BAE systems Assessment Tests

BAE systems Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a night manager at a hotel, alone on reception from 11pm. A burst pipe has flooded two rooms, the guests from them need moving, the hotel is nearly full and a coach party is arriving at midnight. You have been on shift since 3pm and are struggling to keep track. The duty manager is on call at home and the maintenance contractor has a 24-hour line. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the two guests in the residents' lounge for the night and say nothing to the duty manager, since waking her at midnight over a plumbing problem would not reflect well on your handling of the shift.
   2. Move the two guests into the last available rooms and deal with the coach party when it arrives, calling the duty manager in the morning once the night has settled down.
   3. Ring the maintenance contractor to stop the leak and get the rooms usable again, and manage the guest moves and the coach arrival yourself as best you can.
   4. Ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait.

   Least effective: A. Put the two guests in the residents' lounge for the night and say nothing to the duty manager, since waking her at midnight over a plumbing problem would not reflect well on your handling of the shift.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: two paying guests spend the night in a lounge and the person on call, whose role exists for exactly this, is not called because of how it might look. That is concealment at the guests' expense.

   B: Spends the last rooms without checking: it uses the last rooms before the coach party arrives without checking what they are booked for, and the person who could authorise alternatives is asleep and not asked.

   C: Passes the wrong problem first: the pipe matters and the contractor cannot create rooms before midnight. The room shortage against a coach party is the decision that needs the duty manager, and it is the one not raised.

   The most effective response is to ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait: there are three separate problems and only she can authorise what happens if there are not enough rooms. She is on call for this, the contractor handles the pipe, and moving the guests is what you can do meanwhile. It beats ringing the maintenance contractor and managing the guest moves and the arrival yourself, because he cannot produce rooms before midnight, so calling only him leaves the actual decision unmade. It beats moving the guests into the last available rooms and calling her in the morning, because using those rooms without checking the coach party’s booking may create a worse shortage an hour later, with her still unaware. The least effective response is putting the two guests in the residents’ lounge for the night and saying nothing: it leaves paying guests in a lounge rather than call the person whose job is to be called, because of how the call might look. That is worse than the other two, which act partially but keep the guests in rooms. The principle: when several things fail at once, call the person who is on call for it, start what you can do yourself, and never let appearances decide whether to ask for help.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an office administrator at a commercial printing company. While filing paperwork you notice that the shared template the sales team uses for customer quotes still contains last year’s paper prices, which rose noticeably in January. Nobody has been asked to look at the template, and two salespeople are preparing quotes with it this week. The current prices are held in the purchasing system, which you can access. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Update the template now with the January price rises you remember, marking the new figures as provisional to be checked later, so the salespeople are at least closer to the current rates.
   2. Mention to this month's new starter that the template could do with tidying up when they get a chance, without explaining that the prices are wrong, and return to your filing.
   3. Email the sales manager to explain the template still shows last year's prices and that quotes are being prepared this week, leaving the correction with them as owner of the quoting process.
   4. Check the current prices in the purchasing system, update the template to match, and tell the two salespeople and the sales manager what you found and changed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Check the current prices in the purchasing system, update the template to match, and tell the two salespeople and the sales manager what you found and changed.

   Least effective: B. Mention to this month's new starter that the template could do with tidying up when they get a chance, without explaining that the prices are wrong, and return to your filing.

   A: Acts on assumptions without checking: even flagged as provisional, remembered figures are still guesses in a live quoting template, and the purchasing system could give you the accurate prices in roughly the time the guesswork takes.

   B: Dumps the problem on the least able person: a vague request to tidy up the template, with no mention that its prices are wrong or that live quotes depend on it, buries the risk you spotted with the one person who cannot recognise it. That is abandonment, not a handover.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: the sales manager does own the quoting process, but leaving the whole correction in their inbox lets this week's quotes go out on old prices, when you could fix the figures accurately now and simply tell them.

