Business Letter

What is a Business Letter?

• A type of letter which serves as a means of communication

written for various commercial purposes such as business
deal, complaint, warning, notice, invitation, declaration,
information, apology and various other corporate matters.
• The most popular and most widely written types of letters.
• Also the oldest form of official correspondence and
perhaps the propagators of mailing system.
 Parts of a Business Letter

1. Letterhead – the topmost heading printed on letter paper

which consists of name, address generally accompanied by a
logo of the organisation. Most professional firms have their
own pre-designed letterhead.
Example:
2. Date – written exactly below the letter head. It is a
important part of a letter and is used for reference. Supposed
to be written in full with day, month and year.
Example : June 14, 2019
3. Recipient – Also known as inside address, this part included
the Name of the Receiver, his Designation and Full address
inclusive of phone and email.
4. Salutation – Word of greeting used to begin a letter. It is a
courteous gesture and shows respect to the receiver. Dear Sir
/ Madam etc. are specifically known as Opening Salutation.
5. Body – The main part of the letter which consists of the
message of the letter that has to be clearly mentioned in the
first line, itself. It has the relevant subject matter which is to be
divided into a number of paragraphs, mostly 3-4 or more
depending upon the matter.
6. Closing (subscription) – refers to the end of the letter. It is
courteous and shows a mark of respect towards the recipient.
Yours Sincerely or Sincerely etc. are specifically known as
Closing Salutations.
7. Signature – Have your Printed Name typed, then sign above
the line containing your typed name. Should be written in Black
or Blue Ink.
8. Sender’s Name, title and contact information – If not
provided in the letterhead, one can include his Name, Title,
Address, Phone, Email etc. in separate lines.
9. Enclosure – If you have attached some documents, Type
Enclosures few lines after the Signature of Senders Info.
Provide the number and type of documents attached.
Example
 Business Letter Formats

1. Full block style- commonly used to correspond between

businesses and between individuals and businesses. Its
main purposes are to inform, request or register a
complaint.
- Every part of the letter (heading, address, salutation,
body, salutation, signature, identification, enclosures) is
aligned to the left.
- Also, first sentences of paragraphs are not indented
2. Semi block style- has partial formatting of a full block style.
-Follows the same arrangement as the block format (left
alignment)
-Except for paragraphs where indention is applied
3. Modified block style- In modified semi-block format there
are partial elements of modified block style.
-The heading, complimentary close, the signature, and
identification are aligned to the right.
-Address, salutation, the body, and enclosures are aligned to
the left.
-First sentences of paragraphs are indented.
 TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTER
1. 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.

Examples:
Application Letter for any Position
Scholarship Application Letter

Tips for Writing Application Letters

• Outline – First, make a specific agenda to yourself on what do you want
or require.
• Drafting – A rough copy of the original one. The outline of the letter
comes to be useful here.
• Be Specific and Brief – Be direct to the point, the receiver may
not have much time in their hands. This will also initiate a quick
response as the information will be brief and specific.

• Courtesy – Consider the recipient worthy of importance.

• Typing and Printing – Use fonts such as Arial or Times New
Roman as these are easy on eyes.
• Typed not Handwritten - Make sure the typed letters are
spaced, aligned evenly and have a uniform structure.
•
• Formal Closing Salutations - A formal salutation is polite,
courteous and respectful to the recipient and should match
the tone of the letter.
Example:
-Sincerely or Yours Sincerely
-Respectfully Yours’
-Faithfully Yours
-Yours Truly
• Proofreading – Read the letter to see any errors. If you miss
out any mistakes you can rectify them reading aloud to
yourself.
Application Letter for any Position
2. Resignation Letter - is a formal letter written by a person
who wants to give up his job, title, authority or position in an
official setup.
Other reasons for resignation:
• Illness or Accident
• Pregnancy or certain personal issues
• Commutation problem
• Company Policy or Low Salary
• Unavoidable circumstances or End of Contact
Examples:
Work Resignation Letter
Short Resignation Letter
Resignation Letter Writing Tips
• Resignation Letter Draft – It is a practice for preparing the
actual letter of resignation
• Resignation Letter is the Second Step – Announce your
resignation in person first, then file a formal resignation
letter after.
• Inform in Advance – It is irresponsible to quit the job as and
when it pleases. It is irritating and shocking for the
management. It is also harmful for your repute and future
employment.
• Brief and Focused - Keep it simple, brief, and focused.
• Always be Polite – Be polite at all times for your own
welfare and not for the praise of others.
• Don’t Use Negative Comments – Resignation letter wording
is to be positive. Never leave a nasty, jeering or sarcastic
comment.
• Providing reason to Quit, not Necessary – There is no
obligation for employees to give reasons for quitting the job.
A simple mention of resignation with all the above basic
formalities is enough.
• Proofread you Letter – Reread the letter to check your
grammar, spellings, sentence formation and structure.
• Deepak Kothari
#21, Lake Path,
Near Rose Park,
Edmonton 890
Tel: 098 - 1276645
• 8th November 2012
Nick Tully
Head
Edward Consulate
Edmonton 761
• Dear Nick Tully,
• I am writing to inform you that I have decide to cease my employment at Edward Consulate
effective as of 22nd November 2012. I have served the office as ‘Consultant’ for the past 2
years. I wish to thank you and the company for giving me a great opportunity to further my
career and engage in many meaningful projects.
• I have recently accepted a new position that will enable me to further develop my interests
in Social Service, which has always been my passion.
• I will be forever grateful for the support that I have received over the years working at
Edward Consulate and will always look back with fond memories. I am at your disposal
whenever a need arises out of my replacement or any other matter. You can contact me at
098 – 1276645 after 3 P.M.
• Sincerely,
• Your signature
• Deepak Kothari (your printed name)
3. Complaint Letter - is a type of letter written to address any
type wrong doing, offence, grievance, resentment arising out of
a product, service etc. Used to raise your concerns about unfair
things and seek a productive outcome.
Examples:
Product Complaint Letter
Customer Complaint Letter

