Best for: Merchant customer-care, warehouse, freight, claims, ecommerce, legal/privacy, and lifecycle teams
Help the customer before asking for praise
- Confirm deliveryUse an authoritative delivered event and a configured communication path. A carrier scan may be late or wrong, so the customer can still report not received.
- Ask one neutral condition questionMake No issue, Damage, Shortage, Not received, Refused, or Need help equally visible. Do not force a rating before support.
- Open service handling immediatelyAn issue receives a case, owner, next action, evidence route, and time-sensitive claim check. Stop promotional and review messages while it is open.
- Preserve and assemble evidenceAsk only for what is necessary, protect sensitive material, record receipt and integrity, and meet the carrier's notice/inspection requirements.
- Resolve and closeKeep the customer informed, document carrier/merchant outcomes, and close only after external effects and remaining responsibilities are clear.
- Invite an honest review fairlyEvaluate every genuinely delivered customer under the same provider-approved rule and timing. A service response may suppress an invitation while an issue is open, but no response, a no-issue response, mixed feedback, or a resolved issue must not become a sentiment-selection rule. Do not pay for a positive rating, hide the review route from unhappy customers, or make support conditional on review behavior.
Send a useful delivery check
| Trigger | Message job | Suppression |
|---|---|---|
| Booked / pickup confirmed | Set expectations and provide one authoritative tracking route when configured | Cancelled/refunded, duplicate, missing consent where required, invalid address/channel, open service incident |
| Material exception | Explain what changed, who owns it, what the recipient should do, and next update | Do not send raw duplicate scans or optimistic dates without authority |
| Delivered | Confirm the item appears delivered and ask whether it arrived as expected | Already responded, not actually delivered, open loss/damage/refusal, legal/privacy hold, unsupported channel |
| No response | One reminder only when permitted and useful | Opt-out, bounce, complaint, active issue, refund/chargeback, frequency cap |
| Uniform review-eligibility checkpoint | At the same approved delay, evaluate no response, no issue, mixed feedback, and resolved issues under the same rule | Open issue or legal/privacy hold may suppress; never select by sentiment or support outcome |
| Re-engagement | Send care, accessory, replenishment, or relevant repeat-purchase content only with marketing permission | No consent, active issue, quiet/frequency rule, unavailable product, cancellation/deletion |
Use neutral, actionable customer copy
Delivery-check subject: “Did order {{order_reference}} arrive as expected?” Preview: “Tell us no issue, damage, shortage, not received, or need help.” Body: “Our records show your order was delivered on {{date}}. Did it arrive as expected? Choose one option so the right team can help. If anything is damaged or missing, keep the item and all packaging until we confirm the next step. Do not email payment information or identity documents.”
Issue receipt subject: “We opened delivery case {{case_reference}}.” Body: “We received your report of {{issue_type}} and assigned it to {{owner_or_team}}. Please preserve the item and packaging. Use {{secure_upload_route}} for the requested photos or documents; do not send sensitive material through ordinary email. The next update is due {{time_timezone}}. Claim eligibility and outcome depend on the carrier and governing terms.”
Collect the minimum useful photos and facts
- Start with safetyDo not ask the customer to move an unsafe product, climb, lift beyond ability, expose personal documents, or handle sharp/broken material.
- Overall conditionOne wide photo shows the item and packaging as found. For refused delivery, capture only when safe and allowed.
- Damage detailClose and medium views show location and scale without asking for unnecessary people, home interiors, addresses, labels, or documents.
- PackagingPhotograph the outside, all sides where practical, crushed/punctured/wet areas, internal protection, and any exposed product.
- Labels and receiptCapture the relevant shipment/handling-unit reference and annotated delivery receipt through the protected route. Minimize unrelated addresses and barcodes.
- ShortageRecord expected versus received units/items, seal/packaging condition, and the carrier's shortage notation.
- FactsRecord delivery time, visible or concealed discovery time, who received it, driver/carrier comments, refusal or exception, and whether the item/packaging remains available for inspection.
