Business Reports

I believe that technology will only progress the way that we conduct and deliver our business reports in the future. The purpose of a business report is to inform the audience of the information that they need to make the decisions for the business.  Technology will be able to help us gather that information faster and more accurate for our business reports.  We will be able to reach the audience at a quicker pace than before and have a better delivery method for doing so.  We will also be able to reach a broader audience with the information as well. Technology has already helped us in so many ways from the start of using fax machines to deliver documents quicker than mail to using email to deliver messages at faster pace than making phone calls or sending direct mail. Technology will always help us keep improving our businesses for the future.

Direct mail Sales Messages vs Email Sales Messages

The purpose of a direct-mail sales message and an email sales message both have the same purpose of getting a message to the customer or a future customer.  There are many differences between the two of them though.  The direct-mail approach gives the customer something to hold in their hand and sort thru. I am more likely to hit the delete button on my computer when dealing with junk mail but when I have letters or flyers I am more apt to actually read it. I don’t get a lot of direct-mail and it is almost a little bit exciting to receive a letter even it is junk mail.  The direct-mail approach can be on the expensive side for a business instead of using email which is at no cost to send.  The direct-mail is also not good for the planet with all the waste that it produces, so I would lean toward the email approach for a more go green for Mother Earth.  Emails are usually kept pretty short and it’s hard to get the customers attention. The direct-mail approach lets the sender have more room to grab the customer’s attention. The two might have the same purpose but have many different characteristics of getting it done.

Indirect Approach

I believe that using an indirect strategy when preparing a message to someone can be a more effective and probably more appropriate than a direct approach. I don’t believe that when writing an indirect that it’s being manipulative to the receiver of the message. If the recipient is not aware of the bad news that they are about to receive then using the indirect approach is best.  It allows the writer to deliver the bad news a little at a time and allows the reader to process the news gradually as they read the message.  The indirect approach also allows the reader and writer to keep a good relationship between each other. The best way to do this is to start out with positive introduction and the give the bad news and give reasons and resolutions to the problem and end with a positive closure to the message. It is important to know your audience or recipient and know how they are going to react to receiving the bad news. You want to be respectful of them when delivering bad news.

Adjustment Message

An adjustment message is when a company receives a claim on a product or service and they decide to respond to that claim favorably.  A company will do things for a customer like refunding money or giving them a credit to remedy the situation. The most important thing in an adjustment message is maintaining a positive attitude and keeping your information organized in the message to the customer.  You want that customer to be satisfied with the remedy but you want them to maintain trust in your company so they will continue to use your products or service in the future. You want to get right to the point in an adjustment message and by following the direct strategy method will help insure you do this.  First you will want to include the customer’s name in the salutation and be formal about it.  The next part of the message you will want to let the customer know the good news right up front and remain positive. In the next part of the message you will want to give details on how you are fixing the problem and you also trying to regain their trust and confidence in this part.  I believe that most customers know that accidents or mistakes happen but the most important thing is how a company solves those incidents. In the closing of the message you will want to again remain positive and end with a positive reflection on your company. You want the customer to know how much you respect and depend on their business and want to them to remain a customer in the future.