It is quite difficult to systematically get useful feedback on design work. This article offers techniques to get the most out of your issues so you can improve as a designer.
"Oh, that's great!"
"I like it. It looks nice. good colors, man… I need to get back to work.”
We bet you've heard this kind of feedback before. Not very helpful, right? What you really want is accurate and effective feedback so you can improve your design work, not vague comments.
If you've ever reached out to a friend or colleague for design feedback, these are most likely the responses you received, perhaps combined with a shy smile and awkwardness as they tried not to hurt your feelings.
No. As we can see, feedback is very important. And there is The right way ask for feedback so you get good thoughts from everyone - every time you ask. We are going to explore them in this article.
Why is feedback so important?
When done right, getting feedback is the most valuable part of any design process. It doesn't matter how experienced the designer is. Without feedback from other people, you cannot be sure that your work will be appreciated and understood by anyone but you. There are about three billion people in the world with an Internet connection, each with a completely different set of experiences, biases and preferences. Trying to create something in isolation is probably crazy.
Other people also provide information that you would never have thought of, thanks to their unique set of experiences and skills. Take advantage of this diversity and use it to your advantage.
For website design in particular, a second pair of eyes helps ensure that:
1) The design is visually pleasing for different tastes
2) the designer's intentions are clear
How to ask for feedback?
Often, when we get generalized feedback, we blame the person we asked. But the fault lies with us, not with them. However, this mistake is natural: linking complex questions and answers is not a skill we are born with.
This is why we need social hacks. We need tricks to master the process of communication.
The most important aspect of receiving meaningful and actionable feedback is to create an environment in which the person you are asking for feedback feels as comfortable as possible. Stress and anxiety destroy our ability to think clearly and critically, and the fear of offending others prevents us from saying what we really think.
To create an atmosphere of comfort, below we will tell you what needs to be done:
- Let people know ahead of time and give them enough time to review your work. Never surprise someone with your request or put before the fact. If you do this, the feedback you will receive will be hasty and superficial.
- Tell the person exactly what you expect from them. If people know what kind of feedback you want, then they can respond accordingly. Free direction isn't always a great idea: people need limited focus to get things right.
- Limit their options. It is much easier to decide between two options than with an undefined range.
- Be aware of how they give feedback and what they don't say. You can uncover thoughts they may not know how to express.
Let's talk a little more about each of the points.
Tell the type of feedback
When someone asks to review, edit or critique something, I always have a lot of questions, What is the purpose for which you are asking for feedback? Do you want me to compliment? Or do you want me to give detailed, non-conflicting, but constructive criticism even about the most subtle details?
If someone asks me to revise my essay for school, I need to know if they just want me to look for spelling mistakes or give a critical assessment of the work. The same goes for design. Designs can be criticized on a dozen factors, and most people don't have the experience to distinguish one factor from the next.
If you don't instruct people on exactly what you expect from feedback, they'll be on the safe side and won't be particularly helpful. The trick is to ask different people critique different parts of your design and then merge all their responses.
give people time
Imagine you are in a meeting. You are surrounded by other designers, managers and other stakeholders. Like most people in the meeting, your mind wanders somewhere else. But suddenly the manager points to you and asks you to talk about your latest project.
You turn to ice. Dazed and unprepared. You stumble over every word that you hope makes sense. But ultimately, you get stressed out and can't think clearly.
You've been caught off guard, so you're trying to come up with something insightful to make the words sound useful and smart. But it takes time and true thought.
So, give people time to think and respond. To get a really thoughtful response, give them the work ahead of time and ask them to look at it before discussing it in the near but respectable future. Maybe later in the day, but not in 5 minutes. Consider asking them to take notes on their most pressing thoughts and review specific questions you submit along with your projects.
Limit your options
When you are in the optometrist's office, they compare the performance of different lenses. Remember that you always only compare two lenses at a time? There is a good reason for this.
Imagine if you were given twenty lenses and asked to choose the best one, or rank them in order from best to worst. Yes, it's much more difficult. Your memory is not so good. And not your perception.
When there are only two options, it's much easier to say which one is better.
The question "Do you think this color is better?" leads to "Hmm, well, I'm not entirely sure...there are several million." Avoid it. Instead, try asking, "Does it look better in this red or this red?" or “Is it better to be center-aligned or left-aligned?”. Then keep repeating your questions until your friend has the patience to answer thoughtfully.
Oh yeah. Make sure you have patient friends. Good luck with this!
