Real-Life Communication
As the owner of your business, Seaside Boats, you have designed
a web page to showcase some of the boats that you have built in the past.
On the page, you feature three of the best boats you have built, customer
comments and a few of the types of plans you will build.
The web page
also links to many of your suppliers and even to the personal pages of past
customers. As an additional draw, you have added a few fun facts about boats
and boat-building to the page.
The other essential ingredient on your
web page is your contact information. You have listed your regular mail address,
your phone and fax numbers and your e-mail address. And you get a lot of e-mail
from potential customers asking questions about your services.
One
such e-mail came in this morning. You must answer the questions the potential
customer has asked. She wants to know how long it takes you to build a 17-foot
schooner, what the cost of the schooner would be and if she can make an appointment
to view more of your plans.
It takes you about three months to build
a 17-foot schooner. The cost to the customer will be about $15,000, depending
on the features she would like and the type of plans she chooses. You would
love to meet with her, and you have an open schedule for the next week.
Write
a return e-mail to the potential customer, whose name is Dahlia Markem. Be
sure to answer her questions, and to write the letter just as you would a
professional letter on paper. As is always the case in any business communication,
be sure to use proper punctuation, spelling and grammar.
"We use e-mail
and fax extensively with customers and suppliers," says Fred Apstein. He is
a custom boatbuilder. "You must maintain a clear line of communication so
that there are no misunderstandings about what you are going to do and what
the customer can expect."