5.2 Dealing with Different Types of Letters
Some letters need sensitive handling. Here are some guidelines on the approach to:
.
Dealing with letters of complaint
.
Getting action
.
Selling
Complaints
Nobody wants to receive a letter of complaint. The fact is that, in almost any organization, they will happen unless we are 100% perfect. The natural reaction is to get upset and offensive. The professional approach is to treat a complaint as an opportunity. Most people do not bother to complain. Those who complain are taking the time and effort to point out what has happened and how they feel about it. Your purpose in writing a letter back is to put things right and try to restore the relationship with the person concerned. Your response to a complaint naturally depends on the situation. Guidelines are set out below for each case. Note that all three start by thanking the reader for their letter and expressing sympathy.
Case 1 : We are wrong and must admit it
. Thank you for your letter
. I am sorry
. Explain what happened – not in detail
. Say what will be done, when and how
. Yours sincerely
Case 2: We are right but in the interests of public relations meet the claim
. Thank you for your letter
. Sympathize, show concern
. Say what we are prepared to do
. Explain how to prevent the same thing happening again
. Yours sincerely
Case 3: We are right and not prepared to meet the claim
. Thank you for your letter
. Sympathise
. I can understand your point
. However, this is our point
. Because of our point, we cannot help
. Explain how to prevent a similar occurrence in future
. Yours sincerely
Getting Action
When you have been let down, fobbed off with excuses, debts are unpaid, goods are undelivered, a letter can be crucial. Extra care should be taken to plan a letter of action.
Outline the action and deadline which gives enough time and after which you can write again. If necessary, put in sanctions that they would appreciate.
Selling
A sales letter should:
.
Gain the readers interest
.
Create belief in your service
. Get action and sales Below are some of the guidelines when preparing a sales letter:
.
Address the letters only to people who have the authority and need to buy.
.
Describe the benefits and not the features of your service.
.
Use words that appeal positively.
.
Make the letter easy to answer. Set out clear actions and guidelines to the reader.
Punctuation
Punctuation does for the written word what pauses do for speech. It is there to help the reader
understand. People sometimes worry about what punctuation to use. If you are uncertain about
when to punctuate, write short sentences less than twenty words long.
Here is a brief list of some punctuation marks and rules:
.
Commas (,). This is a way of separating nouns, phrases, adjectives and clauses from each other (Example – The room was filled with chairs, tables, teacups and frames.).
.
Semi-colon (;). This is a longer pause, about half way between a comma and a full stop. It separates two clauses which are closely linked but could stand as sentences on their own (Example – The sales presentation was a success; it exceeded our wildest hopes.).
.
Colon (:). This punctuation introduces a list (Example – I shopped a lot the other day: bags, shoes, dress and jewelries.).
.
Apostrophe (‘) . This shows possession (Example – The company’s profile.).
Exercises
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