Ask them what they don't like
In an interview with Elon Musk, CEO Tesla and SpaceX talked about the greater importance of getting negative feedback - asking people what they hate, not what they love. To make the most of this process, you need to create an environment where the other person feels comfortable enough to criticize your design openly. This brings us to the following:
Accept Feedback Gracefully
The most important step in getting valuable feedback is honing your ability to receive constructive criticism. With a real smile. Instead of feeling offended or embarrassed, be thankful that people have discovered and brought these shortcomings to your attention. They spend their energy for your own benefit. If you are passive aggressive or just dead silent in response, you are counterproductive.
Also, keep this in mind: it's much better for your ego and your career to openly criticize a friend before you hear it from a client later! Listen to your friends and consider their feedback as needed.
At first, it will be difficult not to react negatively to every little niggle. I promise you that with time and practice it will get easier. You must separate yourself from your work: criticism of work is not criticism of your abilities. She points out what can be improved, because the rest is already so good.
Pay attention to how people talk and what they don't say.
Many find it very difficult to express themselves. Also, people don't want to appear ignorant, and they don't want to insult you. All this is manifested in the fact that people do not speak. In other words, it is revealed in the way people express their thoughts.
You may have noticed that your friend noticed something, but keep quiet. Or start to say something and then back off. These are all signs of missed opportunities for constructive feedback. This person has something potentially super helpful to say, but he can't. Make him criticize you. To do this, start by critiquing your own work in a light-hearted way, so that he knows that you don't think that you and your work are always the epitome of perfection. Then politely reassure him that you especially want negative feedback and ask again.
Move forward
Getting feedback is valuable for getting a variety of perspectives and opinions on your projects and spotting flaws that your eyes are used to. However, to maximize the value you get from feedback, it is important to create an environment in which the person giving the criticism is comfortable doing so.
In the process of judicial investigation, the petition becomes a formal request, set out in writing participants in judicial proceedings in order to carry out certain actions:
- clarification of individual facts relating to the court hearing;
- ensuring their own safety or legal representatives acting during the investigation or legal proceedings,
Petition
A petition is a formal request submitted individually or collectively to the authorities state power or bodies local government V writing for the purpose of initializing or changing some government decision.
Petitions, sent, as a rule, to the highest bodies of state power, raise not private, but socially significant public issues.
In Russia, there is no special federal law establishing a special procedure for nominating, petitioning, sending and considering it, and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, due to the absence of articles on petitions in it, does not give Russians the right to file them.
In a number of developed countries, the right to petition, as well as the free will of their peoples, is enshrined at the legislative level. In accordance with the adopted laws, the minimum amount of signatures is determined, which must be collected in order for the document to be submitted for consideration to the government body. The minimum number of signatures in a petition depends on the specifics of the legal system, the ability to quickly process requests and, of course, on the political system of the state.
Petitions in countries where their nomination is allowed are one of the most important tools for influencing society on government. They provide communication between the authorities and citizens, although often for different reasons.
Opportunity to petition in Russia
The possibility of putting forward petitions in Russia is regulated by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the consideration of public initiatives sent by citizens Russian Federation using the Internet resource "Russian Public Initiative" (No. 183 of March 4, 2013).
With the help of this portal, you can reach a very large audience and, as a result, collect much more signatures. In addition, there is no need to prepare a huge layer paper documents, in holding personal meetings and in establishing contacts. Not surprisingly, for this reason, electronic petitions have become very popular. Electronic and paper (written) versions of petitions are equivalent in legal force.
The task of petitions is not only to collect signatures. They create a more important opportunity - they bring together people who are not indifferent to a specific common problem on which they can work together, achieve the right attention to it from both the authorities and organizations, companies and a wide range of socially active groups of the population.
A petition, in its essence, is an official statement of the will of a certain number of citizens. This fact must be taken into account by the authorities. The petition allows you to influence the adopted law, partially change it or cancel it altogether, if there are enough grounds for this. Petitions, by and large, can be put forward in relation to any issue, whether it is the removal of a corrupt official from office or the creation of a children's park in a city or village.
On the page of the website of public services "Russian Public Initiative" official website ROI.ru. Registration and Voting" you can read in detail the conditions for filing a petition and online voting for the proposed proposal, in particular, with the requirement that the petition should not contain initiatives that contradict the current Russian legislation.
