What is WISMO? How to Reduce “Where is My Order?” Calls in Retail
You text a friend: “Hey, we’re still on this weekend, right?”
Read 2:17 PM.
Silence.
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An hour and a half passes.
Have they forgotten the plan? Are they ghosting you? Are they… mad??
You reread your message—sounds totally fine.
So, what’s going on, then? You send a follow-up to feel better and hopefully get an answer: “Hey, just checking in!”
It’s this feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness customers get when you don’t keep them updated on their orders’ whereabouts.
They’re probably constantly checking their emails or refreshing tracking pages.
Worse, they’re likely thinking, “Have I been duped?” and “I hope I didn’t waste my money”. And if they really need the item ASAP, “What if it never comes—what do I do now?”
The only thing they can do is to fire off a WISMO ticket (I know, I know “What is WISMO?” Hold your horses). And just like you, anxiously waiting for that text back, they’re on edge, hoping for a quick response.
What Does WISMO Stand For?
WISMO is an acronym for “Where Is My Order?” It refers to customer inquiries about the status of their deliveries.
They come in through different channels—phone calls, live chat, email, or social media—and can sound like:
- “Need an update! Where is my package?”
- “Can you tell me when my package will arrive?”
- “My order hasn't shown up yet—what's going on?”
- “When exactly will my order be shipped?”
- “I haven’t received any updates on my order.”
- “Can you provide a tracking update/working tacking link?”
- “Is my order lost in transit?”
- “Can you speed up my delivery?”
- “I need my order ASAP—can you help?”
- “Why hasn’t my tracking info changed in days?”
- “My package says 'delivered' but I haven’t received it.”
Most businesses receive these queries during the middle and last mile of the shipping process.
A high volume often suggests potential issues in the delivery process or communication gaps with customers. Customers aren’t getting the information they need upfront—so they reach out to you instead.
What's the average WISMO rate, and how to calculate yours?
A study done by Digital Genius found that one in five customer support conversations (around 21%) revolved around WISMO questions.
However, industry-specific figures differ. Check out the following:
As you can see, these numbers are close to the average, but they were taken in an ordinary month (March).
However, when compared to peak months (December and January), Digital Genius reported WISMO rates that were around 72% higher.
It makes sense—the holidays create a perfect storm of order surges, carrier delays, and higher customer expectations for retailers.
Before you can reduce your WISMO rate, you first need to know how well you're doing.
So how do you calculate it? Use one of these formulas:
WISMO Rate = (Total Number of Customer Orders /Total Number of WISMO Inquiries) × 100%
- This tells you what percentage of orders lead to WISMO inquiries.
WISMO Call Rate = (Total Number of Customer Service Inquiries / Total Number of WISMO Inquiries) × 100%
- This gives you an idea how much support work you’re devoting to WISMO requests.
High WISMO rates need to be mitigated. Otherwise, you'll run into issues that can affect your business long-term. And we’re not only talking about its financial impact
The Cost of WISMO for Retailers
The buyer’s high has completely worn off.
Now, your customer is getting antsy, constantly refreshing their inbox, checking tracking pages, or even venting on social media.
How does this response affect your business? Here are some notable impacts:
Increased customer support workload
Every WISMO support ticket requires a timely response. Otherwise, you risk amplifying customer frustration.
Superoffice reported that 75% of customers considered fast response time as the most important attribute of customer experience. Here are the expected response times for each channel, according to CM.com:
A high volume of WISMO tickets, on top of other concerns, can overwhelm your customer service team, making it harder to meet these benchmarks.
Plus, if it’s high, it’s costing you unnecessary expenses. Customer support software Gorgias estimates that one customer labor ticket is equivalent to $12.
Customer frustration
Customers experiencing pre-parcel anxiety—yes, it’s a real thing—are already on edge. It’s such a common phenomenon that you can even find an Urban Dictionary entry for it:
The frustration grows further when orders are delayed, communication is unclear, or response times are prolonged.
Negative brand perception
Having too many WISMO queries can erode customer loyalty, and influence how potential customers perceive your brand.
Almost 80% of shoppers won’t buy from a brand again after facing a subpar post-purchase experience.
Another 73% will consider switching to a competitor after a series of bad experiences. Many may not even send a WISMO ticket—they’ll just move on.
Worse yet, 83% of dissatisfied customers will tell others about their bad experience with a brand.
Not to mention, social media posts certainly get around. One viral complaint can taint your brand’s reputation faster than anything.
Fortunately, reducing WISMO tickets is easier than you think with the right strategies. But first, you need to understand why they’re piling up.
