You arrive for the interview, and the HR representative takes you to a conference room, where you're introduced to Bruce Green, the Senior Employee Benefits Consultant; Amanda Dodson, the Recruiting Manager; and Abbi Ogden, the Senior Benefits Coordinator. After some preliminary small talk, Bruce asks the first question: "One of the key responsibilities of this position is being the primary contact for employee benefit questions," he tells you. "These employees are essentially your internal customers. As you can imagine, you may encounter some employees who won't be happy with the answers you give them. Since you've been working in retail, tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to a customer and how you handled it." Of the following, which would be the most appropriate answer to that question? Select an option from the choices below and click Submit.

a. Last month, a customer wanted to change a catering order for a party she was having, but we couldn't change it because it was too late. I had to explain that she couldn't change the order within 48 hours of delivery, and that was clearly written on her order form. I explainednicelythat the store wasn't at fault, but it was her fault. I apologized if that was going to cause her any inconvenience but think it's important to let people know that they have to take responsibility for the choices they make. She wasn't happy, but what could I do?

b. At my current job, they've trained us to always use the "sandwich" approachstart and end with positives and put the bad news in the middle. Last month, a customer placed a special order for a party she was having, and a couple of days before the party, we found out that the shipment of sea bass was going to be delayed, so either we'd have to cancel her order or she'd have to substitute something else. So, when I called the customer, I first thanked her for being a good customer of the store. Then I explained what had happened to the shipment of sea bass and apologized if it was going to cause her any inconvenience, but I followed that up with telling her what options she had to change the special order, and I offered her a 10% discount on the entire order.

c. Well, last month, a customer wanted a cash refund for an item she was returning, but she didn't have a receipt. I had to explain to her that all we could do was issue a store credit. I told her that it was store policy, and I didn't have any authority to do anything except offer a store credit, and if she wasn't happy with that, she would need to take it up with the Store Manager. I think it's important that the customer knows that I'm not making the decision; I'm just following company policy. She was upset, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.

d. Quite honestly, I don't like conflict, and I try to avoid it whenever I can. I get very nervous when I have to give a customer bad news, because the customer usually gets upset. So whenever possible, I tell my boss about the situation and let her handle it.