Add The Courier Guy tracking number to WooCommerce order emails

Your customer paid, you booked the parcel with The Courier Guy, and now they ask "where is my order?". WooCommerce has no tracking number field of its own, so the reference stays in your courier portal unless something puts it in front of the customer.

Where the tracking reference comes from

The Courier Guy runs on ShipLogic. A tracking reference only exists once a shipment has been booked, and it comes back in the reply to "Create a shipment". So every route below starts with a booked shipment. Customers can type the reference into the Track My Parcel form on thecourierguy.co.za.

Option 1: Send it as a customer note (free, built into WooCommerce)

Open the order, find the Order notes box, paste the reference, pick "Note to customer" and click Add. WooCommerce emails the note to the customer straight away and shows it on their My Account order page.

This costs nothing and needs no plugin. The catch is that you copy every reference by hand from the portal, so it slows down past a few orders a day, and a wrong paste sends the wrong number.

Option 2: A tracking extension

The Shipment Tracking extension sold on WooCommerce.com adds a tracking box to the order screen. You still type or paste the reference yourself, but it appears in a fixed place in the customer emails with a link. It does not book the shipment for you.

Option 3: Book the shipment from WooCommerce

If the shipment is booked from the order screen, the reference is already on the order, so nothing has to be copied. This is how our Pro add-on works (below).

Common problems

The number is not in the email. An email only shows what was on the order when it was sent. If the order confirmation went out before the parcel was booked, it cannot contain the reference. Book first, then mark the order Completed so the Completed order email carries it, or send a customer note.

The customer got no email at all. Check WooCommerce > Settings > Emails and make sure "Customer note" and "Completed order" are enabled. If none of your store emails arrive, the problem is mail delivery from your host, not tracking. An SMTP plugin usually fixes it.

The link opens the wrong page. A tracking link only works if the page accepts the reference in its address. If you are not sure, send the reference on its own and point customers to the Track My Parcel form.

Two references on one order. Booking the same order twice creates two shipments. Cancel the duplicate in the portal and send the customer the one that will be collected.

How our Pro add-on handles this

Skillmerc Shipping Pro books The Courier Guy shipment from the order screen and saves the tracking reference on the order. It needs the free Skillmerc Shipping for The Courier Guy, Pudo and PAXI plugin with your The Courier Guy API key.

• After booking, every WooCommerce order email for that order shows a "Tracking" section with The Courier Guy tracking reference. It also shows on the customer's My Account order page.
• "Tracking in emails" is on by default and can be switched off in the Pro settings.
• Optional tracking link: enter a tracking page address with {ref} where the reference goes, and the email adds a "track your parcel" link. Leave it empty to show the reference only.
• The order screen shows the reference and the shipment status, and an order note records the booking.

Pudo locker and PAXI booking are not included yet. Pro is an independent add-on, not made by The Courier Guy.

More: Print a The Courier Guy waybill from WooCommerce and The Courier Guy not showing at checkout.

More South African shipping guides for WooCommerce

• PAXI on WooCommerce: how to let customers pick a PAXI point at checkout
• Pudo locker shipping in WooCommerce: live rates and a locker picker
• The Courier Guy not showing at WooCommerce checkout: causes and fixes
• Fastway rates in WooCommerce: how to show live Fastway Couriers prices at checkout
• The Courier Guy rates wrong in WooCommerce: why the price is too high or too low
• Print a The Courier Guy waybill from WooCommerce: three ways and the common problems
• Pudo locker option not showing at WooCommerce checkout: causes and fixes