When a customer receives incorrect information from a newly hired customer service agent due to inexperience, which barrier is present?

The situation described involves a newly hired customer service agent providing incorrect information, which highlights a barrier related to the source of the message. This is classified as a sender barrier. In this context, the sender— in this case, the customer service agent— lacks the necessary knowledge or experience to convey accurate information effectively. Such barriers arise when the individual responsible for delivering a message does not have the requisite skills, understanding, or experience, leading to miscommunication.

When dealing with communication, sender barriers can significantly impact the effectiveness of the message being transmitted. If the sender does not possess the correct information or understanding of the subject matter, any messages they relay may be flawed, potentially causing confusion or harm to the receiver. This emphasizes the importance of training and experience in roles that involve communication of critical information to customers.

Other barriers mentioned, like message barriers, involve issues pertaining to how the message itself is constructed or interpreted, receiver barriers are related to the recipient's ability to understand or interpret the information correctly, and medium/channel barriers pertain to the communication medium used which may distort or interfere with the delivery of the message. However, in this scenario, the primary issue arises from the inexperience of the sender.