Virtual receptions for filing applications, appeals, complaints, petitions and proposals
An example of new forms of dialogue between the authorities and various institutions with the population can be:
- virtual reception State Duma RF,
- official website of the Administration of St. Petersburg, which is an electronic reception for sending appeals and messages,
- electronic reception of the Government of the Leningrad Region,
- electronic reception of the Government of Moscow,
- electronic reception of the Department for the Development of New Territories of the City of Moscow,
- virtual reception of the Administration of Krasnoyarsk,
- Internet reception of the Administration of the city of Smolensk,
- official website (electronic reception) of the Administration of the Guryev urban settlement of the Kemerovo region,
- Portal of the Department of Health of the Kostroma Region,
- virtual reception of the rector of the SBEE HE MO "Academy of Social Management",
- website Active Citizen - a project for those who care about what is happening in Moscow, which is a platform for electronic referendums, launched at the initiative of the Government of Moscow,
- Portal of those who are not indifferent, created by the Administration of the Lipetsk region,
where people submit their proposals affecting various issues of life in their region. They are discussed by the participants of these interesting projects, which results in the implementation best ideas and solving the problems identified in the appeals.
Absolutely not excluding traditional forms of written appeals and personal reception with leaders, executive authorities and various institutions, providing citizens with the convenience of appeals, additional features to receive comprehensive consultations and answers to questions of interest, to come up with a proposal and initiative, to openly express your opinion on topics relevant to the city, region, region, virtual receptions are becoming more and more popular.
Rights of persons who filed appeals
When applying to the authorities and any other instances, a citizen has the right to:
- provide additional documents and materials;
- request additional documents and materials from the addressee;
- get acquainted with documents and materials related to the consideration of the application, if this does not affect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of other persons and if these documents and materials do not contain information constituting state or other protected federal law secret;
- receive a written response on the merits of the issues raised in the appeal, notification of forwarding the written appeal to government agency, local government or official whose competence includes resolving the issues raised in the appeal;
- file a complaint against the decision taken on the appeal or against actions (inaction) in connection with the consideration of the appeal to a higher authority in an administrative and (or) judicial manner in case of reasonable disagreement with decision or committed violations that entail infringement of the rights of the applicant
- file an application to terminate the consideration of the application.
Security guarantees in connection with filing an appeal
The law prohibits the persecution of a citizen in connection with his appeal to a state body, local self-government body or an official with criticism of the activities of these bodies or an official, or in order to restore or protect their rights, freedoms and legitimate interests, the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of others persons.
Disclosure of information relating to privacy citizen contained in the appeal, as well as other information, without his consent.
It is not a disclosure of the information contained in the appeal, as well as sending a written appeal to a state body, local government or official, whose competence includes resolving the issues raised in the appeal.
The procedure for considering citizens' appeals
1. Personal reception of citizens by officials
You can submit an appeal to state bodies, local self-government bodies or do it orally in the process of personal reception by the heads of these bodies and authorized officials.
Information about the place of reception, as well as the days and hours established for reception, is brought to the attention of citizens. At a personal reception, a citizen presents a document proving his identity.
The content of the oral appeal is recorded in the personal reception card of citizens. If the facts and circumstances stated in the oral appeal are obvious and do not require additional verification, the response to the appeal with the consent of the citizen can be given orally during a personal reception, which is recorded in the citizen's personal reception card. In other cases, a written response is given on the merits of the questions raised in the appeal.
A written application accepted during a personal appointment is subject to mandatory registration and consideration in the manner prescribed by this Federal Law.
If the application contains questions, the solution of which is not within the competence of this state body, local self-government body or official, the citizen is given an explanation where and in what order he should apply.
During a personal reception, a citizen may be denied further consideration of the appeal if he has previously been given an answer on the merits of the questions raised in the appeal.
2. Mandatory registration of a written request
A written appeal may be sent directly to that state body, local self-government body, to that official, whose competence includes resolving the issues raised in the application.
A written declaration is subject to mandatory registration. The application shall contain the incoming document number, date of registration, last name, position and signature of the person who registered the document
Registration of citizens' appeals is carried out using one of the following forms:
- electronic,
- card,
- magazine with graphs.
All received appeals, including those accepted at a personal reception, are registered on the day of their receipt.
If the competence of the official or administration body to which the appeal was sent does not allow resolving the issues contained in the appeal, they, within 7 days from the date of registration of the appeal, send this statement to another, appropriate body or to the appropriate official, in whose competence includes resolving the issues raised in the appeal. The applicant shall be notified of this without fail.
If the solution of the issues raised in a written appeal falls within the competence of several state bodies, local governments or officials, a copy of the appeal is sent to the relevant state bodies, local governments or relevant officials within 7 days from the date of registration.
