Customer Shipment Rejection and How to Prevent it

If you’re running an eCommerce business, you’ve probably encountered a frustrating situation: Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs), where customers reject their orders right at the doorstep. It can be a real headache, especially since the reasons for rejection can vary. Maybe the customer changed their mind, received the wrong item, or the product didn’t meet expectations. Sometimes, it’s simply an issue with delivery timing. Whatever the cause, effectively handling non-delivery reports in e-commerce is crucial for keeping your business running smoothly.

To minimize these rejections and handle them effectively, you can take several proactive and reactive steps. Let’s look at some customer order rejection strategies.

Preventative Strategies:

The best strategy is preventing delivery rejections in the first place. Pre-empting possible delivery problems and tackling them before they happen can stop the problem from occurring at all. Here are some ways to do this.

1. Clear Communication Before Delivery

• Pre-Delivery Notifications: Improving delivery communication can do away with a lot of messy delivery situations, including rejections. Send an SMS, email, or app notification to customers confirming the date, time, and items in the order before the delivery attempt. Proactive customer communication gives them a chance to review their order and correct any mistakes or misunderstandings.
• Order Confirmation: Send a detailed confirmation message right after the customer places the order, summarizing what they have purchased, the delivery time, and a reminder about return or cancellation policies.

2. Accurate Delivery Time Windows

• Provide customers with a precise time window (e.g., 2-4 hours) rather than vague timeframes (e.g., “between 10 AM and 4 PM”). Delivery time window optimization reduces the chances of missed or rejected deliveries due to timing issues.
• Allow customers to reschedule deliveries if they can’t receive the package at the scheduled time. This flexibility can reduce order rejections.

3. Order Review Process

• Order Verification: Implement a system that double-checks the order details (product, size, colour, delivery address) before the delivery process begins, either via an automated review or a manual confirmation from the customer.
• Product Condition Confirmation: Send an email with high-quality images of the products being shipped, so the customer knows exactly what to expect.

Handling Rejections During Delivery:

Despite the best efforts, e-commerce delivery problems can occur at the time of delivery. In such situations, the delivery agent should be trained to take quick action to prevent the situation from escalating into dissatisfaction. Here are a few customer delivery rejection handling tips that can save the day.

1. Training Delivery Personnel

• Professional Communication: Ensure that delivery agents are trained to handle rejection professionally and politely. They should be able to address customer concerns and, where possible, attempt to resolve any issues before item rejection.
• Offer Solutions: If the customer has a valid complaint (e.g., damaged item or wrong product), the delivery agent can offer the option of returning the item or scheduling a replacement, or escalating the issue to customer service for resolution.

2. Immediate Follow-Up with the Customer

• Customer Service Contact: Once the rejection occurs, immediately have a customer service team member contact the customer to understand the reason for rejection. Resolving rejected orders quickly helps prevent negative customer experiences and feedback.
• Personalized Resolution: Offer alternatives such as rescheduling the delivery, offering a discount, or processing a return or exchange if the rejection was due to product-related issues.
• Real-Time NDR Tracking: Real-time NDR tracking helps the customer service team know if an NDR report is real or fabricated. Communicating with customers to ascertain the veracity of the report can prevent the NDR from becoming an RTO and will also ensure that customers receive the packages they are eagerly waiting for.

3. Capture the Reason for Rejection

• Feedback Collection: Ask the customer to provide a reason for the rejection, whether through a phone call, email, or an online form. Feedback collection after delivery rejection helps you identify patterns (e.g., dissatisfaction with product quality, wrong product, delivery time issues) and improve processes.

• NDR Reports: Use the data from rejected deliveries to generate NDR reports. Analyzing NDR reports can give insights into common issues and allow you to take action to prevent similar rejections in the future.

Post-Rejection Actions:

1. Review and Adjust Return or Cancellation Policies

• Ensure that customers are aware of your return and cancellation policies at the time of purchase. If rejections are due to a misunderstanding about these policies, clear communication beforehand could resolve the issue.
• Consider offering a grace period after delivery to make cancellations easier, especially if the rejection was due to changing customer preferences.

2. Offer Incentives for Acceptance

Offer a small discount or freebie for accepting the delivery or rescheduling to encourage customer retention, especially if the rejection was due to a change of mind or an unexpected situation.

3. Tracking and Monitoring

• Monitor Rejection Trends: Keep track of rejected deliveries by analyzing the data to identify patterns in time of day, product types, or customer segments. This can help optimize delivery schedules, address quality control issues, or refine marketing efforts.
• Feedback Loop: Regularly review customer feedback and NDR reports to identify areas for improvement in the product, delivery process, or communication.

Proactive Customer Retention:

1. Customer Loyalty Programs

If customers are repeatedly rejecting deliveries, consider offering them rewards, such as loyalty points, discounts, or personalized offers. This could help regain their trust and prevent them from canceling orders in the future.

2. Improve the Post-Purchase Experience

Follow up with the customer post-delivery (whether successful or rejected) to ask for feedback and ensure their satisfaction. You can offer an incentive for completing a feedback survey or review to make them feel heard.

Addressing Specific Scenarios of Rejection:

1. Incorrect Product/Order Mistakes

If the customer rejects an order because of an error in the product (e.g., wrong size, colour, or item), offer an immediate replacement or refund, and ensure that the correct product is delivered as soon as possible.

2. Damaged Goods

If the product is damaged, offer an exchange or refund promptly. A fast resolution helps maintain customer trust and reduces the likelihood of them rejecting future deliveries.

3. Customer Changed Their Mind

If a customer rejects the order simply because they changed their mind, remind them about your return policy and whether they are eligible for a return. Offer a return or exchange option if feasible.

Wrapping it Up

Handling rejected deliveries strategically can help reduce the burden of RTOs on businesses. By focusing on proactive communication, training delivery personnel, collecting feedback, and offering flexible solutions, you can reduce the occurrence of order rejections and mitigate the impact of NDRs on your eCommerce business.

ShipDelight is an award-winning logistics technology company. We offer software platforms and solutions to cater to B2B, D2C, and Retail businesses. Our e-commerce Returns and NDR solutions can help your business reduce RTOs and prevent losses. Get in touch with us to know more.