Assignment Instructions and Requirements

There are two parts of this assignment: business communication principles and tech support processes. All parts must be compiled in the same document, with APA-standard formatting and citation/referencing where indicated.

Business Communication Principles

Research:

Search in the library and/or online for two appropriate sources that explain principles of business communication. If you are not sure that the sources you find are suitable, contact your professor for guidance early in the unit.

Choose three principles explained in these sources that you feel are most important.

Write:

Review the ideas you found in your sources and write one paragraph for each of the three principles you chose:

• Describe the principle and explain its importance, plus consequences if the principle is violated.
• Write 100–130 words for each principle’s paragraph.
• Use APA in-text citation to identify the source(s) of your ideas.
• Do not use the same source for all three principles.
• Use deductive paragraphing (present the main idea and then details).

Other requirements:

• For this part of the paper, use the first-level subheading Business Communication Principles (bold and centered)
  • Do not use second-level subheadings.
  • Do not present the ideas as a list; write in full sentences and paragraph form, without numbering or bullets.
• Write entirely in your own words, without quoting or copying from sources.
• The use of first person (I, me, we) is not appropriate.

Tech Support Processes

Scenario:

504 Technologies’ Tech Support team works with customers in various ways. For this assignment, you must develop a set of rules for team members to follow when they interact with the company’s software customers on the support phone lines.

Research:

Search online or in the library to learn about processes used by Tech Support departments. For this section, you will not use the source material directly, but reviewing other policies should provide some ideas.

Write:

Develop your policy. Include these five sections:

1. Phone protocol – such as greetings, required company information sharing, closing the call, etc.
2. Information that must be gathered from the caller
3. Processes for troubleshooting
4. Priority levels for calls and when to “escalate” calls to a manager
5. Follow-up instructions for the tech support employee

Other requirements:

• Write 450–550 words for this section of the assignment.
  • While there is no specific wording required for each of the five parts, adequate detail must be provided for each to earn full points.
• Write entirely in your own words, without quoting or copying from sources. Avoid first-person writing.
  • Do not cite sources; this policy must be generated from your own understanding.
• Use the first-level subheading Tech Support Processes (bold and centered)
• Use APA second-level subheadings for each of the required policy sections (bold, left-aligned). Do not include numbers in subheadings; they must be descriptive and rather short.
  • It is acceptable to write lists for this half of the assignment, but you still must write in full sentences. Lists may be single-spaced, but paragraphs must still be double-spaced.
• The use of first person (I, me, we) is not appropriate.

Putting the Assignment Together

In one Word document:

• APA-standard cover page, with descriptive paper title, not the course or unit number.
• Body pages with both the business communication principles and the tech support processes (in that order).
• Reference page with APA entries for the sources used for business principles.
• Do not include an abstract or table of contents, and do not insert tables or images.
• As always, do not copy any of the instructions into your document.