If a customer delivery is delayed, what should a sales associate do?

• A. Apologize for the inconvenience and inquire with management about a resolution.
• B. Explain that deliveries are backed up and that the situation is being resolved.
• C. Direct the customer to the shipping/receiving department.
• D. Call the manager to see if he or she can handle the problem alone.

Answer: (B)

Handling a delivery delay means communicating with the customer in a clear, proactive way to manage expectations and preserve trust. The best choice is to explain that deliveries are backed up and that the situation is being resolved. This gives the customer an honest update on why the delay happened and shows that steps are already underway to fix it. It keeps you in control of the customer experience, demonstrates accountability, and reduces uncertainty.

Apologizing and asking management to resolve it can feel like you’re not taking immediate action, which slows the update and leaves the customer waiting for next steps. Directing the customer to another department shifts responsibility and can create frustration if they’re left without clear guidance. Calling the manager to handle it alone can create unnecessary bottlenecks and leave the customer waiting for a resolution that could have been addressed more quickly with direct communication.