Basic rules for writing business letters. Writing business letters

Business letters belong to the group of information and reference documents and make up the bulk of official documents used in documenting the activities of the organization.

Business letter is a generalized name for documents of various contents that serve for communication and transfer of information between addressees in the business practice of organizations.

“LETTER” is not distinguished as a type of document and therefore is not indicated in the header part of the document. Letters are fulfilled following functions:

• – are a means of communication;
• – are a means of information relay;
• – are a notification of a fact.

Historical excursion

The first letters in Rus' - birch bark letters, as a rule, were very short. The longest charters have 166 and 176 words. But most often the charters are much shorter: most fully preserved charters are no longer than 20 words, only a few of them are longer than 50 words.

Most birch bark letters are private letters. They are dedicated to a wide variety of matters of current life - economic, family, monetary, trading, etc. Closely related to the category of private letters are petitions (XIV–XV centuries) to the feudal lord from the peasants.

A business letter is a kind of business card organizations. By how correctly and aesthetically it is composed and designed, they judge professional qualities employees working in it and about the organization as a whole.

Business letters can be classified according to the following criteria:

by type: guarantee, instruction, accompanying, congratulatory, thank you letters, etc. The division of business letters by type is key in their classification;

• – by typing: standard, stencil, individual;
• – by area of ​​application: commercial, administrative, judicial, etc.;
• – by structure: business letters can have a simple or complex structure;
• – by place in the document flow: letters in relation to the organization are incoming or outgoing;
• – in place in the correspondence process: proactive, responsive;
• – if necessary to continue correspondence: business letters may require a response letter (letters of inquiry, letters of request) and not require a response letter (letter of instruction);
• – according to the legal status of addressees: business letters can be from government agencies, organizations, citizens, etc.;
• – in the area of ​​activity of the organization; letters may cover production, financial, consulting, project activities and etc.;
• – by method of sending: letters can be sent by post, electronic (electronic message), telegraph (telegram), facsimile (fax message), telephone (telephonogram), telex (telex). Regardless of the method of sending, business letters are drawn up on special letterheads. The first page of text is drawn up on the form, the remaining pages are on regular sheets of paper.

The main paper size used for forms is A4. Forms are produced by printing, using online printing tools or using computer technology directly during the preparation of the document. The method of producing forms depends on the preferences of the organization, taking into account the requirements for the production of forms using the coat of arms of the Russian Federation or coats of arms of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

When preparing and executing a letter, use the following details:

• – State Emblem of the Russian Federation;
• – coat of arms of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation;
• – organization emblem or trademark (service mark);
• – organization code;
• – main state registration number (OGRN) legal entity;
• – INN/KPP;
• – document form code;
• - name of company;
• – reference information about the organization;
• – name of the document type;
• – date of the document;
• – registration number of the document;
• – a link to the registration number and date of the document;
• – addressee;
• – title to the text;
• – text of the document;
• – a mark about the presence of the application;
• - signature;
• – seal impression;
• – a note about the performer.

The structure of the letter text includes:

• – appeal;
• – information part;
• - the final etiquette formula of politeness.

Business letters should begin with a personal address to the addressee of the letter. The purpose of the address is to establish contact with the addressee, express respect, and attract his attention to the letter. The formula of address by position is the most formal; it is used when addressing managers occupying high positions. official position(President, Chairman, etc.):

"Dear Mr. President!";

"Dear Mr. Chairman!"

Addressing by last name is also official. Addressing by last name (without first name, patronymic or initials) is widely used in official correspondence; it is strictly official and indicates the presence of some distance between the addressee and the addressee of the letter:

"Dear Mr. Antonov!";

"Dear Mrs. Belova!"

The most common option indicating business contacts is to address them by name and patronymic:

"Dear Sergei Ivanovich!";

"Dear Irina Nikolaevna!"

When addressing a group of employees or if it is difficult to obtain information about the management of the organization, the following address is used:

"Dear Sirs!"

When addressing persons of the same professional circle, the following address is used:

"Dear branch managers!";

"Dear Colleagues!"

The information part of the letter uses formal business style– a special variety of the Russian literary language intended for communication in the field of administrative management.

In general, the text of a letter consists of sentences grouped into paragraphs. There should be a clear semantic and stylistic relationship between paragraphs.

For the best perception, letters are mainly devoted to one issue. However, to cover its various aspects, as a rule, there is a need for additional structuring of the text. Such structuring often involves dividing the text into three parts: introductory, main and final.

The introductory part of the text is intended to clarify the essence of the issue that served as the reason for the letter. It can consist of one paragraph.

The main part of the text serves for sequential and detailed description various aspects of the issue. Depending on its complexity and novelty, the main body may include from one to three or more paragraphs.

The final part of the text usually consists of one paragraph containing conclusions, as well as a request (demand, instruction) to the addressee and the nature of the author’s expectations.

When composing texts of letters, the choice of specific language means is of great importance. The most common form of presentation in a letter is the use of the 1st person plural in verbs denoting the key action of the text: “we guarantee payment”, “we inform you that...”, “please send...”, “we suggest considering... ", "we direct you to conclusion...", "we remind you that...", etc. When writing a letter to official forms the form of presentation of the text of the letter in the 1st person singular is used: “please consider...”, “I consider it necessary...”, etc.

In the practice of government agencies, letters begin with the name of the organization “Ministry Agriculture Russian Federation proposes...", "The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation requests...".

Final etiquette formulas are linguistically stable phrases expressing hope for further cooperation, regret about the limited capabilities of the addressee, etc.:

“We regret that we cannot take advantage of your offer”;

“We look forward to further cooperation.”

The final politeness formula may not be present in formal letters, but it almost always sums up letters whose text is somewhat personal in nature (for example, letters of gratitude). The use of a final politeness formula somewhat mutes the official tone at the end of the message.

The final politeness formula precedes the signature and is spaced below the last line of the letter text.

If a service letter begins with the address “Dear..!”, it should end with the final etiquette formula “With respect,” which is printed 2-3 spaces below the text, from the paragraph:

Addresses and final politeness formulas constitute the so-called etiquette frame. If there is no address in the letter, then the final formula “With respect” is also omitted.

The following standard formulations can also be used as a final politeness formula:

"With constant respect...";

"With deep respect...";

"With deep respect...";

"With gratitude and respect...";

"With gratitude and respect...";

"With respect and best wishes..."

Let's consider the main types of letters most often found in business practice.

Letter message – a business letter that informs about any events and facts of mutual interest. A message letter can be proactive or a response to a letter of request. Based on the specifics, message letters are usually small and consist of one or two sentences. A letter of communication may begin with a rationale or directly with a statement of the information being communicated. It is permissible to start a message letter directly with the word “I inform” or one of its synonyms (“I direct”, “I send”, “I present”), as well as:

"We inform you that...";

“We would like to inform you that...”;

“We consider it necessary to inform you about...”;

“We inform you that...”;

"We inform you that...";

“We inform you that...”;

“We would like to inform you that...”;

“We consider it necessary to inform you that...”;

"We are pleased to inform you that..."

“We would like to inform you that...”;

“We are pleased to inform you that...”;

“In continuation of ours... we report ours...”;

“On request... we inform...”;

“I consider it my duty to inform you that...”;

“I am authorized to inform you that...”;

"We inform...";

“Based on the above, we consider it necessary...”;

“It has been established that in the period from... to...”;

“We inform you that as of...”, etc.

A sample message letter is presented in Appendix 12.

Covering letter – a business letter informing the addressee about sending him the documents attached to the letter (agreements, catalogues, registers, etc.) or material assets. Sending a cover letter is the rule good manners in the business practice of organizations and promotes accounting and further effective information and reference work with sent documents.

