Customer Communication in Order Fulfillment: Best Practices for 2025 and Beyond

Every successful delivery starts with a click. But what happens between order and doorstep makes the difference between an average service and an exceptional one. 

Even perfectly picked and packed orders can lead to unhappy customers if they’re left in the dark about status updates, shipping progress, or potential delays.

Generally speaking, most businesses can do better with their communication, especially when customers encounter order problems. Recent research shows that 42% of customer inquiries go completely unanswered, while a measly 13% receive a full and timely response. 

It doesn’t look great on paper, but in real-world terms, this communication gap can seriously damage your brand reputation and customer loyalty.

On the positive side, this poses an opportunity for those who build stronger customer service strategies. 

While the link between customer service and business performance is strong, interestingly, 78% of customers would choose a brand again after an error or issue, if they provided first-class customer communication. 

This guide explores how to build a robust customer communication strategy for your fulfillment operations. 

You’ll learn about key touchpoints, channel optimisation, content personalisation, and the technology needed to deliver an exceptional post-purchase experience.

Understanding Today’s Communication Challenge

A couple of decades ago, you’d barely expect a dispatch notification. Today, buyers want proactive updates, instant responses to queries, and complete transparency throughout their order journey.

Here’s what the data tells us about the current state of customer communication:

• 90% of consumers rate an ‘immediate’ response as important or very important when they have a customer service question, with 60% defining ‘immediate’ as 10 minutes or less (CM, 2023)
• 70% of customers expect anyone they interact with to have the full context of their situation (Zendesk, 2025)
• 58% of consumers want brands to follow up with them in a personalised way post-purchase (McKinsey, 2021)
• 76% of consumers get frustrated when they don’t receive personalised experiences from brands (CM, 2023)
• 80% of consumers expect chat agents and support representatives to assist them with everything they need (Zendesk, 2025)
• Three in four consumers say a bad interaction with a business can ruin their day (Zendesk, 2025)

As we can see, customer service has truly diversified, becoming more personal and interconnected across multiple channels. This must be maintained while handling increasing order volumes and ever-higher customer expectations.

That creates a tricky dilemma, especially for small teams still in their growth stages. 

How do you scale up operations while maintaining the personal touch? How do you ensure consistency across different communication channels? 

And perhaps most importantly, how do you achieve all this without astronomical costs or overwhelming your team?

Let’s begin by overviewing the key communication touchpoints involved in order fulfillment. 

Communication Touchpoints in Order Fulfillment

Your average order might involve anywhere from five to fifteen separate customer communications. This includes several that occur post-sale, from order confirmation through to delivery communication. 

That’s when your order fulfillment communications kick in. These communications are instructive (informing people about their orders) and provide an opportunity for marketing efforts (offering support, embedding surveys, etc.).

It’s a delicate balance. You have to provide enough information to keep customers confident and informed without overwhelming them with unnecessary updates. 

This requires understanding exactly what information customers need at each stage of their order journey.

Here are the primary communications your fulfillment operation needs to get right:

1. Order Confirmation

Order confirmation sets the tone for your entire fulfillment relationship. Get it right, and customers feel confident their purchase is in safe hands and progressing through the system. 

Order confirmations should at the very least:

• Confirm the order details and delivery address
• Provide an estimated delivery date
• Explain next steps in the fulfillment process
• Include order tracking information or explain when it will arrive
• Offer easy ways to modify the order if needed

While providing this data might seem simple at first glance, there’s more to it than what meets the eye. 

For example, message content can differ for customer segments or products. And, depending on what products you sell, you might wish to attach other information, such as links to resources, setup guides, or actions customers need to complete to use their product once it arrives. 

Here’s an example of an order confirmation message that goes beyond the barebones:

Subject: Welcome! Your First Order is Confirmed 🎉

Hi [Customer Name],

Thanks for your order – and welcome! We’re excited to have you with us. Since this is your first time shopping with [Brand Name], here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your experience.

Your order is confirmed and in motion!

Your order details:

• Order Number: #12345
• Shipping To: [Customer Address]
• Estimated Delivery: Between [Date] – [Date]
• Tracking: [Link] (Tracking updates will be sent as soon as your order ships.)

We’ll update you every step of the way, but while we’re getting your order ready, here are a few things that might be helpful:

• [Getting Started Guide] – Tips for making the most of your new [Product]
• [What to Expect] – A quick overview of how we handle shipping & delivery
• [Join Our Community] – Connect with other customers, ask questions, and get early access to new products

If you have any questions, we’re here to help – just hit reply or visit our [Help Center]. We’ll be in touch again soon with your shipping confirmation!

Thanks again for choosing [Brand Name] – we can’t wait for you to receive your order.

