Customer Care and Business Communication
Senior 3 · Entrepreneurship
Customer Care and Business Communication
Lesson 3 of 4
25 min
A manager tells her assistant: “Deliver the order Thursday.” The assistant writes “deliver Thursday” in the book. The driver reads it on Thursday afternoon, loads the order and arrives at 6 p.m. The customer, who needed the goods for a wedding that morning, never buys from the shop again. Nobody lied and nobody was lazy. The message simply lost its most important detail, the time, on the way from sender to receiver.
Business communication is the sending and receiving of messages between a business and its customers, suppliers, staff and the public. This lesson shows how it works, how it fails, and how to use two methods every business needs: the telephone and the formal letter. The businesses, people and figures in this lesson are illustrative.
Definition
Communication: the process of sending a message from a sender to a receiver so that it is understood. Effective communication: communication in which the receiver understands the message exactly as the sender meant it, and responds.
Channel (medium): the means used to carry a message, such as speech, a letter, a phone call or an SMS. Feedback: the receiver’s response, which shows whether the message was understood. Barrier (noise): anything that distorts or blocks a message.
Example: in the story, the manager is the sender, the written note is the channel, the missing time is the result of a barrier, and there was no feedback: nobody asked “What time on Thursday?”
| Method | Examples | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | face-to-face talk, meetings, phone calls, voice notes | fast; immediate feedback; tone shows feeling | no permanent record; easily forgotten or misheard |
| Written | letters, memos, notices, reports, SMS, e-mail | permanent record; can be checked and used as evidence | slower; no instant feedback; useless to people who cannot read |
| Visual | posters, signs, charts, pictures, adverts | attracts attention; understood across languages | limited detail; can be misread |
| Non-verbal | body language, facial expression, gestures, dress, tone | supports and strengthens spoken words | can contradict words; meanings differ between cultures |
| Electronic | e-mail, websites, social media, messaging apps | reaches many people fast and cheaply | needs devices and network; risk of scams and leaks |
A good business message is clear (one meaning), concise (no unnecessary words), concrete (specific facts and figures), correct (accurate facts, spelling and grammar), coherent (logical order), complete (everything the receiver needs to act) and courteous (polite and respectful).
| Barrier | How to overcome it |
|---|---|
| language differences and jargon | use the customer’s language and plain words |
| physical noise, poor network | move to a quiet place; call back; confirm in writing |
| poor listening | listen actively; repeat the key facts back |
| strong emotions (anger, fear) | stay calm; acknowledge feelings first |
| incomplete message | check the 7 Cs before sending |
| wrong channel or timing | choose the channel that suits the message and the receiver |
A phone call has no body language, so words and tone must do all the work. Read the model call and notice how the receptionist gives information, offers a choice and repeats every detail back.
| A model telephone call | |
|---|---|
| Receptionist | Good morning, Kivu Hills Guest House, Eric speaking. How may I help you? |
| Caller | Good morning. My name is Mutesi, from Twiteze Imbere Youth Cooperative. I would like to book a meeting room for 25 people on Friday 16 October. |
| Receptionist | Certainly, Ms Mutesi. For what time, please? |
| Caller | From 9 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon. |
| Receptionist | The Karisimbi room is free then; it seats 30. The half day costs Frw 60,000, with water and a projector. Would you also like tea at 11? |
| Caller | Yes, please. How much is the tea? |
| Receptionist | Frw 2,000 a person, so Frw 50,000 for 25. May I have a number where we can reach you? |
| Caller | (gives her number, and Eric reads it back to check it) |
| Receptionist | Thank you. Let me read that back: the Karisimbi room, Friday 16 October, 9 to 1, for 25 people, with tea at 11. The total is Frw 110,000. We will confirm by SMS within the hour. Is there anything else? |
| Caller | No, that is all. Thank you. |
| Receptionist | Thank you for choosing Kivu Hills, Ms Mutesi. Goodbye. |
| Do on the phone | Don’t on the phone |
|---|---|
| answer quickly and greet with the business name and your name | answer with just “Hello?” or “Yes?” |
| speak clearly, at a steady pace, with a friendly tone | eat, chew or talk to others while on the call |
| have a pen and paper ready; note names, numbers and dates | rely on memory for details |
| repeat the key details back to confirm them | leave a caller on hold without explanation |
| say what will happen next and when | promise what you cannot check |
| thank the caller and let them hang up first | end the call abruptly |
When a problem is serious, involves money or has not been solved by talking, a customer puts the complaint in writing. The letter becomes a record that can be used as evidence. Read the model and note its parts.
