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Business etiquette is
fundamentally concerned with building relationships
founded upon courtesy and politeness between business
personnel. Etiquette, and especially business etiquette,
is a means of maximising your potential by presenting
yourself positively.
Writing a business letter
is not simply a matter of expressing your ideas clearly.
The way you write a letter and the etiquette you employ
may have a significant impact on your success or failure
in business.
Failure to observe correct
business letter etiquette can result in you adopting an
inappropriate tone, causing offense or misunderstandings,
lack of clarity or purpose and hostility or soured
relations.
The foundation of good
business letter etiquette is ‘Think before you write’.
You should be considering who the letter is addressed to,
how and why? This will then influence style, content and
structure.
Here we cover some of the
main issues relating to good business letter etiquette:
Addressing the Letter
Always make sure you have
spelt the recipient’s name correctly. It may sound
simple, but you would be surprised at how many people fail
to do so. The recipient’s name should include titles,
honours or qualifications if deemed necessary.
Many people use the ‘Dear
Sir/Yours Faithfully’ formula when addressing the
receiver. Although this is acceptable for routine matters
it is impersonal and should not be used when dealing with
those you know, queries or complaints. With these the
‘Dear Mr…./Yours Sincerely’ formula should be
adopted.
Once a certain level of
familiarity is reached it is not considered bad etiquette
to use phrases such as ‘Kind Regards’ or ‘All the
best’ at the end of the letter.
Confidentiality
If the content of the
letter is sensitive, personal or confidential it must be
marked appropriately. Marking the letter
‘confidential’ will suffice in highlighting this fact.
If you only want the letter read by the receiver without
the interception of a secretary or PA, mark it as
‘Private’, ‘Personal’ or ‘Strictly
Confidential’. If you have received such a business
letter it is good etiquette to reciprocate and ensure that
all future correspondence is kept at that level of
confidentiality.
Style
Proper business letter
etiquette requires that a consistent and clear approach,
combined with courtesy, be employed. As a rule of thumb,
aim to keep all business letters formal in style. Even
when the receiver is familiar to you, it is advisable
maintain a certain level of business etiquette as the
letter may be seen by others or referred to by a third
party in the future.
However, this does not mean
you should use long or uncommon words to express yourself.
This merely looks odd and makes the letter unreadable. It
is best to read a letter first and consider whether you
would speak to that person face to face in the same way.
If not, then re-write it.
Letters should be signed
personally. It looks unprofessional, cold and somewhat
lazy if a letter is left unsigned. However, having a
secretary or PA sign on your behalf is not considered a
breach of business etiquette.
Humour
Humour can be used in
business letters but only when the writer is completely
positive the recipient will understand the joke or pun.
From a business etiquette perspective it may be wise to
avoid humour. This is because firstly, the letter may be
read during a crisis, after receiving bad news or on a
sombre occasion. Any other time the humour may have been
appreciated but under these circumstances it may
dramatically backfire. Secondly, the written word is open
to misinterpretation. Your sarcastic or ironic remark may
be taken the wrong way. Thirdly, it is possible that the
letter may be read by a third party who may deem the
humour inappropriate and pursue a complaint of some sort.
Responding
Good business letter
etiquette calls for letters to be responded to promptly or
within certain guidelines. This may normally be considered
as 5 working days. If this is not possible then some sort
of acknowledgement should be sent either by letter, fax,
phone or e-mail.
Always use reference
numbers or clearly state the purpose of the letter at the
top, for example, ‘Re: Business Letter Etiquette
Enquiry’. This allows the receiver to trace
correspondence and immediately set your letter within a
context.
When replying to points or
questions the proper etiquette is to respond in the same
order as they were asked.
Managing Conflict
Letters are often an arena
for conflicts or disputes. Even in these circumstances
there are rules of business letter etiquette that should
be adhered to.
If you initiate the dispute
then, 1) Explain and set out your case simply and clearly
to the most appropriate person, 2) Offer information that
may be required by the other party to help answer
questions, 3) Indicate a time scale by which you expect a
reply or the matter to be resolved.
If you are receiving the
dispute then 1) inform senior colleagues who may be
affected or who may be able to offer assistance, 2) Submit
all replies in draft form for a senior colleague to check,
3) Stick to the facts and the merits of the case and do
not allow emotions to become involved, 4) Be polite,
patient and courteous.
Using business etiquette in
all matters and especially in business letters will ensure
you communicate effectively, avoid misunderstandings and
maximise your business potential.
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