PROBLEMYou are Cesar Gutiérrez, a claims adjuster for Statewide Insurance. Your job requires you to investigate automobile accident claims, negotiate settlements, and authorize payments. Customers are already distressed, of course, over their accidents and possible physical injury. The last thing they need is a delay in settling their insurance claims and getting their vehicles repaired.Because you travel the entire eastern half of your state to physically examine the damaged vehicles and talk with those involved, you constantly have to search maps and the Internet for directions to out-of-the-way places.
It occurs to you that you could be more productive and provide better customer service if you had an onboard automotive navigation system that relies on the federally operated Global Positioning System (GPS). The device in which you’re interested is the Street Pilot III, which boasts a large color display as well as voice prompts (such as “turn right at the next intersection”) and automatic routing capability. It’s portable, so you can use it on any vehicle—which is particularly useful given that you sometimes have to fly to your destination and then rent an automobile. The cost is $699.99, but there is no monthly access charge.
Send a memo to your boss, Lisette Washington, vice president of operations, trying to sell her on the idea. She will be concerned, of course, about whether the other two adjusters will request the same device.
PROCESSPurpose of letter: The purpose of this memo is to seek approval from the higher authority for the procurement of an onboard automotive navigation system so that it can be effectively used in the investigation of automobile accidental insurance claims.
Target audience: The target audience is Ms. Lisette Washington, Vice President of operations, Statewide Insurance. She represents the higher authority in the approval decision for any purchase or permission related to the improvement of the performance of operations of the company.
Indirect Organizational Plan: Since the target audience is the higher authority in management decision making in the position of Vice President of operations, Statewide Insurance, she will be concerned, of course, about whether the other two insurance claim adjusters will request the same device. So, she may not be receptive for a direct approach. Hence, the indirect approach or indirect organizational plan has been used to justify the necessity of the procurement of an onboard automotive navigation system for the team leader in the effective investigation of automobile accidental insurance claims.
- Effective investigation of automobile accidental insurance claims
- The device ‘Street Pilot III’ is best performing because:
- It is federally operating Global Positioning System (GPS) which constantly search maps and the Internet for directions to out-of-the-way places.
- It is more productive in providing better customer service to the target customers.
- It has a large color display as well as voice prompts (such as “turn right at the next intersection”) and automatic routing capability
- It is portable and so it can be used on any vehicle.
- Its cost is only $699.99 and there is no monthly access charge.
An obstacle that might prevent from achieving the objective is that there are other two adjusters who may request the same device. So, Ms. Lisette Washington, Vice President of operations, Statewide Insurance will be concerned, of course, about whether they request for the same or not. In this case, the mere request of the device for one team member only seems to be not justified unless there is strong logic for the productive outcome through the team leader.
Memo Date: October 16, 2013
Dear Sir,
This is to draw your kind attention to one of the facts that occur in my field of work. Usually, our customers are distressed, of course, over their accidents and possible physical injury, and for the delay in settling their insurance claims and getting their vehicles repaired in case of an accident claim. As a claims adjuster for automobile insurance, I need to investigate automobile accident claims of such customers through negotiating settlements with them, authorizing payments by traveling the entire eastern half to physically examine the damaged vehicles, talking to those involved and constantly searching maps and the Internet for directions to out-of-the-way places.
So, your kind approval for procuring this device will surely enable me to be more productive and provide better customer service to my vast target customers contributing more to the reputation of our company as the fastest serving one. I hope you would consider my request taking my real scope of work and rate of physical and mental effort into consideration.
Sincerely,
Cesar Gutiérrez
