Among one of the most common terms that you’ll hear when learning to understand eCommerce jargon is WISMO request. So what does it stand for?
WISMO stands for “where is my order” requests. When you get one of these queries from a customer, you may be racing to find the information they’re looking for about their order. Your support team might be looking for an order number on your backend platform. Then, you find the tracking number, type it into the site, and give your customer a reply.
WISMO requests can include particular questions or comments like:
- Where is my package?
- When is my item shipping?
- Did you lose my order?
- I need my order to arrive by today.
Answering these is a process that’s often repeated over and over again by eCommerce businesses.
Rather than having to keep dealing with time-consuming WISMO requests, there are better solutions available for eCommerce businesses.
When your customers submit an order with you, they instantly start thinking about it, and they’re looking forward to receiving it. If they hear nothing from you and have no way to track it on their own, they’re very likely going to send a WISMO request. It’s often the number one type of question from eCommerce users.
Nearly 70% of online shoppers say the ability to track their order online is one of their top three considerations when making a purchase. Two out of five online consumers in the U.S. say they’re more likely to buy when they have advanced visibility into the delivery dates. Around 83% of customers say convenience is more important than they felt it was five years ago.
With all these factors in mind, the following are some particular, actionable steps you can take to reduce your WISMO requests and strengthen your eCommerce business.
Table of Contents
1. Be Clear With Expectations from the Start
You always want to manage expectations when customers shop with you, especially when it comes to delivery timelines. You should provide an expected date when customers can expect their item to arrive. Don’t over-promise. It’s better to give a longer timeline and have it show up faster than expected than to go in the other direction.
If you’re clear and transparent in shipping timelines, you’re going to significantly cut your WISMO requests, and you’re going to have more satisfied customers.
2. Provide Real-Time Order Tracking
If you can provide real-time order tracking, you can greatly cut down on manual requests about shipping times. Real-time order tracking is something that customers don’t just want—they expect it. Your customers should have simple access to a tracking page that’s user-friendly and lets them see where their package is from the moment it leaves their warehouse to the second it arrives at their door.
Even better is to make your real-time order tracking feature usable across different devices, so they can easily access it from their phone.
3. Use Delivery Updates As a Way to Engage
A lot of bigger brands are using delivery updates as a way to create conversations with customers. They’ll keep them updated about the progress of their package in emails, for example. They can make it fun and lighthearted by letting them know something fun is on the way or they’ll be getting a surprise that day. You can also use these updates to upsell. For example, you can send emails that suggest other related products as someone is waiting for their order.
You can notify customers not only by email but also by SMS alerts. Send out a status alert when an order is confirmed, when it ships, and on the day it’s out for delivery. You’re then cutting out most of the pressure points that contribute to WISMO calls.
4. Have An FAQ Page for Shipping
FAQ pages are a good way to reduce your customer service calls in general, and you should have one dedicated to shipping. Start compiling some of the real questions you most often get from customers about shipping and order tracking. You can have troubleshooting suggestions and make it so that you’re proactively meeting customers’ informational needs. Then, calling you or contacting you is the last resort rather than the first.
5. Show your customers photos of products before they place an order
If you are selling clothes, fashion items, or any other product that is hard to represent with basic photos, you should consider adding a 360-photo feature. It will help your customers to see how the product will actually look like on them. Also, if you sell food, you can use 360-photos to show the freshness of your produce and prompt the customer to purchase. Besides that, some customers would like to see the product in its natural state before they decide to buy it. Therefore, 360-photos could be the best solution for you.
6. Use live chat software to answer customer's questions immediately
Using live chat software can be helpful in reducing WISMO requests. You can chat with your customer as soon as they place an order. As soon as you receive a WISMO request, you can respond to it and show your customer that you are responding to their questions. Additionally, you can use a chatbot to respond to simple questions. Chatbots can be programmed to respond to questions about your products and services. They are designed to avoid repetitive tasks and respond to questions in a more human way. With the help of chatbots, you can respond to customers more quickly and help reduce WISMO requests.
7. Highlight the most important features in your product description
If you receive WISMO requests that pertain to specific product features, you can highlight them in your product description. You should include all the important features of your product in your description. You can also use bullet points to make your product description easier to read. Bullet points are very useful when you have a long, detailed description. They make your description easier to understand and are more attention-grabbing than a full paragraph.
8. Use WISMO-friendly packaging
Package design plays an important role in online shopping. It is the first thing that your customers see when they receive their orders. Therefore, you should use packaging that will reduce WISMO requests. Firstly, you should make sure that your packaging is safe and secure. This way, you can avoid customers receiving damaged items. Besides that, you can add a gift inside the wrapping for your customers. You can also include a small card to welcome them to your store and thank them for their purchase. In this way, you can reduce WISMO requests and make your customers happy.
9. Show the progress of an order
If you receive many WISMO requests that pertain to order updates, you should show customers the progress of their order. They will be able to track their order and see if it is being processed or already shipped. If necessary, you can add a tracking number to your order confirmation email and provide your customers with an online tracking website. This way, customers can track their order whenever they want.
Conclusion
The future of eCommerce really is about a seamless customer journey. Your job as an eCommerce retailer isn’t just to have great products and services. You have to eliminate pain points throughout this process and make it one that’s easy, convenient, and even fun for your shoppers.
WISMO requests can be very taxing on your business if they are not managed properly. With the help of these suggestions, you can reduce WISMO requests and keep your customers happy. Remember, it is important to keep your customers happy. If you maintain good communication with them and respond to their questions, they will likely be happy and return to your store again.