As an e-commerce seller, you make several mistakes when handling several order fulfillment-related tasks at once. Supply chain management is such that you need to have eyes everywhere, every time.
There are instances where you might deliver damaged orders to customers or incorrect ones. Sometimes the orders might even be lost in transit. Eventually, the fault is yours, and you need to take care of the blame and ensure that your customers are satisfied.
There are very few damage control tricks in the book to help you bring your customer on the same page. Re-shipping is one of them. Let’s look at what reshipping is and the best practices you must follow while reshipping orders.
What is Reshipping?
Reshipping is the process of shipping a replacement order to a customer after the original order was incorrect, damaged, lost in transit, or any other reason that may require a replacement.
Why Should You Reship an Order?
Order Lost in Transit
Sometimes orders can get lost in transit or fail to arrive at the destination. A few of the reasons for this can be damaged labels, incorrect shipping addresses, and theft. Most of the time, these reasons are out of your control, but you need to communicate with the customers and ensure that they receive a replacement as soon as possible.
Incorrect Order Delivery
It is almost impossible to maintain a 100% order accuracy rate. Even though the order accuracy rate can be improved with the proper fulfillment processes that help reduce picking errors, mistakes are bound to happen if you are shipping large volumes. Therefore, it is essential to have a strategy to help you mend these mistakes with customers.
Order Delivered is Damaged
When you ship large orders, there can be a few shipping damages. This can either be at your end because of uneven or proper packaging, or it can be on the shipping carrier’s end wherein the product can be damaged during transit or in the last mile delivery. But if the product delivered is damaged, it can negatively impact the customer experience, and you must replace the item immediately.
Best Practices for Reshipping
Communicate With the Buyer
The first best practice for reshipping orders is communication with the buyer. Not receiving an order or an incorrect order is already a nightmare for the customer. It is crucial that you go the extra mile and keep the customer in the loop for updates and issue a replacement as soon as possible.
Maintain Paperwork
Anybody shipping orders, always maintain relevant paperwork as you will need to provide proof of any shipping issues, etc. Especially if you have any grievance with the courier company, having the order details, screenshots, videos, etc., will help speed up the process. With the order tracking information, you can conduct an investigation later on if needed.
Get Shipping Insurance
Re-shipping can be a massive dent in the pocket if you do not have shipping insurance. When you ship high-value orders, and they get lost in transit or damaged, the shipping insurance will help reimburse you for any cost of broken, lost, stolen packages. It might not be the ideal option when shipping items of low value; however, opting for it is more useful in every situation.
How to Reduce Instances of Reshipping?
Follow SOPs
The first step towards reducing instances of free shipping is following standard operating procedures. These SOPs are designed to ensure minimum errors while conducting order fulfillment operations.
Work With a Skilled Team
The next step is to reduce instances of reshipping by reducing order accuracy and damage delivery by working with a skilled team. An experienced team can help you reduce the order processing time and maintain the synchronization between the fulfillment processes to ensure maximum optimization.
Double Check Orders While Picking
The primary area of concern and order inaccuracy is picking operations. Executives must be instructed to double-check orders while picking to ensure the minimum errors.
Work With 3PL Providers
3PL fulfillment providers can help reduce the shipping of orders by maintaining a thoroughly optimized fulfillment supply chain for your business. They have a skilled team at their disposal along with the latest warehouse management infrastructure to ensure that the correct order is shipped to the customers.
Shiprocket Fulfillment is a leading 3PL fulfillment solution provider that can help you ship orders faster with greater accuracy. We have fulfillment centers located across India to store products closer to your customers. In reshipping, you can ensure it reaches customers as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Even though reshipping is the last resort for your business, you must be prepared with everything to ensure faster service for your customers. Your foremost strategy should prevent inaccurate orders, damaged deliveries, and lost packages.
