8/9/2010

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
MGT 269 TOPIC 5 BUSINESS LETTERS AND MEMO

Business Letters & Memoranda

1. Micro Skills of Business
Correspondence

Essential Qualities Format Principle Parts

2. Types of letters

Letters Of Request Reply to Letters of Request Letters of Complaint Reply to Letters of Complaint Memorandum
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

8/9/2010

Essential Qualities
1. Writing accurately and correctly

Check spelling, punctuation, grammar Accurate facts & figures Create impression

2. Writing briefly /concisely

Short word, sentences, paragraphs but complete and courteous

Instead of e.g. I would like to tell you that I am interested to sell the Echo Signature Collection in my boutique when I read about it in your article in the NST. Write, As soon as I saw your article in the NST, I know that Echo Signature Collection is the product that I want to sell.
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 3

Essential Qualities
3. Writing Clearly
Use easy words Well organized sentences & paragraphs

4. Writing courteously

Build goodwill please; thank you; appreciate, grateful etc.

5. Write consistently

Single idea No contradiction Avoid interchanging

Shall and should Can and could

LETTERS & MEMORANDA 4

8/9/2010

Essential Qualities
6. Use You-Attitude Sentences

Audience-centered approach Writing in favor of readers wishes interest, hopes preferences Substitute I, me, mine with you, yours and ours E.g. instead of you must correct all five copies before noon Used All five copies need to be corrected by noon
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 5

You Attitude
Is a style of writing that

Look at things at the readers point of view Respect the readers intelligence Protects the readers ego Emphasizes what the reader wants to know

8/9/2010

Examples
Lacks You Attitude I have negotiated an agreement with Ahmad Car Rental that gives you a discount on rental cars We are happy to extend you a credit line of RM5,000 You Attitude As a student, you can now get a 20% discount when you rent a car from Ahmad Car Rental You can now charge up to RM5,000 on your credit card

Format & Principle Parts

1. Complete Block Format 2. Semi-Block Format

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

8/9/2010

Complete Block Format

Commonly used today Every parts of the letters starts from the left margin, except for the letterhead Leave a line between each part of the letter, as well as in between the paragraph

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

Complete Block Format

Letterhead (street address) (Postcode,city, state,) Contact Numbers

Your Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx Our Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

Date Addressee notation Inside Address (name and title) Inside Address (company) Inside Address (street) Inside Address (Post-code, city, state) Salutation: Subject Line Body (paragraph 1) xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

10

8/9/2010

Complete Block Format cont..

Body (paragraph 2) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Body (paragraph 3)xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Body (paragraph 4) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Complimentary Closure Signature Block (name, title) Reference Initials Enclosure Notation Copy Notation

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

11

Principal Parts of Letter

Letterhead

Full address of the company Name of the company must be written in BOLD, BLOCK LETTER Example;
PERUNDING IKATAN Jalan PJS 12/10 Bandar Sunway 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Telephone : 603-55617834
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 12

8/9/2010

Senders Address (optional) if write by individual The reference for filling purposes Date logical order Receivers address (inside address)

Write the name of person, designation, company address Example :

Haji Ellias Bin saidin Director Esrafa Enterprise No 2, Jalan Ayer Hitam 40000 Shah Alam Selangor
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 13

Attention Line

Optional to speed up the delivery process The name should be preceded by a courtesy title (Encik/Puan)
Example :

Attention : En Kamal Bin Hussin

Salutation

The greeting of the letter agrees with the inside address

Example :

The Sales Manager Dear sir Puan Rogayah Ahmad Dear Madam @ Dear Puan Rogayah

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

14

8/9/2010

Subject Line

Indicates the subject matter of a letter It may be underlined Cover all the essential points

The Body

Complimentary closure, Signature, Name and Designation

Should match the salutation in formality Example:

Dear Sir/Madam Yours faithfully Dear Mr Ng /Pn Aini Yours sincerely

Full name and designation must be written in two separate lines below the signature
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 15

Enclosures

When any documents are includes in the envelope with the letter, an enclosure notation is written below the designation The number of enclosures may be stated Example:
Enclosure or Encl (3)

Carbon Copy Notation

The CC is used when the letter is also sent to other recepients Example:
CC En Ghazali daud CC En Taufik Ismail Sales Manager
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 16

8/9/2010

Semi Block Format

The date, signature and address heading (if not on preprinted letterhead stationary) are at the right side of the page All other section are on the left margin

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

17

Semi-Block Format
Letterhead (street address) (Postcode,city, state) Contact Numbers Date:
Your Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

xxxxxxxx

Our Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

Inside Address (name and title) Inside Address (company) Inside Address (street) Inside Address (Post-code, city, state) Addressee notation Salutation: Subject Line Body (paragraph 1) xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

