Touchstone 4: Plan and Communicate a Time-Based Task

SCENARIO: On Monday morning, you arrive at work and discover you have an email from your manager, Sara, about a customer service issue. She is worried because one of the companys most important clients did not receive their shipment. While she acknowledges it isnt your fault, she needs you to work quickly to resolve the issue. Her email outlines some tasks that must be completed in order to address the problem and fast track the solution: So last Friday, our client didnt receive their shipment, and now its Monday, making it three days late. We need this problem fixed soon. I need you to email Renee Colon, the clients executive assistant, right away. Apologize for the delay and let her know were fixing this issue, but dont overdo it. Make sure they know we appreciate their business. Then, contact Accounts Receivable. Have them issue a full refund on the customers delivery costs and send confirmation of the refund to them as well. Make sure the client is not charged for the new delivery either. And have Shipping expedite the new shipment and send tracking info to the customer. If you contact both departments by the end of today, Accounts Receivable should be done by Tuesday at the latest, and Shipping should have the package out the door with tracking by Wednesday. The table below lists the relevant tasks and deadlines that need to be done to accomplish the stated goals.

Goal	Task	Due Date	Status
Inform customer	Email Renee Colon	Monday	To do
Inform relevant departments	Contact Accounts Receivable (AR)	Monday (end of day)	To do
	Contact Shipping	Monday (end of day)	To do
Refund customer	AR issues refund to customer	Tuesday	To do
	AR does not charge for replacement	Tuesday	To do
	AR sends confirmation to customer	Tuesday	To do
Ship replacement package	Package is expedited	Wednesday	To do
	Tracking info sent to customer	Wednesday	To do

ASSIGNMENT: This assignment has two parts. The first part is to prepare a clear and concise email communication (no more than two paragraphs in the body of the email) to the customer that will inform them about the new delivery date and the refund to compensate for the inconvenience. The second part is to communicate an internal plan regarding the refunding and redelivery of the shipment. You will draft a message to your colleagues in the Accounts Receivable and Shipping departments about the time frame of each task that clearly identifies who has which task and by what time it needs to be completed. You will need to select an appropriate tool to communicate this message to your colleagues and explain why this would be an effective tool for this purpose. For this assignment, you will:

Demonstrate your ability to craft messages for the appropriate purpose, tone, structure, and audience.

Be sure to include all the important information you need to communicate.

Select an appropriate tool for workplace communication.

Edit your messages for organization and style, ensuring professionalism with respect to formatting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Download the template below, which further breaks down the steps involved in this assignment. You will return the completed template as your Touchstone submission. Assignment Template

A. Assignment Guidelines

DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

1. Email to the Customer

Have you communicated all essential information to the customer regarding the actions you will take?

Have you chosen the appropriate language and tone for this audience?

2. Message to Your Team

Have you communicated all essential information to your team regarding the tasks and timeline?

Have you clearly designated roles and responsibilities relating to the tasks?

Have you identified the tool from the list provided on the template that you will use to deliver your message?

Have you explained your reasons for choosing this tool?

Have you structured your message with this specific tool in mind?

3. Formatting and Conventions

Have you formatted both messages using the Touchstone template provided?

Have you revised, edited, and proofread your messages to ensure they are clear and error-free?