Unforeseen events and emergencies are part of the everyday business environment. Even the most efficient customer service department will experience these inconveniences. This is why your employees need to have the latitude to deal with these matters to the satisfaction of your customers. 
Missing parts, additional delays, or an unreturned call caused by a misplaced note can be major sources of aggravation for your customers. Even the most loyal customer may one day pick up and visit your competitor, or hurt your business through negative word of mouth. These situations needs to be dealt with immediately. But how?
These situations should not be left to chance in order to avoid excess compensation or the perception that these gestures are just automatic reflexes. Guidelines should be implemented that help identify the applicable circumstances, the steps to follow, and the potential beneficiaries.