Question

You work in the customer care division at Flannery Electronics. Mr. Gallegos, a longtime customer, is experiencing a problem with his home theater system and has submitted a letter requesting that Flannery Electronics either fix or replace his system at no cost. Unfortunately, Mr. Gallegos’s customer service and factory warranties expired three months ago. You must write to Mr. Gallegos and inform him that Flannery will be unable to honor his request.

1. Should the tone for this message be formal or informal?
A. Formal
B. Informal
2. Which communication channel would be most appropriate?
A. Phone call
B. Letter
C. Instant message
D. Face-to-face meeting
3. Mr. Gallegos will most likely have a_____response to the message you send him.
4. Who might be the secondary audience for your message to Mr. Gallegos?
5. Assume you just wrote the following e-mail message to a subordinate about a presentation.
Hey Jim,
Nice work on that presentation. I’m going to send a copy to the CEO to show off your creativity. Congratulations to you and your team.
Speaking of teams, I’m sending a recommendation to Human Resources. Your leadership during the presentation really shows, and you deserve a promotion for all that hard work. A team is only as good as its leader, after all.
Before sending the message, it occurs to you that your e-mail will probably be forwarded to other subordinates.
What will you need to change to make the message appropriate for both a subordinate and other subordinates?
A. Start with the promotion discussion and use a more formal tone.
B. Focus on congratulating the team using each individual’s name and use a more formal tone. C. Send news about the promotion recommendation in a separate e-mail.
D. Make the message even more friendly and informal but focus only on congratulating the team.

Answer 1

1. The tone of the message should be;

A. Formal

2. The communication channel that would be most appropriate is;

B. Letter

3. Mr. Gallegos will most likely have a negative response to the message you send to him.

4. The secondary audience for your message to Mr. Gallegos will be his

• friends and family who might also be customers.
• your boss

5. To make the message appropriate for both a subordinate and other subordinates, I will,

B. Focus on congratulating the team using each individual’s name and use a more formal tone.

C. Send news about the promotion recommendation in a separate e-mail.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. Given the fact that the transaction between Mr. Gallegos and Flannery Electronics was an official one, a formal tone would be the best means of communication.

2. A formal letter will communicate the response of Flannery Electronics more appropriately.

3. Considering the fact that Mr. Gallegos is aggrieved, he will most likely have a negative response to the message.

4. Since the incident happened in his home, Mr. Gallegos will most likely convey details of the response to his family and friends. Your boss might also want to take a look at the letter to be sure that it aligns with the standards and best practices of the business.

5. To make the message more appropriate, I will send news about the promotion recommendation in a separate e-mail and then focus on congratulating the team in this particular message.