[ABCOMM263] Lesson 7 & 8 – Responding to Complaints and Crafting Persuasive Messages
07: RESPONDING TO COMPLAINTS
Complaints – are messages written by a customer commenting
on poor service or product. It usually outlines the fault with the
service and highlights customer dissatisfaction with
product/service. Usually the message would also have a
suggested conclusion.
Rules for Writing Complaint Response Letter
1. Express appreciation for feedback
- Begin the message by expressing the
appreciation for the feedback.
Examples:
➢ Thank you for your letter. We appreciate
customers who let us know when things aren’t
right.
➢ Thank you so much for taking your time to write
us. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify what
we think has happened…
2. Show empathy
- Empathy can be a powerful tool used to disarm
angry customers and show that you genuinely
care about the inconvenience the customer has
experienced.
Example:
➢ It must have been very frustrating for you have
waited five days for your order and for that I am
sorry…
3. Apologize
- An apology should be offered both when the
company is responsible for the problem and
when the company is not at fault.
Example:
➢ I’m so sorry for any misunderstanding you
experienced…
- If you have good news for the reader, put it
before your explanation.
- If the delay or problem is long or large, it is good
to ask the audience whether they want to confirm
the original plan or make different arrangements.
4. Respond with a sense of urgency
• Respond immediately and express a sense of
urgency. Move quickly to resolve the problem.
5. Tell the customer what you are going to do
• Clearly explain to the customer exactly what you
plan to do. This is especially important if the
resolution will take time.
6. Give them double for their trouble
• Add a little something to ensure customer
goodwill
• By doing this, the organization can maintain and
strengthen the loyalty of clients
Mistakes when Writing Complaint Response Letter
1. Sending out Canned Messages
- Canned messages are convenient but are not
received well by clients. Take time to customize
each message to specifically address the
customer’s situation.
2. Giving a Delayed Response
- The speed of the response can have more of an
impact on future loyalty than the actual resolution
itself.
- Responding to complaints must be high priority.
Neglecting complaints will surely manifest in the
organization.
3. Failing to Mirror Emotional Content
- Regaining goodwill is not about solving the
problem, it’s about showing that you care and
you connect with the customer.
4. Sounding as if you don’t want to be contacted
- Always leave the door open for customers who
do not perceive the situation is resolved.
What if you are going to Reject a Request by the Client?
THE AUDIENCE’S REACTION IS INFLUENCED BY THE
FOLLOWING FACTORS
• Do you and the audience have a good relationship?
• Does the organization treat people well?
• Has the audience been warned of the possible
negatives?
1. Subject Lines for Negative Messages
Examples:
• Status of employees’ tuition discount
• Improving our newsletter
• Enrollment system out on October 23, 2020
2. Buffer – is a neutral or positive statement that allows
you to delay the negative.
Types of Buffers:
• Good news - If there’s good news and bad news, start
with the good news.
• Compliment - If you’re rejecting someone’s
application, for instance, start by complimenting them
on their efforts and other specific accomplishments
you were impressed by in their application.
• Gratitude - Say thanks for whatever positive things
the recipient has done in your dealings with them.
• Agreement: Before delivering bad news that you’re
sure the recipient is going to disagree with and
oppose, start with something you’re sure you both
agree on. Start on common ground by saying, “We
can all agree that…”
• Facts: If positives are hard to come by in a situation,
getting started on the next section’s explanation,
starting with cold, hard facts, is the next best thing.
• Understanding: Again, if there are no silver linings to
point to, showing you care by expressing sympathy
and understanding is a possible alternative
• Apology: If you’re at fault for any aspect of a bad
news message, an apology is appropriate as long as
it won’t leave you at a disadvantage in legal
proceedings that may follow as a result of admitting
wrongdoing.
 [ABCOMM263] Lesson 7 & 8 – Responding to Complaints and Crafting Persuasive Messages
3. Bad News Justification
• The justification explains the background or
context for the bad news before delivering the
bad news itself.
• In such cases, the explanation could describe
the strict acceptance criteria and high quality of
applications received in the competition, the
company policy on refunds, or its policy on
allowable disclosures and the legalities of
contractually obligated confidentiality,
respectively.
• Cover the most positive reasons first then the
less positive ones
• Provide enough detail for the audience to
understand your reasons but be concise; a long
explanation might make the reader impatient.
• It is more important to explain why you have
reached your decision before you explain what
that decision is.
• If you present your reasons effectively, it will help
convince the audience that your decision is
justified, fair, and local.
• As you explain your reasons, don’t try to cushion
bad news by hiding behind a company policy.
• Don’t adopt an accusing tone.
Common Types of Logical Fallacies
• Protect the audience’s pride by using language
that conveys respect.
4. The Bad News itself and Redirection
• Burying the bad news itself in the message is a
defining characteristic of the indirect approach.
• The goal is also to be clear in expressing the bad
news so that it isn’t misunderstood while also
being sensitive to your reader’s feelings.
