Waiting for a FedEx shipment to arrive can feel like tracking a celebrity—lots of anticipation, occasional drama, and sometimes an unexpected plot twist. For e-commerce businesses, however, it’s not just about curiosity; it’s about keeping customers happy and operations running smoothly.
That’s where FedEx shipment tracking comes in. With a robust tracking system, FedEx allows businesses to monitor shipments in real-time, providing updates on location, estimated date of delivery, and the ability to foresee any potential hiccups along the way.
But let’s be honest—not every tracking experience is seamless. Shipping delays, lost packages, and cryptic or even MIA status updates can turn a straightforward process into a logistical puzzle, slowly bleeding your customer experience.
In this article, we’ll break down how FedEx tracking works, how to use it effectively, and how to troubleshoot common issues so you can stay ahead of the curve and keep those deliveries (and customer experience) on track.
Understanding FedEx Shipment Tracking
FedEx shipment tracking, put simply, is a service provided by FedEx that allows e-commerce businesses to track their shipment’s progress through the delivery process, all the way from the time when the package is picked up by FedEx to the moment it reaches your customers safely.
While this tracking capability is important to both the carrier and your business as it ensures both stakeholders remain informed about the package’s movement, it is slightly more critical to e-commerce businesses because of the significance of real-time package tracking to the modern-day customer. Here are some stats to look over:
- 93% of customers want to be kept updated throughout the delivery process.
- 97% of customers expect to be able to monitor their orders every step of the shipping journey.
- 47% of customers won’t return to an e-commerce business that has poor delivery visibility.
Now, if you don’t have visibility into your packages’ shipping journey, it can be hard offering that to your customer—to say the least. This is why integrating FedEx shipping tracking is so critical—because it helps you meet customer expectations and drive repeat purchases and growth goals.
But how exactly does FedEx tracking work? Here’s a look into the process:
Package Gets Picked Up or Dropped Off with FedEx
Once your order is packed, you can either drop it off with FedEx or have them pick it up—either way, it gets scanned by FedEx to start the tracking process. Every FedEx shipment is allocated a unique tracking number, also known as a waybill number, to ensure accuracy and ease of tracking.
Package Gets Sorted and Transported
Your package gets scanned at various points during its shipping journey, which triggers updates on the FedEx tracking system. Some of the common updates include ‘In transit’, ‘out for delivery’, ‘scheduled delivery pending’, ‘delivery exception’, and ‘no scheduled delivery date at the time’.
Package Gets Delivered:
Once your package reaches the customer’s doorstep, it is scanned for the last time, which will trigger the update- ‘delivered. ’ The FedEx delivery agent might also take a picture as proof of delivery.
How to Track Your FedEx Shipment
You can track your FedEx shipment with its tracking number, transportation and control number (TCN), reference number, or the FedEx office order number. Once you have either of these, you can track your package via:
- FedEx Tracking Page: Navigate to this portal online and simply enter your tracking number to understand where your package has reached in its shipping journey and when it is scheduled to get delivered.
- FedEx Mobile App: Ideal for a quick update, the FedEx mobile app also helps you track your shipment with its tracking number or reference number.
Now, for e-commerce businesses shipping a large volume of packages daily, entering each package’s tracking number on the FedEx tracking page or in the app is less than ideal. And so, consider integrating a Delivery Experience Management software like LateShipment.com.
These help you view all your FedEx shipments on a centralized dashboard, giving you a quick bird’s-eye view. Not only that, but it also collects valuable carrier performance data that can help you in contract negotiations. Lastly, it also facilitates an on-brand delivery tracking page for your customers to access from your e-commerce store and shares personalized communication to keep them informed across channels.
Common Issues and Solutions in FedEx Shipment Tracking
While FedEx has an efficient tracking system in place, it is not perfect. In other words, if you ship with FedEx long enough, chances are you’ll face your share of issues. What are they? Here’s a look at the most common problems e-commerce businesses face with FedEx and their solutions:
1. Lack of Tracking Updates
Sometimes, you might not receive tracking updates for a while (more than 24 hours) after your package has been received by FedEx to get shipped. This can happen due to a sudden rise in the number of shipments getting managed by your specific FedEx facility, a holiday season-driven increase in shipments, or even delays with the sorting process.
Solution: It’s best to stay patient at such times and contact FedEx customer service if the delay persists for over 24 hours.
2. Slowdown Due to Delivery Exceptions
Your package’s movement through the shipping process can slow down and even get delayed due to unforeseen events or delivery exceptions, such as customs holdup, missing documentation, extreme weather conditions, security delays, etc.
Solution: At such times, it’s best to ascertain what exactly the delivery exception is and prioritize addressing it to get your package back on track. While with exceptions such as extreme weather, you just have to wait it out, exceptions caused due to missing details can be quickly addressed by sharing the necessary information with FedEx.
3. Inaccurate Delivery Address
Sometimes, due to a mix-up, software glitch, or some other embarrassing reason, you might find your packages getting shipped to the wrong address. Your first reaction must not be to ascertain whose fault it is—yours or FedEx’s, but to rectify the course of the package.
Solution: Use FedEx Delivery Manager to update the address of the package before it’s on the truck to the wrong doorstep. If you’re too late, contact FedEx’s customer care and inform them.
4. Lost Packages
Over 1.7 million packages go missing every day. Packages can get lost due to a range of reasons—from getting so damaged during transit that they’re beyond recognition and cannot be scanned to them getting stolen from the customer’s porch (porch pirates have been estimated to steal $12 billion in the past year).
Solution: You can claim refunds for damaged and lost packages. Be sure to raise the claim within FedEx’s refund window and keep all details regarding the shipment on hand for quick resolution.
5. Unrecognizable Tracking Number
You might navigate to the FedEx tracking page or open the app, feed in the tracking number, see ‘tracking number not found’ on your screen, and try again and again until your heart starts racing, wondering where the package went. Don’t panic.
Solution: First, double-check for accuracy, and if that doesn’t work, contact FedEx customer care and inform them of the issue. After this, simply follow their directions.
Conclusion
FedEx shipment tracking is a powerful tool, but truth be told, it’s not always smooth sailing. While it helps businesses stay informed, delays, lost packages, and vague status updates can still throw a wrench in operations. That’s why e-commerce businesses need more than just tracking; they need proactive solutions.
This is where LateShipment.com’s Delivery Experience Management software shines. Instead of reacting to shipment issues after they happen, our powerful tool empowers you to identify potential delays in real time, automate customer communication, and facilitate an on-brand self-serve return tracking portal for your customers.
Because in e-commerce, the delivery experience isn’t just the last step; it’s a critical part of your brand’s reputation. So, why settle for passive tracking when you can take control of your shipments and ensure seamless deliveries?
Turn your delivery processes into a competitive advantage with LateShipment.com. Book a demo today!
