BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

IMPORTANCE AND PRINCIPLES OF WRITTEN BUSINESS

CORRESPONDENCE
Written business correspondence is an effective means of keeping ourselves in
touch with those whom we cannot talk face to face with. Today we talk of
globalization where the entire world has come closer. Various countries of the
world have developed business relations with those who are separated by
distance, hence in business world, it is not always possible for us to meet and talk
with our fellow business partner employees or customers or clients or suppliers
who belong to distant places. Consequently, we seek the help of different means
of communication. We adopt some sort of oral and written modes of
communications. But oral communication such as telephonic conversation does
not always suffice the purpose of both the parties- the listeners and the speaker.
People, thus, have to depend on written mode of communication.
Business correspondence refers to all written communications, done for the
purpose of business. Among all modes of business correspondence, professional
letter is the chief source for conveying message. Letters play a vital role in
bringing people closer all over the globe. The letter writing, thus, occupies a key
position in the field of communication. A letter write must make arduous efforts
in order to attain effective writing skills. The writer, therefore, should make sure
what he wants to say, to whom he is going to write a letter and also why the letter
is being written. The writer has to follow a series of actions or steps to achieve an
end. He must follow the following steps-
Planning
Writing
Revising
Editing
In planning the writer has to determine the purpose for writing the letter.
Secondly the writer writes the first draft of the business letter using the
information gathered at the step of planning. At the next step the writer can add or
delete certain things in order to revise. In the last step the writer has to read the
entire document and edit it.

BASIC LETTER FORMATS OR FORMS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

Block Format
Block format is a popular format of business letter in India. In the Block Format,
all the elements such as date, address, salutation, paragraphs and the close, all
start from the left hand margin: In this form of letter the first word or each
paragraph need not be indented. Different parts and paragraphs of the body of the
letter are typed in double spacing while within each part and paragraph single
spacing is preferred. The greatest advantage of this method is that it can be typed
quickly and easily.
Modified Block Format
This Modified Block Format is a mixture of Block and Indented Format. This
format is actually the same as the full Block Format except that date line and
closing signature are here placed on the right-hand side of the page
Modified Semi-Block Format
This format is a variation of the Modified Block Format and is almost identical to
its parent form except that the first line of each paragraph is indented five spaces.
Simplified Format.
The Simplified Format is a favorite style for the impersonal situations. Generally,
it is used for those situations where the identity of the recipients is not known. In
this format, no salutation and no complementary close are included. But in
personal situations, the letter writer starts the letter with the name of the recipient.

BUSINESS LETTER
STRUCTURE OFA BUSINESS LETTER
A business letter is an official letter dealing with such subjects as enquiry, order,
request, complaint and apology. An official letter may be formatted in one of the
three styles as discussed above. No matter what style is used all letters must have
the following 9 elements:
1 Heading
2 Date
3 Inside Address
4 Salutation
5 Subject Line
6 Body or Substance of the Letter
7 Subscription or Complimentary Closing and Signature
8 Superscription
9 Optional Lines

