How many formats of business letter

Assure your recipient you will do everything in your power to correct the matter, and share the specific steps you will take to do so. Be willing to make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary to make things right with your reader. An office memorandum or business memo is a short yet formal document used for communication between the business and its employees.

Effective memos are brief and easy to navigate. The document is primarily for internal use, such as an announcement regarding changes to personnel within an organization or updates on company gatherings.

A clear and straightforward subject: If you are issuing an email, communicate the message of the memo in the subject line. If the memo will be distributed to employees on paper, you can still include a brief subject line at the top of the letter. The intent of the memo: List the purpose of the memo in the introductory paragraph.

Be concise and keep the language positive throughout. A breakdown of the information: Use the body paragraph and conclusion to outline the information you are sharing.

Include details of how employees can act on this memo or reach out to a specific point person with any follow-up questions. A welcome letter is a formal way of introducing a company or employee and provides basic information to the recipient. For example, while a new employee welcome letter provides employees with the information to help them better prepare for their first day of work, a new customer welcome letter thanks the customer for their business and provides them with an overview of the company.

Overall, these letters use a welcoming tone to help establish a greater working relationship. The first few lines of your letter may differ depending on your intention. For example, if you're writing a new employee welcome letter, emphasize your enthusiasm about them joining your team. For a new customer or client welcome letter, start by expressing your appreciation for their business. Personalize your letter by referencing prior conversations you've had. If you're writing a welcome letter for a new employee, explain why you're excited to have them by mentioning something that was discussed during their interview.

If you're writing a new customer letter, reassure them about the value of the product or services they purchased. In a new client welcome letter, reassure them of how you can meet or exceed their expectations.

Ensure the recipient knows everything they need to know at the start of this new partnership. For example, in a new employee welcome letter, explain the orientation process, give them an idea of what their first day will look like and where they should go.

You can also make a list of required documents they need to bring on their first day and outline any company dress codes. Letters of introduction. A request letter is a way to formally ask for something in the workplace.

You can use this letter to request a raise, a training class, a recommendation or even a meeting to ask for a promotion. Letters of request can also be a beneficial way to acquire specific information.

Start your letter with a clear and succinct explanation of your request. The overall tone of your request letter should be polite yet convincing. If applicable, include evidence or other documentation related to your request. For example, if you are requesting a recommendation, it could be helpful to attach your resume so they can quickly refresh their memory with your qualifications.

For many request letters, it can also be important to give a timeline. For example, if you are requesting a recommendation letter, you may need to submit it by a specific date.

Sharing that deadline and asking them to let you know if they are unable to provide a letter by that time allows you the opportunity to send your request to someone else.

Transfer request letter. A business announcement letter is a letter sent out to employees, vendors, customers or the press to declare something of note for the company, such as a change of policy, an employee or management change, a merger, a takeover, a product release or an event.

The letter is typically short and written in a formal note. This statement should be concise and to the point. Next, your letter should explain your announcement in more detail. Most importantly, your announcement will need to include specific details pertinent to your announcement. This might include store hours, or contact information like a physical address, phone number or website. If you are announcing something internally to employees, such as a merger, you can offer a point person for employees to direct their questions.

Employee promotion announcement letters. A termination letter is a respectful yet effective way to dismiss an employee from their current job. Termination letters are also called a "letter of separation," "a notice of termination of employment" or "contract termination letter. First, inform the employee that their employment is terminated and specify the date it will effectively end.

This eliminates any potential confusion and allows the employee to prepare for their dismissal. If applicable, include evidence to support your reasoning. Next, explain any benefits or compensation they will receive once their employment ends. This can include severance pay, payment for unused leave days and any other salary owed. Also, let them know what will happen to their healthcare, life insurance and retirement funds.

Remind them of any signed agreements, like a non-disclosure agreement or other documents from the onboarding process, that might impact their compensation and benefit payout. Finally, list the next steps for the employee to take. Notify the employee of any company property they must return, such as a company cell phone, laptop, keys, ID badges and parking passes.

Then include contact details for their HR representative to direct any questions regarding compensation, benefits and other details in the letter. Though many types of letters have certain formatting requirements and include a variety of information, there are a few components that are consistent across most business letters, including:.

This step is essential, especially when ending a physical copy of a business letter. Your contact information should include your name, phone number, and business address or email address.

A subject line is used when sending a business letter via email. This brief line often includes a few-word summary of the purpose of your letter. The formality of the greeting will depend on the type of business relationship you have with the reader. If you are looking for a new job, your greeting should be formal.

If you are sending a quick follow-up to a customer that you have already created a relationship with, then you might choose to use their first name. The introduction describes the purpose of the letter and what you are hoping to achieve with it. The body of your business letter includes specific details about your purpose, including asking or answering questions and providing additional information.

Your conclusion should leave the reader with a call to action, such as how the reader can order a product or reach out to you for more information.

A signature can be as simple as writing your name or as complex as including your credentials and certifications. How you sign a business letter will also depend on your current relationship with the reader. Read more: The 7 Parts of a Business Letter. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when writing a business letter:. Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Career Development. Image description Business Letter Format 1. Types of business letters.

