Official correspondence or written communication in business is the approach to commerce through the medium of letters. Business letters are the fast-moving messengers or ambassadors. These maintain business relations-start & conclude deals. Business letters are the essential means of communication in industry & commerce. In many cases, the quality, sincerity & effectiveness of the firm’s letter determine the ultimate success or failure of them. Today, writing business letters have become a fine art that embodies the cross techniques of psychology, journalism, advertising, PR & graphic arts & some concerns hire special professionals for this purpose. These letters may also be defined as a message that want to influence their reader just as a salesman would do & to take some action or attitude as required by the letter. They should not only present correct & clear information, but also build goodwill & add to the company’s prestige.
8 Essential Requirements of a good Official Correspondence are: –
1. Pertinence –
Pertinence means that the letter should be to the point & should be able to serve the purpose for which it is written. A thorough knowledge of the subject-matter about which the letter is written & a good command over the English language is very important to fulfill this requirement.
2. Courtesy –
The letter should be polite & courteous in its language & structure. It should be written in a formal, proper & gracious style. The courteousness presented in official correspondence paves the way for a better, heathy & continuous relationship all throughout with the organization. It also represents the nature of the concern and its entrepreneurs.
3. Brevity –
One of the most important features of business letter is its shortness. The letter should not be unnecessarily long; instead it should be brief & short. In today’s jet age no one has enough time to read lengthy letters. The shorter the letter, the easier & convenient it is to understand. Hence, official letters should only highlight the main purpose of writing the same.
4. Clarity –
The main purpose of writing the letter should be clearly & properly mentioned. The subject matter should have clarity so that the reader can easily understand the reason & cause of writing the letter.
5. Shortness –
This is similar to brevity of the letter. A formal letter must always be short, simple & to the point. Professionals generally do not have so much time to read big & long letters. So, it is very important for the letter to be short & precise, otherwise it will not serve the purpose & become useless.
6. Simplicity –
The language of the letter should be simple enough to be readable & understandable by the reader. Unnecessary use of complicated language should be readily avoided. In today’s world, the use of simple English is welcome to one & all. Hence, the simplicity should always be maintained.
7. Strength –
This is another important aspect of a business letter. The letter should express the strength of the organization & also emphasize on why the subject, for which the letter is written, is important.
8. Sincerity –
The letter should be written sincerely, without making up stories. Whatever is the subject, should be honestly & earnestly written, so that the solution or reply can be received with sincerity & honesty.
Official correspondence or business letters are extremely beneficial to develop & maintain healthy relationship with different concerns like manufacturers, distributors, support services & also consumers. Even in today’s scenario, when most of the communication takes place through apps & messages, the importance of official correspondence can never be denied. So, utmost care should be taken to write a flawless, short, courteous and simple business letter in order to strengthen the business relationship and flourish one’s company or business.