   The most effective response is to check the current prices in the purchasing system, update the template to match, and tell the salespeople and their manager what you found: you spotted the problem, the accurate figures are within your reach, and quoting is live this week, so fixing it and informing the owners removes the risk. It beats updating the template from the prices you remember and marking them provisional, because the purchasing system could supply the real figures just as quickly, and the salespeople would otherwise be quoting from flagged guesses. It beats emailing the sales manager and leaving the correction with them, because that gives the owner the full picture but leaves the fix waiting in an inbox while this week’s quotes are prepared, when you could complete it accurately straight away. The least effective response is asking the new starter to tidy the template up sometime: unlike using remembered figures, which at least moves them closer to reality and flags the doubt, and unlike emailing the manager, which tells the responsible person exactly what is wrong, it hands a vague job to the one person who cannot know the prices are wrong, so the risk you spotted disappears with nobody equipped to act on it. The principle: when you spot an unowned problem you can fix, verify the facts, fix it, and tell the people it affects. Never bury it with someone who cannot recognise it.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a chef de partie in a restaurant kitchen. The new sous chef has changed how your section plates a dish, and does so by calling corrections across the pass during service in front of the whole brigade. The dish is fine either way. Service is suffering because you are second-guessing yourself. There is a quiet hour between lunch and dinner service. The head chef is in most afternoons. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Raise it with the head chef this afternoon, explaining that the sous chef corrects you across the pass during service and that it is affecting your section.
   2. Answer him across the pass next time and explain that the section has always plated it the other way, so the brigade hear both sides at the same time.
   3. Speak to the sous chef in the quiet hour between services, tell him the corrections across the pass are affecting your section, and agree how he will raise changes in future.
   4. Say nothing and plate the dish whichever way he last asked for, since the dish is fine either way and challenging a new sous chef during his first weeks would not go down well.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Speak to the sous chef in the quiet hour between services, tell him the corrections across the pass are affecting your section, and agree how he will raise changes in future.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing and plate the dish whichever way he last asked for, since the dish is fine either way and challenging a new sous chef during his first weeks would not go down well.

   A: Escalates prematurely: the sous chef is new and has not been told the corrections land badly, so the first he hears of it is from the head chef, over something a quiet hour could settle.

   B: Personalises the conflict: it takes a disagreement into the middle of service in front of the brigade, which is the very thing that makes the corrections difficult, and turns it into a public contest.

   D: Avoids the difficult conversation: it accepts that service keeps suffering because you cannot predict which version is wanted, and the reason for silence is the sous chef's newness rather than anything about the food.

   The most effective response is to speak to the sous chef in the quiet hour between services, tell him the corrections across the pass are affecting your section, and agree how he will raise changes in future: the substance is trivial, the problem is when and how the corrections are made, and there is a quiet hour built into the day for exactly this. Agreeing the process fixes the cause rather than the instance. It beats raising it with the head chef this afternoon, because the sous chef is new and has never been told the effect, so going above him first turns an easy conversation into a complaint. It beats answering him across the pass next time so the brigade hear both sides, because that repeats the mistake and adds an audience. The least effective response is saying nothing and plating it whichever way he last asked: it leaves service suffering indefinitely while you guess at which version is wanted, and the reason for silence is that he is new. That is worse than the other two, which raise it in the wrong place but do raise it. The principle: take the conversation to the person, at the moment of the day designed for it, and agree the process rather than arguing the instance.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a process operator at a waste water treatment works. Passing a monitoring screen that is not part of your round, you notice the outflow ammonia reading has been climbing steadily for three days and is close to the permitted limit. Exceeding it is reportable to the environmental regulator. The operator responsible is on leave. Your works manager is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Adjust the aeration settings yourself to bring the ammonia down, since the trend is clear and the limit is close.
   2. Take the three-day trend to your works manager now, show him the readings and how close they are to the limit, and let him decide what to do.
   3. Record the trend in the shift log so the operator responsible picks it up when he returns from leave next week.
   4. Leave it, since the screen is not on your round, the reading is still inside the permitted limit and the plant's alarms would trigger if it went over.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Take the three-day trend to your works manager now, show him the readings and how close they are to the limit, and let him decide what to do.

   Least effective: D. Leave it, since the screen is not on your round, the reading is still inside the permitted limit and the plant's alarms would trigger if it went over.

   A: Acts outside own authority: changing process settings on a plant running near a permitted limit can drive the reading the wrong way, and the works manager has not been told the trend exists.

   C: Delays the decision: the log reaches the right person on the wrong day. The reading is close to a reportable limit now, and next week is after any breach would have happened.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: a three-day climb towards a reportable limit is exactly the signal that precedes a breach, and relying on the alarm means acting only once the limit has already been exceeded.