The state body, local government body or official, when sending a written application for consideration to another state body, local government body or other official, may, if necessary, request documents and materials on the results of consideration of the written application from these bodies or the official.
It is forbidden to send an appeal for consideration to a state body, local government body or official, the decision or action (inaction) of which is being appealed.
If it is impossible to send an appeal for consideration to a state body, local self-government body or an official whose competence includes resolving the issues raised in the appeal, the complaint is returned to the citizen with an explanation of his right to appeal the relevant decision or action (omission) in court.
3. Obligations of officials when considering appeals
- take measures for a complete, objective, comprehensive and timely consideration of applications;
- make lawful and informed decisions;
- inform citizens in writing about the decisions taken as a result of consideration of written appeals, arguing their adoption;
- explain the procedure for appealing decisions.
4. Deadlines for consideration of applications
- if the appeal does not require additional study and verification - no later than 15 days;
- if the solution of issues is within the competence of the recipient - no later than 1 month;
- if consideration of the appeal requires a special check, requests for information - the period for its consideration is extended, but not more than 1 month (with notification of citizens).
- if the appeal requires the need to send requests to foreign countries and (or) international organizations, the term of its consideration can be extended up to 6 months.
If the appeal of a citizen, filed with local authorities, to the bailiff service, to Rospotrebnadzor, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, housing and communal services or other bodies was ignored, left without consideration, or a response was provided to him, representing, in essence, a reply, that is, from the side of officials was rude administrative offense and violation of Federal Law No. 59, then this circumstance should be the subject of attention of the prosecutor's office, where you should immediately contact:
5. Control over the consideration of applications
State bodies, local self-government bodies and officials, within their competence:
- supervise compliance with the procedure for considering applications,
- analyze the content of incoming applications,
- take measures to timely identify and eliminate the causes of violation of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens.
Control over the consideration of received applications from citizens is carried out using electronic system control, registration and control cards, magazines.
Instructions of managers (officials) on further consideration of citizens' appeals are drawn up in the form of resolutions.
Citizens are informed in writing about the decisions taken as a result of consideration of their written applications.
In responses sent to higher state bodies, other organizations (superior officials) on appeals of citizens and instructions under control, information is indicated on the notification of a citizen about the results of consideration of his appeal, a note about the performer.
In cases where written appeals of citizens received by state bodies, other organizations (officials) simultaneously contain issues related to the competence of several state bodies, other organizations (officials), copies of these appeals are sent within 5 days to the appropriate state bodies, other organizations (officials) with notification of citizens about this.
6. When the appeal is considered considered and resolved
The appeal is considered considered and resolved if:
- the questions raised have been considered.
- the necessary measures have been taken;
- a written answer was given on the merits of the issues raised in the appeal within the time limits specified in the Law.
The response to the appeal is signed by the head of the state body or local self-government body, an official.
Response to an appeal received by a state body, local self-government body or other official information systems general use, sent to the e-mail address specified in the application.
7. Shelf life of appeals
Applications and appeals of citizens, materials related to their consideration - 5 years.
In case of repeated appeal - 5 years from the date of the last consideration.
In necessary cases, in accordance with the established procedure, a state body, another organization may decide to increase the period of storage or to permanently store the relevant appeals of citizens.
8. List of grounds for refusal to consider applications
- the written appeal does not indicate the name of the citizen who sent the appeal, and mailing address to which the response should be sent.
- the appeal contains information about the unlawful act being prepared, being committed or committed, as well as about the person preparing it, committing or having committed it, the appeal is subject to direction to the state body in accordance with its competence.
- the text of a written appeal cannot be read, it cannot be sent for consideration to a state body, local self-government body or an official in accordance with its competence, which is reported to the citizen who sent the appeal if his name and postal address are readable.
- an answer on the merits of the question posed in the appeal cannot be given without disclosing information constituting state and other secrets protected by federal law, the citizen who sent the appeal is informed that it is impossible to give an answer on the merits of the question posed in it with the inadmissibility of disclosing the specified information.
- the appeal, in which the court decision is appealed, is returned to the citizen who sent the appeal, with an explanation of the procedure for appealing this court decision.
- the appeal contains obscene or offensive expressions, threats to the life, health and property of an official, as well as members of his family, the official has the right to leave the appeal unanswered on the merits of the questions raised in it, while simultaneously notifying the citizen who sent the appeal about the inadmissibility of abuse of the right.
