Today, a customer is willing to pay an extra amount for faster deliveries, and thus, to ensure customer satisfaction, it is important that e-commerce and logistics services provide timely delivery options. This is especially true for services like same-day couriers, where speed is crucial. Even though the services try their best to be reliable, there can sometimes be random, unforeseen circumstances that hinder this shipment flow. This disruption can lead to what we call a “Shipment Exception.” These circumstances can not just frustrate the customers but also create unwanted situations for businesses. However, knowing how to handle such circumstances can heal all the issues.
Let us take some time to discuss shipment exceptions, how they happen, and probable solutions to handle if such situations occur.
What Is a Shipment Exception?
Whenever during the transit period, a package encounters some unwanted circumstances that lead to its delay or intervention; this is what we understand as Shipment Exception. Shipment exceptions are not new to courier and logistics industries; these signify that a package delivery won’t be able to proceed as planned due to unwanted circumstances during transit. This can happen during domestic or international shipments, such as when shipping parcels to Australia.
Why Do Shipment Exceptions Matter?
Shipment exceptions matter much as they can impact the timely flow of shipment. This further leads to delays in delivery that can affect the supply chain and, as a result, customer satisfaction. In cases involving restricted and prohibited items, exceptions can lead to delays, customs seizures, or penalties. These situations can widely affect businesses as they can face increased costs, decreasing brand reputation, and other challenges. Even customers have to wait a long time to get their items delivered.
Thus, if you want to minimize the effect of Shipment exceptions, you need to first understand how they may occur, the ways you can try to improve your communication with the customers, and proven solutions to overcome them in the future.
Common Causes of Shipment Exceptions
We discussed what Shipment Exception means, but what are the common causes that lead to these exceptions? Let’s find out.
1. Address Issues
Address issues are very common in shipping industries, and they majorly lead to shipment delays or package losses. We can see errors in the shipping addresses where customers sometimes misspell the street names or put up the wrong PIN code, etc. These are some common causes of Shipment exceptions. Due to these errors, couriers are unable to locate receiver addresses, and thus, deliveries are delayed.
2. Customs Delays
We have already talked about customs clearance in a number of our blogs and how it is a complicated procedure to handle. If you are shipping internationally, then customs can be your shipment exception. Your packages might get held up for unpaid duties, even due to incomplete documentation, etc. DTDC Australia, however, has a proven experience in smoother customs clearance and delivery.
3. Weather-Related Problems
Weather conditions are also a common shipping exception that courier companies may face. Your shipment may get delayed due to situations like floods, heavy snow or rainfall, hurricanes, etc. These situations may disrupt the air freight and sea freight shipments, and road transportation network, leading to delays.
4. Operational Issues
It is not just recipient errors or weather issues that can create shipping exceptions; operational issues may also lead to such unwanted circumstances. There might be a situation when the courier company faces a staff shortage for deliveries; there are some mechanical issues, packages may have diverted from their original route, etc. Also, delays may occur due to some holidays or even strikes.
How to Identify a Shipment Exception
You are now aware of what may cause Shipment exceptions; another important aspect here is to identify and interpret such notifications that communicate about the same. If you learn to understand these, then you can think of swift resolutions.
1. Tracking Notifications
Today, almost every courier company provides its customers with real-time tracking updates. This lets you keep an eye on the status of your shipment. Whenever you get notifications like “Delay in transit,” “Held at customs,” or “Delivery attempted,” you must immediately understand that it is a shipment exception.
2. Common Messages and Their Meanings
- “Delay in transit”: When you get this notification, it means that your package has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances but is still on route.
- “Held at customs”: For international deliveries, this indication means that your package is stuck at customs; it requires clearance or additional documentation for its release.
- “Delivery attempted”: This is also a common notification that people get, which means a delivery attempt was made. However, it was unsuccessful due to the unavailability of the recipient or access issues.
If you understand these updates, you will be able to resolve these situations with ease.
Steps to Resolve Shipment Exceptions
Now, it is finally time to discuss what steps can be taken to resolve these shipment exemptions.
1. Contact the Courier Service
When you learn about a shipment exception of your package, immediately contact your courier service to understand the nature of the exception. You will have to provide them with your tracking number so that they can give you a quick reference, and you can ask them the details.
2. Verify Shipping Information
When you place your order, double-check that you are providing the correct details regarding your address, contact information, or other important details for the courier company and the delivery person. If you identify an error, immediately communicate it to the courier promptly.
3. Clear Customs Requirements
If you encounter customs-related exceptions, provide the required documentation or pay any pending duties as soon as possible. During this time, maintain open communication with the courier service to ensure the package clears customs smoothly.
4. Reschedule Delivery
If you can’t be present during parcel delivery, then you can request the courier to arrange for a new delivery date. If the exception is due to an unsuccessful delivery attempt, try to reschedule your delivery.
How to Prevent Shipment Exceptions
Although it is impossible to eliminate the shipment exceptions completely, with the correct measures, we can prevent its effect to an extent.
1. Double-Check Address Details
Before you dispatch your package, it is important to make sure that the recipient’s address that you are providing is complete, accurate, and clearly visible. Details like particular landmarks, recipient’s apartment number, contact details, etc, must be provided to assist the delivery personnel.
2. Choose Reliable Packaging
Exceptions may also occur due to packages being damaged or destroyed. Thus, to prevent such a situation, try to invest in high-quality packaging to protect items during transit. Safe and secure packaging will reduce the risk of damage and avoid any mishandling during adverse weather conditions.
3. Partner with Trusted Couriers
Another important consideration is the courier company you collaborate with. You must opt for reputable courier services known for their reliability and efficiency. DTDC Australia is one of those trusted couriers that have robust systems to minimize exceptions and resolve issues as quickly as they occur.
Conclusion
It is impossible to avoid shipment exceptions as they are inevitable during the shipment procedure; however, you must understand that they can cause delays, not disasters. In this blog, we have discussed the major causes of shipment exemptions, how you can identify their nature, what steps should be taken to resolve them, etc. If you carefully go through these details, then you can prevent these issues to a great extent.
If you continuously deal with shipments or ship frequently, then it is important for you to understand these terminologies for a smoother and worry-free shipment procedure. Embrace these practices to handle such a situation and look for a reliable courier partner that ensures help in every condition.
FAQs on Shipment Exceptions
1. What does “shipment exception” mean on my tracking update?
Did you frequently see a “shipment exception” notification on your tracking update? Well, this indicates that an unforeseen circumstance has occurred during the transit of your package, and your delivery will most probably be delayed. We have discussed in detail above what reasons can lead to shipment exceptions.
2. How long does it take to resolve a shipment exception?
There are different kinds of Shipment exceptions, and their resolution period depends on the nature of that exception. Resolution times vary depending on the nature of the exception. Smaller issues like address-related errors can be resolved in a few hours, whereas customs issues may take a few days to resolve. You must stay in contact with your courier company throughout the process.
3. Can I avoid shipment exceptions completely?
You cannot avoid shipment exceptions completely, as issues can occur no matter what. But you can take preventive measures like double-checking shipping details, using a trusted and reliable courier partner for deliveries, and using sturdy packaging to avoid any kind of damage to the parcel
