Business Letter Styles and Correspondence Types
Item 5: Styles of Business Letters
There are several ways to style business letters. The main and most widely used in the business world are: Modern, Modified Modern, Professional, and Evolved.
Modern Style
Characterized by its simplicity in distribution and speed in typing.
Modified Modern Style
Very similar to Modern style, except the farewell, signatory formula, and signature are written from the center of the page to the right margin.
Professional Style
Indentation is used for the formulation of the greeting and the beginning of each paragraph. This style is easier to read and the optical effect is more enjoyable because of the distribution of the elements.
Evolved Style
Simplifies the content of business letters by direct treatment of the topic. The greeting and farewell formulas are omitted, opting for any of the three styles above.
Classification of Business Correspondence
- Report letters (business and personal reports)
- Letters of request (request for information, firm order, acceptance or modification of the order, alteration of its terms, and denial, among the most common)
- Letters of representation (of the order and unpaid)
Letters of Reports
Letters that are addressed to others in the same sector, activity, credit institutions, etc., in which information is collected about customers and suppliers (prospective and actual), referring to things like their financial situation, their reliability, or their projection.
Personal Report Letters
Letters that are addressed to companies requesting information about individuals known to them who have provided services.
Letters of Request
Request for Information
Letters addressed to potential or regular suppliers requesting information about their products in order to place an order.
Firm Order Letter
When the company receives the information sent by the supplier, the order is placed in writing and signed.
Letters of Acceptance of Orders
This is the type of writing that the seller or supplier sends to their customer, communicating approval or acceptance of the request.
Letter of Collections of Order
The supplier sends the document(s) to the customer, attaching the originator of the sale: the commercial invoice.
Letters of Claim
Claim Request Letter
A letter sent by the customer to the supplier, outlining incidents or issues, such as defects observed in the merchandise upon receipt.
Unpaid Claim Letter
This type of document is drawn up when the client has not complied with the payment terms agreed upon in the order.
Circular Letters
The type of business letter used by companies to communicate events to other persons or companies, such as changes in address, business name, openings of branches or agencies, and so on. It is also used within the company to report matters of general interest.
Salutations
Type of communication commonly used by corporate managers, public bodies, and authorities for the following reasons: appreciation, invitations to events, takeovers, change of address, etc.