- a written appeal contains a question that was repeatedly answered in writing on the merits in connection with previously sent appeals, and at the same time, new arguments or circumstances are not given in the appeal, an official or an authorized person has the right to decide on the groundlessness of the next appeal and termination of correspondence By this issue provided that the specified appeal and previously sent appeals were sent to the same state body or to the same official, with notification of the citizen who sent the appeals.
9. Compensation for damages and recovery of expenses incurred when considering appeals
The citizen has the right to indemnification and compensation moral damage caused by illegal action (inaction) of a state body, local government body or official when considering an appeal, by a court decision.
If a citizen indicated deliberately false information in the appeal, the expenses incurred in connection with the consideration of the appeal by a state body, local government body or official may be recovered from this citizen by a court decision.
Useful to consider
In order for the appeal to be considered seriously and on time, it is desirable that it contains references to laws or any other official decisions.
Helpful information
- You can familiarize yourself with the calculation of taxes on real estate objects according to the new rules of 2019.
The state exists to organize the life of its citizens. This work requires constant feedback. People ask questions, talk about problems, generate suggestions. And the answers are often slurred, not related to the topic. Therefore, it is desirable for a specialist to have a sample of answers to the Document, it is necessary to correctly format it, fill it with meaningful content, convey to the person the position of an organization or state. Let's look at how to write a response to an appeal, in accordance with 59 FZ.
Concepts and definitions
Citizens' appeals are proposals, questions, and petitions. They may be submitted in writing, in electronic format or verbally. But appeals will be considered only when they are officially issued. For example, if a citizen spoke with the leader, but he did not instruct to issue a special document based on the results of the conversation, then one should not wait for an answer, and the organization is not obliged to give it. This is not a violation of the law. And people should know some bureaucratic subtleties. The Law on Appeals describes what types and forms of official conversations with government agencies currently exist. Other structures are not considered. They simply do not have the right to initiate responses to non-existent requests. In order to be heard, you should act in the manner prescribed by 59 FZ. Organizations must respond to:
- letter;
- a question asked at a personal reception;
- email message.
Each of the listed appeals must contain the individual data of a citizen, otherwise it will be considered anonymous. And such documents are not considered, which is regulated by the current legislation.
What to write in the answer?
There are two parties involved in this process. Both face certain challenges. People need information, and employees need to take care of the law. It is useful for both of them to study the sample of responses to citizens' appeals in order to speak the same language. For example, if a person decides to complain about an employee who offended him and waits for information about his dismissal, he can be very upset. Evidence is needed to make an informed and fair decision. Before an employee considering such an issue, there is a problem: how to satisfy the applicant's requirement and not violate the law. It is necessary for both parties to understand that any letter signed by an official is a serious document. These papers are kept for the number of years established by law. They can be extracted from the archives and studied. If necessary, you can investigate the form and content of the response. Everything is serious. Therefore, a sample of responses to citizens' appeals is necessary for novice employees. Sometimes without experience it is difficult to find the correct wording that fully expresses the essence of the information. Now let's get down to specifics.
How to work on answers
Below is an approximate form. In the meantime, we should talk about bureaucratic subtleties. The Law on Appeals provides for all the nuances of the process. In our case, it is important that letters confirmed by the individual data and the signature of the applicant are accepted for consideration. The specialist who forms the text of the answer needs the surname and initials of the citizen, the address of his residence. The fact is that the answer is sent in writing. The header contains the personal data provided by the applicant. Next, you should show the recipient which of the requests is being answered. Here is the approximate beginning of the text: “Dear Natalia Gennadievna! Having considered your letter dated 04/12/2011 on violations of the current legislation in relation to the calculation of pensions, (name of the body) decided ....». That is, it is necessary to convey to the recipient the essence of the problem. If you do not remind about the question, then the meaning of the answer may be completely lost, remain incomprehensible. As a rule, experts forget about it. Imagine that you need to write a response to such an appeal: “I ask you to consider the establishment of a balloon festival in our village.”
Approximate work plan
Don't take this example as absurd. Not yet such letters have to be considered by specialists. And in no case should you make a mistake, violate the order of consideration. You have to do routine work. The employee takes a sample of responses to citizens' appeals and repeats the mandatory scheme. It consists of the following steps:
- Identify the competence of which department (body) the issue belongs to.
- If there is more than one respondent, send copies to them.
- Inform the applicant about where his appeal has been transferred.
- Put the question under control.
- Designate a person responsible for the execution of the document.