Build a complete claim record
| Section | Record |
|---|---|
| Authority and deadlines | Claimant, carrier/account, governing terms, notice/inspection/filing deadline, owner, next action |
| Shipment identity | Merchant/order, booking/PRO/tracking, carrier/service, pickup/delivery, handling units, shipper/consignee |
| Tender condition | Verified packout, dimensions/weight, packaging/materials, pre-shipment condition/photos, documents |
| Delivery exception | POD/delivery receipt, notation, visible/concealed/short/lost/refused state, discovery time, carrier communication |
| Damage or loss | Affected item/unit, description, photos, quantity, repair/salvage/inspection status, preservation location |
| Value | Commercial invoice, cost/value basis, freight/repair/replacement and other allowed amounts under the terms |
| Submission | Exact packet version/hash, submitted time/channel, carrier claim/reference, receipt, assigned adjuster |
| Lifecycle | Acknowledged, information requested, inspection, approved, partially approved, denied, appealed, paid, closed; amount and dates |
| Privacy/retention | Access, evidence location, allowed disclosures, retention/deletion/legal hold, customer communication history |
A product may help organize this record, but the carrier, insurer, contract, law, and evidence decide the claim. Never promise approval, timing, or payment. Escalate a deadline or ambiguous tender/delivery record immediately.
Choose and operate the review funnel fairly
| Option | Best use | Checks before launch |
|---|---|---|
| First-party feedback only | Service learning and private condition/satisfaction feedback | Consent/purpose, moderation, privacy, export/deletion, no public-star implication |
| Trustpilot | Independent public company/service review presence if approved | Claim/verify business account, plan and invitation method, merchant/customer data fields, vendor/DPA/subprocessor review, branding, moderation/replies, export/exit, invitation fairness, production test |
| Product review provider | SKU/product-specific feedback and merchandising | BigCommerce compatibility, verified-purchase rules, syndication, moderation, incentives/disclosures, accessibility, privacy, migration/export |
| Marketplace review | BigCommerce app/product listing after publication | Marketplace eligibility and policies; do not solicit before the product/listing is actually available |
| Manual neutral link | Low-volume pilot after legal/vendor review | Same eligibility for all eligible customers, one invitation, no sentiment gate, tracked suppression, no positive-score condition |
- EligibleAuthoritative delivery, correct recipient/contact path, no duplicate invitation, no active issue requiring promotional suppression, and current purpose/permission.
- NeutralInvite an honest review. Do not ask only people who selected No issue or a high first-party score.
- IndependentSupport, refund, replacement, claim, warranty, or future service is never conditional on posting, changing, or removing a review.
- No undisclosed incentiveDo not exchange discounts, gifts, sweepstakes entries, or better support for a positive review. Any lawful incentive program requires platform-rule and legal review and must not be sentiment-dependent.
- One ownerMonitor reviews, respond without disclosing order details, route service issues privately, preserve criticism, and correct systemic causes.
Use a neutral review invitation
Subject options: “Share an honest review of your experience” or “How was your order experience?” Preview: “Your candid feedback helps future customers and the team.” Body: “Thank you for your order {{reference}}. If you would like, you can share an honest review of your experience at {{approved_review_url}}. Positive, negative, and mixed feedback are all welcome. A review is optional and does not affect support, refunds, claims, warranties, or future service. For an unresolved order issue, use {{support_url}} so the right team can help.”
Re-engage only after service and permission
- Care and setupSend product care, assembly, maintenance, safe-use, or documentation content when useful and allowed; keep it separate from a review ask.
- Accessory or replenishmentUse only accurate compatibility and current availability. Do not exploit a claim or damage event to sell a replacement.
- Repeat purchaseUse marketing permission, frequency caps, exclusions, current pricing/stock, and an easy preference/unsubscribe path.
- Win-backSuppress customers with unresolved service, privacy, security, billing, refund, chargeback, deletion, or complaint records. A closed issue does not automatically create marketing permission.
- LearningMeasure delivery feedback, case resolution, review invitation, review response, repeat purchase, opt-out, and complaint separately. Do not optimize by hiding unhappy customers.
Escalate urgent exceptions
Escalate immediately when a carrier notice or inspection deadline may expire; a shipment is lost, refused, unsafe, or materially damaged; evidence may be deleted; the recipient reports non-delivery after a delivered scan; a review message was sent during an active issue; or sensitive material went through an unapproved path. Preserve the record, stop the affected automation, and assign the next update.