   The most effective response is to take the three-day trend to your works manager now, show him the readings and how close they are to the limit, and let him decide: a steady climb towards a reportable limit is a developing breach rather than a stable reading, you are the only person who has noticed with the responsible operator away, and he can act today. It beats adjusting the aeration settings yourself to bring the ammonia down, because that is a process decision beyond your authority on a plant running close to a limit, and could make the reading worse. It beats recording the trend in the shift log for the operator returning next week, because that arrives after the breach it should have prevented. The least effective response is leaving it because the reading is still inside the permitted limit and the alarms would trigger: it waits for an alarm that by definition sounds only once the limit has been exceeded and the breach is already reportable. That is worse than the other two, which act wrongly or slowly but do act. The principle: a trend towards a limit is information somebody needs before the limit is reached, so take it to whoever can act while it is still preventable.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in the membership office of a golf club. Members’ subscriptions are due, and a discounted rate applies to anyone who joined before 2015. A member who joined in 2018 asks you to record him as a pre-2015 member, saying he has been coming as a guest since 2012 and that nobody would ever check. He is friendly and well known at the club. The club secretary is in her office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him you cannot change the joining date and suggest he takes it up with the club secretary himself if he believes his guest years should count.
   2. Record him at the pre-2015 rate, since he has genuinely been coming to the club since 2012 and the discount is meant to reward long- standing members.
   3. Apply the standard rate but note on his file that he has attended since 2012, so that the club can consider a discretionary discount at some point in the future.
   4. Tell him the joining date is a matter of record and you cannot change it, and offer to ask the secretary whether guest years have ever been counted towards the discount.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell him the joining date is a matter of record and you cannot change it, and offer to ask the secretary whether guest years have ever been counted towards the discount.

   Least effective: B. Record him at the pre-2015 rate, since he has genuinely been coming to the club since 2012 and the discount is meant to reward long- standing members.

   A: Passes responsibility to others: the refusal is right and the handoff is thin. He has raised a question about how guest years are treated, and sending him to make his own case leaves you having merely declined.

   B: Falsifies a membership record: his joining date is a fact, and rewriting it to produce a discount he is not entitled to is dishonesty dressed as fairness. It also charges every other member for the shortfall.

   C: Delays the decision: it charges him correctly, which is right, and parks his actual question on a file note that nobody is due to read. The secretary is in her office today.

   The most effective response is to tell him the joining date is a matter of record and offer to ask the secretary whether guest years have ever counted: the date is a fact and not yours to alter, but the question underneath it is legitimate and the secretary can answer it. Refusing clearly and taking the question forward does both jobs. It beats telling him to take it up with the club secretary himself, because that refuses in the same way but leaves him to make his own case, when you are standing beside the person who decides. It beats applying the standard rate and noting on his file that he has attended since 2012, because a note for future consideration answers nobody today, and the secretary is available now. The least effective response is recording him at the pre-2015 rate: it rewrites a factual record to create an entitlement that does not exist, and the reasoning offered, that he has been around a long time, is exactly the reasoning that makes small falsifications feel reasonable. That is worse than the other two, which charge him correctly. The principle: refuse to alter a record, then take the fair question underneath it to the person who can actually decide it.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a lifeguard at a leisure centre, and the only lifeguard on poolside while a children’s swimming lesson is in the water; centre rules require a qualified lifeguard on poolside whenever the pool is in use. Through the corridor window you notice that a delivery of boxed stock has been left stacked against the fire exit in the public corridor. Nobody else seems to have noticed, and the lesson runs for another forty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.
   2. Mention the boxes to the receptionist next time she passes poolside, and leave it with her to find whoever handles deliveries, since moving stock is not something you can deal with mid-session.
   3. Plan to move the boxes yourself as soon as the lesson finishes in forty minutes, keeping an eye on the corridor meanwhile, so the exit is dealt with without the pool ever being left unattended.
   4. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.

   Least effective: A. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.

   A: Abandons a safety-critical post: leaving children swimming with no lifeguard on poolside breaks the one rule that exists to prevent a drowning, and trades that protection for a corridor errand someone else could do, a reckless breach of your own committed duty rather than a quick favour.

   B: Passes responsibility to others: a casual mention whenever the receptionist happens to pass carries no urgency and no follow-up, so the fire exit stays blocked for as long as the message takes to wander through the building; you spotted the hazard, but nobody owns it.

   C: Delays the decision: it protects the pool, but it accepts a blocked fire exit in a public corridor for another forty minutes when a single phone call could have it cleared far sooner. Watching a hazard is not the same as acting on it.

