The week after dispatch
The boxes went out on Friday. By Wednesday the messages start. 'Tracking says delivered but there's nothing here.' 'The glass candle jar was smashed.' 'Still not arrived, is it lost?' 'The box was soaking wet and the notebook is ruined.' Every message looks slightly different, and every one needs the same investigation.
Someone looks up the order, finds the tracking number, checks the courier's site, asks for a photo, waits for the reply, decides whether to replace the whole box or one item, checks whether there is anything on the leftover shelf to send, prints a label, and remembers, or forgets, to start a claim with the courier.
One monthly dispatch means one monthly spike
A normal shop has a steady trickle of delivery problems. A subscription box sends most of its parcels on the same day, so the problems arrive together, in the same week, when the team is already planning the next box.
- Tracking has to be checked on the courier's site one parcel at a time.
- Photos arrive by email, sometimes days later, and get detached from the order.
- Whether to replace the item or the whole box is decided differently each time.
- Replacement stock is taken from leftovers without being recorded.
- Courier claims have deadlines and evidence requirements that are easy to miss.
With no system, the busiest person in the week after dispatch is the one answering delivery complaints.
What unmanaged claims cost
Replacing boxes costs product and postage. Replacing boxes that were actually delivered, or replacing a whole box when one item was damaged, costs more than it needs to. Courier claims not made, or made without the evidence the courier asks for, leave money unrecovered. Subscribers waiting days for a reply about a missing box are the ones most likely to cancel before the next renewal.
You also lose a pattern you should be seeing: whether a particular courier, region or item is behind most of the problems.
The claims desk we build
- Messages about missing or damaged boxes are recognised in your inbox and linked to the subscriber's order for the current box.
- Tracking is checked through the courier's API, and the claim is sorted: in transit, delivered, returned to sender or lost.
- For damage, the subscriber gets a short form to upload photos of the item and the outer box, which attaches them to the claim.
- Your rules suggest the outcome: wait a few more days, replace one item, replace the whole box or refund, with anything outside the rules going to a person.
- Replacements are booked from leftover stock, recorded in the register and added to a replacement label run.
- Courier claims are prepared with the tracking history, photos and item value, ready to submit before the courier's deadline.
| Tracking status | Typical first step | Usually decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Still in transit | Reassure with expected date, check again later | Automatic, by your rule |
| Delivered, not received | Ask about neighbours and safe places, then decide | A person |
| Damaged in transit | Photos, then item or box replacement | Your rule, with a person for exceptions |
| Returned to sender | Confirm address, resend | Automatic, by your rule |
| Lost | Replace and start courier claim | Your rule |
The desk also keeps a monthly summary by courier, region and item, so you can see whether one fragile item or one delivery area is behind the claims.
The week after dispatch, handled
Messages arrive and are sorted before anyone opens them. Parcels still in transit get a friendly update without a person touching them. Damage claims come in with photos attached. Your team spends its time on the handful of cases that need judgement, and replacements go out in one run with labels printed together.
Courier claims go in on time with the evidence, and the monthly summary tells you that the glass jar needs better packaging next time.
Signs your claims are running you
- The week after dispatch is spent checking tracking pages.
- Photos of damage are scattered across email threads.
- Replacement decisions depend on who picks up the email.
- Courier claims are often not made at all.
- You cannot say which item or courier causes most problems.