Sales — Exceptions — Handle Needs Attention Tickets

Audience

• Sales reps assigned Needs Attention tickets.

• Sales managers monitoring exception handling and customer communication.

Purpose / When to use this

Use this article whenever you see a Needs Attention ticket assigned to you (often titled “Missing” or “Partial”).
It explains how to investigate the root cause, acknowledge the issue, coordinate with fulfillment, and close the loop with the customer.

1. What a Needs Attention ticket is

• Needs Attention tickets are created automatically when:

  • The warehouse records a missing item during build, or

  • The delivery/dispatch team records a partial delivery or other exception.

• The system:

  • Creates a Needs Attention ticket.

  • Associates it to the underlying Build or Delivery ticket.

  • Assigns it to you (the Sales Rep) as a red flag that something needs follow‑up.

2. Step 1 — Investigate the root cause

Do not start by asking the warehouse “What happened?” The information is already in HubSpot.

1. Open your Needs Attention ticket in HubSpot.

2. Look at the right-hand sidebar under Tickets.

3. Find the Associated Ticket:

   • This will be the original Build or Delivery ticket where the problem occurred.

4. Click the associated ticket to open it.

5. On that ticket, check:

   • The Completion Status.

   • The Notes left by the warehouse or driver, such as:

     • “Missing two hinges for upper cabinets, cannot finish build.”

     • “Delivered partial; pantry cabinet backordered.”

3. Step 2 — Acknowledge and take action

Once you understand the issue:

1. Go back to your Needs Attention ticket.

2. Change the Ticket Status from Open to Acknowledged.

   • This lets fulfillment know you have seen the problem and are taking ownership.

3. Decide what action is needed:

   • Order a missing part from a vendor.

   • Coordinate a follow‑up delivery.

   • Call or email the customer to explain the situation and next steps.

4. Step 3 — Communicate via ticket notes and @‑mentions

All communication about the fix should stay on the Needs Attention ticket so everyone has one source of truth.

1. In the Notes section of the Needs Attention ticket:

   • Type a clear update describing what you’re doing to resolve the issue.

   • Example: “Ordered replacement hinges from vendor; expected arrival next Tuesday. Customer updated.”

2. Use @‑mentions to notify the right team:

   • @Build for warehouse/build team.

   • @Delivery for delivery/dispatch team.

3. Ask any clarifying questions in the same note if needed.

5. Step 4 — Resolve the ticket

Once the issue has truly been fixed:

• The missing part has arrived and been installed, or

• The follow‑up delivery has been completed, and

• The customer has been updated (if they were impacted):

Then:

1. Open the Needs Attention ticket.

2. Change the Ticket Status from Acknowledged to Resolved.

What “Resolved” means:

• The red flag is cleared from your queue.

• Fulfillment knows they can proceed without waiting on sales.

6. Example scenarios

You can use these examples in training or as quick reference.

6.1 Missing part during build

• Associated Build ticket note: “Missing two door fronts for base cabinet; cannot finish.”

• Your actions:

  • Acknowledge the Needs Attention ticket.

  • Submit a warranty or order replacement parts (as appropriate).

  • Note on ticket: “Ordered two replacement door fronts; ETA Friday. Customer updated.”

  • Once received and installed, mark Needs Attention ticket as Resolved.

6.2 Partial delivery

• Associated Delivery ticket note: “Delivered all wall cabinets; base cabinets backordered from vendor.”

• Your actions:

  • Acknowledge the Needs Attention ticket.

  • Coordinate expected ETA with the vendor.

  • Call the customer to explain partial delivery and next steps.

  • Note on ticket: “Customer aware of partial delivery; base cabinets scheduled for follow‑up on [date].”

  • After follow‑up delivery is completed, mark Needs Attention ticket as Resolved.

7. Relationship to other exception workflows

Needs Attention often overlaps with other exception workflows:

• If the root cause is a damaged part that needs vendor replacement:

  • Use Sales — Exceptions — Process Warranty Replacement Tickets to handle the replacement.

• If inaccurate BLD/DEL sheets contributed to the issue:

  • Use Sales — HubSpot — Review and Reattach BLD / DEL Sheets to correct the instructions.

• If deal changes are required after payment:

  • Refer to Sales — Exceptions — Change an Order After Payment and the Reversion Rule.

This article focuses on the communication and coordination loop; other exception articles cover the detailed vendor or contract steps.