Solving Problems in Business Communications Case Studies
Case #1--Role: You work as a Liaison Coordinator for a service which helps people find and utilize accessible technology that helps with everyday needs.
Rhetorical Situation: As the Liaison Coordinator, you receive a customer comment on your company’s website requesting assistance. Since this is not the normal process of how requests are received, you choose to take the request anyway. Someone is no longer able to shop for the things they need in Brick and Mortar stores. It has been suggested by a family friend the person can buy anything via online including scheduling pick up and delivery of groceries. However, the person in need has limited technical and no current operational literacy of the gifted iPhone and iPad that has yet to be used.
You As the Liaison Coordinator receive the following email:
“I love going shopping. I enjoy being around and meeting people. I enjoy going from aisle to aisle looking for new things to try. I really enjoy talking with the store clerks and stockers as they are always eager to help me find things I need. For some reason lately, going shopping has become more of a task. The store shelves are becoming more and more laborious to read as well as the changes in the store layout is causing finding the things I need a bit more difficult. The people in the places I usually go that I try to talk to do not seem helpful and treat me as if I am more of a bother than someone they once valued. I no longer enjoy going to the store because I feel invisible. I want to buy the things I need while still having an enjoyable shopping experience, but how can I do that from home?”
Case #2-- Role: You work as an Inventory Sales Manager for a large private consignment firm. Your specialty is appraising and selling large quantity collectibles.
Rhetorical Situation: Your supervisor has been asked by a family friend to sell their late spouses collectibles. In a face to face meeting with the family friend, your supervisor elects you and your team to manage this project but does not include any further particulars.
The family friend shares this story with you during the meeting:
“For the past three decades, I watched my love collect these prize artifacts. We would travel far and wide to see who had the most rare and unique finds often finding ourselves on an impromptu adventure. We would end up in the most unnamed towns and cities, in and out of state, all while searching for the one collectible that was needed. I often believed my love was obsessive in the pursuit of the unknown only looking for the most obscure they believed no one else would go after. After all these years, I can now say with certainty, my love was not searching for the collectible ones he thought most obscure, they were saving the ones believed to be unwanted. Now that they are no longer with me, I ask myself how I can part with so much history, but I am certain my love would want their prize winning collection to go to someone who will see them the same way. How can we do this?”
Case #3-- Role: You are COO of a company that employs coaching staff to an entire athletic league.
Rhetorical Situation: There has been a complaint by one of the athletes concerning receiving violations for the regulation laces required. A formal complaint was filed resulting in litigation before a court referee hearing the complaint. The referee finds the complaint plausible and the coaching staff liable.
As COO, you were able to read the initial complaint:
“I don’t get why the players who wear 24” laces aren’t getting penalized for not wearing regulation? It is unfair when my family has very little money for me to play in the league with all the league dues and equipment and traveling that I have to buy laces that cost more and others don’t. I have brought this to the coaching staff and no one seems to care or says anything at all to the players. I see other teams wearing the same laces as I do. It seems it is ok to violate league rules when they see fit while the rest of us have to follow protocol. This is completely unfair and makes me not want to play anymore. How can I be sure this requirement is enforced for everyone if I continue to participate?”
Case #4-- Role: You are a Lead Social Media Marketing Rep in a brand management firm who develops and maintains top billed celebrities.
Rhetorical Situation: An artist has been arrested and accused of negative behavior toward a specific group of people. The record company asks brand management to find a way to recreate this artist's image as this event has been badly damaged by recent events. The firm's owner has asked you as a Lead Social Media Marketing Rep personally to handle this issue including creating a team to support your efforts.
You have a private video call with the artist where they say the following:
“I said some things most people find wrong, but I don’t think I said anything wrong. It is my opinion and I stand behind it. I don’t think these people should have the same rights as everyone else because they are different--no cap. Difference makes us better as a society which is why there should be a bottom and a top. I don’t believe there is an equal. If what I said bothers these people then they don’t have to listen to my music because it is not for them anyway. I don’t get down with them because they ain't was’sup. When I see them around I try to avoid them so that’s why when they kept pressin for a picture I threw my water bottle at them. I didn't mean to hurt them but I did want to send a message. Maybe they will get the hint they’re not welcome. Because of who I am, don’t I have the right to refuse those who I think don’t deserve my attention?”
Steps toward determining solutions:
1.) Problems Assessment--Determine what problem or problems are happening by drafting a list based on each statement within the narrative:
What is happening in this person(s) experience? What needs are not being met? What is being clearly expressed as a concern? What concerns are being implied but not explicitly as needs as well?
2.) Immediate Solution-- As users and consumers, we know when we incur a problem, we often seek an immediate solution first. Determine what immediate solution or solutions can be offered or created by researching for existing solutions. Then, determine what long term solutions may be available by also researching what exists:
What solutions can be offered immediately? How can this solution be provided? What solutions can be created or provided ongoing? What secondary solution(s) can be offered? What solutions need to be designed or created? How can these solutions be provided? How can the user access the solutions?
3.) Experience Mapping/Customer Journey-- Reading carefully each narrative, construct an experience map illustrating the journey of the user currently. Then, once a solution has been found, add to the map the changes in the journey:
What has been the user's journey been presently? What can we learn from their experience and how might this knowledge be helpful in determining solutions? What can a solution add to the users experience?
4.) Audience Analysis-- Using the narrative, create an audience "Lion". Looking to the narrative, what do we need to know about the users identities to determine the users needs? What is the user's experience providing as assumptions of their identities? What might our assumptions of their identities be limiting in knowing what they need and desire in the experience as users? What knowledge would be helpful in knowing this user's experience in order to help other audiences/users with similar identities with similar needs?
5.) Existing Solutions-- Continue to research what solutions may be available that can be customized for each of the case studies: What current solutions exist that may be able to help the user's experience based on their essential needs expressed? What solutions exist that might provide a partial solution? What solutions can be created to fulfill the majority of the user's needs and enhance their experience?
6.) Creating Solutions-- What solutions can be created to provide the user with the experience they desire? What other solutions exist which can be included and customized to produce the outcome or experience the user is seeking?