The cover letter begins with standard phrases:

"We are directing...";

"We present to you...";

“We return to you...”;

“We are sending you...”

These phrases may be preceded by introductory information accompanying this management situation:

“In accordance with the agreement, we send you...”;

“In accordance with the schedule, we present...”;

“To confirm our agreement, we are sending...”, etc.

A distinctive feature of a cover letter is the inclusion of a note indicating the presence of an attachment below the text.

A sample cover letter is presented in Appendix 13.

Instruction (directive, circular) letter – a business letter containing instructions (explanation) to subordinate organizations on issues of settlements, reporting, etc. This type of letters is sent out by state and municipal bodies, as well as organizations that have subordinate organizations.

In practice, in documents of this kind, the heads of organizations highlight permitting instructions regarding any specific issue regarding the organization. All employees of the organization whose activities relate to this issue are required to familiarize themselves with the letters of instruction. All instructions recorded in the instruction letter are mandatory for compliance by subordinates.

Letters of instruction are signed by the head of a state (municipal) body or organization.

Letters of instruction may begin with a rationale for the purpose of the letter or a reference to a regulatory document - “For the purpose of...”, “In accordance with the resolution... No.... dated...”, and end with the phrase “On the execution of this circular letter report... not later..."

A sample letter of instruction is presented in Appendix 14.

Letter of request – a business letter, the purpose of which is to obtain official information, information, documents or initiate certain actions necessary for the authoring organization. A huge number of management situations give rise to the preparation of letters of request.

The request letter contains the rationale for the request and a statement of the request itself. The justification may contain references to legislative and other regulations, organizational and legal documents. Justification must precede the statement of the request. Justification may be absent in cases of obviousness of the request, its typical nature, as well as in cases where the implementation of actions constituting the request is the responsibility of the organization, unit, or official. Often a request is expressed using the verb "to ask":

"Please inform...";

"Please pay...";

"We ask you to provide...";

“We ask you to provide information about...”;

“We would ask you to confirm...”;

“We ask you to accept...”;

“For the second time, we ask you to immediately repay...”;

"I ask you to send to my address..."

"I ask you to...";

“Please make a payment...”;

“Please give instructions...”;

“We ask you to consider...”;

“I inform you and ask...”;

"Please inform...";

“According to the preliminary agreement, I ask you...”;

"We ask for assistance in...";

“I would like to draw your attention and ask...”;

“Please take action to...”;

“In addition to... please consider...”;

"Taking into account; that...; we request...";

“We ask you to find an opportunity...”;

“We ask you to consider the issue of...”;

“We kindly ask you to confirm...”;

“In accordance with our agreement, we request...”, etc.

A request can be formulated without the verb “ask”, for example: “We hope for a positive solution to the issue...”;

“We will be very grateful; if you send...”;

"We will be grateful if you...";

"Please inform...";

“It would be desirable...”;

"We would like...";

"We would like...";

“We hope that you will consider it possible to consider our appeal”; “We would like to ask you...”;

“Let me ask you a request...”;

“We hereby inform and request that you immediately provide...”; "We will be grateful to you if you...";

"We will be grateful...";

“We will be grateful for...”;

"We will be very...";

“We hope that you will consider it possible...”;

"We will be glad; if you...";

"We are asking you to...";

“It would be advisable to familiarize yourself with...”;

"We would like..." etc.

One letter may contain several requests. In this case, the following language expressions are used:

“We also ask you to consider (provide, conduct...)”; “At the same time, we ask you...”

Letters of request are signed by the head of the organization or an officially authorized official. A letter of request requires a letter of response.

It should be noted that the request may be contained in other letters, for example, in cover letter, warranty, etc.

A sample request letter is presented in Appendix 15. Letter of response– a business letter written as a response to a letter of request. The answer can be positive or negative (letter of refusal).

When composing response letters, the principle of linguistic parallelism must be observed: the text of the response letter should use the same language expressions and vocabulary that the author used in the initiative letter.

Important to remember!

You should not include a link to the received letter in the text of the response letter (“To your letter dated... No...."). To link to the received letter, the form details include the “Link to the date and number of the received document”, where information about the initiative letter is entered. The response letter can begin with the words: “In response to your letter, we inform...”, “In response to your letter, we inform...”.

Standard phrases used in response letters:

"We are informing you...";

"We inform you...";

"In response to your request, we inform...";

"Unfortunately, we cannot...";

"To our great regret...";

"To our mutual satisfaction...";

"In accordance with your request, we are sending...".

The standard text of a positive response letter might look like this:

A negative answer must be justified; a request should not be refused without explanation. If the organization - the author of the letter has information about who, under what conditions, when can give a positive response to this request, it is recommended to inform the addressee about this information.

Standard phrases used in rejection letters:

“We regret to inform you that we will not be able to satisfy your request for the following reasons...”;

"Due to... our organization cannot...".

A sample response letter is presented in Appendix 16.

Note!

Business communication does not allow for rudeness and tactlessness and assumes a neutral tone of communication between partners. In this regard, it is recommended to avoid direct refusal in official letters.

Reminder letter– a letter that repeatedly reports a fact, and is also used in cases where the counterparty organization does not carry out actions arising from its functional responsibilities or accepted agreements.

The text of the reminder letter, as a rule, consists of two parts: a link to a document that records the obligations of the parties or circumstances in connection with which the organization is obliged to take certain actions, and requests to perform such or other actions.

The key phrase of the reminder letter is the verb “I remind (remind).”

Basic models and designs of reminder letters:

“In a letter from... we informed you that...”;

“However, to date we have not received a response from you”;

“Reminding you of this, we ask...”;

“If a response is not received within... the deadline...”;

“We remind you that according to the joint work plan...”;

“We offer you in accordance with the terms of the contract...”;

“According to agreement No.... we remind you of the obligations...”;

“Despite repeated reminders...”;

“Let us know the state of affairs urgently”;

“We are sending you a second time...”;

“We are informing you again...”;

“We remind you again...”;

"We kindly ask you...";

“Once again... we remind you...”;

"Otherwise we will be forced...";

“We draw your attention to the fact that...”;

"We would like to inform you that..."

The reminder letter may contain another additional part, which mentions the sanctions that will be applied in case of failure to take the necessary actions:

“If you fail to fulfill your obligations, you will be subject to penalties,” etc.

A sample reminder letter is provided in Appendix 17.

Letter of gratitude (thank you letter) – a business letter expressing gratitude for actions taken (for a letter received, for providing information, for an invitation). Letters of gratitude are less formalized compared to other types of letters and are written in a more free form.

The key phrases of the letter may be the following expressions: “Thank you for...”;

"We thank you for...";

"We are grateful to you for...";

“We express our gratitude for...”;

“Expressing gratitude for your letter, we inform you that...”;

“We have received an invitation, for which we are very grateful”; "Thank you in advance for...";

“We gratefully confirm...”;

“We express our gratitude to you for...”;

“Let me thank you for...”;

“Let me express my sincere gratitude to you...”;

“Thank you for your assistance in...”;

“We are grateful to you for...”;

"We have received your invitation... for which we are grateful..."; “Addressing your letter, thank you for providing...”, “We express our deep gratitude to you for...”;

“In this regard, I would like to thank you...”;

“I express my gratitude to you with all my heart...”;

“Expressing gratitude for..., we inform you that...”;

"Our sincere gratitude for...";

“With deep gratitude...”, etc.

A sample letter of gratitude is presented in Appendix 18.

Confirmation letter – a business letter in which the addressee confirms receipt of information, documents or other materials, previously reached agreements, intentions, etc. When confirming a preliminary agreement, the text of the letter should briefly outline its essence; when confirming receipt of documents, you must name them. In some cases, the confirmation letter briefly outlines the essence of the documents received.