Cover letters Letters of recommendation Interview follow-up letters Offer letters Sales letters Letters of commendation Letters of resignation Thank you letters Complaint letters Apology letters Office memorandum Welcome letters Request letters Announcement letters Termination letters. Cover letters.

Contact information. Though a simple enough document to produce, writing effective business letters can be quite a challenge. Keep it short and simple. Use simple and succinct words instead of long-winded ones. Business letters need to be pithy; this can be achieved by making use of clear and concise words, short sentences, and crisp paragraphs. As far as formatting of a letter goes, given below is the standard format of any business letter:. Each of these areas has a proper place, depending on which type of letter you are creating.

What goes in each area also may vary, depending on whom the letter is being sent to and who is writing it. There are three main styles of business letter: block , modified block , and semi-block styles.

Each is written in much the same way, including the same information, but the layout varies slightly for each one. In this type of modified block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. You do not need to indent at all. The margins should be set to If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.

You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between paragraphs. Acknowledgment letters are a professional courtesy, meant to acknowledge the receipt of something, or to acknowledge a fact or an error. It usually entails a short detail of the day something arrived and a note of thanks. Inquiry letters: These are letters of request for something or a response to a request sent by someone.

The purpose of the letter is to obtain the information or object requested. Order letters: Also known as purchase orders, these letters are used to order or buy material. Essentially documenting a transaction between buyer and seller, this is a legal document. Response letters: These are in response to a received letter.

They generally list the fulfilling of a request or detail steps taken to fulfill a request made by someone. Bad news letters: As opposed to the good news letter, a bad news letter, such as dismissal and rejection letters, need to be handled carefully. While you need to maintain the concise and professional tone of a business letter, you also need to be sensitive to the reader's feelings.

In a bad news letter, instead of conveying the bad news to the reader outright, you need to place it in the middle of the text. A bad news letter should present the bad news in a positive light. It needs to reassure the reader that all necessary aspects of a particular issue were taken into account before making a decision.

A bad news letter should not leave the reader with a bad taste in his or her mouth; instead it should leave the person with the feeling that the decision was fair and just. Letters of request: As the name suggests, these are letters sent to a company or professional seeking help.

One could be asking for time, money, services, or products; the fact is that, when you ask for someone's help, you are subliminally potentially putting yourself lower than the other person. Whether you feel it personally, this feeling needs to come out through your words, without sounding needy. Here are a few things to keep in mind:.

Memos: The other most common form of business communication is memorandums, or memos. Though they provide information similar to a letter, they are very different in their format.

Here are the key differences:. When formatting a memo, one should be aware of the strict format that memos stick to. Memos always begin with a bottom-line statement, or the statement of the exact purpose.

Memos are extremely crisp, to the point, and use a businesslike tone. Memos usually are short bits of information that get to the point quickly and inform, announce, or request something.

The terms "memo" and "memorandum" can be used interchangeably. There is no need for a signature line or any of the other formal endings or closings that letters require. Sometimes the person whom the memo is from will initial next to the name on the memo to indicate she or he has read and approved it before it has been distributed or posted. Think of a memo as being similar to making a company announcement on a loudspeaker to those in your office.

You would be direct and to the point and let people know the information you need to share. Tax time is once again upon us. It is important that each staff member stop by the accounting department within the next 10 days to sign the new deduction forms. Each employee is required to update the form we have on file, so this will need to be done. To update your form, you will need to bring the following with you:.

Executive summary: As the name suggests, an executive summary is a shorter and concise version of a longer document. If you are using Microsoft Word, you can turn to its built-in Letter Wizard for additional formatting assistance look on the Tools menu. Sender's Address: It is a good idea to include sender's email and url, if available. Don't include this information if it's already incorporated into the letterhead design.

This will allow customers to find your small business more quickly. Salutation: Be sure to use a colon at the end of the name, not a comma as in personal letters. Body Text: State why you are writing. Outline the solution, providing proof in the way of examples and expert opinions. Group related information into paragraphs. Closing "Call to Action": State what the reader needs to do and what you will do to follow up. This business letter format illustrates the specific parts of a business letter:.

Body Text: I understand from our mutual acquaintance, Chad Johnson, that you are looking to retain an accountant to assist you in the sale of your business. As you'll see on our website, my associates and I have extensive experience in financial accounting, internal audits, and tax compliance.

For the past several years, we have specialized in business evaluation and transition services for sellers. We enjoy working closely with clients throughout the sale process to ensure a smooth transition. As our clients can attest, our various pre-sale price improvement strategies can significantly optimize a business's sale price. Should you be thinking of purchasing another business, please note that we also offer business acquisition services.

Call to action: To set up an appointment to discuss your specific needs, please contact me at Use a professional tone: Save casual, chatty language for email - your printed business letter should be friendly but more professional.

As Scott Ober suggests in his book Contemporary Business Communication, "The business writer should strive for an overall tone that is confident, courteous, and sincere; that uses emphasis and subordination appropriately; that contains nondiscriminatory language; that stresses the "you" attitude; and that is written at an appropriate level of difficulty.

Write clearly: State your point early in your letter. To avoid any miscommunications, use straightforward, concise language. Skip the industry jargon and instead choose lively, active words to hold your reader's attention. Organize your information logically: Group related information into separate paragraphs.

In a long, information-packed letter, consider organizing information into sections with subheads.