Service letter (sample)

A service letter is a document that is an integral part of business communication. Most often it is transmitted through postal communication and serves as a special way of exchanging information.

Basic concepts

Business correspondence is needed to solve various economic or production issues. With its help, enterprises and organizations communicate with the external environment: partners, customers or government agencies. Usually a business letter is used for this.

This is what a written document is generally called, which can be:

• Response to previously received messages or requests;
• Accompanying paper sent to the addressee together with other documents or materials;
• Initiative letter, in the case when another way of communication is impossible.

Each of these options has its own characteristics. Nevertheless, there are general rules, according to which any official letter is usually drawn up. This is understandable, because it is with business correspondence, for example, most often begins the conclusion of most transactions. A correctly designed document can create a favorable impression on the addressee about the future possible partner.

Types of business letters

Depending on the information that the official letter contains, it can be:

1. Accompanying. In the case where it contains a message that there is an application package to it.
2. Claim. That is, it expresses dissatisfaction with this or that situation (claim).
3. Instructive. The text gives specific instructions.
4. Warranty. The sender confirms the fulfillment in the future of the obligations set forth in the document.
5. Informational. The letter contains information that may interest the addressee.
6. Advertising. Information is provided to attract cooperation.
7. A letter-notification. Information about holding public events.
8. A confirmation letter. He ascertains the fact of receiving certain documents or materials.
9. A letter of request. The text contains a reference to the motivation of the addressee to action.
10. By letter-message. In it, the sender provides specific information of mutual interest to the parties.

The purpose of these documents is to maintain links between organizations or its structural units.

Drawing up a claim letter

In matters of cooperation, sometimes situations arise when one of the parties for one reason or another does not fulfill its obligations. In this case, the partner first sends a letter to his counterparty. In it, he, as a rule, sets out his proposals to eliminate the violation of his legal rights. This is the official letter. A sample of such a document can be made arbitrarily. The following points should be considered:

1. The style of writing should be formal-business with the installation of a partnership.
2. The essence of the claim must be expressed very clearly.
3. During the presentation of the information, it is necessary to operate convincingly with concrete facts.

The claim letter must contain:

• Requisites of the sender (name, return address and telephones for communication);
• Complete information about the addressee;
• Description of the circumstances under which the conflict situation occurred;
• A reference to legal norms, which for its part was violated by the counterparty;
• Specific requirements for the elimination of violations with an indication of the timing of their implementation;
• The consequences that can occur if the opposing party evades their execution.

Particular attention should be paid to how the official letter is drawn up. The sample should be designed so that the offender does not perceive it as a threat. It must be remembered that this is just a reminder with the requirement of compliance with the law.

Design rules

Particular attention should be paid to the registration of service letters. True, the law does not provide for this some strict rules and regulations.

Despite this, when drawing up such documents it is necessary to take into account the following mandatory points:

1. Any business letter must be written on the form. It is developed in advance by experts in record keeping and approved by the order of the head of the enterprise.

2. The document must contain certain requisites:

2.1. Information about the recipient and the sender.

2.2. The outgoing number and date of this letter. This is necessary for registration.

2.3. A reference to similar information about a letter request, if this document is a response to it.

2.4. Header.

2.5. Information about the availability of any applications with their names and numbers.

2.6. Information about the person who signed this document (position and name).

3. The letter should only address one issue. The presence of several themes will complicate the choice of the performer.

4. The information should be stated extremely briefly, but it is understandable. It is desirable that the text should not take more than two pages.

5. Correctly specify the requisites of the recipient. In the case of an organization, the following sequence should be followed:

5.1. The name of the company (in the nominative case).

5.2. Structural unit (if necessary).

5.3. The address of the addressee (in the dative case).

5.4. His initials.

5.5. The postal address of the enterprise.

6. If there are several recipients, first the main one is indicated, then all the others.

If you take into account all these moments, then the design of business letters, in principle, will not be difficult.

Order of presentation

In order for the document to be properly drawn up, it is necessary to take into account the certain order of the information in it. For example, you can consider the option of writing a service letter-response. To begin with, you need to remember that, according to the rules of etiquette, you need to react to information within 24 hours from the moment you receive it. If it is an electronic message, the optimal time is not more than two hours. In the case when it is not possible to adhere to such a rule, it is better to send a corresponding message to the partner.