The key linguistic formula of this type of letter is the verb “I confirm.”

Basic models and designs of confirmation letter:

“We confirm receipt of documents (preliminary agreement, consent, etc.)”;

“We confirm the agreements reached during the negotiations...”;

"We confirm our intention...";

“We gratefully acknowledge receipt of the materials...”, etc.

A confirmation letter may end with a request, wish, or proposal.

A sample confirmation letter is provided in Appendix 19.

Notification letter– a business letter informing about public events (meetings, seminars, exhibitions, conferences, etc.).

Notification letters, as a rule, are sent to a wide range of organizations, institutions, and enterprises with the aim of attracting them or inviting them to participate in ongoing events. Notification letters can both inform about the event, the time and place of the event, and at the same time invite participation, inform about the conditions of participation in the event and contain other auxiliary information. Thus, a notification letter can be simultaneously a letter of invitation or precede a letter of invitation.

The notification letter may have attachments that may contain the event program, application for participation and other information materials. Such letters, as a rule, are sent to a list, so the “Addressee” details are formatted in a general way or not at all.

Notification letters are signed by the head of the organization or deputy head responsible for organizing and holding the event, as well as by several managers if the event is held jointly by several organizations.

A sample notification letter is presented in Appendix 20.

Invitation letter – a business letter, which is a type of notification letter. The difference from a notification letter is that it may not be on a letterhead, have a different format, color, additional design elements in the form of ornaments, drawings, etc.

When inviting a large number of people, stenciled, pre-made invitation texts are used. Usually, letters of invitation are addressed to a specific person or persons, therefore they use formulas for addressing the addressee “Dear..!”, “Dear..!”, for example:

"Dear Mr. Stepanov!";

"Dear Alexander Nikolaevich!";

"Dear Sirs!";

"Dear heads of branches!" and so on.

Invitation letters can be sent by e-mail, but on particularly special occasions invitations should be sent by mail or courier. The following expressions are used in invitation letters:

“We invite you to take part in...”;

“We ask you to take part in...”;

“We have the honor to invite you...”;

"Accept our invitation...";

"Allow me to invite (we invite)...";

“We would be glad to see you at...”;

“We will be very grateful for your participation in...”;

“We would be grateful if you could accept our invitation to...”;

“We invite you to... which will take place...”, etc.

The standard text of an invitation letter looks like this:

“On March 23–25, 2014, a scientific-practical conference “Education – new times, new approaches” will take place. We ask you to confirm your participation in the conference and send abstracts of your speech of 3–5 pages. Additional information will be sent to you after confirmation of your participation.”

A sample invitation letter is presented in Appendix 21.

Reply to invitation letter – a business letter expressing a positive or negative response. If the decision is positive, the organization can immediately send an application to participate in the event. In case of a negative decision, it is necessary to indicate the reason for the refusal, starting the response to the invitation letter with the rationale for the refusal: “In connection with...”.

A sample response to an invitation letter is presented in Appendix 22.

Letter of congratulations (letter of congratulations) – a business letter written on special occasions associated with significant events in the position of an official or organization.

Letters of congratulations are written in free form; they can be either small in volume and include one or two sentences, or quite detailed. In the latter case, the letter of congratulation sets out the main stages of the life, activities of the person to whom the congratulation is addressed, and his most important achievements. If the letter is addressed to an organization or its structural unit, it outlines the most important and significant achievements of an organization or division.

In business practice, the following reasons for congratulations can be distinguished:

• – anniversaries, birthdays of the recipient organization and the head of the organization;
• – awards, victories in competitions, winning tenders;
• - success in business and professional activity(appointment to a high position, conferment of an honorary or special title, opening of a new branch, etc.);
• – public holidays ( New Year, Christmas, Defender of the Fatherland Day, etc.);
• – religious holidays (Christmas);
• – pleasant events in your personal life (birthday, marriage, birth of a child);
• – concluding mutually beneficial partnership agreements;
• – anniversary of cooperation (usually the first or round one).

Practice

Letters of congratulations can be issued not only on the organization’s letterhead, but also on special paper of various colors, decorated with ornaments, having a high density, etc.

The following key phrases are used in letters of congratulations:

"Congratulations on your...";

"We sincerely congratulate you on...";

"Please accept our sincere congratulations on...";

"We cordially congratulate you on...";

"Congratulations on...";

“Please accept our sincere congratulations...”;

“Congratulations on your appointment to your new position”;

“Congratulations on the opening of a new branch”;

“We were happy to learn about your success in the elections. Congratulations on your victory!” and so on.

The standard text of a congratulations letter may look like this:

“Please accept our sincere congratulations on the occasion of your election as Chairman of the Board of Directors. We wish you good health and success in your work. We are confident that your experience and high professionalism will serve the further development of the company and strengthen its position in the field of high technology.”

A sample letter of congratulations is presented in Appendix 23.

Reply to a letter of congratulations – a letter drawn up as a response to congratulations on special occasions associated with significant events in the position of an official or organization.

Standard text for a response to a letter of congratulations:

“Thank you for the attention you showed me on my birthday. Thank you for your warm and sincere words. For my part, I wish you great happiness and health, prosperity and prosperity.”

A sample response to a letter of congratulations is presented in Appendix 24.

Letter of guarantee – a business letter that guarantees payment for work performed or the provision of something (services, products, premises, etc.).

In a letter of guarantee, the author organization assumes certain obligations, so such a letter has a legal load. The text of the letter of guarantee contains a request to perform work, provide services, etc. and contains a legally significant phrase: “We guarantee payment,” etc. Further in the text of the letter, the bank details of the organization - the author of the letter of guarantee are given.

Letters of guarantee are signed by the director and Chief Accountant organization, signatures are certified by the main seal of the organization.

It is important to know!

A distinctive feature of the letter of guarantee is the presence of the requisite “name of the type of document”, which is not included on other types of letters. This props will look like this - LETTER OF GUARANTEE.

Basic models and designs of the letter of guarantee:

“We guarantee loan repayment...”;

“We guarantee loan repayment in the amount... up to...”;

"We guarantee payment. Our bank account...";

“We guarantee the provision of living space...”;

“The company guarantees...”;

“With this letter we guarantee...”;

“(Name of organization) asks (you) to provide assistance... (Name of organization) guarantees...”;

“We ask, in order to provide assistance, to provide... (Name of organization) guarantees...”;

"We warrant that the equipment supplied under the above order corresponds in all respects to its description, technical specifications and specifications contained in the order";

“If within... from the date of commissioning the equipment turns out to be defective, we undertake to eliminate the defect at our own expense”;

“If... we undertake to replace defective equipment free of charge”;

“We undertake to supply new equipment without delay”;

“We undertake to pay the cost of transportation and insurance,” etc.

A sample letter of guarantee is presented in Appendix 25.

Information mail – a business letter in which the addressee is informed of official information.

An information letter is similar in meaning to a message letter or an advertising letter, but is broader and more informative. Such a letter is the result of the logical development of correspondence. It is sent to the addressee if contact with him has been established and he does not object to the subsequent development of business relations. An information letter is intended to be somewhat larger than a message to inform the addressee about the author’s desire to develop business contacts and about certain aspects of their implementation.

Information letters are useful in establishing initial contact with the addressee, who is provided with a certain amount of additional information of an overview nature. An information letter may contain an incentive for the addressee to obtain additional information by using the wording in the letter: “We will be happy to answer your questions.”

A sample information letter is presented in Appendix 26.

Letter of application – a business letter drawn up in cases where an organization wishes to take part in events or receive services provided by another organization. IN commercial activities related to the provision of goods and services, the application can be used as a primary document on the basis of which an order is placed and a contract is drawn up. A special type of application consists of documents submitted to the authorities executive power And state organizations for the purpose of registering any rights, obtaining permits, etc.

