Shipping and returns templates
Where is my order email templates that answer the question behind the WISMO ticket
Where is my order email templates have to do more than paste the tracking link back, because anyone sending a WISMO message has usually been refreshing that page for days. Pick the reply below that matches the order's status, from not yet shipped to marked delivered but missing.
The templates
1. Not shipped yet
NeutralEmail
Subject: Your order [#1234]: here's where it is
2. Running late
WarmEmail
Subject: Your order [#1234] is running late, sorry
3. No movement on the tracking
NeutralEmail
Subject: Following up on order [#1234]
4. Marked delivered, but not received
NeutralEmail
Subject: Your order [#1234] shows as delivered
5. Third message about an on-time order
FirmEmail
For a customer chasing an order that's still inside its delivery window. Kind, specific, and clear about when you'll act.
Subject: Re: Order [#1234]
6. Short version for chat or WhatsApp
WarmChat / WhatsApp
Start from the order status#
Malomo's 2024 Shipping Experience Report puts WISMO at 30 to 50% of ecommerce support volume, and most of those tickets have the same shape: the customer has seen "in transit" on the tracking page for three days and wants to know whether to worry. A reply that pastes the link back answers nothing. A reply that says "last scanned in Leeds at 6am, due Thursday, and I'll replace it if it's not there by Friday" closes the ticket.
So pick the template by order status, not by how the question was worded. The late and stuck versions also promise a specific action by a specific date, so the customer knows when to expect the next email from you.
When late becomes lost#
In the UK and EU, if you didn't agree a delivery date, the default is 30 days, and the parcel stays at your risk until it's delivered. Don't send customers off to argue with the courier. Open the claim yourself and tell them what happens next.
Hay.chat does the lookup part for you. With Shopify connected it finds the order by number or email, reads the fulfilment and tracking status, and answers with the real position instead of a link. Customers who'd rather cancel than keep waiting need the cancellation response templates.
What to include
- The status in plain words, plus the date and place of the last scan.
- When it's due, as a date. 2-3 days means nothing unless you say from when.
- The tracking link, as a backup to your answer rather than a replacement for it.
- What you'll do, and when, if it doesn't arrive.
- The order number and what's in it, so there's no mix-up with another order.
Don't say this
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"Please check your tracking link."
They have. That's why they're writing to you.
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"It's with the courier now, so it's out of our hands."
In the UK and EU, a parcel is your responsibility until it's delivered. And everywhere else, the customer bought from you, so the courier's delay is yours to sort out.
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"Have you checked with your neighbours?"
Fine as one step further down. As the opening line it sounds like you think they're lying.
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"It should arrive any day now."
Give a date. If you don't know one, say what you're doing to find out.
When a person should take over
If there's been no scan for [5] working days, or the carrier says it's lost, a person should decide between a replacement and a refund.
A second delivered but not received from the same customer needs a person. It could be a bad address, a porch thief, or something else.
When the customer mentions a deadline (a birthday, an event, a trip), someone should check whether faster shipping or a resend can still make it.
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