Chapter 4: Communicating Routine Messages and Building Goodwill

Every day, businesses produce millions of messages as a routine part of getting work done. As a
result, you will have daily opportunities to exercise your communication skills delivering routine
business messages—the short, non-sensitive, straightforward, day-to-day communication that asks
or answers questions, provides information, or confirms agreements.
This chapter offers guidelines to help you effectively communicate specific types of routine
messages, including questions and requests, informational messages, and goodwill messages—
messages that give you the opportunity to establish and sustain a positive relationship with your
audience.
SQ1 how do you compose messages containing questions and requests?
Most day-to-day requests require very little strategizing. When you ask people to do things that
are easy for them to do or that are clearly part of their job responsibilities, you do not need to be
persuasive. You just need to be clear and polite. However, in some cases, you will be asking people
to do you a favor, something that they have no obligation to do. This second kind of request often
requires more explanation and persuasion. In both cases, you want to ensure that your audience
responds well. The guidelines in this section will help you achieve that goa
Decide between a direct and an indirect message
Use a direct organization for most routine requests. In other words, begin with your question or
request, often as early as the first sentence. Then support that request with the necessary
explanation or details. With so many messages to navigate throughout a day, your audience will
appreciate routine messages that are organized directly.
In some circumstances, you may find it’s better to organize your request indirectly, with the request
at the end. An indirect organization is a better choice if your audience will not understand your
question or request without knowing the context.
Provide reasons for the request
As you analyze the content to include in the message, consider how much detail the audience needs
to know. If the reason for your request is not obvious, you will need to explain it, For example,
most customer requests for refunds or merchandise exchanges—sometimes called claim
requests—require little explanation. Although it may seem abrupt to begin the message by stating
what you want, your audience will appreciate the direct approach.
SQ2 How do you compose informational messages?
Some business messages simply convey information rather than make requests or ask ques-tions.
For example, you may reply to requests, respond to claims, confirm information, make
announcements, or provide instructions. You can consider these messages routine if the
information will not surprise, disappoint, or anger the audience. The following sections explain
how to address each kind of informational message.
Reply to questions with a direct answer
When someone asks you a question in a face-to-face or telephone conversation, you can organize
your message exactly as you would when writing a response. If your response is not controversial
or likely to disappoint, begin with a direct answer and then include the details. If you do not have
the answer immediately available, then say that right away
Respond to customer requests and comments by creating goodwill
When a customer requests a refund, an exchange, or a repair, a business has an opportunity to
create goodwill. Assuming that the company decides to satisfy the customer’s claim, a well-written
response can strengthen the company’s relationship with the customer. How-ever, if you fail to
build goodwill when responding to a customer, you may lose more than that customer’s business.
Disgruntled customers often use social media outlets, such as Yelp, to share their bad experiences
with others, which can reach thousands of people. “Customers with issues that are resolved quickly
can often turn into loyal customers and even brand advocates.” To achieve a positive result, craft
a response that shows understanding for the customer’s complaint, apologizes when appropriate,
and identifies a solution.
Highlight key points in confirmation messages
A confirmation message acknowledges that you have received information or that you have
understood it correctly. When you make oral agreements with someone, it is a good practice to
confirm those agreements in writing afterward.
Using Technology to Simplify Routine Communication: Scheduling a Meeting
Fortunately, technology gives you several options for scheduling meetings. Your company may
use specific software designed to coordinate events, such as Microsoft Outlook’s calendar feature,
which is part of the Office suite of applications. If you are meeting with people within the
company, you may be able to check their calendars to find a mutually convenient meeting time. If
you don’t share calendars, or if you are coordinating a meeting with people outside your
organization, online tools—such as Doodle, Calendly, and NeedToMeet can help you quickly
identify scheduling options through “polls.” To set up a poll, enter options for meeting times. The
application creates a link that you then share with participants, who will enter their names and
select the times when they are available. As the poll administrator, you can view the poll at any
time and identify the best option to schedule.
Organize routine announcements so they are easy to skim
Announcements are messages that publicly notify people of information they need or want to
know. For example, you might notify customers about a sale or a change in policy, employees
about a new CEO or promotions within the organization, or the public about job opportunities in
your company. Announcements are communicated both externally (social media, company
websites, customer email) and internally (company emails, meetings, flyers).
Format instructions so readers can easily follow the steps
In addition to requests, replies, and announcements, a fourth category of routine business messages
is instructions. Examples include instructions for how to complete a new travel authorization form,
process budget requests, and submit reimbursement documentation. Good instructions use writing
techniques such as parallel phrasing that allow the audience to understand the task and complete
it accurately.
Keep text and IM messages short and focused
Whichever tools you use for sending short messages, follow these guidelines for evaluating your
text messages and instant messages in business contexts:
1. Keep the message short and to the point. There is no need to add a salutation (“Hello, Jane”) to
the beginning of a text.
2. Do not text messages that require a long or complicated response. Your audience will not be
able to text back easily.
3. Do not expect a quick response.
.4. When texting a client or business acquaintance you do not know well, avoid abbreviations, be
explicitly polite, and use complete sentences so that you do not sound too harsh or flippant.
5. Double-check to ensure that autocorrect has not changed your intended message.
ETHICS TO BCC OR NOT TO BCC?
Most email systems support three recipient lines: TO, CC (courtesy copy), and BCC (blind
courtesy copy). The TO line is mandatory; you can’t CC or BCC anyone without also including
an email address on the TO line. Both CC and BCC are optional features that send copies of your
message to other people. When you use the CC feature, all the TO recipients and the CC recipients
will see each other’s names listed in the header of the email message. When you use the BCC
feature, neither the TO nor the CC recipients will see anyone who is Bcc’d. Those names remain
private. The BCC recipients will see everyone else. The BCC feature has many benefits, but
depending on how you use it, it can be unethical as well.
It’s okay to BCC routine messages when you want to:
• Eliminate long recipient lists and reduce unwanted reply-all messages. If you are sending the
same informational message to many people, listing those people on the BCC line eliminates the
recipients’ need to scroll through the long list to get to the message.
• Protect the privacy of your recipients’ email addresses. In situations when your recipients do
not know each other, you could use the BCC feature to protect the privacy of their email
addresses.
• Avoid blame or embarrassment. The BCC feature can also be useful in situations when you
need to email several people about a negative topic, such a missed deadline.

