Resolve customer payment disputes

A customer opened three disputes on invoices for account NovaCorp, claiming duplicate billing and pricing errors. Gather the original sales orders, delivery confirmations, signed receipts, pricing approvals, and the customer’s dispute emails, compile them into a single review packet, and send it to the account manager and the customer service lead for a resolution within three business days. Mark the invoices as disputed and suspend dunning until we respond.

Before I reply to NovaCorp, make the dispute response easy to accept — summarize the claim in one line, show the exact invoice lines and contract terms that apply, surface any credits or discounts due, and list the minimum documentation the customer needs to close the dispute. Flag anything that will make their buyer push back: price change approvals or missing signed delivery receipts.

NovaCorp says they never received goods but the delivery shows completed yesterday. The customer contact is short and our carrier notes are incomplete. I’m worried we’ll lose the relationship if I push on proof they don’t have. What’s the likely issue and the best next step to resolve the dispute without escalating in a way that breaks the account?

Disputes regularly stall because sales thinks finance should own proof of delivery while finance expects sales to manage customer pushback. That slows resolutions and delays cash. What habit or process change should I adopt so disputes get resolved in five working days instead of three weeks?