1) Heading
Heading here means the return address (the sender's address) and the address of
the recipient. The return address should include the company name, street address,
city, state, zip-code, and also the telephone number, but if the letter is written on
the company letter pad with the Logo name and address, the sender’s name and
address need not included.
2) Date
Date should the month, day and year with no abbreviations. Dates can have one of
three forms; March 6, 2002. (American Style); 6 March, 2002 (Oxford University
Style) and 6 March, 2002 (English style).
3) Inside Address
The inside address should include the addressee's name, the company name,
street, state and zip code. This address is the same as the address that appears on
the envelope. The title of the recipient should also be written.
4) Salutation
Salutation is used in the block and modified block letter styles. It names the
person or people addressed. It should be placed two space below the inside
address. In the simplified letter format, salutation is replaced by the subject-line.
Salutation is also know as courteous greeting. If the recipient of the letter is a
man, 'Dear Sir' should be the salutation. 'Dear Madam' is the salutation for a
woman. But if the letter is addressed to a business firm, the greeting is 'Dear Sirs'.
5) Subject line
Certain business firms prefer to write subject between inside address and the
salutation. In the simplified block format only subject is written which indicates
the topic or purpose of the letter. 'Subject' should be written with a 'colon' and the
subject line should be underlined.
6) Body or Substance of the Letter
Normally it forms the main organ of a letter. In official letters, generally, one
subject is dealt in one letter. But in business letters even more than one subject
may be taken up. The message that a letter conveys mm:\be divided into short
paragraphs. Unnecessary repetition should be avoided. It should begin two lines
below the salutation/subject line. The body of the letter should contain short
sentences and straightforward style.
7) Subscription or Complimentary Closing and Signature
Subscription or Complimentary closing marks the end of the body of the letter. It
consists of certain courteous words. Use of these courteous words depends upon1
the tone or nature of the letter i.e. whether it is a formal or informal letter . Some
examples, ranging from least formal to most formal are :
Sincerely, sincerely yours, Cordially, Cordially yours, yours sincerely, Yours
truly, Respectively yours and Yours respectively. In official letters, the words
yours faithfully are written. While writing to a high official, yours obediently may
also be used.

8) Superscription
Superscription or address on the envelope is the last important step in writing
business or official letters. Full postal address of the addressee should be written
neatly and properly on the envelope so that the letter may reach its destination
quickly. In the business letters or the official letters, name of the recipient with his
title or the name of the company should be written. Name of street, sub-location,
city, state and zip-code should also be neatly written. The sender must sign the
lower left hand comer of the envelope, along with his address.
9) Optional Lines
A few things can be added in an official letter-

● Place the typist initials in lower-case letters, flush left.

● Add an enclosure line if the envelope contains additional material. Use

Enclosure or ‘enc’. Place the name of the enclosure such as resume and
reminder etc.

● If the copies are sent to other people, place ‘c’ (for copy) at the left margin

and place name to the right.

TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS

1. Sales Letters
 2. Credit Letters

3. Letters of Enquiry

4. Letters of Quotation

5. Letters of Order

6. Letters of Claim and Complaint

7. Letters of Adjustment

LECTURE NO. 18
SALES LETTER
A good sales letter serves almost all purpose for various advertisements and
canvassing are used. Some such purposes which a good sales letter serves are
listed below:-

● Like an advertisement, it aims at converting the reader into a customer

● In order to convert a reader into a buyer, it first grips 1:1s attention and

rouses his desire to purchase that product

● It promotes the sale of that product

● It eventually results in expanding the customer network as it wins a

permanent customer.

Example Letter

Document Makers
2398 Red Street
Salem ,MA 34588
March 10, 2001
Smith
Drivers Co.
3489GreeneAve.
Olympia, WA 98502
Dear Mr. Smith:

Are you having trouble getting your important documents formatted correctly? If
you are like most business owners, you have trouble finding the time to
economically produce good-looking documents. This is why it is important to
have a specialist take care of your most important documents.

At Documents Makers, we have the skills and experience to come in and help you
make the best possible impression. May we stop by and offer you a FREE
estimate of how much it would cost to get your documents looking great? If so,
give us a call at and set up and appointment with one of your friendly operators.

Sincerely

Richard Brown
President

CREDIT LETTER

The term credit generally means Buy Now Pay Later. Its an agreement that one
makes with some business authority to pay later for something that one buys.

Example Letter

Trundle- Trundle and Smith

Mumbai

Feb 12, 2008

Laura L. Anderson
Director of Sales
Medi-Stock

Dear Ms. Anderson

We would like to purchase a large quantity of your sterilization supplies. Your
catalogue states that you require payment in advance, but I am writing to request
that you set up an ongoing line of credit for occupational health inc. with thirty
days payment terms.

Occupational health inc. is a private company based in New York. If you require
further information or references, I would be happy to supply anything you need.
I have enclosed a list of our financial business references.

