Assignment 2

Letters of Inquiry

When you need information about materials, price, discount and other information, you should write a letter of inquiry. This letter may contain any business information which you need to know.

In writing the inquiry, you should clearly state the type of information you want. If necessary, you may give the detail of the information so that you can get the exact material you require.

A. Opening Paragraph

·        We should be pleased/glad if you could  send us your latest catalogue.

·        Please let us have your illustrate catalogues, terms of payment and terms  of delivery.

·        We are interested in your products and should be pleased if you could send us  your catalogue, price-list and terms of payment.

·        We have seen your advertisement in Jakarta Times and should be pleased if you could send us your catalogue and price-list.

·        We have seen your product at your stand at   Jakarta fair and should be pleased if you could send us your latest catalogues and price-list.

·        With reference to your advertisement in Jakarta post I read a few days ago, would you please send your catalogues, price-list and

              term of payment.

B. Requesting Information

·        We would like to know whether you can offer us a special discount.

·        Please let us know your terms of payment

·        Would you please let us know whether you can offer us a special discount for this month.

C. Closing Paragraph

·        We should be pleased to receive your prompt  replay.

·        We look forward to receiving your reply  (immediately)

·        We should appreciate your prompt reply

·        We hope you will be able to send us replay by return.

Order Letters

When ordering goods, care must be taken to state requirements clearly so that the seller will not be confused about the exact goods asked for. It should never be necessary for them to refer to former order or to white for further details. If goods are ordered from a catalogue or numbered list, the clearest indication that can be given is to quote the catalogue or list number. The date when delivery is required should be stated, also the preferred method of transport-road, rail, sea, or air. The goods may be required at the office address or at the warehouse address of the firm. They may even be delivered direct to the address of a customer of the buyers. It is essential, therefore, to state where the goods are to be sent.

Remember that all relevant information should be given in an order letter. It is more business-like-and certainly it helps to prevent orders being misread-to tabulate the items required. As a guide to the paragraphing of an order letter you should include:

a. Reference to a source of information

b. List of goods to be ordered

c. Quantity, quality, price, catalogue number (if any)

d. Details of delivery and payment

e. An order number

The order letter is used to order goods in accordance with the amount which is required by company either by using official order form or not. There ate two ways in making order, they are:

1. Order without using official order form

2. Order by using official order form.

Order without using official order form can be done by only writing a letter with all details of orders bydirectly enclosed it in that letter. Thus, this letter functioned as an order letter, therefore the content must clear, brief and direct to the purpose.

Complaint Letter

A Complaint Letter is a type of letter written to address any type wrong doing, offence, grievance, resentment arising out of a product, service etc. Complaint Letters are used to raise your concerns about unfair things and seek a productive outcome. They are also used to vent out your pent up emotions arising out of your suffering or bad experience. It is a fundamental right and duty of a citizen to seek justice arising out of any injustice, which is initiated by a Complaint. Complaint letters then, become your First Step towards your Consumer Rights. They inspire other hassled consumers, influence the concerned authorities towards taking proper action and make the defaulters more liable, responsible and responsive. This is because unresponsive behaviour of the offender is liable to a Punishable Court Proceeding or an Expensive Lawsuit.

Writing complaints letters is an essential responsibility of the victim whilst seeking positive outcomes. Complaint Letter writing is not only a pre-warning for the offender but also a chance for them to rectify their act in time. These letters are not just meant for defective products, service they can also be written towards any injustice happening in the society, like ‘Smoking in Public’, ‘Misuse of Water by any Person or an Organisation’ and any issue happening in society which needs to be addressed.

Anyone can complaint through letter if there is a legitimate reason. Anyone can write a letter to the administration regarding the pollution, water supply, traffic problems, shortage of electricity etc. You don’t need to be a lawyers or an influential person. All you need to do is to learn to write a complaint letter in an appropriate manner with all the relevant information included. In the matter contained here, you will get all the tips to write a complaint letter.

Types of Complaint Letters

Complaint letters are of different types and different reasons and depending upon that they can be categorised accordingly.

Depending on the level of an organisation or an individual these can be:

·        Personal Complaint Letters 

- When a letter is written at a personal level by an individual it is called as Personal Complaint Letter. These are written by consumers to get refund, replace a product etc.  These are also written for grievances’ regarding a service or any issue affecting the individual or society at large.

·        Professional Complaint Letters 

- When a letter is written on behalf of an organisation it is called known as Professional Complaint Letter. These letters have the backing of an organisation and are mostly related to professional items and services.

Application Letter

Application Letter is a letter written for a variety of purposes in our day to day activities which can be domestic or professional. It is a liability conferred upon the sender by an authority. In such a liability the sender is expected to explain, inform/pre-inform the authoritative receiver about particular ongoing/upcoming activities, events, process or procedures. It is also a written request when written for assistance, admission, employment, favour, information, permission, service etc. A letter of application is also an accompanying document as and when required. When it does so it is known as Cover Letter. An application letter is largely a formal type of letter as it follows a predefined format which is applicable to most type of application letters.

