# eCommerce during Covid-19: How to nail dispatch and shipping Learn how to keep your business running efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to keep orders flowing out the door to your customers. Canonical URL: https://starshipit.com/blog-content/how-to-nail-dispatch-despite-covid-19 **Summary:**_ Nailing dispatch during disruption means keeping order data clean, courier options flexible and customer communication proactive. Prepare fallback fulfilment processes, tracking updates and realistic delivery promises so teams can keep orders moving even when conditions change quickly during future disruption._ With shops closed and people staying home, a lot of online retail has seen a global boom in sales. But with restrictions around accessing warehouses during lockdown plus a massive uptake in demand on couriers, many retailers are struggling to keep up with their dispatch processes. **So how do you continue operating your business efficiently** when you can’t leave your house, your warehouse staff can’t work, customers are still placing orders, and [couriers are delayed](/blog-content/5-ways-to-manage-your-customers-when-couriers-are-delayed)? ### Communicate, communicate, communicate **Before you think about how you can manage your current orders, consider how you can manage future ones. **If you know that your pick and pack processes are being impacted by COVID-19 and you know that there are significant courier delays, be upfront about your struggles. Customers appreciate honesty and transparency and unless they’re making an urgent order, chances are that they’ll still buy from you, as long as you manage their expectations. Think about the touchpoints your customers engage with your business. Banners on your homepage, product pages and checkout, heads-up posts on social media, and emails will keep your customers informed. ### Managing current orders If your online store is still open but you’ve recently gone into lockdown and can’t fulfil orders as quickly as before, communication, communication, communication applies here too. **[Keep your customers informed](/blog-content/2020/03/11/experiencing-delays-keep-your-customers-informed?rq=notifications)**** via email and/or SMS notifications.** Be open about the limitations you’re facing. Everyone is in the same boat so reasonable customers should understand that they may have to wait longer for their orders to arrive. ### Managing new orders – and an order backlog If you’re still accepting orders while being unable to fulfil them, brace yourself for a busy few weeks when you’re allowed back to your warehouse. Demand on couriers will be exceptionally high when lockdown restrictions are lifted so be as organised as possible in the lead-up. Organise your shelves. Check your inventory levels. Streamline the way you print packing slips, shipping labels, invoices and shipping documentation by using a **[fulfilment automation platform](/blog-content/2020/05/22/the-secret-life-of-integrations-what-they-are-why-theyre-useful)**** like ****[Starshipit](/home)**. Integrate with your couriers so when you can start dispatching, you can set and forget your fulfilment processes. ### Consider different shipping methods Your couriers are your knights in shining armour during this time, but they are stretched to beyond capacity at the moment (and probably will be for months to come) so consider offering other fulfilment options. If customers can leave their homes, **contactless pickup** and **Click & Collect** options could be the answer. Work with your existing couriers to provide different shipping options so customers can make a decision based on price and urgency. If your current couriers don’t offer different shipping methods, consider working with others. You need to find the balance between meeting your customers’ expectations, allowing for delays, and keeping money rolling in so if switching couriers is the answer, so be it. ### Post-purchase communication When you start dispatching orders, **send notifications to your customers at key stages of the delivery journey** to reassure them that their orders are on their way. Sending [branded tracking pages](/blog-content/2020/04/14/how-to-brand-the-online-shopping-delivery-experience-and-why-its-a-good-idea) will empower your customers to track their own orders too, reducing the number of enquiries your support team has to manage. - [Read more about branded tracking and notifications](/blog-content/2020/04/14/how-to-brand-the-online-shopping-delivery-experience-and-why-its-a-good-idea) ### How Starshipit could help **Fulfilment automation software system like ****[Starshipit](/home)**** streamlines the shipping and fulfilment process.** It integrates with the eCommerce and online platforms, and [courier companies](/Partner/Index) that you’re already using so everything talks to each other at the same time, making it faster and easier to allocate orders to couriers and get them out quickly and efficiently. Starshipit saves retailers hours of time and hassle, so they can focus their human resources on other things. Batch-print shipping labels, packing slips and documentation; automatically correct invalid addresses so even if your customer entered the wrong details they’ll still get their order; automatically assign parcels to couriers depending on rules you’ve set, and automatically send your customers notifications at every step of the delivery journey. The best bit? You can try Starshipit [free for 30 days](/free-trial) and utilise all of our features before you commit. Sign up today and make life much easier as you navigate a new way of trading. ## Ready to start automating?