In today’s e-commerce landscape, speed, transparency, and convenience drive customer loyalty. But when an order is delayed, tracking is unclear, or delivery expectations aren’t met, customers ask the dreaded question: “Where is my order?” — also known as WISMO.

These inquiries might seem harmless, but they’re quietly draining your CX team’s time, budget, and ability to deliver standout experiences. Let’s break down what WISMO is really costing you and how AI Agents can solve it at scale.

WISMO: A costly, high-volume problem

WISMO is the single most common type of customer service inquiry in e-commerce. During peak seasons, it can account for up to 50% of all inbound requests.

Each WISMO ticket might only take a few minutes, but the costs add up fast. Qualtrics reports that handling a customer service call can cost $3 - $7 each. Depending on how many WISMO chats, emails, and calls your team is handling, you could be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on order tracking requests alone.

Customer service team members also burn out from addressing repetitive questions, reducing their capacity to focus on more complex or high-value issues, and reducing morale. If this leads to turnover, that leads to higher staffing costs for your organization.

WISMO may seem like a small inconvenience per conversation, but when viewed at scale, it’s clear that this challenge demands a solution.

The real risk: losing the customer

Tough customers are one common reason for attrition of customer experience workers. Interestingly, AI caBeyond its operational costs, WISMO poses a significant risk to customer loyalty. 45% of consumers say they wouldn’t buy again from a retailer after a negative delivery experience.

The post-purchase phase is a critical moment in any customer’s experience. When shoppers ask, "Where is my order?" it signals their need for reassurance that their purchase is in good hands.

Failing to meet expectations during this phase can lead to frustration when updates are unclear or unavailable, then brand distrust and ultimately churn when dissatisfied customers decide not to make a repeat purchase.

Most shoppers read online reviews before purchasing, and delivery frustrations often become public feedback.

Poor communication post-purchase creates a disconnect between brand promise and customer experience and gives competitors an opening. Customer loyalty is one of your most valuable assets, and frequent mishandling of WISMO inquiries could erode it.

The good news? There are proven strategies to address WISMO while keeping customers happy.

How to deflect WISMO (without sacrificing the customer experience)

Reducing WISMO inquiries goes hand in hand with improving the customer experience. Here are four effective methods:

Proactive notifications

Keep your customers informed before they even have to ask - build trust and reduce the customer’s need to reach out.

  • Include links to easily access tracking information directly from these notifications.
  • Send real-time shipping updates via email or SMS, letting customers know when their package has shipped, when it’s out for delivery, and when it has been delivered.
  • Provide delay notifications that explain any disruptions to shipping timelines and set clear expectations.

Self-service tracking tools

Give your customers the power to find answers on their own. Self-service tools allow shoppers to track their own orders, saving them the inconvenience of contacting support.

Tracking portals aren’t new technology, so as a brand, make sure you’re handling fulfillment with services that keep customers in the loop. Keep your knowledge base and FAQ materials up to date with expectations so customers can find information easily.

AI-powered support

Automation is the future of customer service, and for WISMO, AI can make a significant impact. AI not only improves efficiency but also ensures customers receive immediate answers, freeing up your human agents for more complex support needs.

  • Leverage AI to predict delays and proactively notify customers before they even ask for an update.
  • Use AI Agents to instantly respond to WISMO inquiries with accurate status updates.
  • Automate responses to frequent questions like “When will my order arrive?” or “What’s the return process?”

Better fulfillment

For better or worse, e-commerce giants with substantial logistics capacity have shifted consumer expectations about how long online orders should take to arrive. The longer that orders take to ship and deliver, customers have more time to worry about the status of their order and reach out. Investing in more robust fulfillment and offering different shipping options at checkout can improve the customer experience and thus minimize WISMO messages.

“There's fast and affordable. Anybody can ship fast. You can utilize two-day air from one location. But it's all about maximizing that one to three day shipping via ground. That's how you get into the affordable side. That's when you really need to have a partner that has the scale then get you the pricing and the capabilities that you need. Then, really distributing your inventory across the US or the regions where you're fulfilling, so you're maximizing that ground shipping. The important part is you need to really blend both of those at the same time. Fulfillment's not always the most exciting part of the business for brands to think about, and that's often why they outsource. But it can be such a differentiator from a customer experience lens.”

-Casey Armstrong, CMO, Shipbob

How Kustomer solves the WISMO problem

Kustomer’s AI-powered platform is built to reduce WISMO inquiries by enabling customers to self-serve. If they do still have an issue, it resolves them fast.

Here’s how it works:

  • AI Agents built for e-commerce
    Kustomer AI Agents are trained specifically to handle WISMO scenarios like tracking packages, confirming delivery windows, and addressing delays. They pull real-time data from the CRM and order systems to respond immediately on any channel.
  • Proactive messaging across channels
    You can set up automated workflows and bulk messaging to send order updates, delay notices, and delivery confirmations across chat, email, or SMS—eliminating the need for customers to ask.
  • Unified customer timeline
    If a WISMO inquiry does reach a human, Kustomer provides a complete view of the customer’s history—orders, previous issues, conversations—all in a single timeline. Agents can respond faster, with better context, and no back-and-forth.

Final thoughts: Automate the problem before it hurts

WISMO messages are an unavoidable part of providing support for any brand that ships online orders, but it doesn’t have to eat up your resources or frustrate your customers. By combining AI Agents with proactive updates and self-service tools, retail brands can transform WISMO from a burden into a loyalty-building opportunity.

Let your team focus on higher-value conversations. Let your customers get answers in seconds. Let AI handle WISMO.

Want to see how Kustomer’s AI Agents reduce WISMO and boost customer satisfaction? Schedule a demo to see how we can supercharge your brand’s customer service today!