What is the best response in this situation?
Take a few moments to consider how much time you need to finish working on your customer’s problem and see if you can spend some time helping at the checkout.
Put your current task on hold for a while and go help your team at the till.
Apologise to your colleague and explain that you can’t help at the moment.
Ask your manager what you should do.
Correct answer is A
You are facing a conflict between your customer’s needs and your team’s needs, and are required to make a decision.
Answer choice A shows prioritisation before making your decision. You are aiming to multi-task and manage your time. In general, when you have conflicting goals, the responsible and organised approach is to take some time to prioritise and look for a solution that will balance your goals as much as possible.
In answer choice B, you choose the urgent task. However, because it’s urgent doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more important.
Answer choice C is the opposite – you turn down your colleague’s request. Answer choices B and C are reasonable responses; however, they both involve giving up on either your customer’s needs or your team’s needs, without considering your priorities and options.
Asking your manager (answer choice D) shows consideration for the importance of both tasks. You choose to ask your manager, who has a better understanding of the bigger picture and overall goals of the team. This is a reasonable response. Between A and D, A is a better answer to this question as you take time to consider, and show responsibility by making your customer your top priority.
What would you say to the customer?
“I apologise; it seems that there has been a delay in your order. Would you like me to give you a call when it has been dispatched?”
“I’m sorry, it seems that we are currently out of stock, but I’m sure your package will be delivered soon.”
“You are right; the package was not delivered yet. Unfortunately, we are out of stock at the moment so there isn't much I can do to help.”
“I’m sorry; it seems that we’re out of stock of this product at the moment. You will have to be patient for a little longer.”
Correct answer is A
In this question, the answer choices are in the form of direct speech. This means we need to pay special attention to the way we communicate with the customer and demonstrate effective communication, in addition to the response itself.
Answer choice A begins with an apology. The scenario presents a customer with a problem caused by the company. In this situation, more than any other, an apology is in order. The response presented in this answer choice adds an offer to call the customer, thus giving extra service and showing proactivity and service orientation.
Answer choice B includes an apology and an optimistic tone but lacks an active effort to help.
Answer choice C acknowledges the customer’s complaint but lacks any active effort (“There isn’t much I can do”), which gives the impression that you are not taking responsibility for the problem.
Answer choice D includes an apology but again sounds passive and even condescending (telling the customer they will have to be patient).
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