- Collect all answers and form a text sent to the applicant.
- Analyze legal compliance
- Control the timing of the response to the written appeal of citizens.
- Send summary information to the applicant.
This plan can be supplemented as needed with additional items. For example, if we are talking about the misconduct of an employee of the organization, then the management may decide to conduct official investigation. Then you have to wait for its results.
Answer example (not for repetition)
Let's try to go through all the points of the plan, given that the executive authority was asked about the holiday of balls. The head of the organization understands that the issue is not in his competence. Therefore, it needs to be redirected. A letter is written to the municipality with a request to consider the relevant appeal. And the applicant is answered like this: “Dear Maxim Sergeevich! Our organization (name) considered your request dated (specify date) regarding the celebration of balloons. In essence, we report this topic does not fall under the competence of (name of body). Your appeal has been forwarded (date) to the local council for consideration and response, on the merits.” This response must be sent to the applicant within fifteen working days. In general, the review period is 30 days. But if the answer cannot be given immediately, the work of several departments is necessary, then it is doubled. The business does not end there. It is necessary to wait for what the local government says, and then write to the applicant. For example, like this: “Dear Maxim Sergeevich! Your proposal for a balloon party on (date) has been reviewed by the local council. On the merits of the matter, we report currently annual plan The work of the body does not provide for activities to expand the list of public events. Your proposal has been submitted to the department (specify) for study. The head of the unit was instructed to organize a study of the public opinion of the village in order to identify the percentage of supporters and opponents of the idea. For your part, you can join this work. We invite you to come to a personal meeting with the head structural unit(name) to discuss specific measures to implement the public initiative. Upon confirmation of the fact that most of the citizens of our village are supporters of the new holiday, the initiative will be submitted for consideration by the session of the local council in the manner prescribed by law.”
Legislation on the consideration of citizens' appeals
It must be understood that any document created in must comply with the regulatory framework. When a response to an appeal is written, the law under which the question falls is revealed first. For example, if they complain about the roads, then the application is transferred to the housing and communal services department, if they are dissatisfied with the pension - to an organization dealing with social issues. The legislation on the consideration of citizens' appeals strictly indicates the illegality of preparing a response by those institutions whose competence does not include the question. Of course, it is better to regulate this at the application stage. A specialist dealing with work with citizens is obliged to figure out which unit is doing what in order to tell people the addressee. Otherwise, the application is written in the name of "the most important boss." In Russia, people send questions to the president. And the administration is already deciding which written appeal to send where, so that the citizen receives an answer on the essence of the problem, and not a reply.
The subtleties of the formation of answers
Any activity of a specialist working with people is subject to strict regulation. The deadlines for responding to a written appeal from citizens are established by law. It is not allowed to break them. They are:
- 30 days usually;
- 60 - as a last resort, when an additional study of the problem is necessary.
But in this case, the applicant will receive an interim response. In addition, deadlines have been set for interdepartmental correspondence regarding applications and proposals received from the population. So, having received the resolution of the head, from which it follows that the letter should be considered by several institutions, the specialist is obliged to send copies to the addressees for work within seven days. Recipients themselves respond to the applicant or send information to the organization from which the request came. In the latter case, they have only fifteen working days to generate information. The deadlines for responding to a written appeal from citizens are monitored by regulatory authorities. For their violation, specialists are subject to penalties.
Responses to citizens' appeals: examples
Here are a few letters, and then we will analyze them.
- “Dear ... The administration of the body considered your appeal dated (date) about violation of the legislation on the calculation of pensions. In essence, we report the following. The control body (specify) checked the documentation of the subdivision dealing with social payments for compliance of charges with the current legislation. In the course of work, violations were identified. The facts stated in your appeal have been confirmed. At the moment, all identified violations have been corrected, and the employee who committed them has been reprimanded.”
- “Dear ... Having considered your application dated (date) regarding the violation of the peace of citizens at night and in the evening, I inform you. This issue does not fall within the competence of the public institution. Your appeal has been submitted to local governments and law enforcement agencies for study and a decision on the merits. The answer will be sent to you by these institutions.”
In the examples, we omit dates, keeping in mind that the reader has learned that violation is unacceptable. This is written above.
