Chicken Support Insights - Episode 24: Shipment Day Problems? Here’s Why Fast Communication Matters

Most customers do not realize this, but one of the biggest rookie mistakes on shipment day is waiting too long to communicate concerns after opening the box. In this episode of Chicken Insights Support Podcast, Cortney and Tina explain why fast communication during live poultry deliveries can directly affect chick recovery, customer support outcomes, and guarantee protection during those critical first 24 hours. Customer support does not end after the sale, but many customers mistakenly assume they are on their own once the chicks arrive.

Customers are encouraged to call Valley Hatchery’s main support line at 1-800-652-7606 for shipment-day questions, reporting concerns, or live poultry delivery support.

For additional shipment preparation guidance and brooder setup recommendations, explore Valley Hatchery’s educational resources covering mail-order poultry care, brooder preparation, chick care, and raising healthy backyard flocks. If this episode helped you feel more prepared for delivery day, be sure to subscribe for more practical backyard poultry guidance and flock support education.

Transcript

Cortney 0:08

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Chicken Insight podcast. I'm Courtney and I'm Tina. Today we're going to talk about something that can make a huge difference on shipment day. Understanding the fastest way to get help if something unexpected happens during a live poultry delivery.

Tina 0:26

Yeah, especially during busy shipping seasons when people might not know how support systems actually work behind the scenes.

Cortney 0:34

Exactly. We want to help listeners feel more prepared and less stressed if issues come up.

Tina 0:40

All right, let's get into it.

Cortney 0:42

All right, Tina. So what makes delivery day such an important time to communicate quickly if a problem arises?

Tina 0:50

Yeah, delivery day moves pretty fast. And with live birds, timing really matters more than people sometimes realize. The most important thing is to remember is that the chicks hatch, get dried off, get packed in a box, and shoved into a truck all in the same day. That's a lot for their little bodies to deal with and handle. So, and then on top of that, they're in shipping or, you know, in transit for one to three days. So they don't understand what's going on. And you have to imagine they're standing in this little box and they're all cramped together for heat and everything, and just trying to figure life out. And on top of that, the box is moving. And so they're trying to stand and they're using all of their energy. They're pretty tired when they get to where they need to be. So it's really important to understand the stress that the birds can be in as you're receiving them upon delivery. And there's definitely some misconceptions on what to report and when. So I always tell customers, unless your chicks arrive completely happy, healthy, no issues whatsoever, give us a call because that means that maybe they are lethargic or weak, something like that. And oftentimes people will just assume, especially people who have had mail order chicks before, that they are going to arrive weak and you know stressed and that's okay. And yes, it is, but we prefer for the customer to call us, number one, so that we can notate their account. That way, if that particular chick doesn't make it through the through that 24-hour period when they get them, that we do have that guarantee in place and we have that information that we need to do that guarantee or to complete it. And then also the chicks may need something specific. We can find out what's going on, get some other brooder information, and really tweak some little tips and tricks for that specific issue. So it's really important. And we are here for all of that. We're not just here to get that sale out and then that's that. So we want to be involved. We want to help out as much as we can so that those chicks have the best start possible. Delaying these reporting can really take up some crucial time. And not only that, but it also reduces what we can do to assist with that guarantee. So it's really important to call us that first day. Of course, get the chicks in the brooder, do what you need to do with them, dip their beaks, make sure everything's good to go. But then the next step should be to call us or email us.

Cortney 3:24

Right. Especially because these are live animals. They're not just your regular package or pair of socks that you've ordered. So they can't just sit on your porch all day. So preparing ahead of time really changes how smoothly things can go.

Tina 3:39

Absolutely. And something else that they really should do is make sure that that brooder has been tested before those chicks ever even hatch and mail out. Because time gets away from us. Life happens, and we want to make sure that we've tested it. We know where that heat lamp needs to be for that 100 to 105 degrees for the first eight hours versus where it needs to be after that eight hours to around the 90 to 100, 95 to 100 degrees. So it's really important to test that out, make sure everything is good to go. We have everything ready before they even arrive.

Cortney 4:16

Yeah, that's right. To have things prepared will cut down and reduce stress levels for sure.

Tina 4:22

And Courtney, what are some of the biggest misunderstandings customers have about support during Wednesday deliveries and after business hours?

Cortney 4:32

Mm-hmm. So I think this is one of the biggest misunderstandings in people assuming no one will see the your information if the office is the line is closed. So I always on the phone let people know we're here actually seven days a week, Monday through Friday is more on the phone support. But the weekends we have email support, ticket support. So just reaching out at that point of concern within that 24 hours immediately. There's a few Saturday deliveries, but there is a Saturday rep here. So if you call and leave a voicemail and you're frantic, we're gonna call you back and calm you down and walk you through the next steps. So always reach out. Know that Valley Hatchery has support seven days a week, and that sets us way apart from other hatcheries. But with live animals, we think that you guys deserve the support. So we're here to support you. Sometimes customers assume support completely stops after phone hours. We don't want you to think that. So if we're gone and you send us an email, first thing in the morning, we're gonna respond to your email and let you know we're working on this, and this is what we can do to help. Here's the next step. So Wednesday shipping schedules can create confusion, I feel like, but know that you're supported just like a Monday shipment. Voicemail and ticket system still matter after hours, is because that's the first things we're checking in the morning. We know that people are trying to reach out when we're not here. So we're checking our tickets first thing in the morning, our voicemails. I don't recommend leaving it on a specific voicemail, just an in general voicemail because sometimes reps don't make it in each day. So I don't recommend just calling and hit an extension to leave a voicemail. I know you work with certain people sometimes, but if it's an emergency and that person might not be available, just leaving that general voicemail for a call back on the weekend is the best. So communication channels, they're monitored daily, like I said, they're routed to the right people at the right time frames, depending on who's here and what days. So definitely you open that box, no matter if we sent you 15 extras and you have one DOA, call us. We want to know about that.

