Essentials of Effective Business Correspondence

Business correspondence or business letter is a written communication between two parties. Businessmen may write letters to supplier of goods and also receive letters from the suppliers. Customers may write letters to businessmen seeking information about availability of goods, price, quality, sample etc. or place order for purchase of goods.

A letter should serve the purpose for which it is written. If a businessman writes a letter to the supplier for purchase of goods, the letter should contain all the relevant information relating to the product, mode of payment, packaging, transportation of goods, etc. clearly and specifically. Otherwise, there will be confusion that may cause delay in getting the goods. Again the quality of paper used in the letter, its size, colour also need special attention, because they create a positive impression in the mind of the receiver.

Let us now learn about the different parts of a business letter.

The essential parts of a business letter are as follows:

1. Heading -The heading of a business letter usually contains the name and postal address of the business, e-mail address, web-site address, telephone number, fax number, trade mark or logo of the business.

2. Date - The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after the heading as the day, month and years. Some examples are 28th Feb., 2003 or Feb. 28, 2003.

3. Reference- It indicates letter number and the department from where the letter is being sent and the year. It helps in future reference. This reference number is given on the left hand corner after the heading. For example, we can write reference number as AB/FADept./2003/27.

4. Inside address - This includes the name and full address of the person or the firm to whom the letter is to be sent. This is written on the left hand side of the sheet below the reference number. Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g., the Secretary, the Principal, the Chairman, the Manager etc.

 

  Example:

 

M/S Bharat Fans Bharat Complex Hyderabad Industrial Complex Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh – 500032

The Chief Manager, State Bank of India Utkal University Campus Bhubaneswar, Orissa- 751007

 

5. Subject - It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the letter relates. It attracts the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to know quickly what the letter is about. For example,

Subject: Your order No. C317/8 dated 12th March 2003.

Subject: Enquiry about Samsung television

Subject: Fire Insurance policy

6. Salutation - This is placed below the inside address. It is usually followed by a comma (,). Various forms of salutation are:

Sir/Madam: For official and formal correspondence

Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual

Dear Sirs/Dear Madam: For addressing a firm or company.

7. Body of the letter- This comes after salutation. This is the main part of the letter and it contains the actual message of the sender. It is divided into three parts.

(a) Opening part - It is the introductory part of the letter. In this part, attention of the reader should be drawn to the previous correspondence, if any.

For example.

  With reference to your letter no. 326 dated. 12th March 2003, I would like to draw your attention towards the new brand of television.

(b) Main part - This part usually contains the subject matter of the letter. It should be precise and written in clear words.

(c) Concluding Part - It contains a statement the of sender’s intentions, hopes or expectations concerning the next step to be taken. Further, the sender should always look forward to getting a positive response. At the end, terms like Thanking you, With regards, With warm regards may be used.

8. Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It must be in accordance with the salutation.

For example: Salutation - Complementary close

o Dear Sir/Dear Madam - Yours faithfully

o  Dear Mr. Raj - Yours sincerely

o My Dear Akbar - Yours very sincerely (express very informal relations).

9. Signature - It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close. As far as possible, the signature should be legible. The name of the writer should be typed immediately below the signature. The designation is given below the typed name. Where no letterhead is in use, the name of the company too could be included below the designation of the writer.

For example: Yours faithfully

For M/S Acron Electricals

(Signature)

SUNIL KUMAR

Partner

10. Enclosures - This is required when some documents like cheque, draft, bills, receipts, lists, invoices etc. are attached with the letter. These enclosures are listed one by one in serial numbers.

For example: Encl: (i) The list of goods received

(ii) A cheque for Rs. One Thousand dtt. Feb. 27, 2003 (Cheque No........) towards payment for goods supplied.

     11. Copy circulation - This is required when copies of the letter are also sent to persons apart of the addressee. It is denoted as C.C.

 For example, C.C. i. The Chairman, Electric Supply Corporation

ii. The Director, Electric Supply Corporation

iii. The Secretary, Electric Supply Corporation

12. Post script - This is required when the writer wants to add something, which is not included in the body of the letter. It is expressed as P.S.

For example, P.S. - In our offer, we provide two years warranty.

 

5. Look at the sample business letter below, analyse its lay out, content and useful phrases for writing business letters.