Parsing examples
If you carefully read the texts, you saw in them the difference in the person from which it was written. Documents are formed depending on how the consideration of appeals was carried out. If the question does not require elaboration, then the boss puts a resolution on the letter, guided by which, the specialist writes the answer. It can be very simple, monosyllabic. This document is signed by the head, sometimes on his own behalf, more often - on behalf of the organization. This is decided by the boss himself when he thinks over the answer. The oral appeal of citizens, for example, is almost always considered by the leader himself. As a result, the applicant receives a response from the person to whom he applied. That is, the message is personal. But they only do this in simple cases. If the question is complex, then no experienced manager will take responsibility for the information provided. He, of course, puts his signature. But the performer, the specialist who worked on the text, will be responsible for errors or flaws. His name, sometimes position, is indicated at the bottom of the page or on the reverse side of it.
How complex appeals are handled
It is also necessary to talk about what "the work of a bureaucrat" is. People often scold government officials for not being able to get a sensible answer from them to their questions. But not everything is so simple. Specialists do not have the right to do as they may want. They operate under strict legal control. As they say, a step to the right - and dismissal or trouble with the competent authorities. We have already said that the first phase of consideration of the appeal is the identification of bodies and departments whose competence includes solving the problem. There may be many, not one or two. And the answer should be complex. The legislation does not allow breaking it into its component parts and informing about each piece separately. Therefore, it is necessary to appoint a person responsible for the draft response to the appeal of citizens. Who can they be? As a rule, the main thing in this case will be the department or organization to which the problem relates to the greatest extent. But not always. The leader makes the decision. And he chooses the person responsible, taking into account the personalities. It is better to entrust collecting the answer to someone you trust, who is more experienced in this matter, and so on. Therefore, sometimes the performer (author of the text) may turn out to be a person who, according to the instructions, is engaged in slightly different duties. This is not prohibited by law. And the leader needs to take care of the reputation of the organization. Certainly, difficult questions he entrusts to someone who has enough managerial experience, who knows the law in theory and knows how to use it in practice.
Both the applicant and the addressee of the appeal need to learn the consideration scheme given above. Then they will speak the same language, understand each other more. And this, of course, will strengthen the cooperation between the state and society. It is necessary to learn that there is legislation. The defendant submits to him, and he has no right to go beyond. Why demand the impossible from the "bureaucrats"? All they can do is obey the law. Therefore, the citizen must know its basics. Then there will be no appeals about the holiday of balloons, which only tear civil servants away from serious matters.
Hi all! My name is Andrey Tyan, I am the Development Director of B2BFamily. I decided to write you this short essay because I realized the following: by revealing the hidden benefits of using our service, I can really change your understanding of sales and the sales process itself in better side. And today we'll talk about feedback in business correspondence. I am sure that the time you spend reading will not be wasted.
Andrey Tyan,B2B Family Development Director
Oh, those unemotional gray emails!
I'll start with the question: how do you understand the client's reaction to the proposal on the phone or in a meeting? That's right, emotions! Non-verbal communication gives out everything. You pay attention to gestures, facial expressions, mannerisms. And how can you find out the reaction in business correspondence? No way! Most often, these are just template letters with Steven Seagal's emotions.
Many perceive business correspondence as a dry exchange of information. Therefore, by writing to understand the true reaction potential client on the offer is almost impossible, unless he writes about it directly. But, as practice shows, the client answers in a template and something like this: "Thank you, we have received your offer. We will consider and give an answer within N time," if he answers at all. You just have to wait for the client's verdict.
Build an effective dialogue with the client after correspondence - What?
If during telephone conversation or a meeting, the client's reaction is approximately understandable: "interesting / there are doubts / most likely not", then it becomes easier to set the tone and strategy of negotiations. Business correspondence in this regard is much more difficult. It is often impossible to build a chain of business letters based on data about the behavior and reaction of the client, because this data simply does not exist. But at the same time, we all know that the sale should be natural - the client must understand for himself that he needs it and is profitable, and not buy because he was pressured.
Now imagine a meeting, negotiations and a client with the emotions of Steven Seagal! Comfortable? Cool talks about cooperation? But if the client listens to you, asks questions, objects - this is just the basis for actually starting to sell, identify needs, clarify details, present your product based on the needs of the client - what is called a real sale. But how to establish this harmonious chain of communication with the client? How to transfer all this from live communication to business correspondence?
Find out how the client actually reacted to your offer!
This is how you will see the emotions of the client in the correspondence if you know:
- when, what time, how many times your letter was opened and whether it was opened at all
- how did yours look Commercial offer
- what hooked, or vice versa, confused in your presentation, what they pay attention to.
And if the client asked a question right while viewing the document - take such a client into circulation right away! Remember, it's important to connect with a client while they're hot. We have already discussed this in our article "Why call immediately after viewing a commercial offer?"
