Delivery delay because of COVID-19

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When we talk about the coronavirus, there’s one refrain that continually comes up in conversation: “These are unprecedented times.” But there’s truth to the cliche – never before have ecommerce brands had to continue operating their businesses while a dangerous virus continues to spread globally. Despite these challenging circumstances, shoppers still expect prompt delivery of their online purchases. In order to be competitive with corporations like Amazon, independent sellers need to be able to offer fast shipping. So, ecommerce brands must find a balance and keep warehouse staff and temporary personnel safe, yet still fulfill orders in a timely manner for satisfied customers.

Responding to Delivery Delays

For customer service teams, answering questions about COVID-19 can be tricky.

• Often, online shoppers will ask customer support if the brand is experiencing late delivery or supply chain issues due to the coronavirus.
• Then, ecommerce brands find themselves with a challenge. If you answer honestly about any delayed shipments or supply chain issues, then online shoppers may take their business elsewhere.
• However, if you assure customers that there won’t be any delays, they will be dissatisfied and less likely to make a second or third purchase if their order doesn’t arrive on time.
• In some cases, a shipment may get lost, in which case customers will request a new shipment.

If there’s a coronavirus outbreak in your warehouse, you’ll end up with unexpected delays, since your staff will need to quarantine.

• Again, if online shoppers ask about this, it may be difficult to decide how to act.
• If you reveal the coronavirus outbreak, the customer may be concerned about contamination in their order; but, if you don’t tell the customer, then they may be surprised and upset when they encounter shipping delays.

In order to keep messages to online shoppers consistent, it’s necessary to craft a template for an apology letter that your customer service teams can use to relay to customers. Here are some sample letters that show best practices for answering customers’ questions about COVID-19 shipping delays.