Sincerely

Chief Financial Officer

Trundle- Trundle and Smith

LETTERS OF ENQUIRY
Letters of Enquiry request information from another company. It is one of the
most popular business letters. A business man may write a letter of inquiry asking
information about the quality, price and availability of the good to be purchased.
Such letter should be written in courteous language. Moreover, it should be
concise, clear and complete.
Inquiries may be of two types:
(a) Solicited

(b) Unsolicited

Solicited Inquiry: Solicited inquiry means an inquiry made in response to the

advertisement of the seller.
Unsolicited Inquiry: Unsolicited Inquiry means an inquiry made by the buyer at
his own initiative. He inquires about the good he wants to purchase. The
unsolicited inquiry letter has a wider scope.

Answer to Letter of Enquiry

Letters of Enquiry and the answers to them are broadly speaking business
promotion letters. Whether a letter is a solicited inquiry letter or it is an
unsolicited inquiry letter, it should be answered courteously and cautiously. The
firm that writes the answers to letter of inquiry pleads the case of its good,
describing the quality, price and other aspects of it. Such letter brings profit to the
buyers as well as to the sellers. While answering such letters, the seller depends
on the latest catalogue and price lists and other materials.

Example Letter

Kenneth Beare
2520 Visita Avenue
Olympia, WA 98501

Jackson Brothers
348723rdStreet
New York, NY 12009

September 12, 2000

To Whom It May Concern:

With reference to your advertisement in yesterday's New York Times, could you
please send me a copy of your latest catalog. I would also like to know if it is
possible to make purchases online.

Yours faithfully

(Signature)

Kenneth Beare
Administrative Director
English Learners & Company

Reply to inquiry letter

Jackson Brothers
348723rdStreet
New York, NY 12009

Kenneth Beare
Administrative Director
English Learners Company
2520 VisitaAvenue
Olympia, WA 98501

September 12, 2000

Dear Mr. Beare

Thank you for your inquiry of 12 September asking for the latest edition of our
catalogue.
We are pleased to enclose our latest brochure. We would also like to inform you
that it is possible to make purchases online at http:\\jacksonbros.com.
We look forward to welcoming you as our customer.

Yours sincerely

(Signature)

Dennis Jackson
Marketing Director
Jackson Brothers

LETTERS OF ORDER

Orders are the requests for dispatch and delivery of goods or the rendering of
services either against payment or on credit. Such letters should include
particulars with regard to the quantity, size and other specifications.

Example Letter
Mr. .Jack Brown,
Director
Used Books Online
Seattle, WA 98795

Dear Mr. Brown:

Would you please send me the following used books via COD? According to your
Web site, orders need to include the title, author, and publisher.

Title: "Driving Home"

Author: Peter Lawford
Publisher: Jackson and Co.

Title: "Landscaping for Fun"

Author :Janet Patterson
Publisher: Nature Ltd.

Title: "Christmas Myth"

Author :Margaret Smith
Publisher: Smoothers

Thank you very much,

Fred Finkle ham,

Professor, OUS
 LETTERS OF QUOTATION

Letters of quotation are ultimately letters of enquiries, seeking information regarding the
price, estimate and other terms and conditions of business and such other related matters.

Example Letter

Garden &Garden Nursery

New Delhi

13 June, 2011

Mr. John Doe

Horticulture Centre
New Delhi

Dear Mr. John Doe

The purpose of this letter is to solicit quotes, technical specifications, and other relevant
information from your company with respect to the following products:
1)Lawnmowers,
2)Hedge trimmers,
3)Rakes,
4)Leaf blowers,
5)Snow blowers,
If there are any special offers or opportunities to obtain the above items at reduced prices,
please be sure to include this information with your response. Please mail/fax/e-mail
[choose one] your information as soon as possible.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours truly
Raul Vecchione
Example Letter

Mr. Bob Grinier

4496LochmereLane
Bombay

14 July, 2011
Mr. Kay Ventillation
New Delhi

Dear Kay Ventilation,

I am writing this letter for a price quote on replacing my central air conditioning system
in my home.
My house is 4500 square feet, and used two individual central air conditioning units.
There is about 6000 feet of ventilation piping that needs to be replaced, as well as two
compressor units and 6 control panels. I wish to source my own compressor units, but
you will be responsible for all the ventilation and control panels.
Please provide me with pricing information and how long it would take to complete this
job for me. I am looking for someone to complete this in less than a week, so please
account for that in your price quote.