Tina 6:40

Absolutely. Yeah, it is crucial because we can get some additional information to avoid any further losses as well. And I often see on our social media people posting something similar to, okay, they wanted me to call if there were issues with shipping, but they're not even in. And we don't want people thinking that. We are absolutely here. Just because our phones don't get answered physically by one of us doesn't mean that there isn't someone here. We always have someone ready to handle those voicemails. Sometimes people panic because they think they miss their only chance to report something.

Cortney 7:14

Exactly. And really the important part is getting the information submitted quickly and clearly. So if you're leaving a voicemail, leaving the details of, you know, I pick the box up, this menu is DOA, they're several week, even being specific. If you know your chickens, my salmon favourites are having a hard time. Just be specific, let us know exactly what's going on so we can know the best ways to help. Absolutely. Yeah. So, Tina, what are the best ways customers can actually contact Valley Hatchery on delivery date?

Tina 7:44

The first thing I would suggest is just calling our main support number, 1-800-652-7606. That's going to be your first line of defense, if you will. Making sure that you're reporting there. If we are not in, leave a detailed voicemail, leave your name or some other identifying information, your order number if you have it, so that we can notate your account and just let us know what's going on. You don't have to give us every little last detail, but just enough information so we can kind of gather what's happening, and then a good number to call you back on. That's always important. But you can also use our support ticket or website contact forms. One thing about our website contact forms that I often get that I did want to bring up is people will say, Well, I was gonna do it on there, but I didn't know what breeds that I lost. I wasn't sure. That's okay. Fill in what you can and we will figure out the rest. You don't have to have all the answers. That's really important because you don't want to delay the reporting. Okay. And then save our phone number, save our email so that you're not scrambling for that information the day that they arrive, just in case there are any issues or you have questions. You could have no issues whatsoever, but you just have some questions. And it's absolutely okay to call us and ask us questions. That's what we're here for. And of course, we do have social media where you can get information as well. Organized communication helps support teams respond faster. So when you report something, stick with that one report. You don't want to call us and leave a voicemail and then do something on our website or email us separately because multiple reports causes a little bit of chaos. And then we have two or three different people possibly working on the same thing, and it can really cause delays and we don't want that. So report once and then wait for us to get back to you. I promise we will.

Cortney 9:41

Yes, exactly, because scrambling for contact info after a stressful delivery just slows everything down. So even leaving that detailed voicemail and really helpful during high volume periods. If we're taking orders or even answering questions or helping through delivery dates, we want people to call. So we apologize about a delay, but continue to call, continue to wait. If you get a chance to leave a voicemail, make sure it's detailed and just know someone will be in contact with you. Using one point of contact, like you said.

Tina 10:13

So, Courtney, why aren't social media messages always the fastest option for urgent delivery construction?

Cortney 10:20

So we are monitoring our social media mostly Monday through Friday. So that's why calling, leaving a voicemail is a better system to use. So social media platforms, they're not structured support systems. Messages can get buried during busy periods. The tickets and voicemails they route directly to our proper team members. So, like I said, someone's always here working them tickets, answering them calls seven days a week, not so much with social media. So social media is also a very busy platform. So organize communication channels, improve response accuracy. So knowing where to call at that point of problem is the best thing. So that's why we are informing our customers. Call us, leave a voicemail, send an email, just let us know so we can help and support you.

Tina 11:13

Yeah, social media feels instant, but it's usually not the best place for time-sensitive delivery issues. So it's very important that you definitely reach out through the channels that we recommend, not social media.

Cortney 11:26

Right. Especially because support systems are designed to prioritize urgent shipment concerns properly when social media is just more for the media. So thank you guys so much. Hopefully, this episode helps listeners feel a little more prepared for shipment day and understand how support communication actually works.

Tina 11:46

Yeah, and honestly, a lot of stress can be avoided by just reviewing policies early and saving important contact numbers before the birds arrive.

Cortney 11:56

Yes, preparation really matters with live poultry deliveries. So be prepared.

Tina 12:01

And real quick, if you've got a poultry question you want us to cover in a future episode, send it through the fan mail link in the description. We will answer it in our future episode.

Cortney 12:11

Yeah, we'd love to hear what you're dealing with in your own flocks. Thanks for listening to the Chicken Insights podcast, and we'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now, everyone. Thanks for listening.

Tina 12:22

Bye.