Why this matters
Shipping and delivery promises are operational facts, not marketing filler. AI search tools can turn an old FAQ, abandoned PDF, support macro, or stale marketplace listing into a confident answer about delivery time, pickup availability, local radius, free shipping thresholds, rush fees, or exception policies. This worksheet gives one owner-approved source card before those promises spread.
STOP PUBLISHING: do not let AI write, summarize, syndicate, or answer questions about shipping, delivery, pickup, fulfillment, ETA, rush service, free-shipping thresholds, service radius, refunds for delays, or exception promises until a named owner verifies the current source, allowed wording, effective date, and rollback plan.
Copy/paste shipping and delivery source card
| Field | What to capture | Review rule |
|---|---|---|
| Promise type | Shipping, local delivery, pickup, installation window, dispatch ETA, lead time, rush option, backorder, delivery fee, free-shipping threshold, or exception policy. | Separate normal policy from exceptions; do not let AI present exceptions as default promises. |
| Canonical source | Current policy page, checkout setting, carrier/service table, operations SOP, inventory/warehouse note, vendor ETA, marketplace policy, or owner-approved internal note. | If the source is internal, create public-safe wording and keep the internal source for owner review. |
| Scope and limits | Locations served, ZIP/service radius, product/service categories, cutoff times, inventory status, carrier limits, weather/vendor exceptions, and business-day definition. | AI must not convert limited availability into universal availability. |
| Customer wording | Exact approved sentence, what not to promise, fee/refund/credit limits, and when to say “to be confirmed.” | Avoid guaranteed dates unless the operation can actually honor them. |
| Surfaces to update | Website FAQs, checkout pages, GBP, directory profiles, product pages, PDFs, email/SMS templates, helpdesk macros, chatbot answers, and AI-search source pages. | Fix every repeated promise; one corrected page is not enough if old copies remain elsewhere. |
| Review trigger | Carrier change, warehouse/vendor delay, weather event, holiday schedule, staffing issue, price/fee change, new location, or marketplace-policy update. | Set a next review date and owner before publishing updated wording. |
Safe public wording starters
Shipping/delivery summary: Current source: [policy URL or owner-approved source]. Applies to: [locations/products/services]. Typical timing: [range or "confirmed after review"]. Fees/exceptions: [exact limits]. Last reviewed by [owner] on [date].Delay-safe customer update: We are checking the current shipping/delivery source before confirming timing. We will update you by [owner/date/time] with the verified option, fee, and next step. We will not promise a delivery or pickup window until it is confirmed.AI audit prompt
Act as a cautious AI-search shipping and delivery policy reviewer for a small business. Use only the facts below. Do not invent delivery dates, service radius, free shipping, rush options, carrier performance, refund/credit rights, pickup availability, backorder timing, weather exceptions, or customer promises. Return: 1) unsupported promises, 2) stale/conflicting sources, 3) missing proof fields, 4) safe customer wording, 5) surfaces to update, and 6) STOP PUBLISHING items.
Policy facts:
- Promise type:
- Canonical source:
- Effective date / last reviewed date:
- Scope / locations / products / services:
- Timing range or confirmation rule:
- Fees / credits / refund limits:
- Exception triggers:
- Surfaces repeating this promise:
- Claims AI must not invent:
- Next review owner/date:Fast QA before AI or search engines quote it
- Search the website, PDFs, checkout copy, GBP, helpdesk macros, proposals, directory profiles, and chatbots for old shipping or delivery wording.
- Check whether timing is counted in calendar days, business days, after approval, after payment, after inventory confirmation, or after vendor confirmation.
- Separate shipping, delivery, pickup, installation, dispatch, and service-arrival promises so AI does not merge them.
- Mark weather, carrier, vendor, backorder, stockout, staffing, and holiday exceptions explicitly.
Related free assets: Refund and Return Policy Checklist, Source Expiration Review Checklist, and Service Page Proof Checklist.
Disclosure: Horizon Flow is Andrew Burton's digital product catalog. This worksheet is useful without purchase; product links are labeled and UTM-tagged. This is an operations/marketing worksheet, not legal, shipping-carrier, ecommerce-platform, refund-policy, or compliance advice.