Types of Application Letters:

• Application letter for teachers

• Application letter resume

• Bursary application letter / application for grant

• Business application letter

• Internship application letter / application letter for internship

• Job application letter / application letter for job

• Leave application letter

• Loan application letter

• School application letter

• Scholarship application letter / application letter for scholarship

• Visa application letter

Often you will come across information that limits the meaning of application letter to that of just a cover letter. But the multipurpose role of application letter makes it meaning broad and in that sense it also a request letter and an inquiry letter. Varied practices across the globe and the prominence of same type of information related to application letter does not let it come across as any other type of letter. For most of us, the internet is the final or ultimate source of information. Search for the term ‘Application Letter’ on the internet and you will come across information which is indecisive.

Many confirm letter of application as same as a cover letter while some disagree. But the truth is mentioned in the above paragraph. To confine application letter to cover letter is to limit its definition and propagate misunderstanding. Towards this effect, let us go through an example. You want certain holidays from your college and you write a leave application letter to the principal. This letter is an application of request. Similarly, when you need to get a new account passbook issued from the bank you are requested to write a letter. When you want a loan from a bank, you apply for it by an application letter. These and many more point out to the varied uses of letter of application.

Memo Letter

A short message or record used for internal communication in a business.

Once the primary form of internal written communication, memorandums (or memos) have declined in use since the introduction of email and other forms of electronic messaging.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 1

A.   Business Letters

The four areas you must take into consideration for writing an effective business letter:

1.     Subject

Ø Know WHAT you’re writing about

Ø Stick to one or two subjects in your letter. Including more than two subjects clouds your message.

Ø Write another letter if you have more than two subjects.

2.     Audience

Ø Know WHO you’re writing for.

3.     Purpose

Ø Know WHY you are sending the letter.

Ø Is the letter to inform? Is it to request information? Is it to offer congratulations? Condolences? Is it to get the recipient to act on a request?

4.     Style/Organizational

Ø The Basic organization for the body of business letters:

·        Part 1: State your purpose

Ø Example:

“Thank you for your conscientious service. All 15 of your last shipments have arrived undamaged. We have never contracted with a supplier with as fine a record as yours. We appreciate the extra effort it takes to ship our order intact and on time. “

·        Part 2: Explain what you want to happen or explain the information you have.

Ø Example:

Ø “Ted McCracken and Bob Smiley have delivered these shipments to our loading dock supervisor. I have attached copies of logs for your review. Note that the unloading time is approximately half of that from other shippers for a similar load. Ted and Bob frequently help our crew unload the crates. This additional service always comes with an exchange of jokes. Our crew collects laughs to compete with your drivers! “

·        Part 3: Request a dated action, conclude or thank the reader for his response.

Ø Example:

Ø “Doing business with your organization is a pleasure. You save us money by eliminating shipping waste and time by providing efficient drivers. Please accept the enclosed certificates of merit to Terrance Trucking, Ted and Bob, with our appreciation. We are confident in referring our customers and vendors to Terrance Trucking for their shipping needs.”

B.    Seven C’s Effective Business Letter

·        Conversational

Ø For example:

Ø Due to the fact that= stilted phrase

Ø because = conversational

Ø Aforementioned information = stilted phrase

Ø The information or the previous information= conversational

·        Clear

Ø Use specific examples the reader can relate to.

Ø Don’t assume that your reader understands the jargon of your trade.

Ø Organizing your letter so each paragraph deals with only one main idea and presenting your ideas in a logical order.

·        Concise.

Ø It is better to write a short letter with attachments than a long, detailed one.

·        Complete.

Ø For example, don’t say, “When we last spoke about the situation,” when you can say, “When we spoke on June 8 about hiring a new administrative assistant.”

·        Concrete.

Ø Say, “The order for 10,000 basins that we requested on May 3, 20XX, has not arrived as of June 20.” Identify names and numbers.

·        Constructive

Ø Words such as “failure,” “you neglected” and “error” tend to distance the recipient from the writer. Words such as “agreeable,” “proud” and “success” help create a positive tone.

C.     Part of Business Letters

      Letterhead

·         Most business letters originating from a firm are written on the firm’s letterhead. If you are writing a personal letter or your firm does not use letterhead, then you need to include your firm’s address in the heading.

      Date

·         When you are using a heading instead of letterhead, place the date on the first line andthe address on the subsequent lines as follow:

  September 9, 2xxx

  359 Longview Road

  Mt. Vernon, IL 65676        

      Inside Address

·         This should include the name of the person you are writing to, the person’s title (if available), the name of the firm and the firm’s address as follows:

Terry Lancaster

Head of Warehouse

Terrance Trucking

P.O. Box 4440

Houston, TX 34598-4440

      Attention Line

·         When you do not know the name of the person you are writing to and the letter is addressed to the firm. For example, the attention line may say, “ Attention: Head of Accounting.”

When you know the name of the person you are writing to but are unsure of the title. The attention line may say,” Attention: Customer Service.”