18

8/9/2010

Semi-Block Format
Body (paragraph 2) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Body (paragraph 3)xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Body (paragraph 4) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx Complimentary Closure Signature Block (name, title) Reference Initials Enclosure Notation Copy Notation

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

19

Punctuation Styles
1. Open punctuation

No punctuation marks used for letterhead, reference, date, receivers address, salutation and complimentary closure E.g . , ; : from letterhead to
inside address and complementary closure E.g :
The Personnel Manager Alam Sekitar Sdn Bhd 20, Jalan Murni 42700 Petaling Jaya Selangor Dear Sir

For assignment used open punctuationLETTERS &

MEMORANDA

20

10

8/9/2010

Punctuation Styles
2. Closed punctuation

Punctuation mark are placed at the end of every line of the letterhead, inside address, the salutation and complementary closure
E.g :
The Personnel Manager, Alam Sekitar Sdn Bhd. 20, Jalan Murni, 42700 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Dear Sir,
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 21

Types Of Letter
Letter of request / enquiry Reply letter of request Order Letter Reply order letter

Accepting the order Declining the order Counter offer

Letter of complaint Reply letter of complaint

Letter granting the claim Letter rejecting the claim Letter offering a compromise
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 22

11

8/9/2010

Letters of Request
1. Purpose is to seek for
General information
Goods, price list, catalogues, Samples, concession, and etc.

2. Types
1.

Solicited request
With reference to an advertisement To mention the reference

2.

Unsolicited request
Writer takes initiative to ask for information without referring to any ads.

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

23

Types of Letters
Letters of Request State your request at the beginning. Explain and justify your request. Courteously request action.
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 24

12

8/9/2010

Possible Expression Used in Letters of Enquiry

Introductory for Solicited

Introductory for Unsolicited

We have seen your advertisement in .and would be glad if you could send us particular of Please send information about which you have advertised in We saw your product demonstrated at earlier this year and would like to know whether.

We are distributors of and are interested in adding to the range of products that we have We would appreciate a sample of Could you please send us

Possible Expression Used in Letters of Enquirycont

Main Section and Closing

When replying, please include delivery details Please also state whether you can supply the goods from stock as we need them urgently We hope to hear from you soon We look forward to hearing from you soon / within the next few days We hope that you will send us the catalogue as soon as possible Your prompt reply would be appreciated

13

8/9/2010

486 Jalan Ampang, 68000 Kuala Lumpur

(03) 6998-7474 Fax: (03) 6998-7475 www.arrow.edu

Your Ref: AE 1223/06 Our Ref: AHC 2334/06

17 Aug 2008 Ahmad Electrical Sdn. Bhd. 44756 Megamall Jalan Syed Putra Kuala Lumpur Dear En. Ahmad, Small-Capacity Microwave Ovens We are interested in ordering approximately 200 small-capacity microwave ovens, which were advertised in the August issue of Collegiate Magazine. Please include the following information: -Electrical requirements -A copy of the warranty -Instructions for use -Complete description of size and price of units you offer -Shipping requirements -Turnaround time for orders If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Mariam Putih at (03) 6998-7633. Yours sincerely,

Hayati Abdul
Student Services
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 27

Reply to Letter of Enquiry

An inquiry must be acknowledged promptly to establish goodwill (remember being courteous??) and that inquiry letters represent an opportunity to turn requests into orders. There are two (2) categories: Replies granting requests. Involves sending customers the information requested Replies refusing requests. These letters say NO but yet retain the goodwill of the reader

14

8/9/2010

Reply to Letter of Enquiry Main goal

Respond immediately Encourage sale Convey good impression of you and your organization

Types of Replies
Granting requests for information and action Granting claims and requests for adjustments Providing recommendations and references Announcing good news

Sending goodwill
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 30

15

8/9/2010

Reply To Letter of Enquiry

Main idea

Explanation and relevant details

Courteous close
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 31

Steps to Replying to Letter of Enquiry

1. Thank the customers for his letter / interest. 2. State whether the request can be fulfilled. If not, offer explanation 3. State whether information / materials requested for are enclosed or sent under separate post. 4. Offer additional information that is useful to reader or alternative sources of information if you are unable to help 5. Hope that everything is satisfactory and that you look forward to receiving an order.

