Black Friday: Ready for the package questions? - MisterChat

The orders are just the beginning

Black Friday falls on November 27 this year. You’ve got your promotions ready, your inventory is in place, and your campaigns are scheduled. But are you also ready for what happens after an order is placed?

More Packages, More Delays

Sendcloud expects 71% more packages to be shipped in the Netherlands during Black Friday week than in an average week. You’ll notice this in the delivery times. According to Sendcloud, in December 2025, delivery took longer than a day for nearly 4 out of 10 packages. In October, that figure was about 3 in 10.

And most importantly: according to Sendcloud, nearly one in three Dutch people will stop ordering from the same online store after just one poor delivery experience. Your customers hold you responsible, even if the carrier makes the mistake.

What comes into your customer service department

Your customer doesn’t know who’s delivering the package. They only know who they ordered from. So the questions come to you, right during the weeks when your team is already the busiest:

  • “Where’s my order?” from someone who wants a gift to arrive on time.
  • “Can I still exchange it in time for Sinterklaas?” even though the package is still on its way.
  • A complaint about a damaged or lost package, from someone who’s already wondering whether they’ll order from you again.

Every unanswered question means a customer you might not see again. A quick and personalized response can turn a bad experience into a good one.

This is how you stay reachable during peak periods

You don’t need to hire extra staff for four busy weeks. However, there are a few things you’ll need to take care of in advance:

  • A standard response to package inquiries. Where can your customer track their shipment, and when will you contact the carrier yourself? Establish this before the busy season begins.
  • Be available whenever your customer needs you. Questions can come in even in the evenings and on weekends, when your customer is at home waiting for their package.
  • Capacity that scales with demand. Schedule extra staff for peak periods, and scale back just as easily afterward.
  • Stay on top of what’s happening. If you suddenly get a lot of questions about a single carrier or region, you’ll want to know right away.

At MisterChat, our ChatMasters are available 24/6 via phone, chat, email, WhatsApp, and social media, using your brand’s tone of voice. Who are outsources customer service With us, you can scale up during peak periods and seasonal rushes, and scale back just as easily. You can also choose to outsource only the evenings, weekends, or overflow to us. Regular reports let you see what kinds of questions are coming in and how many.

 

You can’t deliver packages, but you can provide answers

:
You can’t deliver the packages yourself, but you can answer the question of where they are:

Want to know how much extra capacity you’ll need during peak periods? Schedule an introductory meeting.

1.2 million victims, and the peak is yet to come

According to Thuiswinkel.org, 1.2 million Dutch people fell victim to scams involving fake online stores in 2025, more than the previous year. The trade association is seeing an unprecedented surge in fraud, particularly in the run-up to Black Friday. That’s why Thuiswinkel.org launched Scam Protection on October 8. The service, developed by Brandsolo, continuously detects fake online stores and counterfeit brand domains. If your brand is being misused, you’ll receive a notification and the fake site can be taken offline.

That’s good news. But a fake site that goes offline today has already attracted customers yesterday. And according to Brandsolo, smaller brands are also being copied more and more often.

What comes into your customer service department

Thuiswinkel.org lists three consequences for legitimate online stores: damage to reputation, loss of revenue, and additional questions from consumers. Those questions end up with your customer service team. And they’re not just ordinary questions:

  • “Is this really your site?” from someone who’s unsure before checking out.
  • “Where’s my order?” from someone who paid on the fake site.
  • An angry review or comment on social media from someone who feels they’ve been scammed by you.

Behind every question is someone who feels uncertain or deceived. A standard response after two business days only makes matters worse. A quick, personalized response, on the other hand, can convince a hesitant customer that they’re in good hands with you.

Here's how to address those questions

What works isn’t a complicated system, but preparation and accessibility:

  • Have a set response ready. How will your customer recognize your real website, and what should they do if they’ve paid on a fake site? Agree on this before the rush begins.
  • Be available when things get tense. Fraud doesn’t stick to business hours. It’s precisely in the evenings and on weekends that customers have doubts when checking out.
  • Handle complaints seriously and quickly. Listen, ask follow-up questions, and let them know what the next step is—even if the mistake wasn’t your fault.
  • Pool information. If you suddenly start receiving a lot of questions about an unknown site, you’ll want to know about it. The sooner you spot it, the sooner you can report it.

At MisterChat, our ChatMasters are available 24/6 via phone, chat, email, and WhatsApp. They handle complaints in your tone of voice and keep you informed of what’s going on through regular reports: how many complaints there are, what issues they involve, and how quickly they’re resolved.

You can’t always prevent a fake online store. But you can prevent a customer from not getting a response from you.

Zo werkt klachtenafhandeling bij MisterChat

From outsourcing to strengthening—that’s MisterChat

At MisterChat, we don’t take over your customer interactions—we enhance them.
We ensure your business is always accessible, without you losing control.

  • Available from 6:00 a.m. to midnight
  • Multilingual customer service (NL, EN, ES, and more)
  • Real people, no bots
  • Seamless integration with your systems
  • Reports, dashboards, and insights into every conversation

Whether it’s customer service, lead follow-up, after-sales support, or chat support—MisterChat is your professional extension.
You stay in control; we ensure continuity, speed, and satisfied customers.

Ready to organize customer interactions more effectively?

Contact MisterChat and discover how we can help your business grow with service that remains human and results that are measurable.

MisterChat – Your brand. Your customer. Our service.

Get in touch