CHAPTER 16 – CHANGING A CUSTOMER’S ORDER
Situation: Jane just received a new purchase order from one of the customers. She tries to discuss the necessary actions with Lynn.
Jane: Lynn, please come to my office. I just received a revised purchase order from one of our customers.
Lynn: I am here.
Jane: Lynn, remember the order we received from Colors House two weeks ago?
Lynn: The one for a lot of 500 oak wood windows?
Jane: Yes, that is the one. Did we start production on it yet?
Lynn: I do not think so since we do not have to make delivery until the twentieth of this month, another fifteen days.
Jane: Good. I just received a revised order from its Purchasing department. They want pine wood instead of oak wood.
Lynn: We have already ordered the oak wood from Lumber House. It will cost us more if we put in a change of order now.
Jane: Don’t worry. Colors House is willing to pay an extra twenty-five percent for the change.
Lynn: It is OK then. When do we have to ship the order? Is it still due on the twentieth?
Jane: No, they gave us extra time to fill the new order. It is not due until the twenty-fifth of the month now.
Lynn: Did they change the shipping terms? Do we still have to deliver the order, or will they come here to pick it up?
Jane: We still have to take care of the shipping process, and it is still going to Chicago.
Lynn: Then I do not have to make any shipping changes other than changing the pickup date.
Jane: I think you should put a call in to Trucking Lines as soon as possible. The thirtieth of this month is a major holiday, and its shipping schedule is going to be very tight.
Lynn: True, they might not accommodate our change if they receive our notice too late.
Jane: Oh, here is the change of order from Colors House. You can sign and fax it back to them after reviewing it.
Lynn: I better give a copy of this new order to our Production department. They need to be aware of the change.
Jane: How is our Production department doing?
Lynn: It is running on a very tight schedule. We received quite a few orders lately.
Jane: I bet all the customers want their orders now or as soon as possible. The Production department will have to work a lot of overtime this month.
Lynn: Overtime already started last week with all the employees in the Assembly department working an average of two hours overtime per day.
Jane: I hope the customers appreciate our quick response time and the fact that we always jump through hoops to give them whatever they want.
Lynn: It does pay to keep up with the customers’ demand. Everybody likes our products and services. Even though it is sometimes very difficult to please everybody, it is fine with me because I love this company, and I want to see it prosper.
Jane: We can take pride in a job well done. Besides, it makes our job easier also.
Lynn: Yes, I would not like to hear people complain. I would hate to deal with unhappy customers.
Jane: It is really stressful to deal with unhappy customers. I doubt that I will be able to relax even when I get home at the end of the day.
Lynn: Me neither. OK, everything is set. I will call Colors House and tell them everything is set to go.
Jane: Thanks for your help, Lynn.
Lynn: You are welcome, Jane.
Questions/Answers Practice
Q: Why do we have to put a rush on this project?
A: Because the customer just changed the shipping date.
| Q: When is the new delivery date? | A: The fifteenth of this month. |
| Q: What else did the customer change? | A: The customer wants two dozen instead of one. |
| Q: What is the new shipping arrangement? | A: There is no need to ship the package. The customer will pick it up whenever we are ready. |
| Q: Do I need to notify the shipping company? | A: Certainly, and as soon as possible. |
| Q: Do I need to discuss the new terms with Colors House? | A: No, everything is already settled. |
| Q: Did Colors House rate us favorably after the change of order? | A: Yes, they did. They were very impressed with our response time. |
| Q: Is everything set to go? | A: No, we need a little more time. |
| Q: Why are we not ready? | A: We were delayed by the change of order. |
| Q: Did the change of order cause any problems? | A: No, not at all. |
3) Comprehension test
- Why does Jane want Lynn to come to her office?
- What does Colors House want now?
- Why wasn’t production started on Colors House’s previous order?
- Why doesn’t Colors House’s change of order create a problem for Jane’s company?
- Does Lynn need to change the shipping terms?
- Why should Lynn put a call in to Trucking Lines?
- Why should Lynn give a copy of the new order to the Production department?
- What happened in the Production department?
- What is the company’s policy regarding customers’s demand?
- Why does everybody like to work with Lynn’s company?
- What does Lynn think about pleasing all customers?
- Why does Jane hate to deal with unhappy customers?
4) Discussion
- What should a company’s policy be regarding serving its customers?
- How far are you willing to go in doing your job?
- What can be the causes of customers’s dissatisfaction?
GRAMMAR REVIEW
ADVERBS
1) Use of adverbs in comparison
Adverbs, like adjectives, can be used to express comparison.
a) Comparative form
When two persons or things are compared, we usually add more…than, as…as or less…than.
John built the cabinets more skillfully than James.
Mary can change orders as well as Jane.
This week the freight company is shipping cargo less regularly than last week due to bad weather.
Note:
If the adverb is a one syllable word, we usually replace more with an –er at the end of the adverb.
Jane works faster than Lynn.
The cabinet shipment came sooner than the window shipment.
Sometimes adverbs do not follow the above rules. For example, well becomes better, badly becomes worse.
b) Superlative form
When more than two persons or things are compared, we usually add –est to a one syllable adverb. Otherwise, add least or most to an adverb with more than one syllable.
Jane has grown the tallest among the girls.
John handles the equipment the most cautiously.
Sometimes adverbs do not follow the above rules. For example, well becomes best, badly becomes worst.
2) Placement of adverbs
Place the adverb as close as possible to the word that it modifies to avoid changing the meaning of the sentence.
My mother only wants tea. (My mother doesn’t want cookies or coffee. She wants nothing but tea)
Only my mother wants tea. (My aunt and grandmother do not want tea, but my mother does)
Questions/Answers Practice
Pair the students and have them practice the following questions and answers. Ask them to come up with similar questions and answers.
| Q: How did John play compared to Tim? | A: John played more riskily than Tim. |
| Q: How did the babies behave this morning? | A: Mary behaved better than Jim this morning. |
| Q: Why was he punished? | A: Because he did not play as cautiously as he should have. |
| Q: How did he handle the situation this time? | A: This time he handled the situation less tactfully than last time. |
| Q: How did Helen play this time? | A: This time Helen played worse than last time. |
| Q: How did he run this time? | A: He ran faster than Kevin this time. |
| Q: Who was the best reader in this contest? | A: John read the best this time around. |
| Q: Who finished last this time? | A: This is the first time that Susan ran the worst since she joined the team. |
| Q: How did he drive in the rain? | A: He drove most cautiously during the rain. |