Why and When You Should Send Out Shipping Notifications

With any hardware or software sale, consistent communication with the customer is important. For software, the messaging can talk about the installation after download with an invoice attached. When involving hardware, the customer needs more than just instructions: they also require notifications on the status of their shipment. For either scenario, we also recommend following up for feedback after the transaction finishes.

Email Sequencing for Hardware Shipments

As a reseller or service provider, the product you ship does not come directly from your office. Thus, you must middleman the transaction to keep all parties informed during the shipping process. Failing to do so will inevitably lead to inquiries or, worse, complaints.

Forwarding whatever correspondence you receive from your distributor is not a good strategy. Firstly, your email may contain sensitive information (i.e. your cost). Secondly, you need unified branding; introducing a third party will confuse your customers.

It’s best to write email templates and fire them off as notices arrive from your distributor. With email automation, each template becomes easier to personalize. Without such software, you can still can messages in your ticketing system and fill in the blanks later.

Pre-Delivery

The first email you should send your customers is an order acknowledgement. This should serve as a digital receipt and letter of confirmation. Most retailers use this as an opportunity to recommend products and suggest retable content. You can adopt the same strategy, especially if you sell other peripherals and add-ons.

Delivery

The moment your distributor informs you the product has shipped, relay the information to your customer. If there’s a tracking ID, then include it so that your customers can check on their packages. If not, at least provide the estimated date of arrival.

Now is also a good time to give your customers instructions on what to do once the package arrives. For instance, if your tech team must remote desktop into the office, then tell your customers how to get everything ready.

Post-Delivery

Even if you receive delivery confirmation from your distributor, always check with your customers to ensure that the package arrived. This is a courtesy that ensures the product arrived as expected (i.e. no damage or defects).

Following this email, send a survey to see how the customer enjoyed the product. Allow time for your tech team to have already configured or resolved any common onboarding issues. Sending a survey too early will result in incomplete customer data.