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Introduction
No doubt, seeing your business grow globally gives another level of excitement, especially when you have built it from scratch.
But let’s face it: fulfilling international orders requires extra hard work. As the shipments pass through multiple carriers and transportation modes at various statuses of their journey, it gets difficult to monitor them efficiently.
However, a multi-carrier tracking solution can eliminate these problems to a great extent. How? In this article, we’ll check what exactly an API based multi-carrier tracking solution is, what problems you might encounter with international shipping, and how a multi-courier tracking solution helps in this case.
Let’s start!
What’s Multi-Carrier Tracking for International Orders?
Multi-carrier tracking refers to the process of monitoring shipments across different carriers or transportation modes on a centralized platform.
When it comes to fulfilling international orders, tracking a shipment becomes difficult because of the involvement of multiple carriers. It gets even more difficult when you have numerous international shipments to deliver.
As each carrier has its own tracking system, you’ll end up juggling various websites for a single update. To be honest, it’s nerve-wracking.
That’s where the multi-carrier tracking system software steps in!
It seamlessly integrates with different logistics partners and consolidates tracking data from each of them.
Then, it provides a unique tracking number to both the shipper and the recipient through which they can get all the nitty-gritty shipping details on an integrated dashboard.
What Are the Challenges in International Order Tracking?
Tracking International orders is no easy feat. It comes with several obstacles that can directly hamper your operations and customer expectations. Let’s dive a bit deeper and explore them in detail.
1) Fragmented tracking information
For better delivery efficiency and speed, international shipping often incorporates the collaboration of various carriers.
For example, the shipper first hands over the package to a local carrier that delivers it to another international freight forwarder.
That international carrier further delegates the shipment to a local logistics company of the destination country to improve last-mile delivery. Likewise, you might have hundreds of shipments assigned to various carriers.
Since each logistics company operates on different tracking platforms, coordinating information from them becomes challenging. This leads to scattered tracking data and affects overall shipping visibility.
2) Delayed shipment status
Delayed shipment is the consequence of fragmented tracking updates. You already know that different logistics companies employ different tracking systems. Now, not all of them are able to provide real-time tracking information. The reasons?
- Some companies might have outdated tracking infrastructure that is incapable of providing instant updates.
- Certain carriers may have batch-processing systems where they provide periodic information.
- Some of them consider the budget and don’t provide real-time details.
- Diverse regulations at borders can make it difficult to get live updates.
As a result, you’ll receive delayed tracking information. It does not only hamper your logistics activities but also negatively impacts customer loyalty, as 96% of shoppers track their orders daily.
3) Technical glitches
Technical discrepancies in international order tracking are the most common obstacles you’ll face. These hiccups can arise in multiple forms, like integration issues, lack of standardization, software bugs, connectivity issues, etc.
If you don’t address them properly, these technical glitches might result in inconsistencies and inaccuracies in international order tracking.
For example, it’ll delay updates, hinder operational efficiency, and create confusion by showing the wrong location instead of the actual one.
4) Remote or unstable areas
Not all international delivery destinations fall under optimal and facilitated conditions in terms of internet connectivity and security.
If your shipping destination is a remote and unsafe area, tracking shipments and getting instant updates in those locations becomes tricky.
Rural villages in Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, don’t have advanced communication infrastructure. So, it makes the real-time tracking process challenging.
Likewise, if you’re looking to send parcels to areas affected by geopolitical conflicts like the Middle East, you’ll face tracking issues because of security measures.
5) Hurdles in Customer Communication and Customer Service
In international shipping, you’ll face language barriers and communication challenges - that’s obvious. While you can mitigate these issues in internal conversations, the problem begins when it creates confusion and misunderstandings while providing tracking updates.
Think of sending a tracking message crafted in Spanish to Indian recipients. Not only does it lead to more WISMO (Where Is My Orders) calls, but you’ll also lose buyers since 54% of customers say they’ll become repeat buyers if they get a personalized experience.
Now, if we look at the other side of the coin, it’ll create a terrible amount of burden on your customer support team. They won’t be able to resolve those problems instantly because of fragmented tracking information.
What Are the Advantages of a Multi-Carrier Tracking System for International Orders?
According to a recent research report by Future Marketing Insights, the multi-carrier parcel management software market is going to touch $1.52 billion by 2033. This means multi-carrier tracking has tremendous potential and can eliminate most of the challenges related to international orders.
Let’s see how an efficient multi-courier tracking system can make the international order tracking process easier and error-less:
1) Diverse carrier coverage & integrated tracking information
As the name suggests, a multi-carrier shipment tracking system covers a wide range of logistics companies and offers a single-click integration for each of them. Some even integrate with 350+ shipping companies worldwide.
That’s why you don’t need to go back and forth with thousands of websites to get shipping updates.
You’ll easily obtain tracking details on a centralized platform no matter how many logistics companies you’re dealing with. Here’s an example of how a multi-courier tracking solution consolidates data from different carriers and shows them on a single platform:
2) Detailed shipment updates
In addition to showing data on a single dashboard, a multi-courier tracking system doesn’t just provide an overview of the shipment status. It goes beyond and offers all the nitty-gritty details you need for comprehensive shipment visibility. These include:
- Order Information received
- Out for delivery
- In-transit
- Available for pickup
- Failed attempt
- Stuck shipment
And more.
This ultra-detailed shipping information is also crucial to mitigate future discrepancies for smooth delivery.
3) Time-to-time tracking notifications to customers
90 percent! That’s the average number of online shoppers who want to track their orders in real time. But, with so many tasks on their plates, it gets hectic for shippers to keep each customer in the loop throughout the delivery journey.