However, in all other situations, avoid the BCC feature, especially if you are using it to do
the following:
• Share negative information covertly with a third party. When you send an email to someone
about a sensitive or confidential matter, that person is likely to assume that the only people who
receive the email are those listed on the TO and CC line.
• Gain a personal or business advantage. Imagine that you are trying to get a good deal on a
product or service and are negotiating with two different vendors

SQ3 what kinds of messages build goodwill in business relationships?

Goodwill is a term used to describe the attitude of friendliness and caring that is central to creating,
solidifying, and maintaining relationships. Building and sustaining positive working relationships
through goodwill is critical to your productivity and career success.22 As the Better Business
Bureau explains to its members, “Your most important asset [in business] is the relationships you
build along the way. Whether those be with customers, suppliers or others in your supply chain,
these are more important than bricks and mortar. If you want to put it into business terms, it’s
called social capital.
Thank-you messages
Thank-you messages offer the opportunity to express appreciation and make recipients feel good
about something they have done for you. They also offer you the opportunity to express and display
your professionalism. For example, a well-written thank-you note following a job interview
communicates to an employer that you are motivated, thoughtful, and articulate. The main
challenge in writing a good thank-you note is to include specific content that relates to the reason
you are thanking someone.
Congratulatory messages
Congratulatory messages build goodwill by recognizing someone’s achievements or important
events, which could be professional or personal. For example, you can write a con-gratulatory
message when your supervisor is promoted, your colleague has a baby, or your customer wins her
city’s entrepreneur-of-the-year award.
“For-your-information” messages
Although they have no formal name, for-your-information (or “FYI”) messages are sent to share
information or communicate something you believe your audience will appreciate. For example,
when reading an article on the web about a new restaurant in New Orleans, you may remember
that a customer is planning a vacation in New Orleans the next month. Or while talking to your
tax accountant, you may learn about a new tax rule that you think a colleague may appreciate
knowing. Rather than keep that information to yourself, you can share it by email, social media
connections, or simply stopping by someone’s office for a friendly chat.
In summary, routine and goodwill messages like those explained in this chapter are fundamental
elements of business communication. They are the day-to-day messages you produce to get work
done and to build and maintain healthy working relationships. To accomplish your goals with these
messages, use the ACE process—analyzing, composing, and evaluating. The ACE process will
help ensure that you target the message to your purpose and audience, make it easy to understand,
and avoid errors that will undermine your professionalism.
SQ1 how do you compose messages containing questions and requests?
Most workplace communication involves routine business messages that are short and to the point.
Use the ACE process to make good decisions when analyzing, composing, and evaluating your
messages.
• Decide between a direct and an indirect message when composing routine messages that ask
questions or make requests. In most cases, state your request directly. How-ever, if the audience
needs information to understand or be convinced about your request, use an indirect message.
• Provide reasons for the request when necessary.
• Adopt a “you” perspective and include audience benefits in all messages that ask questions or
make requests. Internal benefits are advantages that your audience directly receives, and external
benefits are advantages that someone else gains.
• Conclude with gratitude and a call for action
SQ2 How do you compose informational messages?
The best informational messages are direct and easy to read. They also take advantage of
opportunities to build goodwill.
• Reply to questions with a direct answer. Begin with a positive response, follow the organization
of the original message—using corresponding numbers when appropriate—and end with a friendly
closing.
• Respond to customer requests and comments by creating goodwill. This is especially important
when customers are requesting refunds, exchanges, or repairs.
• Highlight key points in confirmation messages. A confirmation is a message acknowledging that
you have received information or checking that you have understood information correctly.
• Organize routine announcements so they are easy to skim. Announcements are messages that
publicly notify people of information they need or want to know.
• Format instructions so readers can easily follow the steps. Begin with an overview, divide
instructions into numbered or bulleted lists, and begin each step with an action verb (or a
conditional phrase, if the step is necessary only under certain conditions). Use parallel phrasing to
ensure the same grammatical form for each item. Position any needed explanation after the action
rather than before it.
• Keep text and IM messages short and focused. Do not include extraneous information or start
conversations that will be hard to continue as texts.
SQ3 what kinds of messages build goodwill in business relationships?
Goodwill is a term used to describe the attitude of friendliness and caring that is central to creating,
solidifying, and maintaining relationships.
• Thank-you messages offer you the opportunity to express appreciation and make your recipients
feel good about something they have done for you. They also offer you the opportunity to express
and display your professionalism. Thank-you messages range from formal letters to informal
emails, handwritten notes, and telephone calls. The main challenge in writing a good thank-you
note is to include specific content that relates to the act for which you are thanking someone. A
generic note loses much of its effectiveness.
• Congratulatory messages build goodwill by recognizing someone else’s achievements or
important events. These events could be professional or personal.
• Sympathy messages are written to colleagues and business acquaintances to show your
compassion and under-standing. Although you can take advantage of preprinted sympathy cards
to deliver your messages, also include a few handwritten lines to personalize the message and
promote goodwill.
• “For-your-information” messages are sent to pass along information or communicate something
you believe your audience will appreciate. These friendly messages keep channels of
communication open, solidify relationships, and initiate dialogues that may lead to business
benefits.