Learn Writing Complaint Letter and Apology Letter from MB0023 of SMU MBA

Complaint Letter: Writing a complaint letter is often an undesirable task. But if it is done well, the end result can be very rewarding. Complaint letters can be used for the purpose of having products replaced or money refunded, for changing company policy or government legislation, for influencing the media, and so forth. Often a complaint letter is more effective than a simple phone call or e-mail message. Furthermore, in many cases, the formality of a complaint letter can add seriousness to the situation that will bring results. When writing your complaint letter, identify a definite purpose and outcome that you want to achieve, and indicate those ideas clearly in your letter.

Points to keep in mind while writing complaint letters:

Be sure that the complaint you are making is legitimate. Check out the facts of your complaint. Check out the facts of your complaint.

Let your language be diplomatic. Avoid being sarcastic, angry of threatening even if your complaint is genuine. Remember that the person to whom you address your letter may not after, all be the person responsible for the problem.

Let your letter be concise and limit to one page if possible. However, include important dates or places and include any additional relevant information you can.

If you have to enclose any documents do so but remember to send only the photocopy and keep the originals with you. Also keep a copy of your complaint letter for your records.

Apology Letter: Now that you have learnt to write a complaint letter, you should also learn to write an apology letter. An effective apology letter is an important part of the business correspondence that would make your life in work place easy. To err is human, so instead of dwelling on the mistake committed, it is better to act quickly in order to resolve the problem.

Points to keep in mind while writing apology letters:

While writing an apology letter, concentrate on the rectification of the error committed than on the problem that you have caused the receiving person.

If possible along with the apology, state any compensation that you can give to the person who has suffered the damage.

Take full responsibility on the problem caused.

Don’t be dramatic while apologizing. Your words should express your feelings clearly and simply. The tone of your letter should be considerate and respectful.

From the chapter you have already learned about structure of business letter and principles of writing letters. Now, there is a great example of writing a complaint and apology letter.

Structure of a Business Letter from Business Communication MB0023 of SMU MBA

We already have discussed about the writing letter. Now, let us come to the arrangement of a business letter. To make your letter effective remember that your presentation of the letter also to be effective. Usually, the letter is drafted in two styles – Blocked and Semi Blocked.

Blocked – Every line in this style begins flush with the left hand margin. Paragraphs are differentiated by leaving a blank space in between them.

Semi Blocked – The first line of each paragraph is indented in this style of writing letters.

The structure of letter contains the following elements:

Heading: Many organizations use their letter head for writing business letters. This covers one fifth of the total space of the page.

Date: This is very important as it might act as a proof that you wrote on a particular date. Type the date two spaces below the last line of the heading at the left hand margin of the letter.

Reference: The advantage of writing a reference is that it helps to trace the letter at a later date. Writing reference number is of two types – one indicates the reference number what you allot for the letter that you write; the other indicates the correspondent’s previous letter to which you are replying now.

Inside Address: The complete address of the person whom you are writing to should be written. You should place it two line-spaces after the date.

Salutation: This is the vital part of the letter which is a good as wishing the person. It is important that you address the name of the person if you know it.

Subject: This indicates to the reader of the letter what the letter is about. It saves the time of the reader. The subject of the letter is written two line-spaces after the salutation.

Body: This contains the text of the letter that you write. You should organize the body of the letter into paragraphs depending upon the matter of your communication.

Conclusion: The conclusion is also known as ‘complimentary close’. You should always end the business letter with a firm or positive note.

Signature: You should place your signature below the complimentary close. Four line spaces are left after the complimentary close to write your name in full.

Enclosure: If you have to enclose any documents along with the letter, you must mention it. The word in abbreviated from encl. is typed two line space below the name / position that you had specified after the signature.

Principles of Writing Letters from Business Communication of SMU MBA

Principles of writing letters can make our letters effective. There are some principles of writing effective letters:

Courtesy and Consideration:

The basis of any relationship is built on the strong edifice of feelings for others. Courtesy is like the oil which removes the friction, it makes life smooth and helps win friends. It softens the sting of an unpleasant piece of information, creates goodwill, and produces a favourable response. Look at the following sentences that help you word your business letter in a polite manner.

Many thanks for your letter of…

Thank you very much for your letter of…

We are glad to note that you are now in a position to pay our bill.