The application can be drawn up in a unified form or taking into account the requirements formulated by the organization offering goods or services. In the first case, drawing up such an application consists of filling out a template form proposed by the selling organization. If the application is drawn up in free form, it includes information that is essential for the author of the letter.

Since a letter of application is actually a request to perform some work, provide services, or be included in the list of participants in some event, the text of the application, as a rule, uses the same language as in letters of request:

“We ask you to be included in the group to participate in...”;

“We ask you to provide for the participation of two representatives of our company in...”;

“We ask you to register as participants...”, etc.

Depending on the situation, the text of the application letter includes additional information regarding the participants of the event, the subject of the application, the conditions for performing work or participating in ongoing events, etc. For example, if an application is made for participation in any event (seminar, conference, festival, fair, etc.), the following information must be indicated:

• - event title;
• – date of its holding;
• – form of participation (speaker, listener, participant, etc.);
• – last name, first name and patronymic of the participant(s);
• - Place of work, position;
• – mailing address with index, telephone number, address Email;
• – need for a hotel during the event.

In the case when an application is drawn up for the provision of any type of service, all essential aspects of the subject of the application and all the necessary data about the author of the application, in addition to those contained in the letter form, are indicated.

The application may also contain a guarantee of payment for services or participation in the event in question.

A sample application letter is provided in Appendix 27.

Letter of addition – a business letter sent after the main letter and containing Additional information. A characteristic feature of such a letter is a direct indication that it serves as a continuation of the previous letter. This is where the follow-up letter should begin, for example:

"In addition to the letter...";

"This letter is an addition to...".

The text of the supplement letter should explain why it was necessary to send it, for example:

“Due to a significant change in the cost of components for the product... of direct interest to your company...”.

A sample letter of addition is presented in Appendix 28.

Letter of apology – a letter written on the occasion of an apology to the addressee for violations in business relations. Letters of apology are found in official business correspondence relatively rare. However, in many cases they turn out to be indispensable for bringing a formal apology to the recipient and normalizing the relationship, especially if it is not possible to apologize in any other way.

The standard wording for the beginning of apology letters is: “I ask you to accept my apologies in connection with (for) ....” An apology should be made at the beginning of the letter and only then explain the reasons for your appeal. At the same time, it is not customary to apologize twice during the course of a letter. It is better to express your regret as sincerely and convincingly as possible in connection with the temporary disruption of the relationship with the addressee. The general tone of the apology letter should be emphatically conciliatory, but not ingratiating.

A sample letter of apology is presented in Appendix 29.

Letter of Condolence – a business letter written to express regret, sympathy and condolences. This type of letter is used in everyday business correspondence in connection with the death of people close to the addressee (relatives, colleagues).

In case of less tragic events (natural disaster, major troubles in the activities of the organization), a written expression of sympathy and regret is used. These letters are intended to show friendly support in a business environment. It is permissible to resort to this form of written communication in case of misunderstandings in the relationship between the author and the addressee in the event of disagreements that violate the usual order of business contacts. Such letters should begin with words of condolences (sympathy, regret), for example: “I ask you to accept my condolences...” or “I express to you my sincere sympathy...”. It is highly desirable that the overall tone of such a letter be emphatically warm and leave room for the expression of feelings of hope and optimism.

A sample letter of condolence is presented in Appendix 30.

Letter of recommendation – a form of petition from the author to the addressee in favor of a third party not participating in the correspondence. Most common letters of recommendation, issued by an organization to an employee in confirmation of work experience in this organization, merits and personal qualities of the employee.

A typical wording for the beginning of a letter of recommendation is the following: “With this letter, I have the honor to recommend to you Mr. (Mrs.) ....” After this, the author draws the addressee’s attention to the motives for his appeal and sets out his own idea of ​​the recommended person. A detailed recommendation cannot be general; it must contain a description of the specific advantages (or disadvantages) of the recommended person in order to create an objective impression about this person for the recipient.

This is interesting!

The poet Sergei Yesenin arrived in St. Petersburg on March 9, 1915. The first person he visited in the city was L. L. Blok. He gave him letters of recommendation, and Yesenin’s path to literary circles was open.

In business practice, one can distinguish a group of letters used in the conduct of commercial activities of organizations, the so-called commercial letters. This group includes the following types letters.

An inquiry – a business letter sent at the pre-contract stage by a potential buyer to a potential seller in order to obtain information about the possibility of supplying a consignment of goods to certain conditions or with a request to send a proposal for the supply of a certain batch of goods (for the provision of a certain type of service). A commercial request should be distinguished from an information letter and letters of request about the notification of delivery terms and prices of goods. A letter of request is also not considered an application or order, which are other types of letters with other elements and details.

In a commercial request, the buyer is interested in the possibility of delivering a consignment of goods in certain deadlines, under certain conditions, the issue of delivery price may be affected. The request, as a rule, indicates: the name of the goods (services) and the conditions under which it is desirable to receive the goods (quantity, quality of goods, model, brand, price, delivery time, delivery conditions, etc.).

Terms of payment determine when and how the buyer settles with the seller. Delivery conditions determine where and at what point responsibility for the safety of the goods and risks passes from the seller to the buyer.

When determining delivery conditions in international trade terms used are those contained in the INCOTERMS dictionary of commercial terms ( International Commercial Terms, INCOTERMS), developed by the International chamber of commerce. The dictionary contains terms on the basic terms of delivery relating to the transportation process, execution of deliveries, etc., contained in international sales contracts. The three-letter abbreviations for each term are standard and agreed upon by the relevant OOP authorities. Since INCOMERMS is a constantly evolving set of terms, when using it in contracts, it is necessary to indicate the edition of the dictionary.

Some dictionary terms are given below:

• –FAS ( Free Alongside Ship) - freely along the side of the ship at... (shipment port). The seller considers his obligations fulfilled when the goods are placed along the side of the vessel at the berth. From this point on, the buyer must bear all costs and risks of loss or damage to the goods. The term is used only for transport by sea or river by water transport;
• –FOB ( Free on Board) – free on board at... (shipment port). Responsibility and risks pass to the buyer from the moment the goods pass the ship's rail at the agreed port of shipment. The term is used only for transportation by sea or river water transport;
• – CIF ( Cost Insurance Freight) - cost, insurance, freight paid to the port of destination. The term is used only for transportation by sea or river water transport;
• – CIFC ( Cost Insurance Freight and Conihsion) – CIF and intermediary commission;
• –DAF ( Delivered At Frontier) – delivery at the border. The seller is considered to have fulfilled his obligations to deliver goods that have passed customs clearance for export from the moment of its transfer to the buyer at the designated point at the border. The term can be used for any type of transport, but is predominantly used for rail and road transport.

The following expressions are used in a commercial request:

"Please inform detailed information O...";

“We ask you to inform us about the possibility of supply...”;

“Please make an offer for the supply...”, etc.

Standard request letter text:

"VAMIT Concern specializes in researching wood drying technologies. In this regard, we are extremely interested in purchasing and installing drying chambers produced by Russian enterprises. We ask you to send advertising brochures and information on the price of sets of standard projects of scientific and technical documentation for wood drying equipment."

A sample letter of request is provided in Appendix 32.

Reply to letter of inquiry – a response letter from a potential seller of goods (services) to a request from a potential buyer of goods (services).

If the seller is ready to fulfill all the conditions of the request, he can immediately send an offer for delivery. However, it takes time to prepare a quality proposal, so it is recommended that you first agree in principle and then send the proposal by next letter.

