Question

A customer is waiting for a new sofa to be delivered. The delivery was scheduled for between 9:00 am and noon. At 1:00 pm, the customer reports that the sofa has not been delivered and she must leave the house. How should the customer service associate respond?

a. Tell the customer that she should have called earlier so the associate could deal with the problem.
b. Apologize and arrange to deliver the sofa at the next convenient time for the customer.
c. Tell the customer to call the delivery department to reschedule delivery.
d. Explain to the customer that deliveries often run behind schedule.

Answer 1

The customer service associate should apologize for the delay, express empathy, and provide alternative solutions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The customer service associate should apologize to the customer for the delay in delivery and express empathy for the inconvenience caused. They should reassure the customer that the company values their time and will investigate the reason for the delay. The associate can offer alternative solutions such as rescheduling the delivery or providing a specific time frame for the delivery, based on the information provided by the delivery team.

For example, the associate could say, 'I apologize for the delay in delivering your sofa. I understand that this is frustrating, and we value your time. Let me investigate the situation and provide you with an update. In the meantime, we can reschedule the delivery or provide you with a specific time window for the delivery when we have more information.'