How To Sent Tracking Number Through Woocommerce

How to Send Tracking Numbers Through WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

In the world of e-commerce, providing a seamless customer experience is paramount. One crucial element of that experience is keeping customers informed about their orders. Manually communicating tracking numbers is time-consuming and prone to errors. Fortunately, WooCommerce offers several methods to automate this process, ensuring your customers stay happy and informed. This article will guide you through the steps of how to automatically send tracking numbers through WooCommerce, saving you time and improving customer satisfaction. We’ll cover various methods, from built-in features to plugins, and discuss the pros and cons of each.

Why Sending Tracking Numbers is Crucial

Providing tracking numbers is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s an expectation. Consider these benefits:

• Increased Customer Confidence: Customers feel more secure knowing they can monitor their order’s progress.
• Reduced “Where is My Order?” Inquiries: Automating tracking notifications drastically reduces the number of customer service requests.
• Enhanced Brand Reputation: Providing a smooth and transparent shipping process reflects positively on your brand.
• Proactive Problem Solving: Both you and the customer can identify potential shipping issues early on.

Main Part: Automating Tracking Number Delivery in WooCommerce

There are several ways to send tracking numbers through WooCommerce. We’ll explore the most popular methods:

1. Manual Entry and WooCommerce Order Notes

This is the most basic method, useful for stores with very low order volume.

• Process: Once you receive a tracking number from your shipping provider, manually add it to the WooCommerce order notes. You can also add a link to the carrier’s website.
• How to: Navigate to WooCommerce -> Orders, select the order, and add the tracking number and shipping carrier to the “Order Notes” section. Choose “Note to Customer” from the “Note type” dropdown to ensure the customer receives an email notification.
• Limitations: This method is extremely time-consuming, prone to errors (typos), and doesn’t offer sophisticated tracking features.

2. Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Order Status Updates

You can trigger email notifications based on order status updates, but this still requires manual entry of the tracking number.

• Process: Mark an order as “Completed” and include the tracking number in the “Order Notes.” Configure WooCommerce to automatically send an email upon order completion.
• How to:
• Go to WooCommerce -> Settings -> Emails
• Ensure the “Processing order” and “Completed order” emails are enabled.
• Edit the “Completed order” email template to include placeholders for tracking information if you’ve added a custom function (covered below).
• Limitations: Still relies on manual data entry, and you might need to customize the email template for better presentation.

3. Utilizing WooCommerce Plugins for Automated Tracking

This is the most efficient and recommended approach for most WooCommerce stores. Several plugins can automate tracking number integration and delivery. Here are some popular options:

#### a) WooCommerce Shipment Tracking Plugin

Many free and premium plugins offer robust shipment tracking functionality.

• Features:
• Automatic integration with various shipping carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.).
• Import tracking numbers via CSV file.
• Customizable email templates with tracking information.
• Option to add tracking information to the customer’s “My Account” page.
• Real-time tracking updates (depending on the plugin).
• How to:

1. Install and activate the plugin.

2. Configure the plugin settings, including shipping carrier integrations and email templates.

3. The plugin will often add a field to the order page where you can easily enter the tracking number.

4. The plugin will automatically send the tracking information to the customer when Discover insights on How To Install Woocommerce Manually the order status changes (e.g., to “Completed”).

#### Explore this article on How To Add An Autoship Option In Woocommerce b) Advanced Shipment Tracking

This is another popular option with similar features.

• Features: Seamless integration with shipping providers, custom tracking links, integration with the “My Account” page, and more. It allows you to provide a personalized tracking experience.
• Benefits: Offers a central dashboard for tracking shipments, reducing the need to go to external carrier websites.

#### c) Plugins integrated with Shipping Labels services

Services like ShipStation and Shippo directly integrate with WooCommerce and offer automated label printing and shipment tracking.

• Workflow: When you create a shipping label, the tracking number is automatically saved to the WooCommerce order and the customer is notified.
• Benefits: Streamlines the entire shipping process, from label creation to tracking notification.

4. Custom Coding (Advanced)

If you’re comfortable with PHP, you can create a custom solution to integrate with your shipping provider’s API. This allows for highly customized functionality, but requires significant technical expertise.

 <?php /** 
Custom function to add tracking information to the "Completed Order" email.
 */ add_filter( 'woocommerce_email_customer_completed_order', 'add_tracking_info_to_completed_order_email', 10, 2 ); 

function add_tracking_info_to_completed_order_email( $email, $order ) {

$tracking_number = get_post_meta( $order->get_id(), ‘_tracking_number’, true );

$shipping_provider = get_post_meta( $order->get_id(), ‘_shipping_provider’, true );

if ( $tracking_number ) {

$email->email_address = $order->get_billing_email();

$email->subject = ‘Your Order has been Shipped!’;

$email->heading = ‘Your Order has been Shipped!’;

$message = ‘

Your order has been shipped!

‘;

$message .= ‘

Tracking Number: ‘ . esc_html( $tracking_number ) . ‘

‘;

$message .= ‘

Shipping Provider: ‘ . esc_html( $shipping_provider ) . ‘

‘;

// Add conditional logic to create carrier links for the best tracking experience

if($shipping_provider == “USPS”){

$message .= ‘

Track your order Here!

‘;

}

$email->message = $message;

$email->send();

}

}

?>

Explanation of the code:

1. `add_filter`: This WordPress function hooks into the `woocommerce_email_customer_completed_order` filter.

2. `add_tracking_info_to_completed_order_email`: This is our custom function that will add the tracking information.

3. `get_post_meta`: Retrieves the tracking number and shipping provider from the order’s custom fields. You will need to save that tracking information to those custom fields when the order is shipped. A plugin will often do this for you.

4. Build Email Body: Constructs the email message with the tracking number and carrier information.

5. Output the Email: Sends an email to the customer with the shipment information. It also allows for a dynamic tracking link to the carriers’ website.

• Pros: Highly customizable.
• Cons: Requires coding skills, maintenance, and can be complex to set up and maintain. Consider using a plugin unless your requirements are highly specialized.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Approach

Automating tracking number delivery is essential for a successful WooCommerce store. While manual entry is suitable for very small operations, using a dedicated WooCommerce plugin is the most efficient and scalable solution for most businesses. Plugins offer easy integration with shipping carriers, customizable notifications, and real-time tracking updates, leading to improved customer satisfaction and reduced support inquiries. If you have specific needs or already use a service like ShipStation or Shippo, their integration is the best approach. Remember to thoroughly test your chosen method to ensure accurate tracking information is sent to your customers. By implementing an automated tracking system, you can enhance the customer experience and streamline your shipping process, resulting in a win-win for both you and your valued customers.