Business correspondence: letters Flashcards
Business correspondence
Any communication in the form of the letter is correspondence. Any person related to a business expresses oneself through business correspondence. One can also ask any doubt or uncertainty through business correspondence.
A businessman writes and receives letters in his day-to-day life. A
correspondence between two organizations or within an organization comes
under this category. A letter to a supplier, complaint letters,
letter of inquiry, job application letters etc,
Importance of a business correspondence
- Maintaining a Proper Relationship
It helps in maintaining the proper relationships between the parties. Business correspondence strengthens the business. It also helps in the internal communication. It makes communication within the organization more clear and precise. - Serves as Evidence
Any written form of communication serves as evidence. A business correspondence helps
the person in a business to keep a record of all the facts. These written records will serve
as evidence. - Create and Maintain Goodwill
It helps in creating and maintaining goodwill between a business and a customer.
Any letter to enquire, complaint, suggestion or feedbacks helps a company to grow and maintain goodwill.
More ways business correspondence is important
4.Inexpensive and Convenient
It is a cheap and convenient form of business communication.
5. Formal Communication
A business communication serves as a formal communication between two persons.
It may be a seller and a buyer. It can be between an employee and the employer. The
language used is formal and logical. It helps in removing the ambiguity and the doubts
of the person involved in the business. The
formal communication in business is followed and acceptable.
6. Helps in the Expansion of Business
A business correspondence helps a business to achieve the set goal. It also ensures the
expansion of a business. With no waste of time and proper utilization of manpower and
resources, a business can expand.
Any information regarding some resources or any product or market can be easily
done. Even the news of the expansion of business can be spread by it
Types of business correspondence
- Internal Correspondence
It refers to the correspondence between the individuals, departments, or
branches of the same organization. - External Correspondence
It refers to the correspondence between two individuals. These are not of the same
organization. Any correspondence outside the organization is external correspondence. Customer and suppliers, banks, educational institutions, government departments come under this category. - Routine Correspondence
It refers to the correspondence on routine manners. A correspondence made for inquiries,
orders, replies, acknowledgments, invitation, and appointment letters are routine
correspondence. - Sales Correspondence
It refers to the correspondence related to the sale. Sales letters, sales reports, invoice, and
confirmation of orders are sale correspondence. Delivery letters, statement of accounts etc.
are also some of its examples.
More types of business correspondence
- Personalized Correspondence
It refers to the correspondence based on emotional factors. Letters of the request,
recommendation, and congratulations are personalized correspondence. Letter of
introduction, granting and the refusal of terms are some of its examples. - Circulars
It refers to the communication of common matter to a large number of persons or firms.
Circulars, notices of tenders, change of address, an opening of the new branch come under
this category. e.g. An introduction of new products
Business Letter
Any letter written for business use is a business letter. It is mean to exchange information in a written form. It is the most formal method of communication in a business relationship. A customer writing a letter to a supplier, a jobseeker writing a job application, cover letters are some common business letters.
Letter of inquiry, order letter, business contract, complaint letter, sale letter, letter of
recommendation, and letter of resignation comes under this category
Qualities of a business letter
A person should always maintain the quality of the business letter. The qualities
of a business letter make it presentable. It becomes easy for a person or an
organization to imprint an impression onto the others.
The qualities of a business letter can be classified as:
● Inner Quality
● Outer Quality
Inner quality ( five characteristics)
It refers to the quality of language used and the presentation of a business letter.
1. Clear
The language used in the business letter must be clear. It helps the receiver to understand the message immediately, easily, and clearly. Any ambiguity will lead to the misinterpretation of the message stated.
2. Simple
The language used in the business letter must be simple and easy. One must
not write a business letter in difficult and fancy words.
3. Concise
The message written in the letter must be concise and to the point.
4. Concrete
The message is written must be concrete and specific. By using concrete language, a reader will have a clear picture of the message.
5. Accuracy
One must always check for the accuracy of the business letter. Accuracy generally means no error in grammar, spelling, punctuations etc. Correct personnel should be targeted for communication.
Five more characteristics of inner quality
- Coherent
The language used in the business letter must be coherent. The message must be logical for the clear understanding of the message.
