For retailers selling big and bulky products, which can encompass anything from furniture and mattresses to cabinets and appliances, one big question often emerges throughout the buying process from customers: where is my order? Known as WISMO (“Where Is My Order”) in the industry, it can be one of the biggest problems and headaches for retailers and customers alike.
Customer experience is increasingly becoming a point of concern among businesses, especially as consumer expectations continue to rise. Understanding WISMO, its root causes, and the various solutions that can reduce noise helps businesses with their long-term strategic goal of improving customer experience and service.
What Is WISMO and Why It’s a Bigger Problem for Large Deliveries
WISMO refers to inbound customer inquiries asking for order status updates. While common across all retail categories, it becomes significantly more complex—and costly—when big and bulky products are involved. These high-value products not only require complexity and nuance in terms of the actual delivery but also are expensive to replace when there is damage, leading to higher stakes getting products to customers’ doors.
Some key reasons why WISMO specifically is such a problem for big and bulky products include:
- Unpredictable and longer delivery times, especially when white glove delivery services, assembly, and clean-up are included with the delivery
- Scheduled delivery windows are also often required with large products, as the delivery team will need to access the customer’s home.
- Whether it’s furniture or a big appliance, these are often items that customers save up for. When it’s a bigger purchase, that leads to more anxiety throughout the delivery process.
- Big and bulky products also require more coordination, whether they’re being delivered to jobsites or residential homes, especially when installations and multi-stop routes are involved.
The Hidden Cost of WISMO Calls in Big & Bulky Logistics
The cost of WISMO calls and requests accumulates on the operations end. From increased customer service attention to operations team members manually trying to track down a driver, all of this increases expenses in the long run—and this is an avoidable issue from the beginning with the right tools and resources.
As more WISMO calls continue to pile up, this effectively becomes a cost drain for companies, but the long-term issue goes beyond this. If high customer expectations aren’t met now, during the most visible part of the buying process, then customers are less likely to purchase products from the same brand again. They may also contribute to negative word-of-mouth that actively harms the brand or company’s reputation.
Why Customers Ask “Where is My Order?”
When customers purchase a product from a company, their expectations are often simple: they want that product to get to them without any damage, on time and when the delivery says it’s going to be, and that everything is going to go smoothly. No one really wants to continue asking where their order is, but when that happens, it becomes a stressful experience on the customer’s side.
The following reasons are why customers often are led to ask these questions, especially when a considerable amount of time has passed between the last communication.
Lack of Real-Time Visibility
Real-time and end-to-end visibility have become buzzwords in logistics in the past few years, and that’s for plenty of good reasons. Studies have shown that both retailers and customers prefer real-time tracking because not only does it offer flexibility and control over the delivery process, but it also creates peace of mind.
Understanding where a product is at any moment is a powerful tool, as it reflects both accountability and brand promises.
Missed or Vague Delivery Windows
As we mentioned before, big and bulky products often require tightly scheduled delivery windows to have access to customers’ homes, or, when delivering to a jobsite, meeting expectations and project timelines. That means customers also have to rearrange their schedules to be at home.
So when something happens, such as a missed delivery and customers are left in the dark, the uncertainty leads to larger issues. Often these products are an investment for customers, so when they pay a lot of money and have no idea where their dream kitchen cabinets are, that’s a big problem.
Poor Communication, High Anxiety
Poor communication is one of the biggest drivers behind WISMO calls. Customers are more likely to be forgiving about a late or missed delivery when there’s active communication between the retailer, delivery provider, and the customer themselves.
However, when there isn’t any communication about what’s happening, it fuels anxiety and ire, especially when customers ensure that their schedules are lined up with a delivery that never happened.
Reducing WISMO Starts Before the Delivery Happens
Before WISMO calls accumulate, logistics providers and retailers need to be able to troubleshoot issues before the product leaves the dock. Real-time visibility and inventory management are one way to help prevent questions about order status, but real-time tracking isn’t a solution that solves this issue entirely.
There must be communication throughout the delivery process as well. Here at CDS Logistics, we utilize our in-house and proprietary technology to not only offer real-time tracking, but give notifications, reminders, and delivery confirmations through phone, text or email.
When customers are given active communication before the day of delivery, they’re more connected and attuned to the process as a whole. That leads to a decrease in WISMO calls and requests overall, especially when the customer doesn’t have to initiate communication about their orders.
The Last Mile is Where Brands Can Differentiate Themselves
Last mile delivery isn’t critical just because it’s when products arrive at your customer’s home or to a jobsite; it’s something that also sets the tone for how they’ll interact with your brand from that moment onward. It’s the most visible part of the delivery process, and when a delivery is well-executed from start to finish, it leaves a lasting impression on customers.
We wrote about rising customer expectations in a previous blog post, but last mile delivery is truly a way for brands to distinguish themselves in an oversaturated and overcrowded market. That means finding the right delivery partner isn’t only about deliveries. It’s about creating promises to customers, ultimately making them an extension and representation of your brand.
About CDS Logistics: Experts in Big and Bulky Last Mile Delivery
CDS Logistics is one of the largest providers of last mile delivery and fulfillment solutions in the United States. CDS’s headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with 182 hubs nationwide. Over the past three decades, CDS has built expertise to make the company an industry leader specializing in big and bulky products. CDS’s proprietary, in-house technology and hands-on operational expertise provide results that are consistent, reliable, and proven to drive outstanding customer experiences.
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