Letter Writing-Business Letters

Business letters

• A letter written for business purpose is a business letter. Business Letters are used by organizations to communicate professionally with customers, other companies, clients, shareholders, investors etc.
• Enquiry letters, offer letter, order letter, cover letter, notices, terminations of employment are some of the business letters.
• Business letter uses formal language and a specific format. Companies use it to convey important information and messages.
• An individual can also use it while writing an application for a job, cover letters or any formal document.
• Business Letters are used by organizations to communicate professionally with customers, other companies, clients, shareholders, investors etc.

Parts of business letter

There are 12 Parts of Business Letter
a) The Heading or Letterhead
b) Date
c) Reference
d) The Inside Address
e) Subject
f) Greeting
g) Body Paragraphs
h) Complimentary Close
i) Signature and Writer’s Identification
j) Enclosures
k) Copy Circulation
l) PostScript

a)The heading or letterhead

• It usually contains the name and the address of the business or an organization.
• It can also have an email address, contact number, fax number, trademark or logo of the business.

 b)Date

• We write the date on the right-hand side corner of the letter below the heading.
• Full Calendar Date as mentioned below                  

                    May 31,2009
                    31May 2009

c)Reference

• It shows the department of the organization sending the letter.
• The letter-number can also be used as a reference.

d)The inside address

• It includes the name, address, postal code and job title of the recipient. It must be mentioned after the reference.
• Inside address is written on the left-hand side of the sheet.

e)Subject

• It is a brief statement mentioning the reason for writing the letter.
• It should be clear, brief, simple and easy to understand.

f)The Greeting

• It contains the words to greet the recipient.
• It is also known as the salutation. The type of salutation depends upon the relationship with the recipient.

It generally includes words like

• Dear Sir,
• Dear Mr ,
• Dear Madam,
• Dear Mrs ,
• Dear Ms ,
• Dear Sirs,
• Dear Gentlemen
• Sir

g)The body paragraphs

• This is the main part of the letter.
• It contains the actual message of the sender.
• The main body of the letter must be clear and simple to understand. The body of the letter is basically divided into three main categories.

 Opening part

• The first paragraph of the letter writing must state the introduction of the writer.
• It also contains the previous correspondence if any.

Main part

• This paragraph states the main idea or the reason for writing.
• It must be clear, concise, complete and to the point.

Concluding part

• It is the conclusion of the business letter.
• It shows the suggestions or the need of the action.
• The closing of the letter shows the expectation of the sender from the recipient.
• Always end your letter by courteous words like thanking you, warm regards, looking forward to hear from your side

h)The complimentary close

• It is a humble way of ending a letter. It is written in accordance with the salutation.
• The most generally used complimentary closures are

                    Yours faithfully,
                    Yours sincerely,
                    Yours truly,
                    Thanks and regards.

 

i)Signature and writer’s identification

• It includes the signature, name and designation of the sender.
• It can also include other details like contact number, address etc.
• The signature is handwritten just above the name of the sender.

j)Enclosures:

•  Enclosures show the documents attached to the letter.
•   The documents can be anything like
• Cheque,
• Draft, Bills,
• Receipts,
• Invoices, etc.

k)Copy Circulation

• It is needed when the copies of the letter are sent to many persons.
• It is denoted as C.C.

l)PostScript

• The sender can mention it when he wants to add something other than the message in the body of the letter.
• It is written as P.S.

How to Write Business Letter

All Business letters follow a fixed format which is broadly classified into four categories.

a)Beginning the Letter

i) Know the format

There are some business standards that need to be followed.

• A common font to type a business letter needs to be used along with indentation, paragraphs, margins etc.
• The text must be typed in black color only.
• Choose the appropriate format

ii)Choose the right kind of Paper

• Print a letter in a letter-sized paper.
• The standard size of the paper is A4.

iii) Include information about the Company

• The name and the address of the company.
• Use a letterhead of the company for any business use.

iv)Include the date

• Full Calendar Date as mentioned below   

        31May 2009

        May 31,2009

v)Add the Recipient’s Information

• Type the name, address and job title of the recipient

vi)Choose a Salutation

• It is a way of showing respect towards the recipient.
• Use ‘To Whom It May Concern’ if he doesn’t know the person addressed.

b)Composing the Body

i.Use the Right Tone

• The tone of the letter needs to be formal, clear and polite.
• Do not use fancy, lengthy, and big words.
• Be persuasive in the letter.

ii.Use of Personal Pronoun

• Use personal pronouns in a business letter.
• If writing on behalf of the organization use ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.

iii.Write Precisely and Clearly

• Be precise, clear, brief, and easy to understand.

iv.Use the Active Voice

• Always write your letter in an active voice.

v.Be Courteous

• Write the letter in a polite and respectful way.
• Use courteous words.

vi.Useful Phrases for opening

• I wish to draw your attention to the …………………
• This is in reference to your letter of [date] concerning…………….
• I wish to inform you that…………..
• I would like to bring to your kind notice that……………….
• I would like to ………………..
• It’s indeed with …………………..
• This is with reference to your letter or advertisement ……………
• Further to our telephone conversation of [date]…………..
• I am writing to inform you that…………………..
• I am writing to confirm our telephone conversation of [date]……………
• I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with……………..
• I would be grateful if you could forward me a [price list, catalogue]……………. Please note that………………
• I am contacting you regarding…………….
• Please find enclosed…………………
• I am writing to complain……………

vii.Use Additional Pages

• If the matter is not fitting in one page of the letterhead, use the second page.
• Include the page number on the second and subsequent pages.

c)Closing the Letter

i.Choose a Closing

One must use a proper closing in a business letter.

Use a comma (,) after it.

• Yours faithfully,
• Yours sincerely,
• Yours Truly,
• Thanks and Regards.

ii. Sign the Letter

• Sign the letter in ink.
• If sending a printed copy, always affix the scanned signature.

iii.Make Note of Enclosure

• properly enclose a list of attached documents with the letter
• Use the abbreviation of the enclosure i.e. Encl. or Enc.

iv.Use of C.C.

• For persons other than the recipient, include their name on the letter by typing C.C.

Finalizing the Letter

a)Edit and Review

• After writing the letter, try to look for errors.
• Check for spellings, punctuations, grammatical errors.

b)Don’t Staple the Letter

• Use a paperclip on the top of the left corner if there are many pages.
• The use of staple doesn’t look nice for a business letter.

c)Posting of the Letter

• Use clear and correct spelling for mentioning the name and address of the recipient.