Order changes and cancellations: what to do when a shop changes its mind

Why a change becomes a problem

A shop changes its mind: it no longer needs one product, wants more of two others, or cancels the whole order because another supplier delivered in time. This is normal, and almost every distributor meets it every week.

The trouble starts when the change comes late. The closer the order is to delivery, the more a change costs: cases that were already picked have to be taken apart, goods already on the vehicle have to be moved, and the driver's route has to be planned again.

Set a cut-off time and tell everyone

The most effective measure is one simple rule: we accept changes until such and such a time. After the cut-off the order goes out as it is.

Tie the cut-off to a moment that fits your day naturally: before picking starts, or the evening before.
Tell the shop in advance, and not once but with the very first order.
Make the rule the same for every shop, so no one gets special treatment by accident.
Make exceptions deliberately, for example for a regular customer, not because you could not say no.

What you do when a change is requested: by stage

The answer depends on the stage the order is at. Decide in advance what you will say in each case, so you do not have to think it through on every call.

Before picking: accept the change freely, since nothing is lost.
After picking, before loading: possible, but check how much extra work it means for the warehouse.
After loading or on the road: usually you have to say no, or offer to add the item to the next delivery.
At the door: if the shop refuses a product, that is no longer a change but a refusal to accept, and it has to be recorded separately.

Cancellation: how to handle it calmly

A cancelled order is unpleasant, but how you react decides how the shop behaves next time. If you answer harshly, the shop will simply stop calling you.

First find out the reason: often it is not your price or service, the shop just lacks cash or space.
Offer to postpone instead of cancelling: another day, or a smaller version of the order.
If the delivery is already on the road, explain clearly to both sides why it can no longer be cancelled and what the way out is.
Always record a cancellation with its reason: soon you will see whether the same reason keeps coming back.

How to communicate and record it

The biggest cost of a change is often not the change itself but that one person knows and another does not. The driver leaves with the old list while the warehouse waits for the new one.

Enter the change in the one place where your orders live, not only in a call or a chat.
Confirm to the shop what changed and what the amount is now.
If the order is already picked or loaded, tell the warehouse and the driver straight away.
Keep the order status correct: picked, on the way, delivered, so the shop and you see the same picture.

How to reduce changes

You cannot avoid all changes, but many come from two sources: the shop did not see something when ordering, or you gave it wrong information about stock.

Keep stock in the catalog true to reality, so a shop does not order something that does not exist.
Remind shops to look through the cart before confirming.
If one product is often changed, find out why: the price or the unit may be awkward.
Suggest to frequent shops that they order earlier, so they make the cut-off.

Checklist

You have a cut-off time for changes and every shop knows it.
You have decided in advance what you answer before picking, after picking and after loading.
You record every cancellation with its reason.
A change goes into one place and the warehouse and driver are told at once.

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