The letter itself, in fact, will consist of two parts:

1. Introductory. The sender presents the topic, the reason and the reasons for writing it. Here it is possible to refer to normative acts, which by law serve as the basis for providing a response. In addition, it is worth paying attention to some points concerning the situation in question. They will help to reveal the essence of the matter.
2. Basic. This part is aimed at clarifying and convincing. The text should be clear, clear and concise, and the facts presented are checked and objective. If necessary, they can be confirmed with real figures.

After such a text, a list of applications usually follows. The document ends with the sender's signature. In addition, you need to know how to write a business letter, so as not to offend the addressee. First, it is advisable to start addressing it with the phrase "Dear". Secondly, you can use in the text gerundive phrases such as "carefully studying your proposals" or "carefully checking your comments." Such adherence to etiquette will only benefit both sides.

Procedure

The preparation of service letters is the responsibility of the clerks, secretaries or other employees on whom these duties are entrusted. When taking jobs, they must adhere to a certain sequence in their actions. The process of drawing up such a document usually goes through the following stages:

1. Careful study of the circumstances of this issue. It is necessary to fully master the situation in order to correctly assess possible solutions to it.
2. Drafting of the letter. Here it is necessary to take into account all the above requirements.
3. Harmonization of the prepared text. Sometimes it has to be edited taking into account the comments of the manager. He can make any clarifications or clarifications on the topic.
4. Approval of its leader.
5. Final registration and signing of the document.
6. Registration of the letter.
7. Sending correspondence to the recipient.

Only after going through all these stages, the letter, reaching the addressee, will be able to fulfill the mission entrusted to him.

Mandatory regulation

To arrange a business letter, it must be taken into account that the first page of it is necessarily printed on a special form. For the rest you can use usual blank sheets of A4 size. It should be remembered that the text field itself has its limits: the upper and lower are 2 centimeters, the left is 3.5 centimeters, the right one is 1 centimeter. Do not break the standard sizes to fit information on one sheet. It's better to follow all the rules and just add an additional page.

You should type the text according to all the rules:

1. For printing, use the standard Times New Roman font. Other options are best not to apply.

2. The font size is also regulated:

• For the main text - 14;
• Arrangement of pages and a note on performance - 12.

3. The location of the details is also made in accordance with the rules:

• The interval between the lines is 1;
• Text alignment is done "by width";
• Transfers are placed automatically;
• The distance from the registration number to the title is 2 line spacing, and from it to the main text is 3.

Compliance with these rules is mandatory for the proper processing of letters of the appropriate purpose.

Location of requisites

In order to draw up a standard business letter correctly, it is necessary to clearly know where its requisites and components should be located. The answers to these questions include GOST R 6.30-2003. It details the form of the official letter. In fact, this is a sample in which the totality of all requisites of the document is located in a certain way. It is needed in order to:

1. Unify the process of formalizing business (business) letters.
2. Have the ability to pre-centrally prepare standard forms, while reducing the need to perform part of the work manually.
3. Facilitate and shorten the time of visual information search.
4. Expand the possibilities of processing letters using computational and other techniques.

So, for a typical business letter, there are 30 standard requisites that are located in eleven mandatory areas:

• Emblem and emblem;
• The author;
• Initial data;
• Header;
• Approval;
• Addressee;
• Resolutions;
• Text;
• Signatures and applications;
• Agreement and assurance;
• Marks.

Placement of information in certain sectors enables specialists to better navigate the document, and to ordinary users facilitates the process of its compilation.

Primary requirements

Some managers mistakenly believe that business correspondence can be conducted arbitrarily, without observing any norms and rules. But specialists who are responsible for this, must know the basic requirements for official letters:

1. Presence of a special (proprietary) form.
2. Correct use and placement of requisites.
3. The text should be readable and well edited. To state the essence of the matter, it is better to give preference to simple common proposals. To be explained briefly, so that each word carries a maximum of information.
4. Depending on the type, the document should be designed accordingly. The letter may also contain several aspects. In this case, in the presentation it is necessary to try to unite them.
5. Correct use of the norms set for typing.
6. Try to ensure that the contents of the letter were not categorical expressions. The recipient may regard these phrases as threats. When constructing sentences, it is better to use the introductory words of the type "apparently", "as is known", "possible" and "as follows".

The fulfillment of these requirements in practice helps to properly manage the document flow in the enterprise.