How does Simple Chat handle damaged or missing items?

A damaged or missing item report starts a fixed intake sequence, not a freeform chat. The assistant collects what your team needs to make a call, then submits a replacement proposal for staff approval. It never approves a replacement on its own.

The intake sequence

1. Order number, tying the conversation to the correct purchase.
2. Email, confirming the contact on the order. After a successful lookup, the verified email stays on the ticket so replacement follow-up doesn't ask for it again.
3. Photos, when documentation helps: the packing slip, the items received, lot stickers, packaging materials.
4. Shipping address, confirmed before any proposal so a replacement doesn't go to an outdated or mistyped address.
5. The replacement proposal itself, submitted for staff review rather than placed automatically.

The same sequence runs on every report, which keeps your queue consistent and cuts the follow-up churn of missing details. Intake and organization is the assistant's entire role here; it doesn't route around your fulfillment or returns policies.

What staff see and decide

The proposal summarizes what the customer reported and everything they submitted. Your team approves, adjusts, or declines before anything ships. The customer can stay in the same chat while the case moves toward resolution, and staff keep final say on every replacement.

The delivered-but-missing follow-up

One case gets extra care. If tracking shows delivered and the customer reported the package missing earlier, a scheduled Monitoring check-in does not treat that earlier statement as current authorization to propose a replacement. Packages turn up at lockers, neighbors, and front desks after the last message more often than you'd think.

So the assistant rechecks tracking first, then asks the customer directly whether the package has arrived since they last reported it missing. Only a fresh confirmation of non-receipt produces a replacement proposal for staff review. If the package did show up, the assistant thanks them and closes the follow-up.