Delivery didn't go to plan? Start with one question

For drivers and dispatchers at Northstar Parcel, a fictional delivery network used as the example setting here

Ask first: did the parcel reach the customer, or is someone disputing that it did?

  • If the delivery could not be completed (nobody to receive it, receiving point closed, access blocked), it is an unsuccessful delivery. Dispatch decides what happens next.
  • If the delivery was recorded as completed but the recipient says it was not received or not as expected, it is a disputed delivery. A support or claims decision-maker decides what happens next.

This guide organizes the handoff. It does not change the approved local procedures that govern regulated goods, safety-critical situations or sensitive information. Where they apply, they come first.

Terms used here. Exception: any delivery that does not follow the planned outcome. Delivery reference: the job or parcel number shown on your handheld or manifest. Authorized decision: a decision your role is not permitted to make on its own, such as redelivery, return to depot or claim handling.

Owner: Transport and Distribution Operations. Send corrections through your depot supervisor.

Unsuccessful or disputed: what changes

Read across a row to compare the two paths.

What you see
Unsuccessful delivery:
Delivery could not be completed: no one to receive it, receiving point closed, or access blocked.
Disputed delivery:
Record says delivered; the recipient says it was not received or not as expected.
Typical examples
Unsuccessful delivery:
Recipient unavailable; location or access mismatch (wrong gate, locked loading bay, address does not match).
Disputed delivery:
'I never got it'; 'it is the wrong item count'; 'it was left somewhere I did not agree to'.
Delivery status
Unsuccessful delivery:
Keep it open. Do not mark it delivered.
Disputed delivery:
Leave the existing record as it is. Do not edit or reverse it.
Record
Unsuccessful delivery:
Delivery reference, time, location, and what you observed at the receiving point.
Disputed delivery:
Delivery reference, what the recipient said (as a reported statement), and what you can confirm from your own record.
Contact next
Unsuccessful delivery:
Dispatcher on duty, by the approved dispatch channel.
Disputed delivery:
Designated support or claims decision-maker, via dispatch or the approved support channel.
Who decides the outcome
Unsuccessful delivery:
Dispatch, or the supervisor it names.
Disputed delivery:
The support or claims decision-maker, never the driver or dispatcher alone.

Three worked examples

Same parcel network, different handoffs.

  • Receiving point closed (unsuccessful) A driver arrives at a business's goods-in door at 16:40. The shutter is down and a sign shows opening hours ending at 16:00. The driver records the delivery reference, arrival time, location and the sign as an observation, leaves the job open, and contacts the dispatcher on duty. Dispatch then decides whether to reattempt, hold at depot or contact the sender. The driver does not mark the parcel delivered.
  • Delivered, but the recipient disagrees (disputed) Two days later a recipient contacts support to say a parcel marked delivered never arrived. The dispatcher records the delivery reference, the time the job was closed and the driver's own record, and notes the recipient's claim as a reported statement. The case goes to the designated support or claims decision-maker. Nobody assumes the parcel was lost, or that the recipient is mistaken, until that role decides.
  • Gate code does not work (location or access mismatch) A driver reaches a site where the code on the job does not open the gate and no one answers the intercom. The driver records the delivery reference, time, which gate was tried and the code as it appeared on the job, then contacts dispatch. Dispatch decides whether to correct the access details, contact the customer or reschedule.

Evidence boundaries

Record what you can see and verify, through approved channels only

Do record

  • The delivery reference and the time and place of the attempt.
  • What you directly observed: 'Shutter down, sign shows closing at 16:00.'
  • What others told you, labelled as reported: 'Passer-by said the office closed early.'
  • Which route you used to contact dispatch or support, and when.

Do not

  • Draw conclusions about fault, intent or what the recipient 'must have' done.
  • Collect or share personal or sensitive details that the case does not need, or put them in free-text notes or chats outside approved channels.
  • Edit, delete or overwrite an earlier delivery record to match a later account.
  • Promise the customer a redelivery, refund or claim outcome. Those are authorized decisions.

If your depot's approved local rules on evidence handling differ from this summary, follow them and tell your supervisor so the guide can be corrected.

The handoff in five steps

The same sequence for every exception; only the contact route and decision-maker differ.

  1. 1

    Classify the exception

    Use the table above: unsuccessful (could not be completed) or disputed (recorded as completed but challenged). If unsure, state what you observed and what the record shows, leave the delivery status unchanged, and ask the dispatcher on duty to classify the exception.
  2. 2

    Check for a priority procedure

    If regulated goods, a safety concern or sensitive information is involved, stop and follow the approved local procedure and its named contact first.
  3. 3

    Record the permitted facts

    Delivery reference, time, location, direct observations, and reported statements labelled as such.
  4. 4

    Route through the approved channel

    Contact the dispatcher on duty for an unsuccessful delivery, or the designated support or claims route for a disputed one. State the classification in your first sentence.
  5. 5

    Wait for the authorized decision

    Do not change the delivery outcome, close the job or tell the customer the result until the decision-maker has told you what to do.

Common questions

I can't tell which category applies. What now?

Say what you observed and what the record shows, state that you are unsure, and route to the dispatcher on duty. Dispatch can reclassify. A wrong guess that changes the delivery status is harder to undo than an honest 'unsure'.

The system and the recipient disagree. Which one is right?

Neither is treated as settled at your level. Keep the existing record unchanged, note the recipient's statement as reported, and pass both to the support or claims decision-maker.

My usual contact route is unavailable. Who do I call?

Use the backup route your depot has approved. If there is none, contact your depot supervisor. Note the time you tried the first route and who you reached instead.

May I tell the customer what will happen next?

Only describe what you did and that the case has been passed on. Redelivery, return, refund and claim outcomes belong to the authorized decision-maker.

The case involves something sensitive or possibly regulated. Does this guide still apply?

Only as a handoff outline. Approved local procedures for regulated, safety-critical or sensitive situations take priority. Contact the role named in them, or your supervisor if you are unsure who that is.

I think this guide is out of date or wrong for my depot. Who do I tell?

Tell your depot supervisor, who passes corrections to Transport and Distribution Operations, the owner of this guide.