# Customer service — how it works

Source: https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/customer-service-overview.md

> How you reply to customer messages, what to check before every reply, and when to hand a message to Ricardo instead of sending it yourself.

This section describes how we answer customer messages: in what tone, with which standard texts, and with which steps per type of question. The aim is for the customer to get a **clear, helpful and consistent** answer — and for tricky or risky cases to reach Ricardo before anything goes out.

> [!NOTE]
> This page is the starting point. The tone and standard phrases are on [Tone &
>   writing style](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/tone-and-writing-style.md), the ready-made answers per
>   situation on [Answer scenarios](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/answer-scenarios.md), and the step-by-step
>   approach per type of question on [Reply workflows](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/reply-workflows.md).

## What we aim for

A good answer is honest, solves the problem (or sets the next step in motion) and sounds calm and professional. We always offer a solution or an alternative; we never leave a customer empty-handed.

We deliberately do **not** use empty apologies. Instead of "sorry" we acknowledge what is happening and explain what we are doing. The exact wording is on [Tone & writing style](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/tone-and-writing-style.md).

## Before you reply

Do this for **every** message, whatever the subject:

1. **Read the full conversation** — not just the last message. Customers often send several messages in a row with additional information.
2. **Determine the language** of the customer's last message. You reply in that language.
3. **Look the customer up in Picqer** by email address. Check previous orders (relevant for context and for discount decisions) and previous returns (relevant for warranty or repeat complaints).
4. **Determine the type of question** and pull up the matching workflow (see [Reply workflows](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/reply-workflows.md)).
5. **Check whether the message needs to go to Ricardo** (see below).

## When you hand it to Ricardo

Some messages you do not answer yourself. Do prepare a draft answer, but **don't send it** — set it aside for Ricardo with a short note at the top, `REVIEW NEEDED — reason: …`. Do this as soon as one of these situations applies:

- The customer **asks for a refund** or for compensation.
- The message contains **legal language** or a threat.
- It concerns an **order or quote of € 1000 or more** (B2B negotiation).
- There is a **problem with the webshop** (checkout error, failed payment, broken page).
- It concerns a **VAT reverse-charge / credit note** for a business EU customer.
- The **warranty is unclear** and you are unsure whether it is covered.
- The customer is **angry** or the tone is escalating.

When in doubt, hand it over. Having a message reviewed unnecessarily costs little; a wrongly sent answer costs far more to put right.

> [!NOTE]
> Never promise a refund, discount or compensation yourself without Ricardo's
>   approval. For discounts, do note in the draft which percentage you propose,
>   but Ricardo sends the discount code after his review. See [Scenario
>   5](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/answer-scenarios.md).

## What gets priority

If several messages are open, work through them in this order. Within each group: chronologically, oldest first.

| Priority                     | What                                               | Examples                                                                                                |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **P1 — Straight to Ricardo** | Messages that need his attention right away        | Angry customers, legal threats, webshop outages, VAT reverse-charge, unclear warranty with high urgency |
| **P2 — Price proposals**     | Requests where a quote is on the table             | Multiple items, discount request (see [Scenario 5](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/answer-scenarios.md))                               |
| **P3 — Draft ready**         | All other messages you have prepared an answer for | Standard product and warranty questions                                                                 |
| **Don't pick up**            | Handled via another channel                        | Status questions, invoice requests, simple thank-yous, conversations already picked up                  |

> [!NOTE]
> To verify: the threshold for "price proposals" here is aligned with the
>   discount rules in [Scenario 5](https://handboek.snelparts.com/en/answer-scenarios.md) (discounts from € 350).
>   An earlier version mentioned € 500 — Ricardo decides which limit is leading.