BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

1
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

• By Meenakshi Aggarwal September 15, 2011

2
CORRESPONDENCE

• Business correspondence is an instrument of
  decision making in the business world.
• Business Correspondence is a link between people.
• It helps to reinforce professional exchange of
  ideas, opinion and information.

3
FUNCTIONS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

• To provide a convenient and inexpensive means of
  communication without personal contact
• To seek or give information
• To furnish evidence of transaction entered into
• To provide a record for future reference

4
KINDS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

• Personal Letters
• Non- Personal Letters

5
Non Personal Letters

• Business Letters
• Enquiries and replies, orders, their execution,
  credit and status enquiries, complaint and
  adjustment, collection letters
• Circular letters, sales letters
• Bank correspondence, insurance correspondence,
  import export correspondence, agency
  correspondence

6
Business Letters

• Application letter, interview letter, reference
  letter, letter of appointment, confirmation
  letter, promotion letter, retrenchment,
  resignation
• Correspondence from company secretary,
  correspondence with central government
• Letters to press

7
Classification of Business Letters

• Official Letters
• Demi-official Letters
• Internal Letters
• Form Letters

8
Official Letters

• Official letters are written to government or
  semi government bodies

9
Demi-official Letters

• Demi-official letters are official in purpose but
  are addressed to a person by name.

10
Internal Letters

• Internal letters or memos are used both in
  government offices and business houses for
  internal communication

11
Form Letters

• Form letters are used for correspondence of
  recurring or routine nature. They are used in
  case of acknowledgements, reminders, interviews,
  notices, appointments etc.

12
STRUCTURE- REGULAR LETTER

• Senders address
• Date
• Receivers address
• Salutation
• Body of the letter
• Salutation

13
STRUCTURE- BUSINESS LETTER

• Heading (Letter Head)
• Date
• Inside address
• Attention Line
• Salutation
• Subject/ Reference No.

14

• Body of the letter
• Opening or Introductory Paragraph
• Middle or Main Paragraph
• Closing or Concluding Paragraph
• Complementary Close
• Enclosures

15
Heading

• A business letter is generally typed on printed
  letter head.
• It contains-
• Writers full address
• Telephone no.
• E-mail ID
• Trademark,
• Registration no.
• Establishment year.

16
Date

• The date may be written in any of the following
  ways-
• 15th September 2011
• 15 September 2011
• September 16, 2011

17
Inside address

• The inside address contains the name and address
  of the firm or the individual to whom the letter
  is written.
• It helps
• in maintaining records.
• the outward clerk to write the same address on
  the cover

18

• Ex.-
• The Chief Accounts Officer
• Bharat Steel Tube Ltd.
• Hans Bhawan
• Connaught Place
• New Delhi

19
Attention line

• To elicit prompt response, sometimes a letter
  which is addressed to an organization and company
  is marked to the attention of a particular
  officer by name or designation.
• Attention The sales officer
• Or
• Kind Attention Mr. A.K.Mathur, Sales officer

20
SALUTATION

• Salutation in a letter is like greeting a person
  when you met him.
• Ex.-
• Dear Sir
• Dear Madam
• Dear Mr. Aggarwal
• Sir

21
Subject line

• Purpose- to let the reader know immediately what
  the message is about.
• Like reference and attention line, it saves time.
  
• The subject can be written before as well as
  after salutation.
• Ex.-
• Subject- Supply of raw material

22
Body

• Introduction
• The letter should open with-
• expression of pleasure
• Acknowledgment
• Reference to the action taken in response to
  the readers previous letter, if any.

23

• Ex.-
• We thank you for your order placed on 25th
  July..
• We thank for your enquiry...
• With reference to your letter no.

24

• Main Paragraph
• Contains subject matter of the letter
• Should be brief and to the point
• No relevant details should be omitted.

25

• Closing Paragraph
• Should-
• Be brief
• Be like natural and logical outcome of the main
  paragraph,
• Motivate the reader to act.

26

• Ex.-
• We look forward to our next meeting.
• We hope to hear from you soon.
• Looking forward to a positive response.

27
Complementary close

• The complementary close is a courteous leave
  taking, polite way of ending the letter.
• Ex.-
• Regards
• Yours sincerely

28
Enclosures

• If you enclose anything with the letter you
  should indicate it against the enclosure line
• Encl-
• 1. Catalogue
• 2. List of Dealers
• 3. Price List
• 4. Quotation

29
ANY QUESTIONS???