Tips for Writing a Complaint Letter

• Approach Strategy – It is important to know the ‘State of your
Complaint’. Are you writing for the First Time, Second time
etc? How much have you been harassed, the extent of losses
you have incurred, has your complaint letter not responded
and various other factors.
Examples of Approaches:
Authority – If you want your letter to have a commanding appeal
and the message should come across with force then you can use
the authoritative approach.
Basic – A basic approach is to be utilised as an initial step. Because
this is your first step towards refund you need to be concise and
straight to the point.
Factual – Many of us are technical experts and we know the
solution.
Friendly – Being friendly whilst complaining ‘Sounds out of this
World’ but this is another positive approach to get your things
done, the easy way.
• Typed Letter and Handwritten Letters – Have a Typed or
Computer printed Letter than a handwritten one.
• Check your Grammar – Write to the point and don’t use
language which doesn’t confuse the reader. Use short
paragraphs. Don’t use abbreviated words unless you are
sure the reader will understand it.
• Hard Copy better than Soft Copy – Better to use a hard
copy which means a Paper Letter and not Email.
• Complain it in Time –When you have purchased anything from
the internet as these have time limit within which they accept
defective parts or products.
• Attach essential Documents – Enclose the photocopies of
documents like agreements, hard copies of email received,
earlier complaint letters, receipts, warranty etc. to make appeal
strong and with proof of how incompetence of the system.
• Proofreading - Review your Letter, rewrite or reprint if need
arises. Take a break for 1-2 hours to start afresh and add
anything you have missed.
• Arnold Armstrong
89 Villa Street
Val Haven, CT 95135
Phone – 890056711
armisstrong@arnold.com
30th June, 2012
Customer Care Manager
Customer Service
Airtel Telecom
8423 Green Terrace Road
Asterville, WA 65435
Dear Sir or Madam
Re: Order Number TF285347
• I recently ordered a new Beetel Modem (item #285347), Model 100CX from your website on 20th June 2012. I received the
order on 7th July. Unfortunately, the modem turned out to be defective.
• I connected it to my PC and installed all the drivers provided. I followed the manual provided but it didn’t work. All the Lights
on the Modem were ON. I even went through troubleshooting but to no avail. I even installed it on my friends PC but ‘No
Connectivity’. I used my Dying Modem to check if the ‘Line wasn’t Faulty’. The internet worked fine and there was ‘No issue
with the Line’. I even formatted and reinstalled Windows just to make sure that there wasn’t a problem in my system. But that
didn’t make the modem work.
• As mentioned above, I have tried everything and the fault lies clearly in the modem. I would like you to credit my account for
the amount charged for the modem. I needed a new modem so I bought it from a local shop. I don’t need a Replacement but a
Refund which I am entitled to as per your Policy.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I have been a loyal and satisfied customer of your company for quite some
time now. This is the first time I have encountered a problem.
• Looking forward towards a Prompt Refund.
• Sincerely,
• Signature
• Arnold Armstrong
 What is a Friendly Letter?
A type of letter written to people who are your relatives,
friends, peers, acquaintances or anyone with whom you
have a relationship.
It is not a prerequisite that the recipient has to be your
friend; it can be anyone with whom you are friendly. That
person can be anyone whom you know well enough to
correspond.
• Sandy Street 506
• North Baysville, CA 53286
June 7, 2009
• Dear Amanda,
• It has been a long time since the last time I saw you. It has also been quite a while that I wrote to my Best
Friend. Surely, you haven’t written to me as well. Busy Bee!!! On my part, I can say that I was doing a part-
time job and studying at the same time. Now that my studies are over I can relax a bit (only for 2 weeks). The
part-time job is to cover up for studies and expenses.
I spend my weekends at the beach. I have got a nice tan and you must have seen that in the pictures I sent
you along with this letter. I didn’t do it intentionally it is just that I have been playing lots of volleyball, surfing
and collecting sea shells and that also in the sun, so you can imagine. I wish you were here and we would have
lots of fun just like we used to during school days. I just cannot stop thinking about the time spent with you
and doing all kinds of stuff.
I hope you are enjoying the summers too. As far as I remember you are having holidays too, so why not come
to my place? There is the Beach, Sea, Sun and lots of other things to keep you busy and entertained. If not,
how about a get-together of sorts? Just have few ideas, I will post you about it when I write to you the next
time.
Your friend,
Tim Chuckle
• Signature
• P.S. Send me your latest Pics;)
•
 References
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/basic
_ business_letters/index.html
https://www.xerox.com/en-us/small-business/tips/business-letter
https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/writing-center/business-letter/format/
https://targetstudy.com/letters/business-letter/how-to-write-business-letter.htm
https://targetstudy.com/letters/application-letter/
https://targetstudy.com/letters/application-letter/how-to-write-application-letter.htm
https://targetstudy.com/letters/resignation-letter/
https://targetstudy.com/letters/resignation-letter/how-to-write-resignation-letter.htm
https://targetstudy.com/letters/complaint-letter/
https://targetstudy.com/letters/complaint-letter/how-to-write-complaint-letter.htm
https://targetstudy.com/letters/friendly-letter/
https://targetstudy.com/letters/friendly-letter/how-to-write-friendly-letter.htm