Type of Letters in Business Writing

Most business letters conclude with a closing signature block.

With a well-crafted business letter, you can apply for a job, ask for a refund on a faulty toaster or pitch your own product to a potential customer. Business letters serve widely divergent purposes, but they often adhere to common structures, such as full block format, and contain similar elements, including salutations, body paragraphs and closings.

Acknowledgment Letters

You can express appreciation for clients and colleagues with an acknowledgment letter. Keep the letter short and courteous. These types of letters help to build goodwill in business relationships.

Adjustment Letters

You may write an adjustment letter to respond to a customer complaint or problem. Take responsibility for the situation, and explain what the company is doing to resolve it. Whether you grant full or partial adjustment to the customer, these types of letters provide opportunities to build goodwill and restore customer confidence.

Collection Letters

You can collect an overdue bill with a collection letter or a series of collection letters. While these letters should always have a courteous and polite tone, the tone may become increasingly firmer and more urgent as time passes. These letters also provide an opportunity to maintain and strengthen the customer's relationship with the company.

Complaint Letters

Complaint letters are written to outline problems with logic and clarity. The letter should identify the problem, as well as any relevant details about it, and state what the recipient should do to resolve the issue. At all times, a complaint letter should maintain a courteous tone and anticipate potential reactions and contradictions.

Cover Letters

You can introduce the purpose for and the intended recipient of enclosed correspondence or materials through a cover letter. Whether preceding a report or resume in application for a job, cover letters briefly identify who the recipient is, what is being sent, and why it is being sent.

Inquiry Letters

You can obtain answers to specific questions through an inquiry letter. Keep questions clear, concise, and at a minimum, and outline questions in a list if possible. Offer some incentive for the recipient of the letter to respond to your inquiry, and provide the necessary information for that response, such as your contact information.

Refusal Letters

You can communicate a negative or a bad news message through a refusal letter. If necessary, take time to explain the logic of your refusal prior to presenting the negative message. Seek to maintain goodwill with the reader through a courteous and positive tone.

Sales Letters

A sales letter is written to convince a recipient to purchase a specific product, service or business. Take time to inspire the readers' interest in and appeal to their need for the product or service, and then ask them to follow through with a suggested course of action.

References

• "The Business Writer's Companion;" Gerald J. Alred, et. al.; 2005
• "Writing and Speaking at Work: A Practical Guide for Business Communication;" Edward P. Bailey; 2008