Business Letters: Definition, Types, Format and Tips!
What is the Meaning of a Business Letter ?
A business letter is a formal written communication used to convey
professional messages, inquiries, requests, or information between
organizations, individuals, or businesses.
Examples include job applications, partnership proposals, client
communications, or corporate notifications. In essence, a business
letter is both a functional and professional way to foster relationships,
convey important messages, and create a record of interactions in the
corporate world.
A professional, formal letter always maintains professionalism,
clarity, and a respectful tone. Unlike casual forms of communication,
such as emails or phone calls, these letters are often more detailed,
formal, and prepared with greater care, ensuring that all key
information is presented in an official manner.
Whether you need to tell a potential client about your product,
collaborate with another company, convince someone to attend your
event, or give a thank you note – a well-written business letter can
stand out!
Types of Business Letters
1. Cover Letters
First up, a cover letter is a one-page document that candidates submit
along with their resumes. It takes the employer on a guided journey of
their greatest career & life achievements. No matter if you’re a
student or an experienced professional, a cover letter is an important
document to show your skills, experience, and why you’re fit for the
position you are applying for.
2. Business Invites
These letters are a formal way to reach out to a company or an
individual and invite them to attend an event hosted by your
company. As business events tend to be formal, an invitation letter is
most likely to be formal as well. But, if you are organizing a casual
event, it should be reflected in your invite and tone.
3. Complaint Letter
This letter is a way to express your disappointment formally. You can
report a bad experience or poor customer service or let a company
know that their products didn’t meet your expectations. The key to
this letter is that it shouldn’t sound like you are nagging but shouldn’t
lose its importance if you want to be taken seriously.
4. Letter of Resignation
A letter of resignation is a document that notifies your employer that
you’re leaving your job. Whether you work at a coffee shop or a big-
shot company, it’s proper protocol to submit a letter of resignation
before you leave. Also, if you want to send an incendiary letter of
resignation, don’t give in! You might cross paths with these people
again.
5. Order Letters
Also known as “purchase orders,” these letters are used to order
things or buy material. They act as a legal record, documenting the
transaction between the buyer and seller. These letters are generally
written by one business to another to make an order or modify it.
6. Letter of Recommendation
These letters intend to recommend someone for an internship, job,
fellowship, or other such opportunities. Before hiring an employee,
many employers ask for such kinds of letters. It tells why the person
the letter is about is a good person to hire and describes their strengths
& abilities.
Format to Write a Business Letter in 9 Simple Steps
People often overlook the importance of writing persuasive business
letters because the concept just doesn’t interest them. As a result of
which, people don’t know how to write a business letter.
If you’re in the same boat, we’ve got your back. Writing a clear and
concise business letter isn’t a big deal, as long as you follow the
established rules for layout and language, read on to know more!
Step 1: Sender’s Information
If you want a reply, you must understand how to properly address a
business letter.
In this section, you must write your address, contact number, and
email address.
Many people include their full name at the top, too. However, others
think that it’s unnecessary because you are going to sign the letter
with your name anyway.
Want to save some time?
Well, if your company has a letterhead, you can use that instead of
typing out all the information.
Step 2: Date
Rather than abbreviating with numbers, write the entire date.
When you’re writing to American companies, use the American date
format i.e, put the month before the day.
Example: May 20, 2024
Write the date before the month if you’re sending a letter in the U.K.
or Australia.
Example: 20 May 2024
Step 3: Recipient’s Address
This is the address where your letter will be delivered.
Write the recipient’s name, their title (Ms./Mrs./Mr./Dr), and their
address. Make sure you’re as specific as possible so that it reaches the
right destination.
If you don’t know the person’s name, a little research won’t harm
you! Call the company or speak to the employees of the company to
find out the name.
Example:
Mr.MikeBrown
ExecutiveDirector
XYZ,Inc.
602MelroseAvenue
Los Angeles, California 90038
Tips:
In case you’re unsure about a woman’s preference in being addressed,
use ‘Ms’.
If you think that your recipient uses ‘Dr’ or has some other title, use
that. (Usually, people don’t mind being addressed by a higher title
than they actually possess, but they don’t wanna be addressed by a
lower one.)
Step 4: The Salutation
A salutation isn’t just a simple greeting; it’s an indicator of respect.
You can choose the salutation based on how well you know the
person and the context of your letter.
If you know the person you’re sending the letter to and mostly
address them with their first name, it’s okay to use their first name in
the salutation. (For example, Dear Mike)
However, there are exceptions to this case too.
Let’s take an example.
The dean at XYZ college might be your uncle, but if you’re writing to
him regarding an official matter, it would be best if you use the
salutation “Dean (Last Name)” or “Dr. (Last Name)” because there’s
a chance that other people handle his letters and emails.
If you don’t know someone, always use their title and last name.
If you are unsure of someone’s gender, you can use their full name.
(For example, Dear Taylor Brown)
If you don’t know whom you’re sending the letter to, use “to whom it
may concern.”
Whatever the situation, ensure you end the salutation with a colon.
(Not a comma!)
Step 5: The Body
This is the most essential part of your letter. The body should contain
a few (mainly three) concise paragraphs, each with a clear purpose.
Keep your message crystal-clear if you want your reader to get the
best possible impression.
In the opening paragraph, introduce yourself and clarify the point of
your letter. You can also mention mutual connections here in case the
recipient doesn’t know who you are.
Not sure how to start?
You can write “I am writing to you regarding…” as the opening line.
In the next paragraph, go into the details of your main point.
