Articles on: Tracking & Status

Everything You Need to Know About Exception Shipments

Plans: All Plans Platforms: All Platforms


Overview


Delivering orders to customers on time is paramount from a business perspective. However, there are times when shipments don’t reach customers’ doorstep due to reasons like delayed customs clearance, wrong delivery address, etc. Such shipments come under the category of ‘Exception.’ AfterShip shows every detail about exception shipments, and this help guide covers all the details you need to know.


What you'll learn


In this article, we will discuss:



How to identify exception shipments using AfterShip


There are two methods to learn about your exception shipment:


1. Basic method


It comprises multiple ways to identify exception shipments:


A. Search exception shipments


  1. Go to the Shipments page of your AfterShip admin and insert tracking numbers in the search field to find exception shipments.



  • You can do a bulk search to save effort and time significantly. Click here to know more.


B. Filter exception shipments by status


  1. Log in to your AfterShip Tracking admin dashboard.
  2. Go to Shipments dashboard under Tracking dashboards on the main menu.
  3. Set the status and sub-status to Exception from the main tab with default views or using filters.


Filter exception shipments by using status filter


  • Click Add filters and select Status.
  • Under the search bar you will see the Status filter applied. Click on it, select Is any of and check the box for Exception. You will see all the shipments with Exception status displayed on the dashboard.


Filter exception shipments by sub-status


  • Go to Shipments dashboard in your AfterShip Tracking admin.
  • Set the status and sub-status to Exception from the tab or using filters.
  • Click Add filters and select Status
  • Under the search bar you will see the Status filter applied. Click on it, select Is any of and check the box for Exception.
  • Click on the Exception status again to open the list of Exception sub-statuses. Unselect the checkbox for those you don't wish to see the results for, while let the ones remain checked you want to filter out results for.




  1. You can directly switch to the Exceptions tab to filter out the shipments with Exception status.




2. Advanced method


A. Set auto alerts for yourself and your team


Enabling internal notifications ensures that you and your team are proactively alerted about shipments that experience exceptions, allowing you to address issues promptly and minimize delivery disruptions.


  1. Go to Notifications > Flows in the AfterShip Tracking admin.
  2. Select a pre-defined flow or create your own.


  • Click Create flow and select Exception status email flow.
  • Select Create from scratch to create your own email flow for exception shipments.


  1. Decide whether you want to send email notifications, SMS alerts, or both to yourself and your team when shipments encounter exceptions.
  2. Enable the flow and give it a clear, descriptive Name for easy reference.
  3. Define the Logic to specify when the exception flow should be triggered based on specific conditions.
  4. Under the Actions tab, drag and drop the 'Send internal email and/or SMS' action into the flow editor at the point where you want the internal notifications to be triggered.
  5. Customize the email and SMS templates as needed, or use the default versions provided.
  6. Save your changes to activate the workflow.



Charges for SMS notifications are not included in any of our paid plans.


How to handle exception shipments using AfterShip


Exception shipment, those that encounter delivery issues or delays require special attention to maintain customer satisfaction. AfterShip offers several methods to manage and respond to these exceptions effectively:


  • Add tags, individually or in bulk to exception shipments that require attention and then filter those shipments by these added tags.


Tip: Use tags like “Urgent,” “Customer follow-up,” or “Carrier Issue” to stay organized.



  • Set up an automated email workflow to notify customers when the shipment status updates to/remains in exception state for too long. Learn how to set up email workflows here.



If WISMO queries keep piling up despite triggering an auto email alert, you can manually send another notification.


  1. If automated emails aren’t reducing customer inquiries, you can manually send additional notifications. Manual notifications can be useful for personalized updates or escalated cases.


  • Go to the Shipments Sashboard.
  • Select a shipment with an Exception status.
  • Click Send notifications.
  • Choose to notify the customer via Email or SMS.





In case you need any further assistance, please contact our support team.

Updated on: 11/07/2025