Annotation of the Letter by the Assistant Manager (Ms. Sally)
As the general manager of Manhattan Galleries limited, I recently received a query from a customer who claimed that she had been sent a painting with sagging canvases and the condition of the painting was not presentable to be hanged in the manager’s office. As a part of addressing the problem, I directed my assistant to respond to the complaint by writing a business letter to the affected customer addressing the issue.
However, upon completion of the letter, I went through it and noted several things that were not in order and needed to be changed. The letter did not have viable persuasive arguments as it is supposed to be. Ms. Sally should have applied her business understanding to write convincing arguments and try to communicate that would persuade the customer. The assistant manager has used the right method to address the customer.
“Dear Ms. Jensen”. This is what is preferred when writing a letter to respond to a customer’s complaint. However, Ms. Sally would have started the letter by expressing gratitude or greeting the customer and then to thank her first for choosing to do business with Manhattan Galleries company limited. Instead of doing this, Ms. Sally started the letter by telling the customer that she had been assigned the role of replying to the letter.
This is truly unnecessary as it indicates how unprofessional the company’s officials are. The language that Ms. Sally could have used was supposed to be considerable, apologetic, and showing concern. However, Ms. Sally used very harsh language which would have possibly frustrated the customer more instead of solving the problem. The opening remark in a business letter should be pleasant and welcoming, but the letter that Ms. Sally had intended to send to the customer as a response to complaints was not at all pleasant.
Ms. Sally has used very unfriendly and inconsiderable language which might put off the customer, losing her confidence with the company, which leads to losing a customer. The type of language my assistant used when she was writing the letter was not appropriate and instead of positively influencing the customer’s attitude towards our services, it would have possibly destroyed the confidence the customer may previously have had for the company.
After greeting and thanking the customer, the Assistant manager should have then restated the problem that was presented in the customer’s complaint to show the customer that her problem was also a problem of the company and that the company was ready to help her. The Assistant was also expected to explain what could have caused the problem. In the letter, Sally directly evaded responsibility and directed the problem to shippers. She also told the customer that she doubts whether such a problem could occur, which meant that the customer was not sincere.
These sentiments may be extremely hurtful to the customer and need to be removed or be modified. Sally should have tried to provide a feasible solution to the problem rather than to point fingers at the shippers or insisting that the customer was not sincere. This will help persuade the customer since she is of course not happy with the previously delivered product. Being a company’s representative, Sally should have ensured that enough and proper information is provided to the customer.
The letter should also address the issue of the reshipment of the spoilt painting if necessary. This shows that the company is reliable. Ms. Sally should have ensured that she has thanked the customer again on behalf of the company for being a loyal customer, for the feedback, and for being patient. If the company’s policies allow the provision of phone numbers, the customer should be given to enable her to contact representatives in the company in case the problem repeats itself.
The customer’s name, her designation, the company’s name, and signature should have been put in place before sending the letter. In any business enterprise or company, the company’s representative should learn how to write an effective letter when responding to customer’s complaints. They should remember that the business runs because of the individual customer and if one of them is dissatisfied, the possibility of others like him or her experiencing the same feeling is not hard.
Business Memo addressed to Mr. Sally
How to write an effective response letter to a customer
I am writing to notify you about the recent letter you wrote addressing a complaint from one of our esteemed customers concerning the painting delivered to him. You were required to write a letter responding to the customer’s complaint, however, the letter needs to be modified. The purpose of that letter was to address the customer’s problem by rectifying the mistakes, attempt to make the customer regain the confidence she had in services offered by Manhattan Galleries which on average would be of great importance especially considering that the customer seems to be a potential customer in our future business. Kindly be notified that the letter prepared cannot be sent to the customer in its present state. Thorough changes must be done according to the company’s requirements.
I understand that a response letter to such a customer can be complicated to write, however, effective communication skills should be applied to convince the customer. In the letter, you should have started by greeting the customer and then apologizing and thanking her for information and being a loyal customer to the company. There are several tips on how to write an effectual letter responding to complaints which will be of great help to you.
Instructions
- You should learn that customers should not be addressed using generic names such as ‘Dear Customer’. They should also be not addressed using their first names. You should ensure that they are addressed using the title they use in the complaint letter.
- You should express gratitude on behalf of the company to the customer for being a loyal customer to the company and for the feedback received by the company. This shows that the customer is appreciated and helps to retain customers.
- Reaffirm the problem that the customer had experienced. This will show the customer that you understand and the customer gets hope of being assisted.
- You should be able to extensively explain to the customer the main possible causes of the problem and should avoid blaming a particular person. Try to explain to the customer and if you have no justifiable excuse, just sympathize and apologize for the problem.
- You should be able to provide a viable solution since the customer cannot be happy considering the condition of the product that had been previously delivered.
- As much information as possible should be given to the customer. In this case, the reshipment of the spoilt product may be necessary and hence the customer should be provided with the exact details of the process. This shows that the company is reliable.
- Make sure that you have thanked the customer again on behalf of the company for being a loyal customer, for the feedback, and for being patient. If the company’s policies allow the provision of phone numbers, the customer should be given so to enable her to contact the company in case of a problem in the future.
- Your name, designation, and the company’s name and signature should be put in place before sending the letter.
- Kindly familiarize yourself with how to write an effective letter to customers. At your position, you will always receive complaints from customers on different matters which require your positive handling and effective response so ensure that customers remain loyal to the company. Please confirm the receipt of the memo and outline your resolution on the issue of customer handling. Thank you.
Revised Letter
Dear Ms. Jensen,
Concerning the Painting delivered with sagging canvases
Following your letter of complaint on the painting that was recently delivered to Jensen Group from Manhattan Galleries, I wish to write in reply to the issues you raised. First of all, however, I wish to express our sincere gratitude for doing business with our company and also for your information about the problem. The complaint indicated that the painting was received with sags in the canvas and hence you are not willing to hang it in your company’s manager in that condition.
Our quality assurance department has carefully evaluated your complaint and has decided to assist you in all means we can. Under normal circumstances, such problems are not common in our company. Our company has always been so careful in its shipping system, but we cannot deny that errors occur. We have always given stringent instructions to our shippers such as ensuring that huge paintings are positioned in the right way. Also, we always ensure that all paintings are wrapped in several strata of convoluted form, and another one of Perf-Pack foam to avoid any possible harm from negligent shipping processes.
We are very sorry for that inconveniencing encounter, and we have decided to consider your case although our policy does not allow it. Since you have been loyal to us, we have decided to ship for you another painting which will be delivered to you within three business days. The details of the shipment will be attached to this letter.
We have also provided our telephone number so that you can contact us just in case of any problem. However, you are kindly requested to take the previously sent painting to our local shop. Once again I thank you for your feedback and for choosing to do business with us. We are proud that we can provide top-notch fine works of authentic art at amazingly cheap prices, and all our customers can be warranted for receiving their paintings in good condition.
Sincerely,.
Your name.
General Manager.