Missed deliveries and Missed packages are posing to be uniformly gigantic obstacles for online-shoppers and e-commerce retailers. Have you ever come home in eager anticipation to see your online delivery package waiting for you on your porch, only to find a “Sorry we missed you” sticker from the delivery service instead?
The amount of disappointment and frustration is completely understandable as you now have to worry about following-up and scheduling a re-delivery at the earliest. These unfortunate occurrences are on a steadfast increase but with no permanent solutions in place to combat them. Before delving into this further, firstly let us understand what missed deliveries and missed packages actually are.
What accounts for Missed Deliveries and Missed Packages?
A missed package or a missed delivery usually happens when the recipient is not present at the delivery address to receive packages. Sometimes instances of missed deliveries happen within a fraction of a second or minutes. For instance, you might have called off work or stayed home from school to wait for an important package that you ordered, only for the courier to arrive while you were in your basement or taking a shower.
Sometimes instances are as narrowly missed as that an impatient delivery agent might have knocked on your door a couple of times, but hastily left behind a “Sorry we missed you” sticker without waiting for you to respond.
Roughly 5 percent of online deliveries don’t reach their destination on the first attempt, according to a survey mentioned on wired.com. Further elaborating the article also states, “As our dependence on home delivery rises, retailers and carriers are working to reduce inefficiencies in the last mile—the crucial step when packages are handed to the recipient.” However, missed deliveries are bound to happen despite their best efforts and it ultimately impacts the customer.
Impact of Missed Deliveries and Missed Packages on the end-customer
The first and foremost step when a delivery is missed is a re-delivery attempt from the delivery agent. There are roughly over one billion re-delivery attempts that occur in North America annually. This is due to delivery restrictions pertaining to how or where certain packages can be delivered.
In some areas, couriers are able to leave the packages on the recipient’s porch when no one is available to sign for the shipment. However, this opens up the chance for that package to be stolen or damaged by inclement weather. In other instances, couriers are not allowed to leave the package on the recipient’s porch because that area might have been flagged with a high occurrence of package theft or the package’s retailer requires a signature receipt upon its delivery.
It may not always be possible for the end-customer to be present at the exact time of the scheduled delivery and going through the tedious process of filing a complaint and then claiming for a refund for a missed package can be a harrowing experience. A persistent follow-up needs an equal amount of time and effort which the end-consumer may not be able to do complete justice to, thanks to a hectic pre-planned work related itinerary or due to some other reasons.
This may eventually end up leaving a bitter customer experience from the end-customer towards the online retailer whose brand reputation can be at stake for no fault of theirs. After all, the last-mile delivery is more of the delivery company’s responsibility which has not been satisfactorily fulfilled.
Listed below are a few pointers as to how consumers can try breaking this vicious cycle of missed deliveries and missed packages.
How can you prevent frequent instances of Missed Deliveries and Missed Packages?
From an end-customer perspective, missed deliveries and missed packages have serious implications. It can give you sleepless nights and take a toll on you as the package may contain something that is expensive or a gift for someone special for a special occasion which might eventually not reach you or them on time. What can you do from your end to make sure that the package finally reaches the right hands without any further untoward occurrences:
Wait for re-delivery attempt. Now that you have received the “Sorry we missed you “sticker, you will have to contact the delivery agent and make arrangements for the package to be delivered. Make sure you are available to receive the parcel or have someone else receive them on your behalf to avoid yet another missed delivery scenario.
Drive up to the post office to pick up the package. If you simply cannot wait for a re-delivery, then the next course of action is to drive up to the post office and pick up the package yourself.
Get yourself familiarized with real-time order tracking and notifications as this issue can be easily solved with the right track and trace system.
Opt to get the parcels dropped at smart locker terminals, from where you can pick them up at a convenient time using an OTP sent to you through email.
All of the above-mentioned pointers can certainly prove to be useful but in the long run are time-consuming and cumbersome. You may not always be in a position to wait for a delivery or drive all the way to the post office to pick up a package.
A package acceptance or package receiving service is the ideal solution for you to prevent further instances of missed packages and missed deliveries. Stowfly ,a pioneer in this field is one such service provider prevalent throughout the USA and can help combat this pertinent issue. Let us understand how exactly Stowfly can help.
How can Stowfly Package Receiving and Package Acceptance Service help resolve Missed Deliveries and Missed Packages?
Stowfly is a vast network of package receiving and package acceptance services near you and can prove to be extremely useful for anyone who has been constantly dealing with issues pertaining to missed packages or missed deliveries.
Stowfly package acceptance and package receiving locations are very conveniently located in the form of your neighborhood coffee shop, restaurant or even a nearby convenience store. All you have to do is make use of any one of these as your alternative address and let them safely receive packages on your behalf. Stowfly locations hold your parcels securely with them until you decide to retrieve it at your own convenience.
Your package stays guarded with Stowfly for a minimal charge of $4 per package with a $1000 insurance for you to stay assured and free from any anxiety. A unique pick-up PIN code is generated for you so that no one else can pick it up unless the correct pick-up PIN is shown to our location partner.
Stowfly package receiving and package acceptance service is all set and waiting to receive your packages not just from the e-commerce giant Amazon but also from Fedex,USPS,UPS and any other online shipping retailer without any distinction. With a bucket-list full of precautionary measures and safety parameters ticked off you can now breathe a sigh of relief as Stowfly is here to manage your precious packages like a pro!