Kindest Regards
Bob Grenier

LETTER OF CLAIM OR COMLAINT

The purpose in writing a letter of complaint or claim is not to express your anger but its
sole motive should be to find out the possible ways to solve the problem so that business
relations with that firm can be maintained.
CLAIM LETTER
Example Letter

Drivers Co.
3489GreeneAve.
Olympia, WA 98502
August 17, 2001
Richard Brown, President
Document Makers
Salem, MA 34588

Dear Mr. Brown:

As someone who has worked with your company for over 3 years, we were very
disappointed to see the documents you produced for our latest Drivers Co. publicity
campaign.

As our written agreement stipulated, we expected full color leaflets with fancy
explanatory texts, but instead, we found that black and white photos had been included in
the prepared leaflets. I think you will agree that a communication problem exists.

We would like you to send out a photographer to provide us with the promised color
coverage, or provide us with a refund.

Yours truly

Thomas R Smith,
Director

COMPLAINT LETTER

Example Letter

Anne Rice
689, Park View Apartments
New Jersey

23rd June, 2008.

Mr. Thomas Morgan
Customer Service Manager
ABC Company
New Jersey
.
Subject: Defective product
Dear Mr. Morgan
I had bought the XYZ Baking Product, receipt number 123445 from your Company on
20th June. I regret to inform you that the product is defective and my numerous verbal
complaints to your personnel have yielded no results.
I request you to either replace the product with a functioning new product or refund my
money within one week.
I have never been let down by any of your products in the past and I look forward to your
immediate action on this occasion.
I am enclosing a copy of the Receipt to help you initiate immediate action.
Thanking You
Sincerely
Anne Rice
Encl: Copy of Receipt

ADJUSTMENT LETTER

This adjustment letter may be called a letter of regret. The writer not only expresses his
apology but also gives the reasons which have caused the resent inconvenience.

Example Letter

Document Makers
2398RedStreet
Salem, MA 34588
March 10, 2001
Thomas R .Smith
Drivers Co.
3489GreeneAve.
Olympia, WA 98502

Dear Mr. Smith:

I was very disappointed to read your letter of August 17 dealing with the issue of
incorrectly produced publicity leaflets. As someone who values your business, I have
already begun to find a solution to resolve this problem.
My top photographer will call you to arrange an appointment at your earliest possible
convenience to re-take photos in full color. Also, we will deduct another 15 percent of the
bill for the misunderstanding. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

(signature here)

Richard Brown
President

JOB APPLICATION

Whenever an applicant applies for a job, he will have to draft an application letter and
send it along with the resume. The purpose of this application letter is to let the reader
know what is sent, why it is sent and how can he/she benefits the sender by reading it.
The application letter will rouse the interest of the reader to read your resume just as
resume arouses the employer's interest to call you for an interview.

Rakesh Sharma
69, Civil Lines
Raipur

17 September,2009

The Managing Director

Kiran Pesticides
Industrial Area Bhopal
Sir

Your advertisement for a chemical engineer in the Hindustan Times of 12

September ,2009 inspires me tom think that I possess the qualification that answers to the
requirement of the job.
While doing B.E. in Chemical Engineering, I did a project on the National Pesticides
Lmt. , Kanpur. In the course of this Project I was able to make some suggestions which
were used by the company to improve the quality of their product.

I trust that I shall be able to satisfy you perfectly if I am given an opportunity to be

interviewed.

Yours Faithfully

Rakesh Sharma

Enclosure; Resume