Reduce WISMO Calls by 60% with Proactive Tracking

“Where is my order?” — known as WISMO in the e-commerce industry — is the most common customer support question. It accounts for up to 50% of all support tickets at many online retailers. Each WISMO call costs between $5-10 to handle, and at scale, this adds up to millions in support costs.

The WISMO Problem

Here’s what typically happens:

1. Customer places an order
2. Order ships — customer gets a shipping confirmation email
3. Days of silence — no updates
4. Customer gets anxious and contacts support
5. Support agent looks up the tracking number
6. Agent tells the customer it’s on its way

Steps 4-6 are entirely preventable.

The Solution: Proactive Tracking Notifications

Instead of waiting for customers to ask, push updates to them at every key milestone:

Order Placed → Shipped → Picked Up → In Transit → Out for Delivery → Delivered
     ✉️           ✉️         ✉️          ✉️              ✉️              ✉️

Implementation with WhereParcel

// Register tracking with milestone-based webhooks
await fetch('https://api.whereparcel.com/v2/track', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.WHEREPARCEL_API_KEY}:${process.env.WHEREPARCEL_SECRET_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    trackingItems: [{ carrier: order.carrier, trackingNumber: order.trackingNumber }],
    webhook: {
      url: 'https://yourapp.com/webhooks/tracking',
      events: [
        'picked_up',
        'in_transit',
        'out_for_delivery',
        'delivered',
        'exception',
      ],
    },
  }),
});

Real-World Results

We surveyed e-commerce businesses using WhereParcel’s proactive tracking and found consistent results:

Support Ticket Reduction

Metric	Before	After	Change
WISMO tickets/month	5,000	2,000	-60%
Avg. response time	4 hours	N/A	Proactive
Support cost/month	$35,000	$14,000	-60%
Customer satisfaction	3.2/5	4.5/5	+40%

Key Notifications That Matter Most

Not all notifications are equal. Our data shows these have the highest impact:

1. “Out for delivery” — Reduces 35% of WISMO calls. Customers just want to know it’s coming today.
2. “Delivered” — Reduces 15% of calls. Confirms the package arrived.
3. “Exception/delay” — Reduces 10% of calls. Proactively explaining delays builds trust.

Building an Effective Notification Strategy

1. Choose the Right Channels

const channelStrategy = {
  picked_up: ['email'],
  in_transit: ['email'],        // Daily summary, not per-event
  out_for_delivery: ['email', 'sms', 'push'],  // High urgency
  delivered: ['email', 'sms', 'push'],
  exception: ['email', 'sms'],
};

2. Personalize the Message

Generic “Your package is in transit” messages don’t help. Include specifics:

Bad: “Your order is on its way!”

Good: “Your order #12345 just left the Seoul sorting facility. Expected delivery: Wednesday, Feb 5th.”

3. Include a Self-Service Tracking Page

Every notification should link to a branded tracking page where customers can see the full timeline. This gives them the information they need without contacting support.

https://yourstore.com/track/WP123456789

4. Handle Delays Proactively

When a package hasn’t moved in 48 hours, don’t wait for the customer to notice. Send a proactive message:

async function checkForStalePackages() {
  const stale = await getPackagesWithoutUpdate(48); // hours

  for (const pkg of stale) {
    await sendNotification(pkg.customer, {
      title: 'Shipping update',
      body: `Your package is taking longer than expected.
             We're monitoring it and will update you as soon
             as it moves. Current location: ${pkg.lastLocation}.`,
    });
  }
}

Measuring Success

Track these metrics to measure the impact of proactive notifications:

1. WISMO ticket volume — Should decrease 40-60%
2. Notification open rate — Aim for 60%+ on shipping emails
3. Tracking page views — Indicates customers self-serving
4. Customer satisfaction (CSAT) — Should increase by 20-40%
5. Repeat purchase rate — Better delivery experience drives loyalty

Getting Started

1. Set up webhooks for real-time tracking events
2. Build notification templates for each milestone
3. Create a branded tracking page
4. Monitor metrics and iterate

The investment in proactive tracking pays for itself within the first month through reduced support costs alone. The added customer satisfaction and repeat purchases are a bonus.