• Redirection is key to this type of bad news’
effectiveness because it quickly shifts the
reader’s attention to an alternative to what they
were seeking in the first place. Some kind of
consolation prize helps soothe the pain and will
be appreciated as being better than nothing, at
least. Even if you’re not able to offer the reader
anything of value, you could at least say
something nice.
5. Positive Action Closing
• Ensure that the reader understands
• Remain courteous, positive, and forward looking
• End the conversation in such a way that you
don’t invite further correspondence
08: CRAFTING PERSUASIVE MESSAGES
Primary purpose:
• To have the audience act or change beliefs
Secondary purpose:
• To build a good image of the communicator
• To build a good image of the communicator’s
organization
• To build a good relationship between the
communicator and the audience
• To overcome objections that might prevent or delay
action
1. What do you want people to do?
- Identify the specific action you want and the
person who has the power to do it. If your goal
requires several steps, specify what you want
your audience to do now.
2. What objections, if any, will the audience have?
- If you’re asking for something that requires little
time, money, or physical effort and for an action
that’s part of the person’s regular duties, the
audience is likely to have few objections.
- The easiest way to learn about objections your
audience may have is to ask.
- People have a vested interest in something if
they benefit directly from keeping things as they
are.
3. How strong is your case?
- Argument refers to the reasons or logic you offer.
- Some arguments are weakened by common
errors known as logical fallacies.
• Hasty Generalization
- Making general assumptions based on limited
evidence.
Example:
“Most of my friends agree that the new law is a
bad idea. Americans do not support this law.”
• False Cause
- Assuming that because one event follows
another, the first event caused the second.
Example:
“Listening to rock music caused the student to
use drugs.”
• Weak Analogy
- Making comparisons that don’t work.
Example:
“Banning guns because they kill people is like
banning cars because they kill people.”
• Appeal to Authority
- Quoting from a famous person who is not really
an expert.
Example:
“The mayor said that the crime rate is down. The
statistics claiming otherwise must be erroneous.”
• Appeal to Popularity
- Arguing that because many people believe
something, it is true.
Example:
“Everyone on twitter is cancelling this beauty
vlogger, let’s unsubscribe immediately.”
• Appeal to Ignorance
- Using lack of evidence to support the conclusion.
Example:
 [ABCOMM263] Lesson 7 & 8 – Responding to Complaints and Crafting Persuasive Messages
“You can’t prove that you are innocent, therefore
you are guilty to me.”
• False Dichotomy
- Setting up the situation to look like there are only
two choices.
Example:
“If you are not with us, you are against us.”
Credibility – is the audience’s response to you as the source
of the message.
Credibility in the workplace has three sources:
• Expertise
• Image
• Relationships
How to build credibility?
• Be factual
• Be specific
• Be reliable
Emotional Appeal
• Emotional appeal means making the audience want
to do what you ask.
• The process of thinking requires feeling, for feelings
are what let us understand all the information that we
can’t directly comprehend. Reason without emotion is
impotent.
4. What kind of persuasion is the best for the situation?
- Different kinds of people require different kinds of
persuasion.
- For years, companies have based their
persuasion techniques on the idea that money is
most people’s primary motivator. And sometimes
it is, of course. But research in the last decade
has shown that people are also motivated by
other factors, including competition and
community perceptions.
5. What kind of persuasion is best for the organization
and the culture?
- A strategy that works in one organization may not
work somewhere else. One corporate culture
may value no-holds-barred aggressiveness. In
another organization with different cultural
values, an employee who used a hard-sell
strategy for a request would antagonize people.
Choosing a Persuasive Strategy
• Use the direct request pattern when the audience will
do as you ask without any resistance.
• Use the problem-solving pattern when the audience
may resist doing as you ask and you expect logic to
be more important than emotion in the decision.
• Use the sales pattern when the audience may resist
doing as you ask and you expect emotion to be more
important than logic in the decision
Why Threats are less effective than Persuasion
A threat is a statement—explicit or implied—that someone will
be punished if he or she does (or doesn’t do) something
Various Reasons why Threats don’t work
• Threats don’t produce permanent change
• Threats won’t necessarily produce the action you
want
• Threats may make people abandon an action—even
in situations where it would be appropriate
• Threats produce tension
• People dislike and avoid anyone who threatens them
• Threats can provoke counter aggression
How to Organize a Persuasive Direct Request?
1. Consider asking immediately for the information or
service you want.
2. Give your audience all the information they will need
to act on your request.
3. Ask for the action you want.
Offering a Reason for the Audience to Act Promptly
• Show that the time limit is real
• Show that acting now will save time and money
• Show the cost of delaying the action
Tone in Persuasive Messages
Wrong: Everyone is expected to comply with these regulations.
I’m sure you can see that they are commonsense rules needed
for our business.
Correct: Even on casual days, visitors expect us to be
professional. So please leave the gym clothes at home!
Wrong: Based on this evidence, I expect you to give me a new
computer.
Correct: If department funds permit, I would like a new
computer.
Varieties of Persuasive Messages
• Performance Appraisals
• Letters of Recommendation
• Sales and fund-raising messages