– The [Brand Name] Team

2. Processing Updates

The period between order confirmation and shipping can be where communication breaks down. Consider sending an update between confirmation and shipping, containing info such as:

• Order processing confirmation
• Picking and packing status
• Any potential delays or issues
• Stock availability confirmations for pre-orders
• Custom processing notifications (gift wrapping, special handling, etc.)
• You could also incorporate resources/guides/other information here

Don’t go silent during this phase – it’s a great opportunity to offer useful information, build customer engagement, and create some excitement ahead of delivery. 

3. Shipping Notifications

Shipping notifications are a moment of truth in your fulfillment communication strategy. 

This is when customers transition from passive waiting to active tracking, so you’ll need to give them everything they need to take control of things on their end. 

Building a tightly integrated last-mile strategy is key, where data from your warehouse and carriers flows into your systems on-time, before being passed on to the customer. This includes:

• Tracking number and direct link to carrier tracking
• Estimated delivery date and time window
• Delivery instructions options
• Alternative delivery options if applicable
• Clear instructions for any required customer action

Remember that last-mile delivery is when an order transforms into a physical touchpoint with your brand – so it’s extremely important – even if you don’t have complete control.

4. Delivery Alerts

Last-mile delivery communications can make or break the customer experience. With failed deliveries costing upwards of £10 per order, last-mile delivery alerts are key for both customer satisfaction and your bottom line. 

You probably won’t have complete control over comms once your parcels reach last-mile carriers, but you can still choose carriers that align with your products and objectives. 

For example, bulky goods might benefit from carriers like DPD and UPS, which offer greater control over delivery slots. High-ticket items demand responsible carriers that don’t leave parcels on the doorstep.

5. Exception Handling

Exception handling communications can determine whether you retain or lose a customer. 

As we noted earlier, research shows that 78% of consumers will continue doing business with a company after a mistake if its customer service is excellent. That’s a really important finding – great communication can retain customers and increase their lifetime value to your brand. 

When things go wrong, rapid, honest, and solution-focused communication is essential, including:

• Delay notifications
• Stock issues alerts
• Failed delivery updates
• Returns processing status
• Problem resolution communications

Prompt, transparent communication is key here. The worst thing you can do is leave people in the dark about their order!

Trigger-Based Fulfillment Messaging Workflow Example

We can visualise how the above stages come together in a messaging workflow. While messaging strategies vary from business to business, a typical workflow might look something like this:

Trigger	Condition	Objective	Personalisation	Example Subject Lines
Order Confirmation	Triggered immediately after an order is placed.	Reassure the customer their order is confirmed and provide key details.	New customers receive additional onboarding content, while returning customers see loyalty incentives.	“Welcome! Your First Order is Confirmed 🎉” / “Order #12345 Confirmed – Here’s What’s Next!”
Processing Update	Triggered once the order moves into processing but has not yet been shipped.	Keep the customer informed while waiting for dispatch, reducing order anxiety.	Provide value-added content such as product guides, setup tips, or FAQs.	“Your Order is in Progress – Here’s What to Expect!” / “We’re Packing Your Order! Need Any Last-Minute Changes?”
Shipping Confirmation	Triggered as soon as the order is dispatched and tracking is available.	Provide tracking details and delivery expectations.	Offer rescheduling options, alternative delivery instructions, or estimated time slots.	“Your Order is On the Way! 🚚 Track It Here” / “Exciting News: Your Parcel is Out for Delivery!”
Delivery Alerts	Triggered on the day the order is expected to arrive.	Ensure customers are aware their order is arriving today.	Provide a final update, including last-mile tracking and delivery options.	“Today’s the Day! Your Order is Out for Delivery 🎉” / “Your Order Arrives Today – Here’s What You Need to Know”
Delivery Confirmation & Unboxing Tips	Triggered shortly after the order is marked as delivered.	Confirm delivery and encourage product engagement.	New customers receive setup tips, while returning customers see loyalty offers or upsells.	“Your Order Has Arrived! Here’s What’s Next” / “It’s Here! Get the Most Out of Your [Product]”
Post-Purchase Follow-Up	Triggered 3-5 days after delivery.	Strengthen brand relationship with review requests or incentives.	New customers receive an introduction to the brand’s community, while returning customers see referral incentives.	“How’s Your [Product] Experience? Let Us Know!” / “Enjoying Your Order? We’d Love Your Feedback!”
Exception Handling (Delays & Issues)	Triggered when an issue or delay occurs in the fulfilment process.	Maintain trust by proactively addressing delays or issues.	Be transparent and, where necessary, offer compensation or alternative solutions.	“Update on Your Order – We’re Working on It!” / “We Ran Into a Delay – Here’s What’s Happening”

Channel Strategy for Order Fulfillment

We live in the era of multi- or omnichannel eCommerce. Brands are under pressure to manage as many channels as possible, bringing themselves to customers rather than forcing them to come to them. 

