BGMT 394 Disc ***Zeek the GEEK***

Stephen:

You bring up a good point in your first comment. If I were to realistically be in this situation, I think that I would probably make a visit to Mr. Stewart's house. Having said that, I would probably not make this trip until I had completed a more thorough investigation on the issue by at least speaking to my employees and their supervisor. If I didn't have the time to do that, I would probably make a call, starting off with an apology and letting him recount his frustration, hoping it would help him to blow off steam. I would probably validate his perceived injustice, but be sure not to promise or commit myself to anything until I had all of the details. I would ensure him that we would be looking into the issue further and would be committed to getting to the bottom of this issue. I would obviously thank him for his loyal service and express hope that we would be able to continue servicing his property. The reason that I would probably not write a letter as my first option is because it doesn't seem as personal and I want to make sure that he knows I am serious about the issue. 

David:

The first paragraph should address the readers concerns and acknowledge their complaints. The acronym WITFM (what’s in it for me) should be paramount in your efforts to satisfy the reader. Understanding your audience will help focus your efforts to anticipate what the reader wants or needs. The letter should have good flow, a professional appearance and not be overwhelming to the reader by being too long, wordy or lack of white space as these will reduce the effectiveness of the letter as well as have a tendency to turn off the reader before they even read the document.  Care should be taken when proclaiming responsibility; any written communication can hold the writer legally responsible for the content of the letter.  From what we assume about Mr. Stewart, the immediate admission of guilt may cost the company dearly and such an admission should only be made after you understand what actually happened as he seems to be determined that your company is solely at fault.

In my opinion, physically visiting the client may go further than a letter proclaiming responsibility would. Being able to talk to Mr. Stewart, taking visual cues from his demeanor and addressing his issue in a face to face and rational conversation would not only help ease tensions and show an immediate level of concern but could allow you the opportunity justify your immediate actions and discuss what he may consider as a proper recourse.  Blindly sending out a response in a letter without having the opportunity to see exactly what is being claimed as Mr. Stewart may actually be falsely accusing Green Wave of killing his Koi would immediately make the company liable for anything stated in the letter.  Perhaps the fault lies on Mr. Stewart for not asking the workers to cover his fish pond as he has done in the past. Additionally, personal verbal conversations and coming to an agreement with Mr. Stewart in person may lessen tensions and convince him to retract his comments on your company website.     

Of course a prompt follow up letter to Mr. Stewart that covers what was agreed upon during you visit would be appropriate. Within the response letter, a tone of respect to Mr. Stewart and expression of genuine concern of his plight should be taken.  Emotional dialog should be avoided while stating your intentions in short and to the point passages.  The purpose of this follow up is to provide your intentions in writing to sooth Mr. Stewart.  For the purpose of this discussion I will assume responsibility was taken by both parties, partly because Mr. Stewart neglected to ask to have the pond covered and partly because your company sent two new employees unsupervised.

Green Wave Landscape Management

1 Two Street

California, Maryland 00000

 

November 9, 2016

 

Mr. Stewart

2 Three Street

Lexington Park, Maryland 00001

 

Dear Mr. Stewart:

 

Green Wave Landscape Management would like to offer our sincerest apologies regarding the incident involving Green Wave employees and your collection of prized Koi during our spraying of your shrubs and trees. The employees are new here at Green Wave and should have been supervised during their scheduled visit to your residence.

 As we discussed during my visit after the incident, Green Wave Landscaping Management values your business and intends to remedy the situation in a manner that would be considered appropriate to all parties involved. Our mutual agreement regarding restitution for your Koi is important to us as well as our potential future business together.

The issue of new employees being sent on jobs without experienced supervision is being addressed here at Green Wave Landscape Management and further measures are being implemented to ensure this will not happen again in the future. Additionally, the issue of Green Wave employees being rude is simply unacceptable and is being addressed quickly with the employees in question.

 Again, we would like to thank you for your loyal patronage and referrals over the years. Please feel free to contact me at 911-000-0000 or email me at [email protected] if have any additional concerns you would like to address.  We hope this incident will not hinder your decision to do business with Green Wave in the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave Wick

Green Wave Landscaping Management