Memo assignment – quality work needed
Your memo should illustrate a strong understanding of both adjustment letters and downward persuasive memos.
Memo Assignment:
Explaining Letter Revision
Purpose
To reflect critically on the rhetorical choices involved in the communication process
Topic
This assignment asks you to imagine that you are the manager of Manhattan Galleries. Your new assistant has just written a letter responding to a customer’s claim that her painting was delivered with sags in the canvas. You instructed your assistant to write a positive adjustment letter that would offer to reimburse the customer for the cost of having the canvas re-stretched at her local framing shop. This client could be an important source of future business and referrals for you. You are dismayed when you read your assistant’s letter, which needs substantial revising before you would consider sending it to a customer.
First, annotate your assistant’s letter to be aware of the many weaknesses of the document. Then, write a memo to your assistant. In the memo, explain to your assistant why and how she needs to revise her letter. Your goal in doing so is to help her learn how to write more effective customer letters. You will not be able to review all of her future letters. Therefore, you want to be certain she understands how to communicate with customers. When writing the memo, keep in mind that your assistant is a valuable employee. You want to provide feedback and instruction without damaging morale.
Guidelines
Do not exceed 1.75 pages, single spaced for your memo. Consider using graphic highlighting (e.g., bullets, numbering, boldface type) to make your points more readable.
Address the memo to your assistant, Sally Cantwright.
See Attached Letter
Manhattan Galleries
115 West Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
212-555-7700
May 2, 2017
Ms. Sharon Jensen
The Jensen Group
2459 Hooper Avenue
Miami, FL 44787
Dear Ms. Jensen:
Your letter has been referred to me for reply. You claim that the painting recently sent by Manhattan Galleries arrived with sags in the canvas and that you are unwilling to hang it in your company’s executive offices.
I have examined your complaint carefully, and, frankly, I find it difficult to believe because we are so careful about shipping, but if what you say is true, I suspect that the shipper may be the source of your problem. We give explicit instructions to our shippers that large paintings must be shipped standing up, not lying down. We also wrap every painting in two layers of convoluted foam and one layer of Perf-Pack foam, which we think should be sufficient to withstand any bumps and scrapes that negligent shipping may cause. We will certainly look into this.
Although it is against our policy, we will in this instance allow you to take this painting to a local framing shop for re-stretching. We are proud that we can offer fine works of original art at incredibly low prices, and you can be sure that we do not send out sagging canvasses.
Sincerely,
Sally Cantwright
Assistant Manager