Fortunately, a multi-courier tracking solution helps in this case, too. As soon as any changes occur in the in-transit period, it immediately sends automated notifications to the customers.
Not only does it make them free from anxiety and improve customer experience, but it also eliminates a significant amount of burden from your customer support team.
Take the example of Candere - a jewellery company. It used ClickPost’s multi-carrier tracking system and reduced customer queries by 40% because of instant shipment updates.
4) Proactive issue resolution
When it comes to fulfilling international orders, shippers often encounter various challenges that result in stuck or delayed shipments. These may include incomplete documentation, compliance issues, security inspection, political disputes, and more. Eliminating these bottlenecks is a no-brainer, especially when faster delivery is the number one factor of business success.
Since multi-carrier order tracking software provides a comprehensive view of the whole shipping process, it helps shippers identify those frictions beforehand. Based on that, they can mitigate them or change routes for swift and seamless delivery.
5) Comprehensive reporting and analytics
The benefits of the multi-carrier shipping solution aren’t limited to providing shipping updates only. Some of them even provide in-depth reporting and analytics on various factors of the logistics process. Carrier performance analytics, stuck shipment analysis, and in-transit orders analysis are some of them.
These comprehensive reports give you an overview of how your ecommerce shipping process is working and help create a new strategy to improve international shipping.
5 Tips to Enhance the Effectiveness of Multi-carrier Tracking for International Orders
By now, you’re convinced that a multi-carrier tracking solution is a must-have for international shipping. However, you can always go the extra mile to enhance the effectiveness of your multi-courier tracking by adopting some subtle initiatives.
And especially when improved customer experience has the power to increase revenue by 80%, taking these few extra steps is a must. For example:
1) Go for a top-notch multi-carrier tracking solution
While you’ll find countless multi-carrier tracking systems in the market, not all of them will fit your bill. Reasons? Some may not be compatible with all the carriers you are working with, or some systems may have scalability issues.
Hence, before spending your money, check the below-mentioned factors:
- Verify if it covers all the carriers you need to boost your international shipping
- Ensure it offers reliable tracking across various geographic regions and countries - irrespective of the condition.
- Evaluate whether or not it can handle large shipping volumes.
- Check if it offers integrations with various platforms like eCommerce stores, OMS, WMS, and CRM systems.
- Verify if it provides customized shipping updates.
Once you check all the boxes, then you can invest in that multi-carrier tracking system. However, let us make your search easier.
ClickPost offers a multi-carrier tracking solution that covers around 350+ carriers worldwide. Even if you’re dealing with a large volume of shipping and multiple carriers, you’ll get all the tracking details in real time on a centralized dashboard.
It also provides a branded tracking page and sends customized tracking updates via various communication channels. In fact, it sends delayed notifications if any unexpected discrepancies occur during the process.
2) Ensure to send customized tracking updates
In a situation where brands are struggling to retain customers, sending personalized tracking notifications always gives an extra edge.
However, sending customized messages doesn’t only mean providing time-to-time tracking updates crafted in your customers’ local language.
It also involves adding specific order details, your brand logo, clickable tracking links, and more. It’ll improve your brand loyalty and, at the same time, eliminate common customer queries and unnecessary phone calls. Here’s an example of what a properly customized tracking message looks like:
3) Send tracking updates via various channels
WhatsApp has around 2.78 billion monthly active users. On the other hand, SMS has a 98% open rate. These data clearly show that you should never rely on just one channel to communicate with your customers. What if your customers don’t check their emails for personal stuff?
That’s why updating shoppers via multiple channels is always a great idea. These include WhatsApp, SMS, emails, or any platforms where your customers mostly stay active. Doing so will free you up from the assumption and resolve future problems.
4) Keep customers in the loop if any error occurs
Facing troubles like technical issues or shipping delays in international shipping is the most common thing. But how you deal with it to safeguard your brand reputation differentiates the greatest brands from the great ones.
Often, multi-carrier tracking systems send updates to customers notifying their orders might get delayed and provide new estimated delivery dates. These small techniques don’t take huge time or resources but create a great difference that boosts customer retention. See how Kapiva sends automated delayed notifications to customers to gain their trust.
5) Continuously improve the process through customer feedback
Sure, not every international shipping will proceed smoothly. You’ll face multiple issues that will directly hamper the customer experience. You might even get negative reviews.
Now, the best way to improve your performance is by working on the negative feedback. Identify where you need improvement and try to fix it next time. If you do so, your customers will feel that they are getting prioritized, which, in turn, boosts your brand credibility.
Make International Shipping Easy with a Multi-Carrier Tracking System
There can be a number of difficulties in the international shipping journey. While you can mitigate them manually, adding a multi-carrier tracking system to your tech stack proves to be a game-changer - not only because it streamlines the process but also because it plays a crucial role in building a solid international customer base.
So, go for ClickPost and make international shipping a breeze.
FAQs
1) How can international packages be tracked?
The carrier you’re dealing with will definitely have a tracking system integrated with it. Enter the tracking ID/AWB number in the specific section and hit the “Track” button. You’ll get all the shipping details on a centralized platform.
2) How many days does it take for an international carrier to reach its destination?
It depends on the carrier and shipping type you’ve opted for. For example, DHL takes around 4-8 business days for international shipping. On the other hand, FedEx takes a maximum of 5 days to deliver an international parcel. However, if we give you an overview, it takes a minimum of 5 days and a maximum of 30 days for an international order to reach its destination country.