Another way of doing this is to use the attention line and send copies of the letter to the appropriate department.

      Salutation

ü  The following are salutations used in American business letters.

ü  Dear Sir

ü   Dear Madam (May be followed by title, such as Dear Madam Chairperson.)

ü  Gentlemen

ü  Ladies

ü  Dear Mr. Bryan

ü  Ladies and Gentlemen ( female and male organization

ü  Dear Personal Director ( a gender-free-title)

ü  To Whom It May Concern or TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN (use this form as the last resort).

ü  Dear Terry Lucas (when you do not know the gender)

ü  Shipping Agents, not “Gentlemen” (if you are addressing a group of people in general, such as shipping department, do not assume they are all male.)

ü  Friends: (to avoid sexiest and strike a less formal note)

ü  Dear IBM: (informal approach)

ü  Madam:     Sir:        Friend: (if do not have a  name)

ü  Dear Ms.White ( in doubt about how a woman prefers to be addressed)

ü  Dear Messrs. White, Brown, and Jones (Messieurs) to address more than one man in the saliutation

      Subject Line

·         The subject line is most commonly used in Simplified Letter. It announces the subject of the letter and provides a summary of your intent.

      The Body of the Letter

·         This is where make requests, provide information or reasons, or reply to someone. It is the main part of the business letter.

·         Part 1 of the Body: Get right to the point in the first sentence of the letter by giving a statement of your purpose. This part is usually a short paragraph.

·         Part 2 of the Body: It explains the information you are giving, or it explains what you want the recipient to do. It includes all of the information the recipient needs.

·         Part 3 of the Body: This like the first part, is usually a short paragraph. Depending on the purpose of your letter, it will do one of three things:

·         Conclude. It allows you to point out the most important item or draw all your key points into one statement.

·         Request action. In letters that require a response, such as collection letters, you define the action you want the recipient to take. In this part, you tell reader what to do and when to do it. Be specific.

·         Thank the reader.  In some letters, this part is simply a thank you for the recipient’s attention, response or concern.   

      Complimentary Close

·         The following complimentary closes are in order of decreasing formality:

·         Very truly yours, (formal traditional)

·         Respectfully, (formal traditional)

·         Sincerely yours, (informal and personal)

·         Cordially, (informal and personal)

·         Sincerely, (informal,personal and more common)

·         Best regards, (informal personalized)

·         With love, (personal and warm)

·         Cheers, ; Your friend, ; See ya, (personal and breezy)

      SIGNATURE

·         There should be four lines between the complimentary close (or the body in the Simplified Letter) and your typed name so there is room for your signature.

·         State your name and business title below the signature.

      Additional Information

·         Reference Initial: use capital letters and followed by colon for sender’s initial, followed by the typist’s initial in small letters.

·         Enclosure (Enc):The enclosure line at the bottom of the letter notes that additional material has been sent.

·         CC or XC (copies): for copies sent, followed by names of persons receiving the copies.

      POSTSCRIPT

·         The “P.S.” highlights additional information. Often used in sales, promotional or personal letters. It can emphasize a request for action or consideration.

      Mailing Instructions

·         Use these to give the reader deadlines or pertinent information on mailing a reply.

D.   On-Arrival Notations (Envelope)

Ø You might want to include a special notation on private correspondence. This is also typed in all uppercase characters.
Others prefer to put it between the inside address and the salutation. Remember to put it on the envelope as well, which is probably even more important. Examples of private correspondence notations:

Ø PERSONAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

E.    Business Letter Format

n  Block or Full block

      Block

      The Block format is by far the simplest. Every part of the letter starts at the left margin, with spaces between each part.

n  Modified Block 

      It is similar to Block format, but the date, signature and closing are placed to the right, thus allowing them to stand out. The complimentary close and the signature are aligned and placed near the center of the letter, two spaces below the last paragraph.

n  Modified Semi-Block

      It is the same as the Modified Block except that the paragraphs are indented five spaces. All spacing remain the same.

n  Simplified

      This is useful when you do not know the title of the person you are writing to or when you are writing to a company, government agency or organization. It eliminates the courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.), the salutations and the complimentary close. The focus of the letter is on the body and what is to be said. The spacing is the same as the Block format.

n   Memo

      It is used as an interoffice communication. The top of the Memo indicates :

      the date,

      the name(s) of the recipient(s),

      the name(s) of the sender(s)

      the subject.

      The abbreviation “RE” is sometimes used instead of “Subject.”

      This information is placed at the left margin.

      The body of the Memo is in Block form.

       A signature and additional information are optional. The signature is often placed near the center with the additional information at the left margin.

Ø Block Style

 

 

Ø Modified Block Style

 

Ø Modified Semi-Block Style

 

Ø   

Ø Simplified Style

 

Ø Memo Style

F.    Letter of Introduction

                  This letter introduces a person to a company or individual. Letters of introduction are similar to references, quite often describing the qualifications of the person to be introduced.