There is a chance for live feedback in business correspondence!
A clear understanding of the behavior, doubts, thoughts of the client, for example: how carefully the client looked at your offer, whether he saw the real benefits of your product or just looked at the slide with the price, will be given by the viewing statistics.
Such an example: at the first contact, we found out that the main thing for the client is "price-quality". He immediately said that he would compare with competitors, was interested in discounts, and so on. Then, in the view statistics, we can see that 20% of the total view time the client spent on the price slide and missed the "Why choose us" section. So, in the next letter or call, we focus on the benefits, protect our price with values, or even give a discount.
Thus, it turns out that you go through all stages of the sale shoulder to shoulder with the client. Feel his mood, catch intentions at every stage - even in business correspondence!
Know your client - lead him "by the hand" to the right solution!
My more than 10 years of sales experience, stuffed bumps and fear of not fulfilling the plan in "this month" made it possible to do following output: the process of communication in sales is the ability to convey all your benefits to the client so that in his picture of the world there is a clear understanding of the need to work with you.
Understanding how carefully the client looks at your commercial offer, which slides he focuses on, how much time he spends on viewing - this is exactly the kind of feedback that is missing in business correspondence and which can help in the sale, as we talked about earlier. Knowing this, you are already consciously building the tactics of your dialogue with the client in such a way as to once again reveal the full value of your proposal and make it easy for him to agree to work with you and your company.
That's all I wanted to tell you.
The time has passed when business correspondence was only an appendage of a real conversation with a client about cooperation. Now you can know when the client looked at your offer and how carefully he studied it! Then it's up to you. Sell more, sell better and make your customers happy!
1. If the written appeal does not indicate the name of the citizen who sent the appeal, or the postal address to which the response should be sent, no response to the appeal is given. If the specified appeal contains information about the unlawful act being prepared, being committed or committed, as well as about the person preparing it, committing or having committed it, the appeal is subject to sending to the state body in accordance with its competence.
2. An appeal in which a court decision is appealed shall be returned to the citizen who sent the appeal within seven days from the date of registration, with an explanation of the procedure for appealing this court decision.
(see text in previous edition)
3. Upon receipt of a written appeal containing obscene or offensive language, threats to the life, health and property of an official, as well as members of his family, a state body, local government body or official, upon receipt of a written appeal, has the right to leave the appeal unanswered on the merits of the questions posed in it. and inform the citizen who sent the appeal about the inadmissibility of abuse of the right.
4. If the text of the written appeal is unreadable, the response to the appeal is not given and it is not subject to be sent for consideration to the state body, local government body or official in accordance with their competence, about which within seven days from the date of registration the appeal is communicated to the citizen who sent the appeal if his name and postal address are legible.
(see text in previous edition)
4.1. If the text of the written appeal does not allow to determine the essence of the proposal, application or complaint, the response to the appeal is not given and it is not subject to be sent for consideration to the state body, local government body or official in accordance with their competence, about which within seven days from the date of registration of the appeal, the citizen who sent the appeal is informed.
5. If a citizen’s written appeal contains a question to which he was repeatedly given written answers on the merits in connection with previously sent appeals, and at the same time, no new arguments or circumstances are given in the appeal, the head of the state body or local self-government body, the official a person or an authorized person has the right to decide on the groundlessness of the next appeal and the termination of correspondence with a citizen on this issue, provided that the specified appeal and previously sent appeals were sent to the same state body, local government body or to the same official . ABOUT this decision the citizen who sent the appeal is notified.
(see text in previous edition)
5.1. If a state body, local government body or official receives a written request containing a question, the answer to which is posted in accordance with Part 4 of Article 10 of this Federal Law on the official website of the data of the state body or local government body in the information and telecommunication network "Internet ", the citizen who sent the appeal, within seven days from the date of registration of the appeal, is informed of the electronic address of the official website on the Internet information and telecommunication network, which contains the answer to the question posed in the appeal, while the appeal containing an appeal against the court decision does not returns.
6. If an answer on the merits of the question posed in the appeal cannot be given without disclosing information constituting a state or other secret protected by federal law, the citizen who sent the appeal is informed that it is impossible to give an answer on the merits of the question posed in it due to the inadmissibility disclosure of said information.
7. If the reasons for which the answer on the merits of the questions posed in the appeal could not be given were subsequently eliminated, the citizen has the right to re-send the appeal to the appropriate state body, local self-government body or the relevant official.