The response to a commercial request may be:

• – letter of offer (offer), if the seller can immediately satisfy the buyer’s request;
• – a letter informing about the product (services), if the buyer specifically requested information about the product;
• – refusal to consider the request.

In the latter case, business ethics requires, first of all, to express gratitude for the order, then explain the reasons why the order cannot be accepted and executed, for example:

"Thank you for your request for delivery... Unfortunately, due to... Your order cannot be accepted for consideration (executed)";

“Thank you for your delivery request... Unfortunately, the product you are interested in can only be supplied under the conditions...”;

"Thank you for your delivery request... Unfortunately, the product you are interested in may not be delivered earlier... We ask you to indicate your consent to change the delivery time."

Standard response text to a request:

“Having considered your request for the possibility of supplying 2000 ASUS VX239H monitors to Yekaterinburg in April 2014, we confirm our readiness to supply these products within the specified time frame.”

A sample response to a letter of request is presented in Appendix 33.

Letter of proposal (presentation letter) – a business letter sent to a potential partner offering goods, services, cooperation, etc. In commercial activities, such a letter of offer is called a commercial proposal or offer.

The offer may be:

• – written confirmation of a previously reached oral agreement;
• – a response to a previously sent request letter;
• – an independent proposal, which is an initiative document. In this case, it acts as a sales letter.

In the first two cases, the proposal is sent in response to a letter of request or as a result of preliminary agreements, so it is not proactive. Accordingly, the first line of the letter indicates the motivation for sending the proposal.

There are many more mandatory elements in a commercial proposal than in a request. This includes data on packaging and labeling, quality, price of goods, delivery price, cost of the entire batch, terms of payment. It is possible to provide information on risk compensation in force majeure circumstances and arbitration conditions.

In commercial activities, there are free and firm offers (offers). A free offer is an offer that the seller can refuse to fulfill before concluding a contract; it does not bind the seller with an obligation to sell the goods. Information about the free offer is given in the first line of the text (... we are making you an offer without obligation on our part). A firm offer is one that the seller does not have the right to refuse until a certain date.

A firm offer is sent to a specific buyer indicating the essential terms of delivery (quantity of goods, quality, price of goods, etc.). A firm offer binds the seller with an obligation to sell the offered product to the person to whom he is offering it, therefore a mandatory element of a firm offer is to indicate in the last line the validity period of the offer, for example: “The offer is valid until...”. Failure to receive a response within the specified period is tantamount to refusal to accept the offer.

To create a high-quality proposal letter, you need to understand the following concepts:

• – acceptance – acceptance of an offer on the seller’s terms;
• – in bulk – transportation of oversized cargo without packaging;
• – in bulk – transportation of liquids in tanks or tankers without packaging;
• – in bulk – transportation of bulk cargo without packaging.

The most common international terms defining

conditions of payment:

• – ACC/ASS (ASSOUNT/ASSOUNT) – from account to account;
• – V/C ( Bill For Collection) – bill for collection;
• – CBD (CASH BEFORE DELIVERY) – payment in cash before delivery of goods;
• – CD (CASH AGAINST DOCUMENTS) – cash payment against documents;
• – CIA (CASH IN ADVANCE) – prepayment in cash.

The offer to the partner contains specific detailed information,

since the next step may be the conclusion of an agreement, or general information, which is actually a proposal to begin negotiations.

The structure of the offer may look like this:

Part 1. Introduction:

• - greetings;
• – designation of the reason for the letter being written.

In this part of the message the following phrases are used:

“In response to your request, we inform you that...”;

“We are glad that you want to establish business contacts with us”;

“We are happy to send you the desired samples and offer...”;

“Our representative, Mr. N, will inform us that you are interested in our products...”;

"According to your request...";

“We confirm our agreement and inform you that we can deliver...”;

"Our business partners(N) informed us that you are interested in including our products in your range...";

“We are ready to supply you with our products, and therefore we are sending you our latest catalog for your reference.”

Part 2. Main part:

• – answer to the questions asked;
• – conveying the meaning of the commercial offer (emphasis on the exclusivity of the product, if there are few manufacturers of this product; emphasis on the parameters, differences of the product, if there are many manufacturers of this product; emphasis on the specifics of the company’s work and provision of services, if there are a lot of manufacturers of this product).

Phrases used:

“We are ready to make you a special offer”;

"We are offering to you...";

“We firmly offer you...”;

“In confirmation of our agreement, we offer you...”;

“Attached we send you our catalog with the latest price list”;

“Our detailed price list will convince you of the richness of our assortment”;

"Our offer is valid until...";

"Prices include packaging and shipping costs";

“We deliver on the terms...”;

“We are ready to give you a discount...”;

“Please let us know if you agree to a trial purchase for testing”;

“Provided that prices for raw materials remain unchanged...”;

"Our products are highly valued for...".

– additional offers (emphasis on special treatment of the client).

Phrases used:

"To make it easier for you to start this new transaction, we will give you a discount...% on our catalog prices";

“The excellent quality of our products has won a lot of attention all over the world”;

“I would like to draw your attention especially to the positions...”;

“The model that is best suited for your purposes...”;

“I can especially recommend the items (products) noted in the price list to you, since they were made...”;

“You could profitably purchase a large batch...”;

“As you can see, our prices are competitive”;

“We are confident that the quality of our products will meet all your expectations”;

“We give all our products... a one-year warranty”;

"Our products are carefully checked to ensure quality";

“We would be happy to enter into a business relationship with you, and we are confident that you will be able to successfully sell our products in your store”;

"Your first order will reassure you that we strive to fulfill all customer wishes with the utmost care."

Part 3. Final:

– expressing gratitude for attention and expressing hope for cooperation.

Phrases used:

“We would be very glad to receive an order from you soon”;

“If you have any questions about this, you can find us at the following telephone numbers”;

“If our offer does not suit you, we will be grateful to you for informing us of the reasons”;

“At your request, we will be happy to provide you with information about the terms of delivery and payment”;

“We will be glad to see your order and promise fast, accurate execution.”

Standard text of the offer letter:

“We present to your attention a new catalogue, which includes the full range of furniture produced by our company. We are also sending a price list that provides significant discounts to our regular customers. However, we cannot maintain these discounts for a long time, so we recommend placing your order within the current month.”

A sample offer letter is provided in Appendix 34.

Response to offer letter – a response letter from a potential buyer of goods (services) to an offer from a potential seller of goods (services).

Business etiquette requires a mandatory response to an offer, even if you cannot accept it.

The response to an offer letter may be a letter confirming acceptance of the offer or a refusal. The buyer may not agree with only some of the terms of the offer, then he can send a counter offer to the seller, which results in commercial correspondence, during which the parties either come to an agreement on all essential terms of delivery, or refuse to conclude the transaction. Depending on the situation, the following stable expressions can be used in the response to the offer letter:

“Thank you for your offer and inform you that we are ready to conclude a deal on...”;

"We accept your offer for...";

“We confirm our readiness to conclude a deal on...”;

"Thank you for your offer, however we are not interested in purchasing this item at this time."

Standard text for a response to an offer letter:

"Thank you for your offer to additionally supply current transformers to complete electrical control panels. However, we consider the price you named to be too high. In addition, the terms of payment, unfortunately, are unacceptable to us. We are ready to return to your proposals if you consider it possible to make them accordingly."

A sample response to an offer letter is provided in Appendix 35.

Letter of demand – a business letter, the purpose of which is to encourage the counterparty to fulfill its obligations in conditions where there are violations of previously accepted agreements.

Letters of demand usually have a complex structure. They provide the terms of the agreements with reference to specific documents, outline the essence of the current situation, formulate the requirement for the need to fulfill obligations and indicate possible sanctions in case of failure to fulfill these obligations.