The flow of the message must be consistent. - Complete
One must write a complete message. It helps the reader to know about the issue and the solution to be taken. It should provide all the necessary
information. One must also keep in mind that the message should be concise and short
along with the complete details. - Relevance
The letter should only contain important information. Irrelevant information should not
be included and avoided in any business communication. - Courteous
The language used in the business letter must be courteous. A writer must always use
open, friendly, and honest wording in his letter. It does not mean that one must use slang
and abusive words. One must always add the words like please, thank you etc. - Neatness
A business letter must be neatly typed or handwritten. Proper spacing, indention, and
use of paragraph should be used
Outer quality (five characteristics)
- Size of the Paper
The standard size of paper should be used. An A4 paper is the most used paper for writing a
business letter. - Quality of the Paper
The quality of the paper used must be good. It is not always possible for a firm to use the costly
paper. One must use good quality paper for original copy and ordinary copy for the duplicate
copy. - Colour of the Paper
Sometimes it is very useful to use the different color of paper for different types of letter.
The receiver can clearly understand the intention and the purpose of the letter by its color. - Folding of Letter
One must fold the letter properly and uniformly. The folding must be done to fit the letter
in the envelope. It is noticeable that one must not over fold the letter. It will have a bad
impression on the reader’s mind. - Envelope
The envelope used must be of good quality. Special attention must be given to
the size of the envelope for fitting the letter.
Types of formal letters
Complaint
Thanks
Interest
Resignation
Job Application
Recommendation
Reference
Business Letter Structure
FORMAL REGISTER IN A FORMAL LETTER - DEFINITION
Always use a formal tone while writing a formal letter. Since a formal letter is usually written
for official reasons, avoid using informal language. This means that you should use words
such as “please” and “kindly” but avoid using words such as “cool” and “awesome.”
SENDER’S ADDRESS - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, via a letterhead or footer typed/written at the top, left-hand corner of the
letter.
DATE IN A FORMAL LETTER - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, the date is usually written below the sender’s address on the left-hand
corner of the letter. Sometimes, it could also be written below the sender’s address.
ADDRESS OF THE ADDRESSEE - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, the date is usually followed by the address of the addressee i.e. the
person you are writing the letter to. The address always appears on the left-hand side of the
letter.
DESIGNATION AND ADDRESS OF THE RECEIVER - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, the designation and address of the receiver appear below the date on the
left-hand corner of the letter.
SALUTATION - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, it is important to include an appropriate salutation after the address of the
receiver. E.g “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Mr. ____.” For example, if you are writing a
letter to the manager of a company, and his name is Robert Smith, your salutation could be
“Dear Mr. Smith.”
More Business Letter Structure
SUBJECT LINE - DEFINITION
In a formal letter, a subject line should follow the salutation. A subject line is basically a
line describing what your letter is about. Make sure that the subject line is precise and
short.
INTRODUCTION, BODY, AND CONCLUSION - DEFINITION
A formal letter should always include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The
introduction will introduce the purpose of your letter in a line or two. This is followed
by the body, where you should provide more information about what you need and why.
Finally, in the conclusion, you should reiterate your request and provide a call to action,
if necessary then thank the receiver for considering your request.
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE - DEFINITION
A formal letter should conclude with a complimentary close. A complimentary close
is placed before your name when you close the letter. Some examples of good
complimentary closes in a formal letter include:
★ Yours sincerely,
★ Yours truly,
★ Yours faithfully,
★ Regards,
Signature: Skip four lines after the closing and type your name. Skip another
line and type your job title and company name. If you’re submitting a hard
copy, sign your name in the empty space using blue or black ink.
● Enclosures: If you’re including documents with this letter, list them here.
Another important part of the structure is the layout, which determines how the text is
formatted. The most common layout for a business letter is known as block format, which keeps all text left-justified and single spaced, except for double spaces between the paragraphs. This
layout keeps the letter looking clean and easy to read.
Tone and Style
A formal letter should have a formal or official tone and style.
★ Make sure to keep your letter short and to-the-point.
★ Your sentences should be well-structured and precise.
★ Avoid using informal language and vague sentences.
★ Make sure your tone is sincere, courteous, and polite.
