Skip to content
See the Magic
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Delay Alerts & Proactive Customer Communication

What are Delay Alerts?

Delay Alerts automatically detect when deliveries are running late and notify your team immediately so you can communicate with customers proactively. By combining ELD location data or MacroPoint tracking with HERE Maps ETA calculations, TMS.ai identifies when a truck won't make its scheduled delivery window and sends in-app and email notifications to your dispatch and account management teams. The system even provides a pre-populated customer email template that you can customize and send directly from the delayed order view, eliminating the need to leave TMS.ai or pick up the phone.

Traditional tracking means manually checking orders throughout the day, calculating ETAs in your head, and hoping you catch delays before customers call asking where their freight is. Delay Alerts flip this reactive process into a proactive workflow. The system monitors every in-transit order continuously, comparing current truck location against planned delivery times. When the math shows a delivery will miss its window, you get notified immediately with the exact order details and a ready-to-send customer communication. You control the delay threshold (from 1 minute to 1 hour), ensuring alerts match your service level commitments and customer expectations.

How Delay Alerts work:

  1. Set up alerts at customer level: Navigate to the customer profile where you want to enable delay alerts. Delay alerts are configured on a per-customer basis, allowing you to customize thresholds based on each customer's service level agreements and expectations.
  2. Enable delay alerts toggle: Turn on the delay alert toggle in the customer profile. This enables automatic delay detection for all orders associated with that customer.
  3. Choose delay threshold: Select how late an order needs to be before triggering an alert. Available threshold options are: 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 1 hour. Choose a threshold that aligns with your service commitments and gives you enough time to communicate proactively.
  4. Location tracking provides data: The system uses integrated ELD location data or MacroPoint tracking to see the current truck position. With paid subscriptions, location data updates every 15 minutes automatically.
  5. HERE Maps calculates ETA: TMS.ai's HERE Maps integration calculates expected arrival time based on current truck location, remaining distance to delivery, traffic conditions, and typical drive time patterns. The ETA updates continuously as the truck moves.
  6. Manual ETA entry option: If you're not using automated location tracking, you can manually set the Delivery ETA on orders. The delay alert system will compare your manually entered ETA against the requested delivery time.
  7. System compares ETA to delivery window: The platform continuously compares the calculated or manually entered Delivery ETA against the Requested Delivery time on the order. This comparison happens automatically in the background for all in-transit orders.
  8. Alert triggers when threshold is reached: When the order is in transit and the delivery will miss the requested time by more than your configured threshold, the system marks the order as delayed. The ETA Status field updates to show "delayed" status.
  9. In-app notification sent: You receive an in-app notification alerting you about the delayed order. The notification appears in your TMS.ai interface immediately when the delay is detected.
  10. Email notification sent: Simultaneously, an email notification is sent to the addresses configured in your notification settings. This ensures you're alerted even if you're not actively in the system.
  11. Click to view delayed order: Click the notification (either in-app or in the email) to navigate directly to the full order view. The order opens with all details about the delayed shipment displayed.
  12. Email customer option appears: In the delayed order view, you'll see an option to email your customer about the delay. This button appears automatically when an order is marked as delayed.
  13. Review pre-populated email: The system generates a pre-populated email with subject line and body text that includes the delay details, updated ETA, and relevant order information. The template pulls data directly from the order.
  14. Customize email before sending: Edit the subject line and email body to add specific details, apologize for the delay, provide context, or include any customer-specific information. The template serves as a starting point that you can personalize.
  15. Send preview email: Before sending to the customer, use the preview function to send the email to yourself. This allows you to review formatting, content, and tone before the customer sees it.
  16. Send to customer: Once satisfied with the email content, send it directly to the customer from within TMS.ai. The customer receives immediate notification about the delay and updated delivery expectations.
  17. Enable notification subscriptions: To ensure you receive both in-app and email notifications, confirm your notification subscriptions are enabled in Settings. Navigate to notification preferences and turn on delay alert notifications.

What it means for you:

Customer service transforms from reactive firefighting to proactive communication. Instead of customers calling you to ask where their freight is, you're reaching out first to explain the situation and provide updated ETAs. This shift changes the conversation from "you failed to deliver on time" to "we're keeping you informed and managing the situation."

Your team stops spending hours manually checking order status and calculating whether deliveries will make their windows. The system watches everything continuously and only alerts you when action is needed. When alerts do come in, you have all the information and tools right there to communicate quickly with customers. The pre-populated email saves time while ensuring consistent, professional communication across your team. Detention fees decrease because you're managing delivery timing proactively rather than hoping drivers arrive on time. Customer satisfaction improves because transparency builds trust, even when delays happen. Customer complaints drop by 65%, and your Net Promoter Score increases because you're communicating proactively instead of forcing customers to chase you down for status updates.