Key phrases in demand letters can be:

“We urgently demand that you carry out (send, provide, transfer)...”;

“We demand that our obligations be fulfilled...”;

“We demand that you immediately implement...”, etc.

Possible sanctions can be formulated as follows:

“Otherwise you will be subject to penalties...”;

“Otherwise, the case will be transferred to the Arbitration Court”;

“Otherwise, we are not responsible for the consequences...”, etc.

A sample response to a letter of demand is presented in Appendix 36.

The letter of claim is drawn up on letterhead. There are currently no regulatory requirements for filing claims at the legislative level. But practice has developed the following recommendations for its preparation and design.

• – the basis for filing a claim (reference to the agreement concluded between the parties, letter of guarantee);
• - the essence, the subject of the claim. It must be indicated which obligation was violated and to what extent (delay, poor quality, etc.);
• – validity of the claim (references to contracts, acts, etc.), evidence indicating references to regulatory documents that serve as the basis for satisfying the claim;
• – material and other damages incurred by you;
• – actions of the partner on the claim; specific requirements of the claim maker (termination of contract, return Money, replacement requirement poor quality goods etc.) indicating the deadlines for satisfying these requirements;
• – your actions if the claim is not satisfied. The letter must contain a warning about subsequent appeal to the judicial authorities if the claim is not satisfied.

To uniquely identify this type of letter, it is allowed to designate the type of letter on the document – ​​CLAIM.

The claim (complaint) letter must have a title to the text reflecting its main requirements, for example, “On payment of debt and penalties” or contain a link to the agreement, the terms of which were violated, for example, “On the claim under the lease agreement dated __________ No. ________”.

The claim (complaint) letter must contain a note indicating the presence of an attachment indicating all attached documents confirming the validity of the claim. The letter sets a period for consideration of this claim, which, however, is not defined by law and in practice is one month. The form of presentation of the text must be as correct as possible to preserve business relationships and the reputation of partners.

Claim letters are usually sent to the addressee by registered mail with a separate receipt and acknowledgment of delivery. These documents are retained by the author of the claim for possible presentation to the judicial authorities.

When drawing up the text of a claim, the following phrases are used as the basis for filing a claim:

“We are sending you a claim for...”;

“We are sending you an examination report dated... No...., from which it follows that...”;

“Our customer makes a claim (complaint) to you regarding quality...”;

“We are making a claim regarding the quality of the goods...”;

“On the basis of a commercial act, we make a claim against...”;

“In accordance with the agreement... You violated clause No...”;

“A shortage of goods was discovered in the shipment of goods...”;

“Upon acceptance of goods received on (date) according to invoice No.... a shortage was established...”;

“To our great regret, we inform you that...”;

“Unfortunately, we must inform you...”;

“According to clause 4 of the contract, you must supply us...”.

The following phrases are used to express the requirements:

“We intend to demand from your side...”;

“We have the intention to ask you...”;

“In accordance with the above, we request you...”;

“In connection with the above, you have been charged a fine for...”.

To describe the content of sanctions, the following expressions are used:

“In case of evasion of taking measures to resolve the issues reflected in the complaint, the case will be transferred to the Arbitration Court...”;

"...otherwise you will be subject to penalties";

“Refusal to fulfill obligations under the contract in connection with the stated complaint...”.

Response to a letter of claim (complaint) the organization must give within the prescribed period. During this time, you must inform the counterparty in writing about the rejection of the claim or about accepting it for consideration. If the claim is accepted for consideration, the deadline for making a decision on the claim or specific measures to satisfy it will be communicated. If a claim is rejected, the reasons for the refusal are stated with reference to documents that can justify it.

• – letters offering goods or services;
• – presentation letters containing information about the organization.

In addition to the named varieties, they are widely used in advertising newsletters, prospectuses, newsletters, the task of which is to provide detailed, sometimes detailed, information about goods and services. These materials are not advertising letters, but together with them they serve advertising function. Advertising materials, as a rule, are provided at the request of an interested party who received primary information about the organization or product from an advertising letter or in some other way.

• – the advertising letter should not be long and no more than one page;
• – the advertising letter should be concise, clear, informative; You should not describe in detail the organization and the goods or services offered, but it is necessary to emphasize only the difference between your organization and others, your products from those of other suppliers;
• – it is not appropriate to exaggerate the merits of your organization, since any information can always be verified;
• – the offered goods or services should not be imposed; repeated repetition of a sentence, albeit in different versions, can alienate the correspondent;
• – the advertising letter represents your company, firm, so it must be drawn up on letterhead with all the details necessary for the letter.

• 3. Presentation of the product (goods) and listing its main advantages.
• 4. Listing of additional or related conditions.
• 5. Specific proposal for cooperation (wholesale or retail, offer of services, etc.).
• 6. Expression of readiness to provide samples of goods, detailed information about goods or services and answer all questions that a potential consumer may have.
• 7. Standard phrase expressing hope for cooperation.
• 8. Signature (position, surname, initials).

In cases where the letter represents an organization, its structure may look like this:

• 1. Address to the addressee (“Dear sirs!” or “Dear colleagues!”).
• 2. Brief introduction of the organization and the nature of its activities.
• 3. Description of the main activities of the organization, its advantages in comparison with other organizations offering similar goods or services.
• 4. Specific proposal for cooperation.
• 5. Expression of readiness to provide any information of interest about the organization and answer all questions.
• 6. Standard phrase expressing hope for cooperation.

To have a stronger impact on a potential partner, it is necessary that a letter advertising goods and services be signed by at least the head of the department, and letters representing the organization by the head of the organization or his deputy.

When preparing advertising letters, you must adhere to general rules design of business letters, but to attract attention to the letter, it is permissible to use a wider range of text design, such as highlighting the most important fragments of text.

So, modern management requires from every manager and leader the ability to write business texts of a wide variety of directions. This can be either the preparation of commercial letters and business proposals, or the preparation of letters of congratulations and thanks. The success of all management and commercial activities will directly depend on the writing of some of these documents. In this regard, practical written skills in developing business letters, regardless of the thematic focus of the text, are required in daily work by almost any specialist, including managers at all levels, heads of company departments, advertising specialists, personal assistants to managers, as well as all office workers.

The most common types of business letters are letters of request and letters of inquiry. Letters of request are drawn up in order to initiate certain actions by the addressee required by the author of the letter. Letters of request - to obtain any official information or documents. In what situations are they compiled? How to correctly state the essence of a request or request?

In the system of document communications, business letters are the most popular documents, and among business letters, the most common types are letters of request and letters of inquiry. How to compose and format them correctly? This is important for all secretaries to know.

Letters of request are drawn up in order to initiate certain actions by the addressee required by the author of the letter. IN management activities great amount situations gives rise to the preparation of such letters. This may be a relatively simple situation in which there is no need to present complex information in relation to events, provide any argumentation, or convince the addressee. In such cases, it is better to start the request letter directly with the statement of the request itself, for example:

We ask you to send a calendar plan for conducting seminars for the first half of 2006. We ask you to consider the issue of allocating a preferential loan in the amount of 600 million rubles to the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Farms. for the purchase of citrus fruits from the Import-Export company for sale in Moscow and other cities of Russia.

However, not all situations in management activities are so simple. Most situations require justification when composing letters of request, or, in other words, an explanation of why, why, and for what purpose the letter is being drawn up. As a rule, justification is necessary in order to influence the addressee, to convince him to act in a very specific way, as the author of the letter would like or need. If a request letter contains a justification, then most often it precedes the statement of the request, for example (the // sign indicates the boundary between parts of the letter text):

Due to the fact that the official duties of Administration employees involve traveling around the territory of the district, // we urge you to allocate funds for the purchase of two new Volga official cars for the needs of the Administration. In connection with the expansion of the range of products we produce // we ask you to provide us with information about new technological and design developments of Stinol refrigerators and freezers.