We appreciate your writing to us so promptly.

Conciseness: While writing a business letter it is important that your letter be concise and direct. Avoid old fashioned, stuffy phrases and long winded sentences associated with classic formal letter writing. In the present times, people are very busy and will be easily irritated to read unnecessarily lengthy letters. So you should focus directly on the message to be told. Express your idea in straightforward, plan English.

Clarity and Precision: Whenever you write a letter, be clear about what you want to say and say it clearly. Use short, simple words and language to relate whatever you want to tell in the letter. Use concrete words – two words in English will have similar meaning – in such cases, use the word which is commonly understand. E. g.: if you use the word ‘house’ and it conveys the meaning that you intend, don’t use the word ‘residence’ which will make the message more complicated. Avoid long winded sentences. Spare your reader the tedious task of understanding your letter and try to make smaller sentences.

To make your letter clear, break it into different paragraphs when you have to discuss more than one main point. Finally, you have to understand that writing a good business letter involves a lot of practice which will gradually enable you to be an effective writer.

The theory has been taken from MB0023 (Business Communication) book of SMU MBA. Principles of writing letter are written in the sequence of Business letter writing practices.

Business Letter Writing Practices from Business Communication of SMU MBA

When you enter any profession, you will come across one task that you have to perform which is of utmost importance, writing letters as a part of your routine work. You will be writing letters to other organizations and institutions, customers, clients, suppliers, government officers, credit agencies, employees etc.

These letters are commonly called ‘business letters.’ Business letters are usually written to inform readers of specific information. However, you might also write a business letter to persuade others to take action or to propose your ideas. Business letters can be challenging to write, because you have to consider how to keep your readers’ attention. This is particularly the case if your readers receive large amounts of mail and have little time to read.

Writing business letters is writing any other document: first you must analyze your audience and determine your purpose. Then you gather information, create an outline, write a draft, and revise it. The key to writing business letters is o get to the point as quickly as possible and to present your information clearly.

While doing this you should always bear in mind the ‘audience’ of your letter, the person who is going to read your letter. So your letter should appeal to the reader. The best way of doing this is to put yourself in the shoes of your reader and foresee his reaction on reading your letter. Ask yourself “How would I react if I received this letter?”

The answer to this question will help you to decide about editing your letter. Sir Ernest has remarked aptly while he was advising about handling official correspondence, if he is rude, be especially courteous. If he is muddle-headed, be especially lucid. If he is pig-headed, be patient. If he is helpful, be appreciative. If he convicts you of a mistake, acknowledge it freely and even with gratitude.”

The business letter writing practices chapter has been taken from Business Communication book of SMU MBA MB0023 in the sequence of Elements of Writing and Cohesion in English Grammar.

Elements of Writing and Cohesion in English Grammar for Business Communication

There are various skills prove helpful and are needed for most types of formal writing, whether a short invitation, or a longer letter, report or essay. Many essays, for examples, begin by defining a term in the title, then make some generalizations about the subject, before going on to provide examples of the main areas the writer or presenter wishes to examine.

Most of the reports also require discussion of numbers, graphs and charts. Comparison and discussion of certain aspects also become a part of some of the writings.

There is no fixed order for working on the different elements of writing. They have to be accessed according to the priorities.

Cohesion means linking words or phrases together so that the whole text is clear and readable. It acts as a link of ideas in different parts of the same sentence or ideas in different sentences. This helps in developing consistency in writing and improves the organization of the text. Cohesion is achieved by several methods, such as the use of conjunctions, pronouns, transitions, definite articles and synonyms.

For example – This is the third Hatchman’s “Business Abroad” series and their most useful publication to date. It’s a comprehensive guide to doing business in six Eastern European countries. This well-designed book includes everything from how to present your business card, to how to order in a Hungarian restaurant. The book contains useful information on leading companies and government agencies. There are also detailed street maps of Eastern Europe’s major business cities to help you find your way around.

Transitions and subordinating conjunctions are two of the most common types of words used to improve cohesion. Transitions are words and phrases such as: first of all, similarly, and in brief. Subordinating conjunctions are words such as: whereas and while.

The chapter has been taken from Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) MB 0023 (Business Communication) book in the sequel of Paraphrasing, reading.