Rather than treating each communication channel in isolation, there’s a significant emphasis on building a seamlessly connected experience where customers receive consistent, high-quality information regardless of how they interact with your brand.

So, how is this achieved practically? It all begins with channel selection and management. 

Email

Email remains the backbone of order fulfillment communication, but simply firing off generic template messages no longer cuts it. Modern email communication requires careful attention to timing, content, and presentation.

Effective order fulfillment emails should be mobile-optimised, concise, and packed with actionable information. 

Timing is particularly important. Order confirmations should arrive within minutes, not hours.

Processing updates needs careful scheduling to maintain engagement without overwhelming customers. Shipping notifications must arrive with enough advance notice for customers to prepare for delivery, and so on.

This means building tight integrations between your sales channels and order fulfillment system, which is one of our specialities here at J&J Global Fulfilment. 

Our award-winning ControlPort fulfillment software integrates our world-class fulfillment and delivery systems with your sales channels – giving you the necessary intelligence to build exceptional customer service strategies. 

SMS Integration

SMS, which is now becoming defunct in its original purpose thanks to instant messaging, has become an effective fulfillment notification system. It doesn’t require internet connectivity and is highly accessible. 

There are some limits, though – you can’t pack much information into an SMS. The best practice is to reserve SMS for truly important updates – typically shipping notifications and delivery alerts – while using email for more detailed communications.

Mobile App Notifications

For businesses with their own mobile apps, push notifications provide another powerful channel for fulfillment updates. These immediate alerts can be particularly effective for:

• Order status changes
• Shipping confirmations
• Out-for-delivery notifications
• Delivery confirmations
• Return status updates

Live Chat Support

Notifications are only one side of customer service – you need to offer customer support, too. 

Live chat has become a fundamental component of eCommerce fulfillment. Once reserved for established brands, modern AI-powered chat solutions and outsourced support teams make 24/7 chat support more accessible than ever.

The key is ensuring these systems have complete access to your fulfillment data. Support staff or AI chatbots need instant visibility of order status, shipping information, and customer history. 

This prevents customers from having to repeat information and enables quick resolution – essential when 60% of customers won’t wait more than 10 minutes for a response!

In many cases, AI handles common queries like order tracking and delivery updates, while human agents step in for more complex issues.

As such, live chat shouldn’t totally replace other customer service channels. For example, customers may choose to email for more involved inquiries or complaints, as they feel they’re more likely to receive a detailed response from someone at the business. 

Social Media Updates

Social media has become a useful customer service channel. Since brands nearly always have a social media channel, customers often head there to ask questions by DM or publicly – especially if it’s a complaint. 

Beyond handling individual queries via DM and message, social channels serve several important roles:

• Broadcasting shipping delays or service interruptions
• Updating customers about peak season delivery times
• Providing general shipping and returns information
• Offering an alternative contact method for urgent issues

The rise of social commerce is a massive factor here, as more customers are ordering directly through platforms like Instagram and TikTok Shop, making social media an integral part of your fulfillment communication strategy.

Content Optimisation for Fulfillment Communications

Fulfillment messages aren’t purely informational – they shouldn’t be cold, stark, and data-driven. Instead, they need to contribute your brand messaging, imagery, etc, to make them truly yours. 

Here’s how to do it:

Message Timing

Send updates too frequently, and you risk message fatigue. Space them too far apart, and customers will lose confidence in their order status. 

Your communication cadence should match natural customer anxiety points. The gap between order placement and shipping typically creates the most customer uncertainty, so this should be a priority. 

Personalisation by Customer Segment

Different customer segments might have different relationships to your brand, which creates opportunities for message personalisation. Here are some examples:

• New customers may benefit from additional onboarding content, such as setup guides, product tips, or a welcome message introducing your brand’s values and community. These messages should reassure them about their purchase while also providing useful resources to enhance their experience.
• Returning customers are already familiar with your brand, so their fulfillment messages can be optimised for convenience rather than education. Acknowledging their past purchases, offering personalised product recommendations, or including loyalty programme benefits can create a sense of exclusivity and appreciation.
• VIP or high-value customers often have different expectations regarding service levels. Priority support, faster fulfillment updates, or even small gestures like a personal thank-you note can reinforce their importance to your business.
• Subscription or repeat purchase customers expect a seamless process. Instead of generic order confirmations, messages should highlight subscription renewal timelines, auto-replenishment reminders, or rewards for continued loyalty.
• Customers with large or special orders may need more bespoke updates. Orders requiring special handling, such as bulk, fragile, or high-value items, should include additional details to set expectations and avoid unnecessary support enquiries.

Language Considerations

The way you communicate matters just as much as what you communicate. Customers expect clear, action-oriented messaging that helps them understand where their order is and what, if anything, they need to do.

• Be clear and direct: Overly technical or vague language creates confusion. Instead of “Your parcel is undergoing logistical processing,” a warmer alternative would be “We’re packing your order now.”
• Use an approachable tone: Even automated emails should feel human. Instead of “ORDER #123456 HAS BEEN CONFIRMED,” a more natural message would be “Great news! Your order is confirmed and on its way.”
• Ensure messaging aligns with brand voice: A playful direct-to-consumer brand may use conversational language, while a luxury brand might maintain a polished, refined tone. Regardless of style, ensuring consistency across all fulfillment communications is key.
• Use action-oriented language: Instead of “Shipping details will be provided,” a stronger option would be “You’ll receive tracking details within 24 hours.”
• Adapt for localisation and regional differences: For global businesses, messages should reflect local language nuances, currency, and delivery expectations. Small details, such as different date formats or variations in phrasing, can impact clarity and customer satisfaction.

Call-to-Action Clarity

Every fulfillment communication should have a clear purpose and, where appropriate, a specific action for customers to take. 

Whether it’s tracking a package, scheduling a delivery, or managing a return, the required action should be immediately obvious and easy to complete.

This means:

• Prominent, clickable tracking links
• Clear instructions for delivery preferences
• Simple processes for handling issues
• Easy access to additional support if needed
• Clear next steps for returns or exchanges

Focus on delivering clear, valuable information that helps customers feel confident about their orders while remaining true to your brand voice.

Technology Implementation for Fulfillment Communication

Strong customer communication begins with having complete visibility of your fulfillment operation. 

At J&J, we built ControlPort™ precisely for this reason – to give businesses total fulfillment visibility. ControlPort is our proprietary cloud-based platform that tracks the fulfillment process in real time.

When an order comes in, ControlPort™ follows it through every stage:

• Initial receipt and processing
• Warehouse picking and packing
• Shipping status and tracking
• Delivery confirmation
• Any returns or issues

This data can help you build and refine customer communication. After all, you can’t tell customers where their order is unless you know yourself. You can’t warn about potential delays without tracking data. And you can’t prevent stock issues without inventory insights.

Connecting Your Communications

ControlPort™ integrates with major eCommerce platforms, email systems, and customer service tools. 

When everything is connected properly, your customers always receive updated, accurate information, whether they check their order status online, read an email update, or talk to your support team.

Smart Automation

As your business grows, manual updates become impossible to manage. Your system needs to handle routine communications automatically while flagging issues that need human interaction. 

ControlPort™ manages this through intelligent automation, which triggers the right message at the right time – from order confirmations to shipping alerts.

The system knows when to send standard updates and when to flag exceptions. If a delivery looks like it might miss its ETA, the system flags it, so you can update customers before they start chasing. 

Customer Communication Performance Measurement

Many businesses assume their communication strategy is working absolutely fine – until customer complaints start rolling in. By then, they’re already losing business. 

When we work with growing brands at J&J, we often find they’re making communication decisions based on gut feel rather than actual data. In reality, you need solid metrics to understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Consider tracking:

• Customer feedback patterns to spot common communication gaps
• Peak period performance separate from normal operations, as communication needs often differ
• Different message timing and formats to identify what works best for your customer base
• Communication performance across different product categories and shipping methods

Make continuous monitoring and refinement a fundamental part of your fulfillment strategy. Fulfillment generates a wealth of valuable data – leveraging it allows you to optimise operations, enhance customer experience, and tackle inefficiencies.

Building Exceptional Customer Communication For Order Fulfillment

Effective fulfillment communication means building customer confidence throughout their order journey. 

From the moment they click ‘buy’ to the second their package arrives, customers need to know their order is in safe hands.

Getting this right requires the right blend of technology, processes, and expertise. You need complete visibility of your fulfillment operation, intelligent systems to manage communication, and the ability to continuously measure and improve your performance. 

That’s where a 3PL like J&J Global Fulfilment comes in. We’ve refined these elements into a system that delivers results. 

With our 98% same-day dispatch rate and 99.9% picking accuracy, combined with ControlPort’s real-time tracking and communication features and our international fulfillment centers, we help brands deliver the first-class customer service experiences people want. 

Contact our friendly team today. Let’s talk about how we can help you build a fulfillment operation that keeps your customers coming back for more. 

About the Author