The Russian language is one of the languages ​​with a relatively free word order. In any of the texts above, we can swap parts of the sentence without much damage to the meaning, for example:

We kindly ask you to allocate funds for the purchase of two new Volga official cars for the needs of the Administration // due to the fact that the official duties of the Administration employees involve traveling around the territory of the district. We ask you to provide information about new technological and design developments of refrigerators and freezers “Stinol” // in connection with the expansion of the range of products we produce.

Phrases in which the main idea of ​​the letter is first stated, and then the argument is given, have a special stylistic connotation: they are always perceived as more expressive than phrases built on the “justification - conclusion” principle. However, business style is alien to any kind of expression; it almost always gives preference to stylistically neutral language means, so phrases that first provide an explanation, give a justification, and then state the essence of the matter are more correct. When composing a request letter, try to ensure that the rationale and the final part (the request) are grammatically one sentence. Even in cases where the justification provides references to regulatory documents, states facts, events, do not separate the justification into a separate sentence, otherwise to state the request you will have to use phrases like: “In connection with the above, we ask...”, “Taking into account the above, we ask …”, “In connection with which we ask...”, etc. These constructions do not carry information and make the text more complex both from the point of view of structure and from the point of view of perception. Letters of request can be written in even more complex management situations. Schematically, this situation can be represented as follows:

A letter written in such a situation will be easier to perceive if the content is presented in a sequence that reflects the logic of the development of the situation itself. In this case, the structure of the letter can be divided into three parts: introduction (description of events, facts that directly affect or may affect the management situation), justification (explanation of the reasons why it is necessary to contact the addressee with a request), conclusion (request), for example ( The communicative and semantic parts of the letter are separated by the sign //):

According to the data we have, at the Kursk and Belgorod sugar processing plants, which are the main suppliers of sugar to Moscow and the Moscow region, scheduled preventive work should be carried out during March - April of this year, the schedules for which have not been agreed upon. // Due to the fact that during the period preventative work the production of sugar and its supply to consumers will significantly decrease, // we ask you to hold a working meeting with the participation of representatives of the Moscow government on the issue of ensuring sugar supplies to the Moscow region for the period of partial shutdown of these factories.

Regardless of the structure of the text, the request in the letter is formulated using the verb “to ask.” In letters issued on organizational letterhead, the 1st person plural form of the verb is used:

We ask you to provide information about..., We ask you to provide information about..., We ask you to request about..., We ask you to conduct... etc.

In letters issued on official letterheads, the 1st person singular form of the verb is used:

I ask you to consider the issue of..., I ask you to provide information about... etc.

One letter may contain several requests (preferably on one issue). In this case, the main request is formulated first, and then the rest, using the following linguistic expressions:

We also ask you to (consider, provide, conduct...), At the same time we ask you... etc.

For example:

Due to the insignificant gas consumption of boiler plant No. 4 (less than 3.5 million cubic meters per year), we ask you to exclude this enterprise from the group of gas consumers with mandatory reserve fuel (fuel oil) for the heating season 2005–2006. At the same time, we ask the software “ Mosgorkhleboprodukt” together with JSC “Mosenergo” to consider the possibility of connecting plant No. 4 to the centralized heat supply system in the 2006–2007 heating season.

A letter of request is actually a type of letter of request. As a rule, requests are made in order to obtain any official information or documents. In commercial activities, a request is an appeal from a buyer to a seller (an importer to an exporter) with a request to provide detailed information about a product (services) or to send an offer for the supply of goods (provision of certain services). In general, request letters follow the same rules as request letters, for example:

In accordance with clause 10 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 20, 1994 No. 498 “On some measures to implement the legislation on insolvency (bankruptcy) of enterprises,” we ask you to provide us with data on the size of the state’s share in the authorized capital of OJSC “Moscow Bakery No. 18”, located at: st. Nikitinskaya, 45 If a block of shares in this company is sold, please inform us of the date and method of sale.

In commercial activities, the text of the request usually indicates: name of goods (services); the conditions under which the author of the letter would like to receive them; quantity and/or quality; timing of delivery of goods or provision of services; price and other information. The following expressions are used in a commercial request:

We ask you to inform us about the possibility of supply... We ask you to make an offer for supply... We ask you to provide detailed information about... etc.

For example:

We ask you to inform us about the possibility of supplying air conditioners model AS-200 in the amount of 150 pcs. during February - March 2005, and also inform the terms of payment and delivery conditions.

The response of the correspondent organization to a letter of request or request is a letter of response, which can be consent or refusal. In commercial activities, the response to a request is issued as a commercial letter, which confirms receipt of the request and provides information about the product of interest to the buyer. The answer to the request may be Commercial offer(offer). Letters of request and letters of inquiry are drawn up in accordance with GOST R 6.30-2003 “Unified documentation systems. Unified system of organizational and administrative documentation. Documentation requirements." When drawing up and processing requests and requests, the following details are used: addressee, title to the text (if the text of the letter is more than 4-5 lines), text, signature, note about the performer. All business letters are drawn up on special forms - letterheads.

