WhatsApp COD Confirmation Before You Ship
Cash on delivery confirmation on WhatsApp means asking every COD customer to confirm the order before you pack it. AeroChat sends the question as an approved template, reads the customer’s answer, and updates the order in Shopify, WordPress with WooCommerce, Odoo, Square or a Google Sheet, so only confirmed orders go out.
What happens today
COD orders come in with no payment behind them. Some are typos, some are second thoughts, and some are fake. The parcel goes out, the courier is refused at the door, and you pay shipping both ways.
To avoid that, someone calls or messages each COD customer by hand and updates a spreadsheet. On a busy day it falls behind, and unconfirmed orders ship anyway.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- A COD order comes in. The customer agreed at checkout to get order messages on WhatsApp.
- Your store or sheet sends the new order to AeroChat by webhook.
- AeroChat reads the order and sends your approved utility template with the items, total, delivery address and two buttons: Confirm and Cancel.
- If the customer taps Confirm, AeroChat tags the order as COD confirmed, or sets the status column in your sheet, so it moves to packing.
- If they tap Cancel, it cancels the order or marks it for cancellation, and asks one short question about why.
- If they want to change the address or items, it updates the address within your rules, or hands the conversation to your team with the order attached.
- Orders with no answer stay on hold for your team to call, so nothing ships unconfirmed.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a new cash on delivery order is created, follow these steps.
- If the customer did not opt in to WhatsApp order messages, tag the order “COD call needed” (example) and stop.
- Send our approved template cod_confirm (example) with the order number, items, total and delivery address, and the buttons Confirm and Cancel.
- If they tap Confirm, tag the order “COD confirmed” (example) and thank them.
- If they tap Cancel, cancel the order, ask if they want to tell us why, and add their answer as a note.
- If they ask to change the delivery address before the order is packed, update it and read it back to them.
- If they ask to change items or quantities, hand the conversation to our orders team with the order number.
Do not mark any order confirmed unless the customer confirmed it. Reply in the customer’s language.
Use the tag names or sheet status values your packing team already filters on.
Connect the systems behind it
- Google Sheets: for shops that log orders in a sheet, a new row triggers the confirmation and the status column records the answer.
- Odoo: confirms or cancels the sales order from the customer’s reply.
- Square: sends new orders and takes the confirmed or cancelled status back.
- Shopify and WordPress. Built in. AeroChat reads the order, tags it and updates the address in the store you already run.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
Each confirmation request is a utility template, charged per delivered message. The customer’s button tap or reply is free, and AeroChat’s follow-up replies are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and charged per message after that. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
When a COD customer asks about their order on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (DMs and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, web chat or email, the same workflow confirms, cancels or updates it against the same store or sheet.
Who uses it
Fashion stores that offer cash on delivery use it to stop refused parcels before they ship.
Read more: automating COD order verification on WhatsApp for WooCommerce.
Questions
How do I verify COD orders on WhatsApp automatically?
Send an approved template with Confirm and Cancel buttons when the order is created, and let the answer update the order. AeroChat does both steps and handles any follow-up questions.
Can I send the COD confirmation without the customer opting in?
No. A message your business starts needs the customer’s opt-in and an approved template. Add a WhatsApp opt-in at checkout. Orders without it can be flagged for a phone call instead.
What does a WhatsApp COD confirmation cost?
Meta charges each delivered template by the customer’s country. The customer’s answer is free. Replies after that are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number.
What happens if the customer never replies?
The order stays on hold with the tag you chose, so your team can call or cancel it. AeroChat does not ship or cancel unanswered orders on its own.
Ship only the COD orders customers confirm
Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store
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Related: order confirmations and delivery updates.