Top Causes of WISMO Queries
Why do customers send WISMO queries? It’s always for a good reason, so pay attention to why your customers are reaching out to you.
Slow or delayed delivery
no way my cecred order got delayed again for the 3rd time. wtf omggg i just wanna use the brush and combs wtf pic.twitter.com/ObPhsLCXMK
— ZayyBoomin🫧 (@IZayyy21) March 3, 2025
Looks like Beyoncé has some explaining to do.
Stuff happens, but without timely updates, reaching out is the only option for customers.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t on your end. Your partner carrier may have difficulty completing the order on time due to factors like customs regulations and unfavorable weather.
But shoppers can’t see what’s causing the hold-up. All they can do is ask you, the merchant, who might know what’s up.
Unclear delivery expectations
This often comes down to two things: lack of tracking visibility and poor communication. You either sent an incorrect or non-functional tracking link, or none at all.
If the link doesn’t work or doesn’t provide real-time updates, it could be due to an inadequate order management system or poor collaboration.
Some software solutions don’t integrate well with the rest of your ecommerce software ecosystem, leading to tracking information inaccuracies.
The same goes for your team. Delivery delays can occur if fulfillment, inventory management, and customer service teams aren’t on the same page.
If there’s no link at all, it suggests you need to improve your post-purchase experience, starting with your order confirmation email.
The good news is that you can minimize these internal and external factors with better technology and workflows.
How to Reduce WISMO Inquiries
Reducing WISMO tickets can boost customer satisfaction and encourage them to shop with you again.
Listed below are tips to resolve common issues that cause customer queries to flood.
Use FAQs to set clear delivery expectations
Never, ever make promises you can’t keep.
The expected delivery time for free shipping items is two days. If you can’t meet this standard, the best thing you can do is be honest about it.
Fast shipping or not, make sure you talk about your delivery timelines on your website for visitors to see. The FAQ section is a good place for this.
They also covered other shipping-related concerns, like missing tracking links and updating addresses.
A well-designed FAQ section relieves your custom service team from answering repetitive questions like these. They can save their time answering more complex queries.
Plus, this page is available 24/7—unlike your customer support team.
Be upfront about delivery on the checkout page
Yes, you might lose some sales if estimated shipping times aren’t what customers hoped for.
But transparency has big benefits: 81% of customers value this quality in a brand. It breeds trust and brand loyalty—46% of customers are willing to pay a premium for a company they already know and can rely on.
Here’s a good example from Bellroy:
The cool thing is that when you do things well, people will talk about you on social media for the right reasons. So it also earns you some free word-of-mouth marketing.
Just look at how an interested shopper expressed appreciation for Daylight Computer's transparent checkout page, where the company shares availability per batch.
Transparency is good ethics—and good business.
Optimize your order fulfillment process
Remember how WISMO queries aren’t just a communication issue? They can also come from a messy order fulfillment process.
Fix this by upgrading two key systems impact your WISMO rate: your order management system (OMS) and your warehouse management system (WMS).
- Order Management System (OMS): This system handles the entire order lifecycle. It centralizes inventory, tracks orders, and automates customer notifications so you can prevent overselling, reduce back orders, and minimize order processing delays.
- Warehouse Management System (WMS): A WMS helps warehouse staff track goods from arrival to departure. The right system speeds up picking, packing, and shipping, reducing mispicks and incorrect shipments that lead to delays and customer complaints.
Find the best WMS for your business—check out our top picks:
Diversify your communication channels
Customers don’t only love quick responses. Accessibility matters to them just as much.
Here are their favorite ways to contact brands when they need something:
Making these channels available ensures customers can easily access the information they need.
Even better, use these channels for proactive communication. Combine them to send order-related updates or status alerts that keep customers in the loop.
One of the best combinations? Sending post-purchase transaction emails and text messages.
An Attentive study found 85% of consumers expressed interest in receiving both from brands. Email may be the most popular channel for customer communications, but people still check their SMS more frequently than emails.
Other options like push notifications and WhatsApp messaging allow you to communicate relevant information to them in a manner that suits them most comfortably.
No need for them to ask for order updates.
Share shipping progress in post-purchase communications
You know where to reach your customers, but how often should you keep in touch after they place an order?
A stage-by-stage approach works best.
The right email marketing software can automate this process, keeping transparency at the forefront of customer interactions.
Here’s a sample post-purchase email sequence:
- Order confirmation: Send immediately following the shopper's purchase. Postable, a made-to-order stationery brand, details their delivery estimates in their order confirmation email, along with a promise to send shipping information when ready. They also include a clear refund policy.
- Shipping notification: Notify customers as soon as you ship their orders.