16

8/9/2010

Possible Expression Used in Letters of Reply to Enquiry

Introductory

Concluding/Close

Thank you for your letter of October 5, 2007 in which you enquire about our product We are pleased to learn from your letter of October 5, 2007 that you are interested in Thank you for your enquiry datedregarding I was pleased to learnthat you are interested in our

We look forward to receiving your order We have the item in store and can deliver as soon as we receive your order We should be pleased to send you any further information Please let me know if you need any further details

Letter Refusing Request

Provide sufficient detail to make reader accept the message Imply the reader is better off Explain company policy as being logical Offer no apology

Avoid personal assaults

LETTERS & MEMORANDA 34

17

8/9/2010

Unit 3, Bangsar Commercial Center, 59 100 Kuala Lumpur

(03) 6998-7474 Fax: (03) 6998-7475 www.nht.w.edu

Your Ref: HM1223/08 Our Ref: NHT 2334/08

20 Jan 2008 Sri Hartamas Sdn. Bhd. A-5-2, Suite Condo Desa Sri Hartamas 54500 Kuala Lumpur Dear Sir, Instant Tea Thank you for your interest in our range of instant tea. For your information, the Green instant tea that you requested are no longer in production. It has been replaced by a new type of tea called Natural Healing Tea. Natural Healing Tea will create goodness in your daily life. It can be consumed anytime. Our product is available in all major retail outlets nationwide. Feel free to read our attached catalogue. Should you need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. Thank you again. Yours faithfully,

Mohd Nizar Yunus

Public Relation Department LETTERS & Enc. MEMORANDA
35

Order Letters
Also known as purchase order or PO The purpose : Give the vendor sufficient details on how to fulfilling an order Should give sufficient details so that the person receiving the letter will be able to send the right goods immediately

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

36

18

8/9/2010

Order Letter
Refer to quotation received / advertisement Give details regarding delivery, payment

Courteous close
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 37

Steps in Writing Order Letter

Open with suitable introduction Place the order and include full details of goods such as quantity, brand, model, price and colour. Give full details regarding delivery when, how and where Give details of payment cash, cheque or credit End with appropriate closing

19

8/9/2010

Reply To Order Letter

Three (3) categories

1. Letters accepting orders

Give details of delivery and payment Give appropriate reasons Suggest other substitute goods discount, rebate, replacement etc.

2. Declining orders

3. Suggest counter offer

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

39

Possible Expressions
Reference

Stating the order

In response to advertisement
We have seen

you advertisement in and shall be glad if you could supply us.. We are interested inas advertised in

In response to quotation
We thank you for

We are interested in placing an order for the following items Please send us..(quantity) of.(items) Please supply the following items as quickly as possible and charge to our account:

your letter

Thank you for

your quotation.. your quotation of

We have received

20

8/9/2010

Possible Expressionscont
Giving delivery

Please dispatch the goods to us by(when and where) Please send the goods to our warehouse at(place) by railway express Please send the above order by parcel post to reach us before(date)

Giving detail of payment

Our usual method of payment is(cheque, cash) We will pay you cash on delivery We will arrange for settlement by bankers transfer

Possible Expressionscont
Closing

Prompt delivery would be appreciated as the goods are needed urgently Please acknowledge receipt of this order and confirm that you will be able to deliver by We hope to receive your advice of deliver

21

8/9/2010

Declining the Order

When an order has been accepted but is unable to accept the order due to certain circumstances. The letter should

Express regret at the inability to meet the buyers need Should explain why the supplier is unable to fulfill the order May offer help by suggesting an alternative source Should hope for the opportunity to serve the customer in future.

Letters of Complaint
1. Written by unsatisfied 2. 3. 4.
customers Should result in improvement Assurance that it will not recur Types of complaint
Regarding I. Goods II. Delivery III. Services IV. Financial matters
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 44

22

8/9/2010

Letters of Complaint
Acknowledged goods received, order etc.
Explain what went wrong

Hope for corrective action & courteous close

LETTERS & MEMORANDA 45

Plan of a Letter of Complaint

Acknowledge the goods received and refer to the order Regret that you have to complain Make the complaint

Explain what is wrong Ask the supplier to explain the fault Inform the supplier of the inconvenience it is causing you If necessary, make suggestions to put the matter right

Express hope for action

23

8/9/2010

Letters of Complaint
1. Be courteous 2. Be factual not emotional 3. Use passive voice 4. Avoid direct accusation 5. Dont refer to feeling of anger 6. Dont use the word complain 7. Dont announce that you are
writing a letter of complaint
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 47

LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Gramercy consulting

4211 Tristam Boulevard, 50000 Jalan HS Lee, KL (03) 6715-0801 Fax: (03) 6715-0802 parker@gte.net

Your ref: CB/123/08 Our ref: GC/234/08

4 August 2008 Customer Service Data Life, Inc. 1993 Jalan Raja Muda 51000 Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur Dear Sir, Negotiator Pro On July 15, 2008, I purchased Negotiator Pro at Comp-Asia. My hardware includes a System 7 Macintosh with 3.7 GB, 8 Mb Ram, and a 300 MHz processor. Installation of Negotiator Pro went fine, but when I boot the system, Negotiator Pro gives me an error message that reads, File Protected. I am unable to open the program, even though Ive tried several different ways. Because I was concerned that the problem might be a virus, Ive deleted the program from my hard drive. I purchased the Negotiator Pro disk at Comp-Asia in Jalan Raja Muda As you know, that store refers problems with opened software back to the vendor. Ive enclosed the disk and all paperwork, including a copy of my credit card receipt.