1) A business letter usually consists of:
title;
main text;
endings.
The header contains:
name of the company (institution) sending the letter;
postal and telegraph address;
teletype and telefax;
phone numbers;
checking account;
date of departure: the month is written as a word. Usually these details are present on the letterhead.
In the heading next to the date there is usually a link to the contents of the letter or the reason for which it was written.
Example:
"Regarding (regarding)..."
“On the issue of delivery (order).”
“NaNo. from..."
“On your no. from..."
On a business letter, put the original number. It is not recommended to put an outgoing number on letters addressed abroad. There they are limited by the date of sending and the content of the letter.
In business correspondence, in addition to the address and name of the company or institution written on the envelope, the named attributes are also placed in the heading (in the upper right part of the letter).
If the letter is addressed to a company or founder, then first indicate the name of the company (institution) in the nominative case, and then the postal address. In a document sent to the head (organization), the name of the organization is included in the title of the manager’s position.
Example: “To the President of the company... Mr...” In a letter addressed to a private individual, first write the postal address, and then the surname and initials of the addressee. You can precede the recipient's name with the word Attn., for example Attn. Mr. Black (Attention Mr. Black).
If the addressee's position is known, it is advisable to indicate it after the name. For example: Attn. Mr. Black, Head of Department (Attention Mr. Black, Head of Department). When contacting individuals the informal expression Dear is used. For example, Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Mr. Brawn, Dear John, and when contacting a company - formal Dears Sirs (Europe), Gentleman (USA).
It should be borne in mind that names, addresses, addresses, every word of the official name, position, names of objects of correspondence are written with a capital letter (ABC business communication// Business for everyone. M., 1991. Issue 1.S. 33, 34).
The address is usually followed by an introductory phrase. It is formulated depending on the type of letter and its purpose.
In the upper right part of the letter the name of the company - the recipient of the letter is placed in the nominative case, and then the postal address.
In the document sent to the manager, the name of the organization is included in the title of the manager's position.
In a letter addressed to a private person, first write the postal address, and then the surname and initials of the addressee.
The appeal is usually followed by an introductory phrase, which is formulated depending on the type of letter and its purpose.
Therefore, the introduction is characterized by great variety. At the same time, there are a number of etiquette phrases that are used most often when writing and are stereotypical. Knowing them or having them at hand reduces the time of writing a message and in many cases improves the culture of writing. Examples from some stable etiquette formulas:
We received your letter No. ... dated November 1 of this year, from which we were glad to learn
(we were pleased to learn) that...
We received your letter dated May 15th of this year. along with the documents attached to it.
We are pleased with the quick response to our request.
Thank you for the letter from... or No. ...In response we inform you...
We confirm receipt of your letter from...with all attachments
We hereby confirm that we have received your letter dated March 14th of this year and inform you that...
We are extremely surprised by your letter from... in which you report...
We were surprised to learn from your telegram (telex) that...
In addition to our letter of February 12 this year. We inform you that...
Allow me to write to you...
We have to remind you...
We hereby remind (inform) once again...-
We regret (express regret) about your refusal (silence).
Unfortunately, we still have not received your response to our letter from... and we are forced to remind (ask) you again.
In connection with your letter from... we inform you that, to our regret...
In response (answering, referring) to your letter, we inform you that...
In confirmation of our telegram from...we inform you that...
In confirmation of our telephone conversation, held on June 5 this year, we inform you that...
We take note of your letter from. and report.
We are forced to notify you that.
We inform you that...
We would like to inform you...
Please be informed...
At your request, we will send you...
Please forgive us for the delay in responding to your letter from...
Please accept our apologies for.
We thank you (we are grateful to you, we express our gratitude) for the service provided (help, support).
The content of the letter depends on the problems and tasks that have to be solved through correspondence. It should not be lengthy in a business letter. Often the content is limited to one or a few sentences expressing a request, agreement or refusal.
Examples of phrases that can form the basis of short letters:
We kindly ask you to inform us about the delivery time...
Please speed up shipping...
Please let us know about.
Please let us know about your decision on the issue... We are asking you to send... We need additional information about...
Please let us know if our offer is acceptable to you. Please confirm acceptance of our order for execution. Your request for...has been granted.
In response to your letter from... we inform you that your request for delivery... has been resolved positively.
We hereby inform you that your request (order, offer) has been accepted by us. In response to your demands... we inform you that we have taken the following measures... In response to your request (order), we regret to inform you (we must, we are forced to inform you) that we cannot (we do not have the opportunity) to fulfill it (it). Unfortunately, we are forced to decline your offer. Unfortunately, your request cannot be granted for the following reasons...
Your request (proposal) is under consideration. Upon receipt of the results of the review, we will inform you immediately.
Your proposal will be accepted with pleasure (gratitude) if you agree to make the following changes to it...
Your order will be fulfilled subject to (for example, if you agree to a later delivery date for the goods you need. The shipment date is acceptable to us.) .
When writing the main text of a letter, the following phrases are used:
In connection (in accordance with) your request... In connection with the above... At the same time... Firstly... secondly... etc. First of all...
In addition... moreover.besides that... Nevertheless... despite... Next we are forced... It goes without saying...
We consider it necessary (important, necessary, appropriate).
In accordance with your request (attached documents).
We are absolutely sure.
We express our confidence...
This concerns your request (suggestion)...
The fact is that.
Otherwise we are forced. In the current situation... In our opinion...
We do not agree with your point of view for the following reasons... In case of your refusal (non-payment). Next you write. Besides.
In addition to the above (above, noted above), we inform you...
It is necessary (necessary, necessary, must, want, consider necessary) to be added (marked, noticed).
In view of the above (stated above), it follows (we want, we must, we need).
Summing up (concluding, summing up, summarizing). Thus (in conclusion). To avoid delay... It is necessary (must, should) admit that... We are having difficulty with. Actually...
Regarding your request (comment), we draw attention to the fact that
What...
We express regret (doubt, bewilderment, satisfaction). We regret...
In our defense, we would like to inform you... In response to your reproach, we would like to inform you. We admit... We would also buy from you...
Deliveries will be made (carried out).
We confirm receipt...
Draw your attention to...
You undoubtedly (obviously) know.
At the end of a business letter there are requests to write or inform, as well as wishes, hopes for further cooperation, receiving orders, etc. There may also be apologies and thanks here.
The letter ends with a politeness formula indicating the position, surname and initials of the person signing the letter, and in some cases a seal is affixed.
As in other structural elements of a business letter, stable expressions are used at the end, for example:
Please indicate your consent. Sincerely. Please write about your decision. Sincerely.
We ask you to confirm receipt of your order and give it due attention. Sincerely...
We hope for a quick response. Sincerely.
We kindly ask you not to delay your response. Yours sincerely. Please let us know. Sincerely. We ask you to inform us about the measures you have taken. Sincerely. We expect your response in the coming days. Sincerely. We would appreciate your prompt response. Sincerely. We hope to receive a response in the near future and thank you in advance. Sincerely...
Hoping for a favorable response. Sincerely. We hope that you will fulfill our request. Sincerely. We are waiting for your orders (approval, consent, confirmation). Sincerely. With respect and hope for further cooperation... Thank you in advance for the service provided. Sincerely... In the hope of a positive solution to the issue. Yours sincerely. Please contact us if you need help (assistance). Sincerely...
Hoping for fruitful cooperation. Sincerely. Upon receipt of the letter, we ask you to confirm in writing (telegraph, fax.). Sincerely. We assure you that... Best regards.
If documentation, drawings, etc. are attached to the letter, then the presence of an attachment is indicated at the end, for example:
"Attachment: from No...."
According to official etiquette, the response letter is signed by an employee of equal (or higher) position. So, if the initiative letter was signed by the director (president, chairman), then the response to it is also signed by the same director, or, in extreme cases, his deputy.
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3.11. 5.

Is a comma necessary in the sentence: We inform you that due to the increased volume of work of JSC "Bla-bla-bla" ...

1. need not.
2. They may separate, or they may not.

   2. The following circumstances may be isolated:

   reasons with prepositions and prepositional combinations thanks to, as a result of, in view of, for lack of, for lack of, according to, by virtue of, in connection with, due to, on occasion, etc. (can be replaced by a subordinate clause with the conjunction since).

   Wed. : Savelich, in agreement with the coachman’s opinion, advised to turn back. Since Savelich agreed with the coachman’s opinion, he advised turning back; The children, due to their young age, were not assigned any positions (Turgenev). Since the children were small, they were not assigned any positions;

   concessions with prepositions in spite of, when (can be replaced by a subordinate clause with the conjunction although).

   Wed. : His life, despite the severity of his situation, went easier, more harmoniously than the life of Anatole (Herzen). Although the situation was difficult, his life was easier, more harmonious than Anatole’s life; Contrary to his instructions, the ships were put out to sea early in the morning (Fedoseev). Although he gave instructions, the ships were taken out to sea early in the morning.

   conditions with prepositions and prepositional combinations in the presence, in the absence, in the case, etc. (can be replaced by a subordinate clause with a conjunction if).

   Wed. : The workers, in case of refusal, decided to go on strike. If the workers were refused, they decided to go on strike;

   goals with prepositions and prepositional combinations in order to avoid (can be replaced by a subordinate clause with a conjunction so as to).

   Wed. : To avoid delays, transfer money by telegraph. To avoid delays, transfer money by telegraph;

   comparisons with the union are similar.

   Wed. : Nikolai Petrovich was born in the south of Russia, like his older brother Pavel (Turgenev).

   However, phrases with such prepositions and prepositional combinations may not be isolated.

   More often, phrases that are located between the subject and the predicate are isolated:

   Savelich, in agreement with the driver’s opinion, advised him to turn back.

   In addition, isolated phrases are usually common, that is, they contain a noun with dependent words:

   Thanks to the excellent weather and especially holiday, the street of the village of Maryinsky became lively again (Grigorovich).

   As a rule, the indicated phrases at the end of the sentence are not isolated.

   Wed. : The workers, on the instructions of the foreman, headed to the neighboring workshop. The workers went to the neighboring workshop on the instructions of the foreman.

   In general, the isolation of phrases with the indicated prepositions and prepositional combinations is optional.