The 40 Impeller Bushes: A Voice Note at 4:40 p.m.
You are a three-month trainee at a precision-machining job shop in Chakan, Pune. On Tuesday at 4:40 p.m., a customer, Mr Deshpande of a pump manufacturer, sends a 90-second Marathi voice message to the company's business WhatsApp number. He says that 40 of the 240 impeller bushes delivered on Monday will not fit, and that 'the size is wrong'. You are the only person still in the office; your supervisor has gone to the shop floor and is not answering calls. The delivery challan shows the parts were made to drawing revision B, tolerance plus or minus 0.05 mm, and were inspected with a micrometer. The packing list shows 240 pieces in 8 cartons. The customer wants a reply 'today'. In the drawer you find the previous revision A drawing; the two drawings differ in the bore diameter by 0.3 mm. You speak basic Marathi and good English; the customer writes English.
1. Draft the message you send the customer within the next 30 minutes, and explain why each element belongs in it.
Read the worked answer
Message (typed WhatsApp text, not a voice reply): 'Respected Mr Deshpande, thank you for your message at 4:40 pm. We are sorry that 40 bushes from Monday's delivery do not fit. To find the cause today, please send: (1) the drawing revision number printed on our challan or on your purchase order, (2) two photographs of the bush bore next to the micrometer reading, (3) the carton number from the label. We will compare these with our inspection record and reply by 10 am tomorrow with a replacement or rework plan. - [name], trainee, [firm], [number].'
Why each part is there:
- Text, not voice: a complaint must become a searchable written record that both sides can confirm. A Marathi voice note records no acknowledgement.
- Sorry for the symptom, not an admission of fault: 'we are sorry the parts do not fit' is safe. 'Our fault, we will replace all 240' is not yours to give.
- Revision number, photos, carton: with revisions A and B differing by 0.3 mm on the bore, 40 failures out of 240 points to mixed cartons or a wrong drawing at the customer's end. You cannot tell which without the revision on their purchase order.
- A time and a named person, never an outcome.
- No cost commitment, because you have no authority to make one.
2. The customer replies: 'Just replace all 240, your fault.' What do you do next, and what exactly do you escalate?
Read the worked answer
Do not agree in writing. Send a short holding reply: 'We have received your request. Our supervisor will call you before 11 am tomorrow, and we will replace any part that fails our inspection.' Nothing more.
Escalate, because three things exceed your authority: the cost (240 bushes in material plus machining is a five-figure sum), the technical finding (the 0.3 mm bore difference between revisions A and B), and the commercial relationship.
Escalation package, by text and on paper on the supervisor's desk before you leave: the voice note; your written reply; the micrometer readings for all 8 cartons; photocopies of both drawings with the bore difference circled; and one clear question - 'has the customer's purchase order ever been re-issued against revision B?'
Why not simply agree: if the customer is still working to revision A, replacing all 240 parts reproduces the same failure and doubles the loss. If your packing mixed one old carton, you accept liability for that carton only. 'Your fault' is the customer's opinion, not an inspection finding. Agreeing converts an opinion into a commitment you cannot fund.
3. What record do you create before leaving the office, and why is the customer's voice note, on its own, a weak record?
Read the worked answer
Create a one-page incident note containing: date and time; customer name and company; order number and drawing revision; quantity affected (40 of 240, cartons 3 and 5 reported); what was asked; what was answered; who was informed and when; the next action owner and deadline. Photograph the challan, the packing list and both drawings. Put it in the order file and email it to the supervisor so there is an independent timestamp.
Why the voice note alone is weak:
- It says 'the size is wrong' with no measured value and no revision, so it cannot be checked against your inspection sheet.
- It lives on a phone, which can be lost or wiped, and the sender can delete it.
- It records no acknowledgement - nothing shows that the company received, understood or replied to the complaint.
Voice is fast, but it carries no number, no revision and no proof of reply. In a dispute about rework running into lakhs of rupees, the written reply plus the inspection readings are what settle the question. The recording only proves that a complaint existed.