A business letter is used to send a written message between organizations, between the company and its clients, to employees, employers, suppliers, managers, and so on. An effective Business Letter can be used to send invoices, offer Letters, apologies, invitations, orders, instructions, meetings to be held, work allocation, and so on.
The message in a business letter should be understood correctly. It should elicit the desired response from the receiver. A good business letter must be concise, complete, clear, correct, and convincing, among other things.
The Essential Qualities of Business Letter –
- Simplicity of language:
Business letters should be written in simple, easy-to-understand language that allows the reader to quickly grasp the message’s underlying meaning. In fact, business letter writing necessitates a simple, clear, and easily understood style. As a result, the language used in business letters should be very simple. It should be free of ambiguous and unfamiliar words, tired and stilted expression, hazy terms, wordy phrases, complex sentences, and so on. It is best to avoid using winding expressions and high-sounding phrases.
- Specific purpose
Every business letter should have a specific purpose. The language of the letter should be arranged in such a way so that the reader can realize the purpose of writing the letter. Only relevant information should be included in business letter. Irrelevant and excessive information irritate the readers and create negative impression about the letter and its writer.
- Accuracy of facts
The writer must be clear about the message he wishes to convey before attempting to express it in simple and straightforward language. The reader of a business letter should receive accurate information. Incorrect information is worse than no information. Clear writing and clear thinking should go hand in hand, and a person who thinks clearly is usually able to write clearly as well. To avoid ambiguity, the writer should plan the message to be conveyed prior to writing. Planning aids in the production of an orderly letter that makes a good impression due to its clear message.
- Free form errors
There should be no false or misleading statements in a business letter. A business letter should be free of errors and mistakes such as grammatical errors, misspelled words, and so on. There should be no errors, which are common in letters due to carelessness. Mistakes, no matter how minor, should be avoided because they cause a great deal of inconvenience and trouble. All facts and figures should be as accurate as possible, and documents such as bills of exchange, invoices, and financial statements should be carefully prepared and checked.
- Brevity or conciseness
Unnecessary words and superfluous information should be avoided in a business letter. Brevity is said to be the soul of wit. As a result, it is considered the lifeblood of a business letter. Because letter brevity is the soul of commercial correspondence, the writer must ensure that every sentence he has written is imbued with appropriate meaning. A concise but informative letter is a symbol of the writer’s intelligence. It saves the reader time and increases his interest in the letter. As a result, an informative but brief letter can easily accomplish a business goal.
- Completeness
The letter must be complete in and of itself. A business letter must include all necessary information in order to provide the receiver with a complete picture. It should include all of the information requested by the addressee. The important and pertinent information should not be overlooked. Incomplete letters have the opposite effect on the reader’s mind.
When a letter is incomplete, it causes an unnecessary delay in obtaining clarification. The writer should attempt to grasp all relevant facts and arrange them logically and methodically in the body of the letter. A business letter with incomplete or partial information serves no purpose.
- Courtesy
Courtesy means that the general tone of the letter should be mild and there should be consideration for the feelings of others. There is a proverb, Courtesy costs nothing but gains more. In writing business letter the writer should use courteous words to show honor to the readers. A courteous and politely written business letter can easily gain the sympathy of the readers. Curt and rude letters have got no place in the business world. Courtesy should not be sacrificed for the sake of brevity.
- Timeliness
Time is money, as the saying goes in business. As a result, letters must be written on time. Untimely business letters have a negative impact on business relationships and goodwill. The acceptance of a business letter is determined by its neutrality and impartiality. As a result, when organizing information in letters, the writer should be natural and impartial.
It is clear from the preceding discussion that the efficacy and success of a business letter are dependent on a number of factors. As a result, when writing a letter, the writer should pay close attention to the factors listed above.
