A business buyer messages your team: “We received 70 units, not 100.” Promising the remaining 30 tomorrow sounds helpful, but it assumes the cause before anyone has checked the records. A planned partial shipment, a receiving shortage and a recording error require different decisions.

Start with three quantities, not a guess

Find the purchase order reference. Compare the quantity agreed, the quantity recorded as dispatched, and the quantity acknowledged by the receiving location. A carrier status of Delivered is not proof that every unit was accepted.

Consider a hypothetical order for 100 units. Dispatch records say 100, but the receiving note says 70. That is a discrepancy to investigate with the warehouse, carrier and recipient, not proof that the supplier shipped only 70. If dispatch records show 70, ask whether the buyer had agreed to a partial delivery.

Microsoft's purchase receipt guidance distinguishes ordered from received quantities and supports partial receipts. Its partial shipment guidance explains why acceptance of split delivery matters. These are examples of international ERP practice, not Egyptian legal rules or claims about Mr. AI integrations.

Ask for evidence that helps resolve the issue

Request the order reference, affected SKU, received quantity, receiving date and available receiving note. Packaging seals, batch identifiers or photos may matter if your quality team requires them. Avoid collecting unrelated personal information.

Record the case as a quantity discrepancy under review, assign one owner, and identify which document is missing. WhatsApp captures the complaint; it should not replace the receiving and dispatch records.

Different findings call for different responses

If a partial delivery was approved, confirm the completed portion and outstanding balance, with a later date only when operations verifies it. If dispatch shows the full quantity but receipt does not, investigate the handoffs before committing to a replacement. If documents disagree, preserve evidence and refer settlement to the authorized team.

A useful response is: “We've logged the quantity difference against order (...). We're matching your receiving note to our dispatch record and will update you with the findings and next action. We won't close the case until the difference has been reviewed.”

Do not assume an invoice must change immediately. The financial treatment depends on transaction documents, contract and confirmed fulfillment. Finance should review it.

Track the case beyond the apology

Record date opened, owner, missing evidence and next update date. Review unresolved quantity disputes, time to resolution and premature promises each month. Those measures matter more than the number of reassuring messages sent.

For deliveries split across sites, see our multi-location delivery guide. For changes made before dispatch, use the purchase order change workflow instead.

Where Mr. AI helps, and where it stops

Mr. AI can capture first details, reply using approved company knowledge, summarize the conversation and hand it to the responsible employee. That does not establish warehouse reconciliation, carrier verification or automated credit-note integration. Define your evidence and decision owners first, then test the customer conversation.