   The most effective response is to stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once, and check yourself when the lesson ends that the exit has been cleared: it treats both duties as real, so the pool keeps its lifeguard, the hazard reaches someone who can have it moved, and you verify the outcome rather than assuming the report worked. It beats mentioning the boxes to the receptionist when she next passes, because that hands the hazard on without urgency or follow-up, so a blocked fire exit waits on a passing conversation and nobody is accountable for the result. It beats planning to move them yourself once the lesson finishes, because that leaves the exit blocked for the full forty minutes for the sake of handling it personally, when reporting it now clears it sooner at no cost to the pool. The least effective response is slipping out to move the boxes while the instructor is in the water: unlike telling the receptionist, which keeps the required cover in place while telling someone, and unlike waiting until the lesson ends, which keeps the cover and eventually acts, it removes the only lifeguard from a pool with children in the water. It is the one response that creates a graver risk than the one it fixes, and a breach of the centre’s own safety rule. The principle: taking ownership of a problem you spot means making sure it gets fixed, not doing it yourself at any price; never abandon a safety- critical commitment to run someone else’s errand.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You work on the counter of a garden machinery repair shop. A customer brings in a lawnmower that you repaired six weeks ago, with the same fault. The repair carried a three-month guarantee. The mechanic who did the work says the customer has probably been cutting wet grass, which is not covered. The customer says he has not. Your workshop manager is in this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault.
   2. Tell him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass, so it falls outside the guarantee, and that he will need to pay for any further work.
   3. Book the mower in for a chargeable repair and explain that the original work is only guaranteed against a recurrence that is not caused by how the machine has been used.
   4. Repair the mower free of charge without inspection, since the same fault within the guarantee period is the shop's responsibility and arguing about causes will only lose a regular customer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault.

   Least effective: B. Tell him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass, so it falls outside the guarantee, and that he will need to pay for any further work.

   B: Ignores the customer's actual need: it refuses a guarantee claim on an untested assumption about how he has used the machine, effectively telling a customer he is not being truthful without anyone looking at the mower.

   C: Charges the customer on an untested theory: it decides against him on the mechanic's assumption before anyone has looked inside the machine, and charges him for a fault that recurred within the guarantee.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: it waives a charge before anyone has established whether the fault is covered, which is the workshop manager's decision and removes the inspection that would settle it.

   The most effective response is to book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault: the same fault has recurred inside the guarantee, whether it is covered depends on what is actually wrong, and she can look today. Booking it in and committing to call back keeps the customer whole while the facts are established. It beats booking it as a chargeable repair and explaining the guarantee does not cover misuse, because that charges him before anyone has opened the machine, on the strength of a theory. It beats repairing it free of charge without inspection, because waiving the charge removes the very check that decides whether it is a guarantee job and takes the manager’s decision for her. The least effective response is telling him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass and he must pay: it refuses a live guarantee claim on an untested assumption and implies he is not telling the truth. That is worse than the chargeable booking, which at least books a repair, and worse than the free repair, which at least fixes the mower. The principle: when the customer’s entitlement turns on a fact, establish the fact before deciding, and keep them informed while you do.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You work on the technical support line for a broadband provider. A customer who works from home has had no connection for four days. Three engineer visits have been booked and each has been cancelled by the provider. She is calm but says she is losing income. The fault system shows an area problem with no fix date. Your team leader can authorise goodwill credits and priority escalation. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that area faults are outside the provider's direct control, that no fix date is available, and that she will be updated when there is news.
   2. Apologise, explain that the fault is an area problem with no fix date yet, and book a fourth engineer visit for the earliest available slot.
   3. Apologise, explain the area fault honestly, and ask your team leader now about priority escalation and a goodwill credit for four days without a connection.
   4. Apply a goodwill credit to her account straight away for the four days without service, and tell your team leader afterwards.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise, explain the area fault honestly, and ask your team leader now about priority escalation and a goodwill credit for four days without a connection.

   Least effective: A. Explain that area faults are outside the provider's direct control, that no fix date is available, and that she will be updated when there is news.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: it gives a customer losing income an open-ended wait and nothing else, when escalation and a credit are both available a few steps away. Offering only patience is a refusal of the remedies that exist.

   B: Repeats what has already failed: a fourth visit against an area fault will be cancelled like the other three, and it offers nothing for four days of lost income when a team leader could.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: goodwill credits are the team leader's to authorise, and applying one yourself reaches a fair outcome by removing the approval that governs it.

