Career · Lesson Plan
Customer Service: Business Letters and Email
Written communication is a third major channel of customer service — alongside in-person and phone — covering complaint responses, sales material, and everyday correspondence. This lesson teaches the techniques that make customer letters and email effective: delivering bad news in a softer, less negative tone, keeping a professional voice, and handling the problems unique to written customer service.
For Teachers
Lesson at a glance
- Topic
- Career
- Grade Level
- Grades 9–12
- Resource Type
- Lesson + Worksheet
- Estimated Time
- 45–60 minutes
- Format
- Lesson + activity
- Materials
- Printable lesson, activity sheet, whiteboard
What Students Learn
Learning objectives
- Explain why written communication is a key customer-service channel
- Write an effective customer-service business letter
- Deliver bad news in a softer, professional tone
- Apply email best practices for customer service
- Recognize problems unique to written customer service
Materials
What you’ll need
- Printed lesson and activity (one per student)
- Pencils
Key Terms
Vocabulary
- Correspondence
- Written communication such as letters and email.
- Tone
- The attitude conveyed by word choice.
- Passive voice
- Phrasing that softens a statement by not naming the actor.
- Complaint response
- A written reply to a customer’s complaint.
- Professionalism
- Conduct and writing that reflect well on a business.
- Clarity
- Writing that is easy to understand.
For Teachers
Lesson plan
Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.
Lesson sequence
- Writing as service (10 min). Where written customer service fits among in-person and phone.
- Business letters (15 min). Delivering bad news with a softer, less negative tone.
- Email (10 min). Best practices and the problems email creates.
- Activity (13 min). Students rewrite a harsh customer reply into a professional one.
Assessment
Assess the rewritten reply for a professional tone and clear, customer-friendly wording.
Discussion
Discussion questions
- Why is written communication an important customer-service channel?
- How can you deliver bad news without sounding cold?
- Why might passive voice soften a difficult message?
- What makes a customer-service email effective?
- What problems are unique to written customer service?
Printable Lesson & Activity
Customer Service: Business Letters and Email — Lesson & Activity
A printable lesson and activity on written customer service: effective business letters and email, and delivering bad news with a professional tone.
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