Find the customer promises missing from the order book
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Ask what customers have been led to expect, not only what appears as an open order. Sample requests, reserved capacity, a promised quotation or an unresolved conversation may need a response even when the order system shows nothing outstanding.
Finding a promise does not determine whether it is legally binding. Gather the evidence and let the authorised commercial contact or appropriate adviser resolve unclear status. The immediate task is to stop an important customer conversation disappearing when people leave.
Interview the people who hear requests
Speak to sales, customer support, the owner and anyone who regularly deals directly with customers. Use questions about specific work:
- Who is waiting for a sample, drawing, quotation or callback?
- Which customer has been told that capacity or stock is being held?
- Have any changes been agreed outside the main order system?
- Which request have you passed to a colleague without receiving a final answer?
- Is there anything you would remind your replacement about on their first day?
Ask for the customer reference and underlying message where available. Record a recollection as a recollection until supporting evidence is found. Do not turn an interview answer into a reconstructed confirmation email.
Give each finding a next decision
Create a discovery record with the customer, expectation described, source, evidence location, person who made or received the statement, and question still to resolve. Add the person who will contact the customer and the next review point.
For a fictional example, a salesperson remembers promising to hold stock while a buyer checked a specification. There is no formal order, but releasing the stock without reviewing that conversation could create an avoidable dispute. The reservation review follows that case through evidence and authorised communication.
A different finding may be only a request for a quote. It still needs a truthful response, but should not be counted automatically as accepted production work. Use the order-versus-enquiry comparison to keep those positions distinct.
Check the channels staff may overlook
Review the business’s approved enquiry channels and relevant records with their authorised owners. A shared inbox, customer portal or individual conversation history may contain the missing response. Follow the business’s access and privacy arrangements; do not ask staff to circulate unrelated personal messages.
Confirm who owns each unresolved finding before the normal contact leaves. An unanswered item should remain visible even if the customer has not chased recently.
Use the final acceptance rule to prevent new informal promises being added while the existing ones are being reviewed. Tell staff where to refer an uncertain request.
Give UK Auction Group confirmed equipment or stock availability after the relevant customer decisions. Keep the underlying correspondence controlled. The disposal enquiry needs to know which goods or capability remain committed, not every detail of the customer relationship.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.