If you focus on the results, there is simply no contest between manually and automated courier claims: automation cuts your claims processing time by 80% and improves your claims success rate by 4x.
But what if you focus on the claims process itself? Here are the five key differences between filing a courier claim manually and using an automated platform like Claimit.
1. Discover lost or damaged shipment
The longer it takes to spot a delivery issue, the less time you have to make a claim before the courier’s deadline.
Manual: Wait for a customer to reach out directly (i.e. via email), a customer complaint to reach your CRM or for logistics data to highlight a problem. In rare circumstances (i.e. courier road accident), the courier may also alert you to a lost, delayed or damaged package in advance.
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Automated: Use AI to spot discrepancies (Claimit scans 50+ potential shipping errors), alerting your team to issues before the parcel reaches the customer.
2. Check claim eligibility
Each courier has a different set of compensation rules, so you need to review their Ts & Cs to check eligibility before making a claim.
Manual: Review the courier-specific sending restrictions, item exclusions and claims deadlines to ensure you can make a claim. E.g. Evri has a long list of items that you can send, but can’t claim compensation for, such as “items that contain glass parts.”
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Automated: Choose the courier and AI will instantly check the eligibility. E.g. Claimit integrates with 100+ couriers and cross references your product with each courier’s claims requirements.
3. Submit claim
Each courier has a different claims form and requires specific information and evidence during the claims submission process.
Manual: Input data into each courier’s claims form and compile evidence to support your claim. This could include the product’s serial number, a description of the package’s contents, an objective valuation of the contents and a damage report.
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Automated: File a claim directly from your e-commerce platform. With Claimit’s auto-generated list of required documents for each courier, simply upload evidence from your ecommerce site or CRM (or use drag-and-drop).
4. Track claim
With often hundreds of claims active at any one time, it’s important to keep tabs of every claim to ensure it’s processed and paid-out within the courier’s set timeframe (up to 90 days).
Manual: Monitor every submitted claim by tracking its status in your CRM or inputting data in external software tools. If the claim has not been processed, you will need to reach out to the courier directly.
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Automated: Get full visibility of all claims in one dashboard. Claimit’s centralised management platform tracks all claims, so you can monitor real-time claim progress at a glance.
5. Receive payout
Payouts vary in rate and speed according to the reason (i.e. lost, damaged or delayed), the courier’s timeframes and the shipment value.
Manual: Wait up to 90 days for reimbursement from the courier. Due to the complexity of each courier’s claims process and the high risk of making a mistake (i.e. typo or missing document), a 33% success rate is respectable for manual claims.
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Automated: Receive payouts as credits in the claims platform. At Claimit, payouts arrive 40% quicker than manual claims process (due to faster claims resolutions) and we have a 90%+ success rate in 2025 so far (over 5,000 successful claims).
The result?
AI automation for courier claims is simply faster, easier and better. With Claimit, for example, you can achieve the following results by switching from manual claims:
- Recoup 15% of your shipping costs
- Cut claims processing time by 80%.
- Improve claims success rates by 4x
What’s more, Claimit doesn’t require integration or team onboarding.
“We were up and running with Claimit in seven days, with almost zero work required on our side, with no lengthy integrations required.” Tom Hughes, Head of Operations, Sigma Sports.
Thinking of switching from manual to automated courier claims?
| Manual | Automated | |
| Discover shipment issue | Wait for customer complaint | Spot errors in advance |
| Check claim eligibility | Scrutinise courier Ts & Cs | Check instantly for each courier |
| Submit claim | Compile proof and input data | Input directly from your CRM |
| Track claim | Monitor with spreadsheets | Monitor via a centralised dashboard with alerts |
| Get paid | Slower payouts and low success rates | Quicker payouts and high success rates |
