How to take care of WISMO enquiries calmly this Peak Season? Collect accurate addresses with what3words and Swiftcomplete

20/11/2025

Peak Season intensifies WISMO (Where Is My Order) enquiries for customer success teams. When your team’s inbox starts filling up with WISMO tickets, the true root cause could be something that sounds basic but can be extremely complex: vague or incomplete address data. Luckily, there’s a simple solution to collect precise and accurate address data. Even better, you could avoid these issues and reduce WISMO enquiries. Capture an accurate, valid address from customers with what3words and Swiftcomplete.

What causes WISMO enquiries and why are they particularly stressful during Peak Season?

Nearly 70% of UK consumers have had deliveries lost or sent to the wrong location, with around 1 in 5 saying that it happens regularly. 1 Traditional street addresses simply aren’t precise enough for deliveries, especially when sending parcels to buildings with multiple entrances or newer properties not yet on addressing databases.

At this time of year in particular, it can be difficult for couriers to find addresses as the mornings and evenings are dark, making it trickier to see house names and numbers. At the same, customers need deliveries to arrive for key dates, such as festive parties or Christmas gifting, so expectations are particularly high, as is the pressure to respond efficiently. A delivery being “unable to locate” needs fixing, fast.

Deliveries that miss their mark trigger a wave of WISMO tickets and force customer service managers into firefighting mode, driving up stress levels during busy retail peaks.

What is the best way to resolve a WISMO enquiry?

When a customer reaches out asking “Where is my order?”, speed and clarity matter most. A good response does three things:

  1. Acknowledge the customer’s frustration
  2. Clarify the delivery details
  3. Provide a specific next step that feels actionable

Often the simplest and quickest fix is confirming that you’ve got the right delivery location, and collecting a precise address for re-delivery.

With what3words, customer success teams gain a simple solution. Every delivery location has a unique what3words address which is accurate to a 3m x 3m square. For example, /// filled.count.soap is the exact entrance to our what3words’ HQ in London. So, customers can give a precise location for their delivery in just 3 words, even if it’s a tricky place to find.

Whether replying by chat, email, or phone, your team or AI assistant can simply ask:

“Could you share the what3words address for your delivery location?”

Once provided, agents can update the courier record instantly, removing ambiguity and saving a back-and-forth exchange. Leaving everyone feeling zen!

To make this seamless, leading retailers have built what3words into their support playbooks, FAQs and AI chat tools. Scripts and macros prompt customers to share their 3-word address, while integrations like AnswerAI can automatically capture and pass this detail to couriers. Retailers such as Arnold Clark already use this workflow to re-route deliveries within minutes.

The simplest way to avoid WISMO altogether

The best WISMO enquiry is the one that never lands in your queue. The key is to collect better address information to close two critical gaps: invalid address input and inaccurate delivery location data.

Proactively collecting geo-accurate, valid addresses cuts out the root of failed deliveries for good:

  1. Collect valid addresses at checkout via Swiftcomplete ’s address validation. The added benefit of Swiftcomplete is that it removes friction at checkout by allowing customers to enter their address up to 90% faster and minimising the risk of typos . Ultimately, it ensures the address you provide your couriers is deliverable.
  2. Collect precise addresses at checkout with what3words This complements Swiftcomplete by adding precision where street addresses and postcodes fall short, particularly for new builds, rural locations, multi-entrance sites, and large estates. By capturing a three-word address at checkout, retailers enable drivers to navigate directly to the front door, loading bay, or pick-up point meaning the driver avoids guesswork and wasted trips.

Together, Swiftcomplete and what3words tackle both the “real address” and “right spot” challenges, meaning fewer WISMO tickets, happier customers, and more zen for your Customer Success team.

Helpful resources to take the next steps:

Get started with Switcomplete – visit what3words.com/swiftcomplete

Get started with what3words – visit what3words.com/business/ecommerce

Calculate exactly how much addressing errors could cost your business with our ROI calculator .

Watch our webinar on demand to hear how to integrate what3words and Swiftcomplete into your checkout flow.

References:

1 what3words’ Consumer delivery research (2022) – Survey results based on research conducted by OnePoll to 2,000 adults in the UK aged 18+