Onyx Coffee Lab, for example, includes a package tracking link, the courier, and an estimated delivery date, making it easy for customers to monitor their package’s progress.
- Delivery status notification: Some WISMO tickets come from customers who are unsure whether their package has arrived. Sending a delivery confirmation email with proof of delivery can prevent these inquiries.
Ten Thousand, a workout gear brand, includes a tracking link, delivery date, and shipping address in their delivery confirmation email to avoid confusion:
- Delay updates: If something goes wrong, be proactive. Providing an explanation, a new estimated delivery date, and even a small gesture (like free shipping on a future order) can help regain trust.
Here’s a great example from Stripo:
Using an email marketing tool with automation features can help streamline these delivery updates and reduce WISMO.
Use automation tools for 24/7 support
Sixty-seven percent of customers prefer self-service over contacting a company representative, so let them handle things themselves.
Resources like FAQs, blog posts, and chatbots can help reduce the burden on customer service teams.
So does adding chatbots to your self-service portal. A WISMO chatbot, equipped with real-time order tracking, can allow customers to check the status of their orders at any time.
Brands like Casper use this strategy to provide always-available support.
Like Casper, you need a customer service approach that blends human connection with the latest technology.
Follow this excellent tip to maximize its success:
Transparency would work best: Don’t try to pretend it’s a human reply if you’re using an LLM.
Classify the questions and operations that can be answered with LLM (e.g. getting an appointment, simple consultation, general information) and operations that should be executed by human support (customer complaints, escalations, vulnerable customer support, etc.)
Create a branded tracking page
Another great way to empower customers is by providing a branded real-time order tracking page. This page offers:
- Instant order status updates
- A seamless, branded delivery experience
- Fewer customer service inquiries
You can integrate this feature into your customer portal using order tracking software like ShipStation. Take a look at how well-designed this page is:
Order tracking tools also enhance order visibility at all times, preventing misplaced orders, and delivery can help you avoid wondering where your products are after they leave your warehouse.
It’s all about running a perpetual inventory system.
To make it work, it should integrate with other components of your ecommerce ecosystem, such as accounting software and warehouse management system, shipping carrier, and OMS.
Work with reputable 3PL providers
Third-party logistics (3PL) providers are logistic experts who handle things such as storing, picking, packing, and shopping for your products.
3PL companies also act as intermediaries between shippers and carriers, coordinating various aspects of the supply chain.
As part of their service, some companies serve as shipping carriers that automate shipping notifications. Here’s an example from FedEx:
If you work with multiple providers, you need to monitor performance, such as delivery times and lost packages, so you can make adjustments, like finding new carriers to replace those that don’t meet the service level agreements (SLAs) or renegotiating contract terms
Keep Customers in the Loop, Not in the Dark
Be the friend who texts back in a timely manner.
Or better yet, be the friend who reaches out first.
Reduce your WISMO queries by staying proactive with clear shipping updates, automated notifications, and transparent policies. The fewer surprises, the fewer WISMO tickets.
And at the core of it all? A more efficient order management system that ensures all order-related information is organized and up to date
If you want to optimize that system, check out these must-read guides:
- Your No-BS Guide to Ecommerce Order Management
- Ecommerce Shipment Tracking: How To Use Order Tracking To Boost Your Sales
- A Complete Guide To Inventory Tracking: Methods, Tips & Tools
- Automated Order Management Explained: Strategies, Tools & Future Trends
- The Ultimate Guide to B2B Order Management: Top Strategies & Tools to Keep Everything in Order
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WISMO FAQs
Have more WISMO-related concerns? Find the answers here:
What role does customer psychology play in WISMO-related frustrations?
WISMO stems from either post-purchase dissonance or pre-parcel anxiety. Or both.
Post-purchase dissonance refers to consumer anxiety or doubt following a purchase. If customers become obsessed with tracking their packages’ location, they’re likely to be experiencing pre-parcel anxiety.
A proactive communication strategy can alleviate these concerns and enhance the shopping experience.
What are the best ways to handle WISMO inquiries when a package is truly lost?
Prompt and clear communication is the only way to go. Relay the information to your audience and offer a solution, like a replacement shipment or a full refund. Feel free to throw in a discount voucher for recompense.
Behind the scenes, look into the cause of this issue. Contact the shipping carrier and initiate a claim to recoup the costs. Prepare all the necessary documents, such as proof of the package’s value.
What are some real-world examples of brands successfully reducing WISMO inquiries?
Blume, Bellroy, Casper, Postable, and Ten Thousands are some brands that employ strategies like proactive order updates, reliable tracking pages, and automation tools to minimize WISMO inquiries and enhance customer satisfaction.
