Handling a late customer change during business closure

Keep the existing approved instruction beside the proposed one. Ask the customer to clarify the intended result where the request is ambiguous. “The same item in another finish” may affect more than the final appearance.

Use the substitution confirmation form to preserve both versions and any approval evidence. Do not overwrite the original order while the request is still being considered.

Give the decision-maker these six answers:

1. Customer purpose: what problem would the proposed change solve?
2. Work difference: which actual activities, materials or checks would change?
3. Remaining capability: which people and resources are confirmed available?
4. Restored dependencies: which ended or planned-to-end arrangements would need to continue or reopen?
5. Timing effect: which agreed customer, provider or site dates need another discussion?
6. Authority: who can approve the commercial response, technical outcome and affected release changes?

Record unknowns as questions with owners. Do not replace a missing supplier response with a hopeful delivery date. The part-completed order review helps compare a proposed completion route with an unresolved obligation.

For a fictional example, a customer asks for different packaging after the original packing service has been scheduled to end. The goods themselves are unchanged. The decision still needs confirmed packaging availability, someone able to complete the task and an agreed effect on collection. Calling the request “packaging only” would hide the dependency.

The authorised response may be to accept a clearly defined change, discuss a different proposal or explain the unresolved position. Record the reason and customer response without assuming that an internal decision settles every contractual question.

Do not reopen a business resource merely because a quotation has arrived. Confirm the authorised plan, any necessary agreements and who carries it through.

Use the staff order-acceptance rule to prevent one colleague promising a change another has held for review. Tell the people controlling materials, capability and customer communications which version now applies.

If the decision affects planned disposal, contact UK Auction Group through the authorised sale contact. Identify the specific equipment or stock group, the revised confirmed dependency and any agreement still needed. Do not assume an item can be withdrawn from an existing sale arrangement without discussion.

Keep the original request, approved response and resulting actions together. The future customer contact should be able to explain what changed without reconstructing a series of informal conversations.

Customers, stock and orders