There are numerous free resources for business letter formatting, but there are other non-structural aspects to consider when writing outgoing business letters. Consider the following items before sending out anything from your company.

Customer Information

Similar to what I previously said for the blog post on writing professional outgoing business emails, ensure that you have accurate data for the customer you are corresponding with. Customer information would include details such as name, address, company name, dates, prices, and so forth.

Don’t just guess the customer’s information. Make sure you’re correct. Having a mistake in a letter to a customer can lead to frustrations from the recipient, misunderstandings in communication, or convey indifference from your company to the customer.

Sending important letters or documents is putting your company’s professional reputation on the line. Taking a few extra seconds to guarantee correctness is an invaluable business virtue that can help any company.

Keep it Tactful

Unlike emails to family members or text messages to friends, business letters are expected to be written with professional etiquette. Using full sentences, avoiding colloquialisms, staying on topic, and brevity are a few goals you should have when writing these types of letters.

Now, you don’t need to sound like RoboCop reading an instructional manual on how to properly install toilet paper dispensers, but remember that the letter represents your company’s image.

Build Bridges

I feel that in any type of written correspondence between companies, it is best to keep the overall tone affirmative, even if the subject matter is not (i.e., in regards to unpaid service fees). You never know if you might do business with the recipient again or if they would speak about you to other colleagues (potential customers).

Imagine if you sent a letter demanding an outstanding payment for a service performed and threatened your customer with legal actions in a condescending tone. Even though the customer is in the wrong, do you think that they would consider recommending your company to anyone?

Now, if you had written the letter with the same subject matter but with a more courteous approach, chances are that the customer would remember a positive experience and the bridge that was initially built—along with all of the possible connections to said bridge—would not be burned.

One of the most important aspects of business is relationships, and the more positive associations you have, the better off your company will be. (And no, I didn’t steal that sentence from a Hallmark card.)

Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC