As the name implies, a response letter is a letter made to respond to someone's question or request, which is generally also delivered in writing by letter, and is commonly used as a medium for exchanging information in the business world. In order to produce the perfect response letter, the first thing to do is to review the contents of the letter containing the question or request you received. Then, look for any additional information needed to answer the letter. After doing both, start writing a response letter with sentences that are polite, straightforward, clear, and able to answer all questions or requests listed in the original letter. In addition, make sure the tone of your sentence is also friendly and informative to ensure the letter is able to meet the recipient's satisfaction.
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Method 1 of 3: Reviewing the Contents of the Original Letter
Step 1. Identify the information requested or questioned by the sender of the letter
Because response letters are there to provide everything the sender needs to know, always take the time to carefully review the contents of the letter. In particular, understand the need for the letter sender to know what information you can provide him with.
- Sometimes, determining the meaning of a letter is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand, especially if the writing style of the letter writer is not clear. Therefore, always take the time to understand the needs of the letter sender before drafting a response letter.
- If necessary, note down some of the important things you find in the letter to better understand the sender's intent. In particular, summarize what the sender asked for and design your response to each question or request.
Step 2. Learn more about the information requested by the sender of the letter
If the sender of the letter asks for information regarding something, chances are that you already know it and can answer it right away, or vice versa. If you do not understand the information requested, take as much time as possible to gather information before responding to the letter.
For example, the sender of the letter may want to confirm the status of his job application at your company. If hiring a new employee is not your area of expertise, please contact an employee from the HR department to help check the status of the sender's application before submitting a response
Step 3. Forward the letter to another person who is more capable of answering the question asked
Especially in the business world, sometimes customers will send a letter to a company address or company contact number that they find on the internet. Therefore, if you receive a letter but feel that you are not qualified to answer the questions in it, please forward it to the appropriate person. Do that to ensure the sender of the letter can receive the most accurate and helpful response.
If the person is taking a long time to respond, try letting the sender know that you have forwarded the letter to someone more qualified to answer their questions. At least, the sender of the letter knows that the letter he sent has been received and processed
Method 2 of 3: Compiling Responses
Step 1. Address the letter to the person asking for information or asking questions in the original letter
Always start a letter with a polite greeting, such as "Dear," followed by the name of the recipient of the letter, instead of using an overly general opening sentence, such as, "To the recipient of this letter." In addition to sounding impersonal, the sentence conveys the impression that the response letter was written by a computer. Therefore, always greet the recipient by name to show that your response letter was written with great care and appreciation.
- If you do not know the sender of the letter personally, please use the greeting Mr or Mrs followed by his last name. However, if the sender of the letter has a specific title, use that title instead of Mr or Mrs.
- If you really don't know the sender of the letter or don't know the gender, just use his first name.
- In general, you can use the sender's name listed in the original letter. For example, if the sender of the letter lists the name “Dr. Johnson” in his letter, please open your response letter with the greeting, “Dear. Dr. Johnson."
Step 2. Point out that this letter was written in response to an original letter he sent
At the beginning of the letter, don't forget to convey the purpose of your letter to the reader, which is to answer the letter. This way, the recipient of the letter will know that the letter has been read and processed, as well as the intention behind the letter you sent.
- A simple sentence, “This letter is in response to the letter you sent on June 13th” is perfect for opening a response letter.
- If you are not the recipient of the first letter, provide the identity of the person who gave you the letter. For example, you might write, “One of our customer service staff, Michelle Harris, has forwarded the letter you sent me.”
Step 3. Immediately answer the sender's questions
After writing the greeting, immediately move to the heart of the letter. At the heart of the letter, respond to any questions and/or complaints listed in the original letter as completely as possible. Make sure nothing is missed so that the recipient of the letter can feel satisfied when reading it.
- In your answer, briefly reiterate the contents of the original letter. For example, you might say, “In response to your inquiry regarding staff at our company who have direct contact with the media, we would like to inform you that the staff name is Janet Walters. Here's his email address and phone number."
- To answer longer questions, use a numbering system to answer each question more specifically. Besides being easier to read, this method will make the reader more satisfied because they feel that all the questions have been answered in detail.
- Provide as complete information as possible in sentences that are not too long. Generally, answering one question in a few short sentences can be said to be a good response.
Step 4. Be honest about any requests you can't fulfill
Sometimes, there are questions you can't answer or requests you can't fulfill. When faced with such a situation, always give an honest response. In other words, do not use convoluted sentences just to suppress the negative views of the sender of the letter. Trust me, the sender of the letter will much more appreciate a direct and clear response. Most importantly, make sure the information is always conveyed politely and preceded by an apology so that the sender of the letter does not feel offended.
- Always use a firm but understanding tone of voice when refusing a request from the sender of the letter. For example, you might say, “Unfortunately, we cannot grant your request. At this time, we don't have the information you need and cannot tell you when it will be available."
- If you feel able to provide more detailed information, try saying, “Before answering your question, there are a few things I need to confirm first. If time permits, please provide the date of submission of your application, along with the name of the officer you contacted. After the confirmation process is done, I will contact you back immediately.”
Step 5. Thank you for the letter sent
Regardless of whether or not you are able to grant a request or answer a letter's question, always show your appreciation by thanking him or her. Give the impression that you value their attention and want to maintain a positive relationship with them.
Some people prefer to open their letter with a thank you. Placement of the speech is not really important. Most importantly, make sure you pronounce it at one point
Step 6. End the letter by writing your full name and title
Close the letter with a formal closing greeting such as, “Sincerely,” followed by your full name. If the letter is intended for business purposes, also include your position under your full name.
Whether in a typed or manually written letter, always leave room for your signature after including your full name. However, if the letter is sent by email, it is generally sufficient to include your full name without a signature
Step 7. Reread the body of your response letter to make sure all questions have been answered
Remember, the recipient of the letter can get irritated or frustrated if he receives a response that doesn't answer his question. Plus, the discontent runs the risk of sending him a follow-up letter and ending up adding to your job! To ensure reader satisfaction, make sure you answer all questions or requests as completely as possible. Before sending, reread your letter to make sure no requests or questions have been missed.
If necessary, enlist the help of a friend or coworker to read the letter. In particular, ask them to put themselves in the shoes of the recipient and measure their satisfaction after reading your letter
Method 3 of 3: Using a Professional Tone
Step 1. Use a standard business letter format
Understand the different types of response letters that are used as a means of business communication. Then, follow whichever format you think is most appropriate for writing a professional-sounding response letter.
- In the upper left corner of the letter, list your name, title, company name (if applicable), and your company address. Below that, include the date the letter was written followed by the full name and address of the recipient of the letter.
- If you want to type a response letter, always use 2.5 cm margin on each side of the paper. Also make sure the letter is written with 1 space between lines and 2 spaces between paragraphs.
- If the response letter is typed instead of manually written, always use the standard 12-pt font and writing format. However, if the letter is written manually, make sure the handwriting used is neat and easy to read.
Step 2. Give the impression that the request or question sent makes you happy
This method is especially mandatory for business people or customer-based service providers. Remember, the customer is king. This means that you have to show appreciation for the time and thought they put into writing the letter. Therefore, don't forget to thank them for their requests or questions, and always use warm and friendly sentences in your response letters.
- A sentence as simple as, “Thank you for contacting us. We really appreciate your feedback," it can significantly change the tone of the letter in a more positive direction! Therefore, try to make it a habit to always include such phrases in your response letters.
- Don't give the impression that his request or question irritates and annoys you. Trust me, it's better to be overly friendly than to make the recipient think you're angry or upset with him.
Step 3. There is no need to write a letter that is too long so that the recipient of the letter can read it quickly
Appreciate the free time! Do not send a 3 page letter if in fact, the question or request can be responded to in 1 paragraph. Therefore, provide adequate responses, then immediately send the letter. Don't add other information that he doesn't really need to know.
- This method is important, especially if the response letter is to answer questions from your customers or business associates. Of course, you don't want to frustrate the customer by having to spend hours reading a response that should have been cut in half, right?
- On the other hand, don't write so short that you can't answer the request or question listed in the original letter. If the question needs to be answered with a lengthy explanation, feel free to provide it. Most importantly, make sure that all the information provided is really important for readers to know.
Step 4. Write as clearly as possible so that the recipient of the letter can understand your response
Don't use sentences that are too long or complicated! Instead, write using diction that is straightforward, clear, and does not have the potential to confuse the reader. The shorter and denser your writing, the better the results.
Imagine the recipient of the letter does not have enough time to read the contents of your letter in detail. Even if it's just scanning the contents of the letter, can he understand what you mean? If not, correct the diction you use to make your point clear
Step 5. Avoid using jargon and technical terms that are difficult for readers to understand
This aspect must be met to maximize the level of readability and clarity of the content of your letter. Therefore, if the recipient of the letter is not a professional who is able to understand technical terms, do not use it. Instead, try replacing jargon or technical terms with other diction that even laypeople can understand.
To edit a letter, ask the following question: "Can someone who doesn't understand my work understand what my letter is about?" If not, change the language used in the letter so that most people can understand it. In fact, it's a powerful way to reduce the use of technical jargon in your letters
Step 6. Reread the body of your letter
To avoid writing mistakes that can make your letter look less professional, don't forget to re-read your letter and correct spelling, grammatical, formatting, and flow errors. Trust me, just taking a few minutes to check the contents of the letter can go a long way in making the letter look more professional.
- Don't just rely on a computer program to check for errors in your mail. Generally, such programs are only capable of detecting spelling and punctuation errors, not grammatical errors. Therefore, reread every word written in your letter to find errors that the computer cannot detect.
- If the content of your letter is very important, such as when a letter is addressed to a business partner, ask someone else to read it too. Sometimes, other people can find faults that you weren't aware of before.