In the closing paragraph, briefly summarize your points, restate the
letter’s purpose, and state your planned course of action.
Tip: Avoid lengthy, meandering sentences and just get straight to the
point.
Step 6: Closing
Here, you’ll mention that the recipient can contact you or your team
with any concerns or questions. You can also thank him or her for
reading the letter.
Make sure that the closing isn’t more than two sentences long!
For instance, you can write:
Kindly email me at (your email) to schedule a meeting. Thank
you!
If you have any queries, please call me at (your contact number).
Step 7: Complimentary Closing
This is a short remark that marks the end of your letter. You’ve got a
lot of options here, but choose the one that reflects the formality of
your relationship.
Recommended formal closings include “Yours Truly” or
“Respectfully” or “Sincerely”.
If your letter is less formal, you can write “All the best” or “Thank
you” or “Regards” or “Best”.
Regardless of what you choose, add a comma to the end of it.
Step 8: Signature
Below the complimentary close, sign the letter.
Ensure you skip at least four lines so there’s enough room for your
signature. After that, type out the name that has to be signed.
You can include your job title and your full name below, too.
Here’s the format:
Your signature
Typed full name
Title
Step 9: Enclosures (If applicable)
If you plan to send anything along with your business letter, you can
indicate this simply by writing Enclosures after the signature.
Consider it the print version of “please find attached” for emails.
If you have included many documents, make a list that tells the
recipient what to look for in the envelope.
Complaint Letter Examples That Check All Our Boxes
Example 1: Receiving a Damaged Product
Mark Miller, Customer Service Manager
Acme Company
260 W, 44th Street
New York City, NY 10036
Subject: Received a Faulty Microwave
Dear Mr. Miller,
I am Jake Blair and I’m writing this letter to complain about receiving
a damaged microwave from your company. My order number is
XZY67006.
On 21st May 2021, I ordered a microwave through your mail order
catalog. I received it on 25th May 2021 and after opening the
package, I found that some parts of the Microwave were missing and
it had dents on it.
I have been a customer of your company for the past five years and
this experience has left me disappointed. I’d like you to take this
damaged microwave back and replace it with a new, working one.
If you don’t have the product in stock, please refund my amount for
the same.
Thanks & Regards,
Jake Blair
110 W, 36th Street
New York City, NY 10010
Example 2: Complaint About Poor Services
Sasha Sloan,
Customer Service Manager
Acme Company
100 C, 24th Street
San Fransisco,
California 10026
Subject: Poor WiFi Connection Since Last One Week
Dear Ms Sasha,
I, Carrie Jackson, would like to file a complaint about the poor WiFi
service provided by your company. The WiFi hasn’t been working
properly for the past one week and the speed is extremely slow.
Since I work from home, I’m not able to do any of my work because
of network issues. I have raised the complaint so many times but I
haven’t received any resolution yet.
I request you to please resolve this issue on a priority basis or else I’d
have to stop using your services. Also, I’m not going to pay for the
connection until and unless the problem is resolved.
Regards,
Carrie Jackson
260 W, 44th Street
New York City, NY 10036
Examples and Samples of Letter of Resignation
We know that writing a letter of resignation might seem like a
difficult thing to do, but it’s actually quite simple!
Want to know how to put all the above steps together and see how
your letter of resignation looks like in practice? Check out the
following samples:
Example 1: Basic Letter of Resignation
Date
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
I would like to inform you that I am resigning from my position as
[your position] for the [Company Name], effective August 1, 2020.
Thank you very much for the opportunities that you have provided me
during my tenure with the company. I have enjoyed working for the
company and appreciate your support, mentorship, and guidance over
the years.
Please do let me know if there is anything that I can do to assist with
the transition. You can contact me via [Enter your email address].
Wishing you all the best!
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
Example 2: Letter of Resignation for a New Position
Date
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
The purpose of this letter is to announce my resignation as [Your
Position] from [Company Name], effective on September 15, 2020. I
was recently offered a new opportunity at a different company and
have decided to accept the offer as I feel that it is a better fit for my
career moving forward.
I cannot thank you enough for all of the opportunities and experiences
you have provided me during my time with the company. I appreciate
your support and understanding, and I wish you all the very best.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance during the last few
weeks of my time here. I can be reached via my email at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
3. Example 3: Letter of Resignation for Personal Reasons
Date
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
It is with great regret that I inform you I will be leaving my role as
[Your Position] at [Company Name] on July 17, 2020. Due to
unforeseen personal problems, I will no longer be able to fulfill the
responsibilities of my role, and for this reason, I feel it is in the best
interests of the company that I resign from the position.
I apologize for any difficulties and inconvenience my departure may
cause. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you think there is any
way I can assist to ensure a smooth transition after I move on.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere
gratitude for all of the opportunities you have given me and for all of
the knowledge I have gained at your company over the years.
Thank you so much for understanding. I hope we will be able to stay
in touch, and I look forward to seeing the company grow in the future.
Wishing you all the very best!
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
Example 4: Letter of Resignation for Relocation
Date
Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Please consider this letter as a formal notification of my resignation as
[Your Position] from [Company Name], effective November 15,
2020. I will be relocating to [Enter City and State] in order to be
closer to my family.
Working for you has been a great experience and I really appreciate
the opportunity to be a part of this company. Everything that I learned
here has helped me grow as an employee and as a person.
Please let me know if I can be of assistance during the transition
process. I would be more than happy to find a replacement or
substitute and help with the training process. You can contact me via
[Enter Email Address].
I wish the company success in the future.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
