A nationwide skincare brand learned about stuck parcels from angry emails. We built a monitor that watches every shipment for scan silence, apologizes proactively with real options, and files carrier investigations automatically. Late-parcel complaints typically drop by about 60%.
Typical results
2 days
To catch a stalled parcel
1 hr
To an open carrier investigation
100%
Shipments monitored
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
The brand shipped hundreds of parcels a week, and a few always went quiet — sitting in a depot with no scans for days. The team only found out when a customer complained, usually six days in. By then goodwill was gone, refunds were demanded, and support spent hours reconstructing tracking histories for carrier claims.
Before and after
Days to spot a stuck parcel
−67%Late-parcel complaints per month
−60%Hours to open a carrier investigation
−99%The automation
We connected the store's fulfillment system to carrier tracking APIs through Make, registering every outbound parcel with a monitoring scenario. When a shipment shows no scan movement for 48 hours, the flow flags it, sends the customer a proactive WhatsApp apology with three options — wait, reship, or refund — and files a carrier investigation with the full scan history attached. A live dashboard ranks carriers and lanes by stall rate.
How it works
- 01
Register every parcel
The moment an order ships, its tracking number is registered with a Make scenario that polls carrier events around the clock.
- 02
Detect the silence
A parcel with no scan movement for 48 hours is flagged as stalled — long before a customer would notice.
- 03
Reach out first
The customer gets a proactive WhatsApp apology with three options: keep waiting, reship the order, or take a refund.
- 04
Open the investigation
A carrier investigation is filed automatically within the hour, with the parcel's full scan history attached.
- 05
Rank the carriers
A live dashboard tracks stall rates by carrier and lane, feeding the next round of shipping decisions.
Starts from
- Carrier tracking feeds
- Open shipments
Delivers
- Proactive WhatsApp apology
- Carrier investigation file
- Stall-rate dashboard
The impact
Stalled parcels are now caught in two days instead of six, and customers hear from the brand before they think to complain. Late-parcel complaints fell from 45 to 18 a month — down 60% — carrier investigations open within an hour instead of three days, and two chronically slow lanes were rerouted.
Questions about this automation
How does the monitor know a parcel is stuck?
When an order ships, its tracking number is registered and carrier scan events are polled around the clock. If a parcel shows no new scan for 48 hours, it is flagged as stalled. The threshold can differ by carrier or lane, so slower routes do not trigger false alarms.
What does the customer receive when a parcel stalls?
The customer gets a WhatsApp message that apologizes for the delay and offers three choices: keep waiting, have the order reshipped, or take a refund. Their reply is recorded on the order and routed to the right next step, and support only steps in when the customer asks for a person.
How are carrier investigations opened?
Within an hour of a stall, the flow files an investigation with the carrier through its API or claims email, attaching the parcel's full scan history. The case status is tracked on the order. It is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages, carrier by carrier, with the stall-rate dashboard added once data builds up.