Twisungane Tailoring Cooperative
P.O. Box 45, Muhanga
5 October 2026The Sales Manager
Umucyo Textiles Ltd
KigaliDear Sir or Madam,
RE: FAULTY DELIVERY OF UNIFORM FABRIC, INVOICE N° 2231
On 28 September 2026 we received your delivery against our order of 15 September for 300 metres of blue cotton fabric for school uniforms (invoice N° 2231, paid in full, Frw 1,350,000).
When we measured the rolls we found two problems. First, the delivery was 40 metres short: we received 260 metres, not 300. Second, one roll of 50 metres is a lighter blue than the sample we approved, so it cannot be used for the uniforms.
We must deliver the uniforms to the school by 30 October. We therefore ask you to deliver the missing 40 metres, and to replace the 50-metre roll with fabric that matches the sample, by Monday 12 October 2026. The wrong roll is ready for your driver to collect.
We have bought from you for three years and have always been satisfied, so we trust that you will put this right quickly. Our chairperson, Mrs Uwera, can be reached at our office from Monday to Friday.
Yours faithfully,
(signature)
Claudine Nyirahabimana
Secretary, Twisungane Tailoring Cooperative
| Part of the letter | In the model |
|---|---|
| sender’s address and date (top right) | the cooperative’s box number, town and 5 October 2026 |
| receiver’s title and address | The Sales Manager, Umucyo Textiles Ltd |
| salutation | Dear Sir or Madam |
| heading (subject) | RE: Faulty delivery …, invoice N° 2231 |
| opening: the facts of the purchase | what was ordered, when, invoice, amount |
| body: the problem, clearly and politely | 40 m short; one roll the wrong colour |
| the remedy wanted, with a deadline | missing fabric and a replacement roll by 12 October |
| closing and signature | Yours faithfully; name and position |
| Do in a complaint letter | Don’t in a complaint letter |
|---|---|
| give dates, quantities, invoice numbers and amounts | write vaguely: “your goods are bad” |
| stay polite and firm | insult or threaten the reader |
| say exactly what remedy you want, and by when | leave the reader to guess what you want |
| keep copies of the letter, receipt and invoice | send your only copy of the receipt |
| close with “Yours faithfully” after “Dear Sir or Madam”, and “Yours sincerely” after a name | mix up the closing, or forget to sign |
Tip
Exam technique. In a letter-writing question, marks go to format (addresses, date, salutation, heading, closing, signature) as well as content. Draw the layout first, then fill it. In the body use one paragraph each for: the facts, the problem, the remedy wanted, and a polite close.
Worked example 1: how big is the problem?
The fabric in the model letter cost Frw 1,350,000 for 300 metres. What is the value of the fabric affected, and what fraction of the order is it?
Step 1: price per metre: Frw.
Step 2: value affected: missing Frw; wrong colour Frw; total Frw.
Step 3: fraction of the order: .
Interpret. Almost a third of the order cannot be used, which justifies a written complaint with a firm deadline.
Worked example 2: rewriting a message with the 7 Cs
A shop sends this SMS: “hi ur order wil b late sory”. Rewrite it.
Improved: “Dear Mr Habimana, your 11 bags of cement will arrive tomorrow, Thursday, between 2 and 4 p.m. instead of the morning, because our truck has broken down. We are sorry for the delay. Please call the shop if this time does not suit you. Kicukiro Hardware.”
| C | What was fixed |
|---|---|
| Clear and concrete | which order, what day, what time |
| Complete | the reason, and what to do if the time is a problem |
| Correct | full words, correct spelling |
| Courteous | a greeting, an apology and a signature |
| Concise and coherent | three sentences and a sign-off, in a logical order |
Warning
Common mistakes. (1) Forgetting feedback: a message has not been communicated until the receiver has understood it. (2) Choosing the wrong channel: bad news about a large order deserves a call, then a letter, not a short SMS. (3) In letters: no date, no heading, “Yours sincerely” after “Dear Sir or Madam”, or a complaint with no remedy asked for.
The 7 Cs of Communication, from Mindtools (under 3 minutes). Watch for an example of each C, then check the rewritten SMS in Worked example 2 against all seven.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: the delivery story, the communication-process diagram, the tables, the model telephone call, the model complaint letter, the worked examples and the practice items. The guest house, the cooperatives, the companies, the people and the figures are illustrative (2026).
