience will be remembered for another sale and future delivery.

3. Issue a refund or resend the package

If the package is undeliverable or damaged in transit, talk to the customer about a refund or reshipping the package.

If the package was damaged in transit, the cost can be fully covered based on thattransport insurancefor this package.

How ShipBob handles delivery exceptions

ShipBob is a third-party logistics (3pl) company that providesOrder Fulfillment Servicesfor e-commerce retailers, including warehousing, picking and packing, and parcel shipping. Through our technology, there are several steps you can take to easily prevent and manage delivery exceptions.

Prevention of Delivery Exceptions

Sometimes customers make mistakes when entering address data. ShipBob's software offers the ability to make changes to any order after purchase, as long as they haven't started the process.Retail Fulfillment Process.

You can edit address and recipient information, order items and quantities, add shipping options, add insurance, and even create new orders manually.

Respond to delivery exceptions

We understand and are aware that damage and loss does happen in the shipping world.ShipBob handles claims processing for our customers at no additional cost.. All claims for packages that are lost or damaged in transit can be submitted quickly and easily through ShipBob.

Every shipment shipped through ShipBob is insured for up to $100, regardless of the carrier used, and ShipBob offers instant discounts on these shipments. You can create oneforwardingin the system and resend the item to the recipient by copying the order and modifying it if necessary.

“Our former 3PL has not filed any claims for damages for us as ShipBob. We were still a small company and didn't have time to do it ourselves. We were too frustrated with the other 3PL and knew we had to work with a company that met our needs.”

Lindsay Louise, Retail and Fulfillment Manager atsynchronized

ShipBob also has contact management features that make it easy to notify impacted customers who meet certain criteria. Orders returned to ShipBob due to failed delivery will appear in the Processing tab with a status of Delivery Exception.

Diploma

Some delivery exceptions can be avoided, but many are unavoidable. The right partners can help you reduce customer stress and resolve issues quickly, especially when orders are urgent. If you need helpE-Commerce-Compliance, watch ShipBob. Request a price quote below.

Frequently asked questions about delivery exceptions

What do I do if my package has a delivery exception?

The first thing you need to do is verify your tracking number and contact the carrier for more information. Depending on the information the carrier provides you with, you can contact the customer and issue a refund or change the delivery date if necessary.

How do I fix a FedEx delivery exception?

Please contact FedEx and pass on the information you received. They can better explain to you why there was a delivery exception and what can be done. Most of the time, the package arrives on time and without delay.

Why does my package have a delivery exception?

Delivery exceptions occur for a number of reasons, e.g. B. due to transportation problem, weather delay, public holiday or wrong address. Contacting the carrier and the customer are the first steps when you receive a delivery exception.