   The most effective response is to apologise, explain the area fault honestly, and ask your team leader now about priority escalation and a goodwill credit: the fault is genuinely an area problem, so honesty about the fix date is right, but she is losing income and the provider has two remedies available, both of which need the team leader who is right there. It beats booking a fourth engineer visit for the earliest slot, because sending an engineer against an area fault repeats what has already failed three times. It beats applying the goodwill credit yourself and telling the team leader afterwards, because the credit is hers to authorise and taking it bypasses the control rather than using it. The least effective response is telling her area faults are outside the provider’s control and that she will be updated when there is news: it tells a customer losing income to wait indefinitely and offers none of the remedies the provider has. That is worse than the fourth visit, which at least books something, and worse than the unauthorised credit, which at least compensates her. The principle: be honest about what cannot be fixed, and use every remedy your organisation actually has, through the person authorised to grant it.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a field support technician for a telecoms company. You are on site installing a new phone system for a small business that closes for the weekend at 5pm today. By 2pm it is clear one part is missing and the system cannot be finished today; it can be completed on Monday. The office manager who booked the work is on site. Your own scheduler, who arranges return visits, is at her desk. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work on until 5pm, leave once the office has closed, and let your scheduler contact the office manager on Monday morning to arrange the return visit for the missing part.
   2. Ring your scheduler to book Monday's return visit, then carry on until 5pm so the office manager sees the work has progressed as far as it possibly could today.
   3. Tell the office manager that you have hit a snag and are doing everything you can, and give her a full picture on Monday once you know exactly what is needed to finish.
   4. Tell the office manager now that a missing part means the system cannot go live today, confirm what still works over the weekend, and agree a Monday return before you leave site.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell the office manager now that a missing part means the system cannot go live today, confirm what still works over the weekend, and agree a Monday return before you leave site.

   Least effective: A. Work on until 5pm, leave once the office has closed, and let your scheduler contact the office manager on Monday morning to arrange the return visit for the missing part.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: the business closes believing its phones are live and discovers on Monday that they are not. Leaving site without telling the customer is concealment, and it removes every chance she had to arrange cover.

   B: Tells the wrong audience first: the person standing on site, whose business runs on the phones this weekend, learns last about a problem you have already reported internally.

   C: Delays the message: a snag with no detail leaves her unable to plan her weekend cover, when you already know the specific fact she needs, that the system will not go live before Monday.

   The most effective response is to tell the office manager now that a missing part means the system cannot go live today, confirm what still works, and agree a Monday return before you leave: she is standing there, she runs a business that depends on those phones over the weekend, and she needs those three facts before 5pm. It beats ringing your scheduler to book the return visit first, because that puts internal tidiness ahead of the person whose weekend depends on the answer. It beats telling her you have hit a snag and are doing everything you can, because a vague snag withholds the one hard fact she can plan around, when you already know it. The least effective response is leaving once the office has closed and letting your scheduler arrange it on Monday: it is the only response where she finds out after you have gone, which removes every opportunity she had to arrange cover, and it leaves the news to be broken by someone who was never on site. That is worse than the other two, which communicate imperfectly but in time. The principle: tell the person carrying the consequence first, tell them while they can still act, and tell them what you actually know.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You work in the billing team of an energy supplier. A customer rings about a bill for £520 covering nine months, caused by the supplier failing to bill her since she moved in. She says that even the standard twelve-month plan would be more than she can manage each month. Company policy allows a repayment plan over twelve months for billing errors of this kind, and a longer plan needs a team leader’s approval. Your team leader is at her desk. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve- month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved given the supplier's error.
    2. Explain that the energy was used and the bill is correct, and set up the standard twelve-month repayment plan the policy allows.
    3. Tell her the bill stands and must be paid within the usual payment terms, since the energy was genuinely used and the debt is hers regardless of when it was billed.
    4. Reduce the bill by the amount covering the first three months, since the supplier's failure to bill caused the problem and the customer should not pay for the company's error.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve- month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved given the supplier's error.

    Least effective: C. Tell her the bill stands and must be paid within the usual payment terms, since the energy was genuinely used and the debt is hers regardless of when it was billed.

    B: Treats the policy floor as the ceiling: the twelve-month plan is offered as the only option when a longer one exists and a team leader who can approve it is at her desk, and she has not been asked.

    C: Ignores the customer's actual need: it demands full payment on normal terms for the supplier's own nine-month failure, and withholds a repayment plan the policy explicitly provides. That is a refusal of a remedy she is entitled to.

    D: Breaches confidentiality or process: writing off part of a bill is not a decision the billing team takes, and doing it unilaterally replaces an approval route with a personal judgement about fairness.

    The most effective response is to apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve-month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved: the supplier caused this by not billing, the policy provides a repayment plan, and a longer one is available through a team leader sitting at her desk. That gives the customer the best the company actually allows. It beats explaining that the energy was used and setting up the standard twelve-month plan, because that treats it as the only option when a longer one exists and can be approved in minutes. It beats reducing the bill by the first three months, because that is not the billing team’s decision, however sympathetic the case. The least effective response is telling her the bill must be paid within the usual payment terms: it insists on normal terms for a debt created by the supplier’s own failure, and withholds a repayment plan the policy provides. That is worse than the standard plan, which at least offers one, and worse than the reduction, which at least tries to help. The principle: when your organisation caused the problem, find the most the policy allows and use the approval route for anything beyond it.