 

Manor House Hotel Farnham Green, Warnside, Upminster, UB23. Tel: 091 8976. Fax: 091 9008. E-mail: manhot@xx.itl www.man.itx 15 January 20.. The Sales Manager, Melody Modes Ltd., Carrham, Upminster UE12.   Your Ref: KPS/C3, Our Ref: Con/13/1   Dear Sir,   Thank you for your letter of 12 January regarding our conference facilities for your sales convention in July this year.   I have pleasure in enclosing our current conference brochure and tariff. You will note that we offer a variety of venues inside the hotel itself, for groups of between 20 and 150 people, with a choice of catering facilities and with or without accommodation. This year we are also able to arrange functions in marquees in the hotel grounds, with a more limited range of catering, but again with or without hotel accommodation.   We have two lecture rooms, with audiovisual equipment - overhead projectors and video and DVD facilities - which might be of interest to you. There are also product display facilities within the hotel.   If you require all or some of your delegates to be accommodated in the hotel, I recommend early booking, as July is one of our peak months. We offer 4-star accommodation, every room with en suite facilities, minibar, television, personal safe, trouser press. We have two restaurants, four bars, a fully equipped gymnasium, and an indoor/outdoor swimming pool.   I look forward to hearing from you further, and I shall be happy to supply any additional information you might require; you will be very welcome to visit the hotel to see for yourself the facilities we offer.   Yours faithfully,   Hector Manning General Manager

6. Look through the useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters:

 

Functions	Useful language
Salutation - Complementary close	When the recipient’s name is unknown to you: Dear Sir … Yours faithfully Dear Madam … Yours faithfully Dear Sir or Madam … Yours faithfully
When you know the recipient’s name:	Dear Mr Hanson … Yours sincerely Dear Mrs Hanson … Yours sincerely Dear Miss Hanson … Yours sincerely Dear Ms Hanson … Yours sincerely
When addressing a good friend or colleague:	Dear Jack … Best wishes/Best regards
Addressing whole departments:	Dear Sirs … Yours faithfully
Starting	We are writing to inform you that..., to confirm..., to request..., to enquire about... I am contacting you for the following reason. I recently read/heard about..... and would like to know.... Having seen your advertisement in..., I would like to... I would be interested in (obtaining / receiving)... I received your address from... and would like to... I am writing to tell you about...
Referring to previous contact	Thank you for your letter of March 15. Thank you for contacting us. In reply to your request,... Thank you for your letter regarding... With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday...
Making a request	We would appreciate it if you would...  I would be grateful if you could... Could you please send me... Could you possibly tell us / let us have...
Orders	Thank you for your quotation of... We are pleased to place an order with your company for... We would like to cancel our order #°... Please confirm receipt of our order. I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order #...
Prices	Please send us your price list. You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list. Please note that our prices are subject to change without notice. We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation. We can make you a firm offer of... Our terms of payment are as follows... Our records show that we have not yet received payment of... According to our records... Please send payment as soon as possible. You will receive a credit note for the sum of...
Enclosing documents	I am enclosing... Please find enclosed... You will find enclosed...
Closing remarks	If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know. If you require more information... For further details... Thank you for taking this into consideration. Thank you for your help. We hope you are happy with this arrangement. I look forward to seeing you next week. Looking forward to hearing from you,... An early reply would be appreciated.
Ending business letters	◊ Sincerely, }     ◊ Yours sincerely,}   for all customers / clients ◊ Sincerely yours,} ◊ Yours faithfully,}   in more formal letters ◊ Regards, for those you already know and/or with whom you have a working relationship

 

Speaking

7. Discuss in small groups, report to the class.

 

1. Why is business correspondence important?

2. What are the different types of business letters?

3. What are the main parts of a business letter? How are they organized?

4. What are the typical phrases to start and finish a business letter?

5. What are the rules for writing business e-mails? Are they different from standard business letters?

 

Writing

8. Now it’s your turn to write a business letter.

Situation: You are the Personnel Manager of Thornton Transport, Timberlake Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR5, 8SM. You are looking for a bi-lingual secretary.

Task: Write a letter to your local recruitment agency explaining what you need. lnclude details of the secretary‘s duties, terms of employment, etc. Their address is RJS Recruitment, 34 Valley Street, Thornton Heath, CR7 15KM. You can add any information you think necessary.

 

3.3. Задания к самостоятельной работе обучающихся

 

UNIT 7

SUPPLEMENTARY READING