Principles of Business Communication

Every client is entitled to the best quality product and service. We, at Stovall Home Products, realize this and eer strive to uphold product excellence and innovation. It was therefore with considerable concern that we recently learned about your unfortunate experience in connection with the economic consumption of our flagship brand, White-n-Brite Liquid Bleach.As you may have read from reputable consumer product rating publications which have given the brand the thumbs-up, it is our common practice to carry out pissed testing, quality control measures, and regular updating of directions to guide consumer usage and care.We thank you for bringing the matter directly to our attention. After careful assessment by our lavation Products Laboratory, we find that the item you had requested Stovall Home Products to refund was made of material not compatible with either dry or liquid bleaches. Moreover, we have publically stated, and indicated in the label directions on White-n-Brite L iquid Bleach, that this product is not to be used as a local spot remover.N mavintheless, we understand the aggravation the incident may have caused you. If you so wish, you can send your personal item, postage-free, to Stovall Home Products and well see what we can do about it.Stovall Home Products definitely does not agree its integrity, regardless of whether it concerns the flagship brand or peeled product innovations. As a token of goodwill, we are enclosing introductory single-use packets of White-n-Brite Bleach Delicates suited for your lingerie and hosiery, as wellspring as in-store coupons of our new Air Fare Home Air Freshener aromas, entitling the bearer to $1 off for every purchase of any three new aromas that include Sea Air, Autumn Spice, Fresh Pine and Spring Flowers.Allow us to do as much as we can for you, as our valued client. let us know if you need further informational details, such as those contained in our free booklets on caring for delicate fabrics, air f reshener or tough sword tips, or any help we can offer on our new products.Yours sincerely,Carol SmithApplying the Principles of Business Communicationsto Writing Negative MessagesUsing the principles of business communication theory gleaned from the readings, I made a conscious effort to avoid phrases that may possibly strike the reader, in this case the customer, as rude, hostile, uncaring, condescending or autocratic (Locker, 2000, p. 67).It struck me that when the customer wrote Stovall Home Products to refund her for her stained jacket, she has somehow already made up her mind that it is the product which is defective, and not her misuse or forethought to check both her garment care tags and the White-n-Brite Liquid Bleach label directions. The likelihood that the customer may be resistant to views not supporting hers counts as one obstacle to be overcome (Locker, 2000, p. 68). I, therefore, used an opening arguing with an area of agreement or a common ground I plainly sh are with the reader (Locker, 2000, p. 68).To make my writing go away like friendly face-to-face discussion, I used words such as we, you, and our for readability, as well as contractions in cases when it will come out more naturally than two short separate words (Burne, 2006, para. 27-29). I likewise took into consideration the vii Cs of business letter writing which are clear, concise, correct, courteous, conversational, convincing and complete (Burne, 2006, para. 4).I avoided stating the negative message outright at the start of the letter, and I agree with one of the main readings on conveying negative information that when the readers ego is on the line, opening with the negative message would violate the readers expectation and damage rapport (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 4). I likewise agree that the more the negative information concerns the reader as a person, the great the need for psychological preparation (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 4).I therefore built up the brand and the long-held tradition of product testing and updating of directions. Soon afterwards, I incorporated a brief buffer (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 7) leading to the finding that negates the customers claim and which forms the key subject or specific concern. I was especially careful to avoid negative transitions like however, but, and point though just before conveying the companys findings that show that the customers demand was off-tangent, because such transitional words signal a turn for the worse (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 8).I also avoided blaming the customer, who is the reader of the letter, for instigating the hassle even if all signs point to it (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 9). Instead of spotlighting the bad news, I positioned it strategically, and since explicit refusals may be unnecessary and at times cruel (Guffey, 2000, p. 290), I opted to imply or indirectly refer to the negative reply without seeming uncl ear about the companys decision, which is not to grant the refund to the customer because the product was not used according to the stated directions.Implication is often an effective way of transmitting an unpleasant idea, that is, the idea is not expressed, yet the liquidator understands (Writing About the Unpleasant, n.d.) based on the incidents and explanations presented. In stating the legitimate reasons for turning down the customers request, I have implied that negative reply and I did not dwell too much on the created problem anymore, proceeding, instead, to further cushioning the impact on the customer and offer a workable alternative.By including the line we understand the aggravation the incident may have caused you, I wanted to show empathy, or placing oneself in the customers shoes to understand how stressed she may be and to understand how natural her reaction was to write the company and request for a refund. On the other hand, I also took note of the fact that th ere is a fine but clear line between being sympathetic about the customers problem, on the one side, and implying or taking responsibility for it, on the other (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 157).It is in this light that I suggested to the customer to send over to Stovall Home Products the stained piece of clothing, and I phrased it to sound non-committal. I tried to be mindful or careful not to take responsibility in circumstances where its not appropriate (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 158). I realize that saying no or refusing a customers undue request serves my organizations welfare and needs (Locker, 2000, p. 214), preventing the setting of a precedent for company liability (Erdman & Hildebrandt, 1998, p. 158). I also tried to show that while the offered course of action may not be perfect, it is the best tooth root currently available (Locker, 2000, p. 68).At this point, my overriding objective, alongside cushioning the impact of the negative reply to the request, has now t urned to educating the reader and reselling the product in question, where a problem spot was encountered, or for new product innovations of the company (Writing Negative Messages, 2002, para. 24). Because I am also trying to change the customers overstrung judgment about the companys flagship brand and attempting to correct this customers understanding of company policy, I deemed it best to let the reader spell face by hinting that changed circumstances call for new attitudes or action (Locker, 2000, p. 68).I then closed on a positive note by offering a counterproposal (Writing About the Unpleasant, n.d.) Maintaining goodwill is very important, especially in the light of the thrusts of a company like Stovall Home Products, which has relied for many decades on customers patriotic support.At no part of the letter was an apology extended, because in so doing, it will serve, not just to trigger future company liability but highlighting the companys acknowledgment of the mistake or wrongdoing, acceptance of responsibility, expression of regret, and assurance that the offense will not be repeated (Kellerman 2006). Except for accept a measure of responsibility in order to maintain positive relationship with the customer, and the expression of regret as a sign of empathy, none of these employ in connection with the Anne Thompsons case.ReferencesErdman, K. & Hildebrandt, H. (1998). Stovall Home Products Practicing prudence to avoidliability. Business Communication Quarterly, 61, 152-163.Guffey, M. (2000). Business communication process & product. Ohio South-Western CollegePublishing.Kellerman, B. (2006). When should a leader apologize and when not? Retrieved may 12, 2008,from https//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16579415Locker, K. (Ed.). (2000). Business and administrative communication. New York McGraw-HillCompanies.Writing Negative Messages. (2002). Retrieved May 9, 2008, fromhttp//homepages.wmich.edu/bowman/badnews.html