Delivery Exception

Want to understand what Delivery Exception means and what you can do about it? Read this article to learn all you need to know.

What does Delivery Exception mean?

Delivery exception indicates that the order in question has encountered an unexpected issue while in transit and this could affect its delivery.
You can identify orders with delivery exception by filtering your orders by Exception status.

Relax, the game is not over! A delivery exception does not necessarily imply an inability to deliver. Visit the order's page for more information about the issue and the actions to be performed, if any.

Where can I find more information about an Exception order?

Once on the order's page, look for the fulfillment status, which should be Delivery exception.

Click on the tracking number

Look at the last message displayed in the Events section

💡The messages displayed for each event are the carrier delivery milestones. They're also available on the carrier tracking page.

Click on the Tracking URL link to access the carrier tracking page

What are the issues that can cause Delivery Exception and how can this be resolved?

First of all, not all delivery exception issues require action from your side; among the list below, only the ones that include the ⚠️ symbol do.

Delivery Exception can occur because of:

Incorrect or insufficient address

a) Your customer might be asked to contact the carrier to provide additional information or to schedule a new date for delivery, as indicated in the SMS/email notification.

⚠️Reach out to your customer to make sure that they contact the carrier as soon as possible.

b) The parcel might be sent to a pickup point where it will be available for a few days (the exact number varies with the carrier) before being returned to the sender, i.e. the warehouse.

⚠️ Make sure that your customer is aware of this update. Once the parcel is returned, you can track the parcel through the app (refer to this article for more details).

Recipient absent or unreachable/Business premises closed

a) Your customer might be asked to schedule a new date for delivery.

b) Your customer might be informed that delivery has been rescheduled for the next opening day.

c) The shipment might be sent to a pickup point for a few days (the exact number varies with the carrier) before being returned to the sender, i.e. the warehouse.

⚠️ Make sure that your customer is aware of the above updates and prompt them to contact the carrier as soon as possible, if necessary.

Parcel held at customs

The parcel is held because of a missing invoice or other customs clearance information, or because content identification is required.

⚠️ Contact our team to ask for the transmission of the missing information.

Impossible delivery due to missing or incorrect documents (for B2B orders)

Unless your customer provides the required documents in time, the shipment will be returned to the warehouse.

⚠️ Reach out to our team and share the missing documents ASAP. We'll try and reschedule delivery.

Parcel refused by the recipient

The parcel will be returned to the sender, i.e. to the warehouse.

⚠️ Ask your customer why they refused their parcel. If they claim that it was damaged, make sure they have taken pictures of it so that a claim can be filed.

Pickup point unavailable

During peak periods, a new pickup point might be automatically assigned because of congestions. All the information is available on the tracking page.

Shipment declared as lost

⚠️ Contact Bigblue so that we can request compensation.

Key tips for dealing with Exception orders because... better safe than sorry!

While unintentional and unexpected, delivery exceptions can be a source of frustration for your customers. Ensure the smoothest possible customer experience by keeping these key tips in mind:

1. Monitor the address validation indications on the app

And thus prevent address-related problems.

💡 Look here for more information on address validation and check out the best practices for reducing failed deliveries.

2. Set up tracking emails to be sent to your customer

Trigger them for the statuses Out for delivery, Failed attempt, Available for pickup
It'll ensure that your customer is aware of tracking updates.

💡Look here for more information on setting up tracking emails.

3. Regularly filter your orders by Exception status

And check orders encountering unexpected issues.

💡Look here for more information on filtering your orders.

4. Set up your notifications

And make sure you're notified each time an order's status switches to Exception

💡Look here for more information on how to set up the notification center or here for Slack notifications.