A representative from a Swedish online store recently contacted Ehandel.se to highlight the problem, which they believe is due to the removal of text messages. The entrepreneur describes how a specific change at the beginning of the month altered the flow.
PostNord has recently had major problems with notifications. On February 9th, PostNord stopped notifying customers who have the PostNord app with SMS reminders, the person writes to the editorial staff.
The decision to rely on the app's own notifications is questioned by the e-commerce retailer, who believes that many consumers miss this type of information on their screens.
Catastrophic decision as people don't pay attention to their mobile notifications and need SMS even if they have the app.
In addition to the choice of communication channel, the company states that there are also technical obstacles. Customers are contacting the online store as they lack information about the physical location of their orders, which leads to a time crunch before the holding period at the service point expires.
There are also major problems with the app and packages not appearing in it. In recent days, it has increased with customers who don't know where the packages are, where they can pick them up, and often they are returned to us. We are small, but the number of uncollected packages has tripled. Imagine how it must look at large e-commerce retailers.
According to the retailer, this is not an isolated incident, but something that is being discussed within the industry. Dialogue is also being held directly with the logistics company.
I have contacted other e-commerce retailers who are experiencing the same thing, and my salesperson at PostNord and their customer service are aware of the problems. However, I think the problem is escalating rapidly right now, says the entrepreneur, concluding with:
I think many people are pulling their hair out right now and are annoyed with PostNord.
PostNord responds
Ehandel.se contacted PostNord with questions about the cancelled text messages, the technical challenges, and the reported increase in returns. The company's press officer, Anders Porelius, confirms via the press service that a system change has taken place and that this has changed the communication.
In February, a change of notification platform was carried out. In connection with this, PostNord began sending reminders in the same way as for arrival notifications: Push in the PostNord app or SMS, alternatively email when the user does not use the app.
However, the new platform has led to unexpected visual results for recipients.
Anders Porelius explains that the information has been sent from their system, but that the interface has made it difficult for consumers to perceive the messages. Something that has now been resolved:
In connection with the platform change, notifications were not displayed in the same way as before, which may give the impression that no notification has been sent – despite the fact that it has actually been sent. We are aware of the problem and have made it clearer for both customer and recipient.
Measures to reduce returns
The logistics company states that they are reviewing the consequences that the system change has had for online stores. The affected retailers are now urged to contact the company's support for further handling.
We apologize for the impact it has had on e-commerce retailers who have been affected and would like to urge them to contact customer service, says Anders Porelius.
To ensure that packages actually reach consumers and do not go into return, PostNord has now activated several measures, which include a return to text messages at certain stages of delivery.
We have taken measures to manage the problems that arose during the transition to the new system. This includes an extra reminder via SMS for all uncollected packages, a review of when notifications should be sent as push or SMS upon arrival at the service point, and monitoring of the notification flows to ensure that the measures are effective.