Business communication Unit -II

Business letters - Structure of a letter - Qualities of a good business letter - Business enquiries - Offer and Quotations - Orders - Execution of orders - Cancellation of orders Letters of Complaints - Collection letters. ***********
Business letter Definition:

Business letters are formal letters used for business-to-business, business-to-client, or client-tobusiness correspondence. There are a number of elements to a business letter.

A business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned

PURPOSE OF A BUSINESS LETTER The purpose for business writings is to inform readers of information you want to get across or possibly persuade the readers to do something.

THE 7 C 's OF BUSINESS WRITING Most problems with business letters are they are either hard to understand or very long and drawn out. One solution that many writers use to correct this problem is to double check the writing to make sure it follows the seven C's of business writing. The seven C's are:
y y y y y y y

Clear Concise Correct Courteous Conversational Convincing Complete

If you as a writer are able to effectively do all or part of these seven guidelines, then your paper will be on its way to being a good business letter.

Prepared by T.S.Kumar B.Sc., M.B.A., M.Phil, PGDJMC, Assst.Professor in Business Administration

STRUCTURING LETTERS
Not all social and business letters feature the exact conventional structured format as outlined below. A social letter, for example, would likely not include an address heading, an inside address or a subject line. An informal business letter may not include a subject line, a postscript or a notation. A letter written in good taste strikes a balance between the conventional format and the writers own personal style. While it is convenient for the reader to read a letter structured in the conventional format, as outlined below, slight adaptations are accepted. 1. Address Heading This is the writers full address. Business letters usually have preprinted, letterhead stationary which contains this information. An address heading is optional for informal letters. 2. Date This is the month, day and year that the letter is written on. 3. Inside Address The recipients full name and address. Generally, informal letters do not include an inside address.
*Note:

Refer to Addressing Persons of Title when writing letters to these people.

4. Attention With formal letters, the "Attention: [full name of recipient]" is placed two spaces below the inside address. 5. Greeting Also known as the salutation, this is the introductory phrase, Dear [name of recipient]. Either a comma or a colon can be used at the end of this phrase. Today, a comma is more extensively used, with the exception of the use of a title only, not a proper name. (i.e. Dear Member:). In this case, the use of a colon would be more appropriate.
*Note:

Refer to Addressing Persons of Title when writing letters to these people.

6. Subject line A word or phrase to indicate the main subject of the letter, which is preceded by the word Subject: or Re: (Latin for matter). Subject lines may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all capital letters. They can be alternatively located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting." Informal or social letters rarely include a subject line. 7. Body The complete text of the letter; the subject matter content. 8. Closing This is the farewell phrase or word that precedes the signature and is followed by a comma. Closing should reflect a type of farewell or goodbye as writer signs off.

Examples: Yours truly, Sincerely yours, Regards, etc.

*Note: "Thank

you," is not considered an appropriate closing for a formal or business letter.

9. Signature The signed name of the writer. Formal or business letters include the full name of the writer printed below the signed name and most often include the writers title and/or professional designations. 10. Postscript Is a brief sentence or paragraph introduced by the initials, P.S. (post scriptus) Latin for after having been written. It implies that the writer, having completed and signed the letter, had an after-thought. Although this is still commonly used in informal letters, it is not widely accepted for use in formal or business letters. 11. Notation Part of a formal or business letter consisting of brief words or abbreviations as notations. Examples: R.S.V.P. (Rpondez sil vous plat) - French for Please reply. The use of this notation indicates that the writer expects the recipient to contact the writer with a yes or no response to the invitation extended in the body of the letter. Often a corresponding address and/or phone number is printed directly below this notation. cc: (carbon copy) - These initials are followed by a name or column of names, indicating those people to whom a copy of the letter is being sent to. (One-sided inked carbon paper slipped between two pieces of paper was once the method used for duplicating copies of correspondence, hence use of the word "carbon" in this notation). encl. (enclosure) - Indicates that something else accompanying the letter is enclosed. PL/rm (initials of persons) - Indicates that a person typed or even composed a letter on behalf of someone else. The capitalized initials are those of the sender of the letter (Paul Lazarman). The lower-case initials are those of the person who typed or composed the letter (Rachel McDonald) on behalf of the sender. The most common use for this notation is for situations where an administrative assistant composed and/or typed the final version of a letter that was dictated by his/her boss.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD BUSINESS LETTER

1. Clearness

It means that your letter is clear and easy to understand. Therefore, you should always do as follows: (1) Include illustrations, examples or visual aids to convey your information. (2) Use simple, plain language and avoid business jargons. 2. Conciseness. Conciseness is considered the most important principle in business letter writing as we now live in a world where time is money. Nobody will spend more time writing or reading a letter if your letter is a wordy one, it can only find its way to the waste-paper basket. So, to achieve conciseness, you should: (1) Avoid wordy statement and fancy language. (2) Use short sentence instead of long ones. (3) Paragraph your message carefully. 3. Consideration: Consideration means thoughtfulness. So you should always put yourself in your readers place, which is what people now emphasize, i.e. YOU attitude. In your letter, you should always keep in mind the receiver we are writing to, understanding his or her problems and take the positive approach. 4. Courtesy Courtesy here means the polite expression or kind action. A letter with kind intention and polite expression will help to enhance the business partnership and make new friends. To be courteous, you should take the following steps: (1) Always give punctual reply. (2) Be sincerely tactful and appreciative. (3) Be modest but not humble in wording.

5. Concreteness To be concrete means the letter should be presented to receiver in a specific, definite way rather than in a general way. (1) Give specific figures and (2) Use vivid and exact words COMMON TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS There are many different types of business letters that a person can write to achieve different things. The key to writing a letter that will achieve what you want is to know what type of letter you are writing. The different types of letters are: acknowledgement, adjustment, complaint, inquiry, order, and response letter. Acknowledgement letter = This letter is meant to thank the reader for something they did for you in the office. It could simply be saying thanks for receiving something the reader sent or maybe thanking them for their help with something. This type of letter is not required in a business environment, but it is appreciated. Adjustment Letter = This letter should be used in response to a written complaint against someone or something. The purpose of it is to inform the reader that actions are being taken against the wrong doing as well as it serves as a legal document acknowledging the complaint. Complaint Letter = The complaint letter is much like the adjustment letter except no wrong doing as taken place. Instead, this letter is just to let the reader know that an error as been found and needs to be corrected as soon as possible. Once again, this letter is a legal document letting the reader know that something is being done to correct the problem. Inquiry Letter = An inquiry letter is written as a request for a certain something or in response to a request made by someone. The object of the inquiry letter is to get the object or material requested in the letter. Order Letter = Order letters are exactly as they sound, they are used to order material that is running low and will be needed soon. This type of letter is commonly known as a PO (purchase order). This letter is also a legal document showing a transaction between a business and a vendor. Response Letter = A response letter is also exactly how it sounds. It is a letter written in response to another letter received by someone. The objective of this type of letter is to fulfill the request made by the person you are writing this letter to.