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

48

24

8/9/2010

Could you please (1) (2) test and repair or replace the software, or refund RM79.95 to my Visa credit card number 4493 2283 3678 3369, expiration date 09/09. Please provide me with any special instructions I may need.

Your software has helped me build my consulting business, and I look forward to ordering from you in the future. Yours faithfully,

Izziani
IZZANI MUSTAFFA Solution Consultant
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

49

Reply to the Letter of Complaint

Three (3) categories

1. Letters granting claim

Apologized and spell out corrective action Not granting after full consideration Both are at fault Giving allowance like discount, rebate, replacement etc.
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

2. Rejecting claims

3. Offering compromise

50

25

8/9/2010

Sample Reply to the Letter of Complaint

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

51

17883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com Your ref: Our ref: Zeno 123/06

10 August 2008 En. Muhammad Mursyid Sazali 334 Jalan Lapangan Terbang 23000 Dungun Terengganu Dear En. Muhammad Mursyid Knights of Balthazar Game Thank you for contacting us about your Knights of Balthazar game. So that we can send you the proper replacement CD, please send us 1. 2. 3. 4. The CD and original game box A copy of your receipt Information about the Macintosh operating system you are currently running Information about the amount of available memory in your computer

Once we receive these items, we'll send you a replacement that Will work on your system. So that you get it just as soon as
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

52

26

8/9/2010

17883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com

possible, we'll send it via courier. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or concerns, call me at (09) 848-7766. Heres our latest catalog of interactive CD games. You can call us 24 hours a day, and you can find us on the web, at www.zeno.com.my. Here at Zeno, entertainment is the name of the game. We guarantee our products and service, and we look forward to entertaining you in the future. Yours sincerely,

AHMAD
Ahmad Muhsin Zainuddin Manager Enclosure
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 53

The Memorandum
1. Memorandum or memo (pluralmemoranda)

2. A type of inter-office written

communication

3. Written by one individual to

another

4. One department to another 5. By one individual to a large

body of staff at different levels in the organization.
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 54

27

8/9/2010

Memo Format
Following are the basic parts 1. Heading

Title Memorandum or Memo is centered at the top of the page The organization name may appear above the word memo

2. To

Identifies the recipient Name and designation Department may be included Can be addressed to a group of people e.g. All Heads of Department

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

55

Memo Format
3. From
Identifies the writer Includes same information as To line

4. Date
Written in two ways as in a letter

5. Subject
Gives title to the contents Be brief and clear
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

56

28

8/9/2010

Memo Format
6. The Body Section
Divided into three (3) paragraphs
Para 1-briefly introduces the subject matters Para 2-gives detail information about the subject Para 3-clearly states what the receiver of the Memo has to do and by when he has to do it.

7. Signature
Do not sign May be initial besides the writers name No salutation and complimentary closure
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 57

7883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com

Memorandum
To : From: Date: Subject: All Heads of Department Salim Omar, Personnel Manager 9 August 2008 A Talk On Work Ethics

In conjunction with our Staff Efficiency Week, there will be a talk for all staff by a visiting Japanese Legal Advisor. Detail of the talk are as follows: Date: Venue: Speaker: Topic: 30 August 2008 Suite 7 Mr. Hoshi Yamamoto Work Ethics
LETTERS & MEMORANDA 58

29

8/9/2010

Memorandum
Please inform all your staff about this talk. I would like to have a list of names from your department who are interested to attend the talk by 25 August 2008. Please submit the list to Pn. Rozilawati S. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

59

Business Letters

Common Mistakes
Letterhead not centered Did not capitalized or bold no contact numbers your ref & our ref are missing Use of punctuation from letterhead to salutation (e.g. .,: ;)-Avoid using them. Did not synchronized with the rules Dear Sir Faithfully yours Dear Mr. Lim Sincerely yours Did not include Subject or Re: Did not use audience-approach or youattitude sentences Grammatical and sentence construction error
LETTERS & MEMORANDA

1.

2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

60

30

8/9/2010

Business Letters
8. Did not itemized request
E.g. We are glad if you could send us more information on the following items; Prices Discounts Brochures/catalogues Samples Terms of payments Availability of stocks Etc.

9. Use of I instead of We, our, us, to represent on behalf of your company 10. Use the word complain when sending a letter of complaint
E.g. I would like to file a complaint

11. Did not use the complete block format

LETTERS & MEMORANDA 61

The End
You May Go Now

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

62

31