INQUIRY LETTER
Inquiry
Letter is a letter written to request information and/or ascertain its
authenticity. A letter of inquiry deals with various matters like job
vacancies, funding, grants, scholarships, projects, sales, pre-proposals and
others. The term is common in various business setups as it implies fund
request or pre-proposal information. Owing to this usage, the term may be
considered exclusive to these setups alone. But that is not the case, to this
effect the below definition offers a justified meaning.
Inquiry Letter Definition
A
document requesting information sent on behalf of an individual or an
organisation for their own respective purposes, which can be mutually beneficial
to the recipient and the sender.
The
term ‘Inquiry’ is same as ‘Enquiry’. The former is more commonly used in U.S. and the latter
one is more common in U.K. There are some other terms which represent the
letters; these are Letter of Intent, Letter of Interest, Query
letter, Prospecting Letter, Pre-proposal Letter and Concept
Paper. The term ‘Cover Letter’, ‘Business Letter’, ‘Request Letter’ and
‘Sales Letter’ is also applied to an inquiry letter especially when the
objective is same as that of letter for inquiry.
A
letter of inquiry serves to facilitate business operations and satisfaction of
the sender. Inquiry letters remove any misunderstanding and are time savers,
especially when two parties want to reach an understanding. The communication towards
this effect resolves the issue without any delay. With relation to it being a
‘Pre-proposal letter’, the inquiry letter is also termed as a ‘Condensed
Version of a Proposal’. It is the outcome of the purpose of the letter
which highlights the points of a proposal instead of a full-fledged proposal.
On
an individual’s basis, these letters are sent to companies that are willing to
hire but haven't advertised job openings. It can also be a letter addressed to
editor in-charge of a publication proposing certain literary work. It can be a
letter from a student who is vying for a seat in a college or a business that
provides an internship. So, the objective of an enquiry letter is same but its
projections and audiences are different. Same goes for its method of delivery,
it can be sent via paper mail or electronic mail.
Inquiry
Letter Samples
How to Write an
Inquiry Letter?
Writing a letter of inquiry can become an
easy task when you have some guiding material.
An enquiry letter may consist all or few of the below mentioned parts:
An enquiry letter may consist all or few of the below mentioned parts:
- Introduction
- Description
- Statement
- Methodology
- Final Summary
The inclusion or exclusion of certain
components depends on the scope of your letter. Business letters will tend to
have all mentioned while those on a smaller platform will include few. Not to
forget that these letter are formal letters and will follow the rules
pertaining to these. These rules refer to the common styles of writing a
business letter, i.e. Full Block Style, Modified Block Style and others.
An example of letter of inquiry or a letter
of inquiry format is sufficient. To add to it the writing tips provide
efficiency. Thus, it is advisable to go through the format, tips, examples and
the templates.
Inquiry
Letter Writing Tips
- Outline and Organise your Inquiry – By outlining it is meant that you have to know what sort of information you are going to present?, word limit, documents required, the tone of the language, your anticipation, common ground of consensus and other required matter. It is just like an architecture preparing a building plan. Here you have to decide ‘What to include?’ and ‘Why to include?’ Knowing this eases the writing process and also eases the reading on part of the recipient. When all the pieces are clear in your mind, it is time to figure out the best possible logical order. Arrange a sequential order for the relevant information. In this way outlining and organising eases the further writing process.
- Gather Information – Certain inquiries may not require any search or research, certain will. For the latter one’s you have to collect information to make your case strong. If you are looking for a job, you need to know the expectations of the employer. If it is a fund that you are writing for, know your client. Research your recipient; know the principles on which they work. Analyse their intellect and weaknesses. Any information which will support your inquiry is good. It might appear daunting but you don’t need to go into all areas. Pick one or two and research on that. There are other indirect methods like visiting the websites, going through profiles, news items and other assistive methods. Knowing and delivering the anticipated speeds up the writing and the success of the inquiry. On your part you might be required to provide information to the recipient and that too needs to be sorted out before it is presented.
- Drafting – A formal letter like query letter begins from a draft. The draft maybe required for your own acceptance or for the organisation you are working for. The initial step of outlining and organising comes to aid in the draft. The logical order and the information collected are put to full use in drafting. Ideas or lines may come hard, so start with what comes first in the mind. Then weave the inquiry around it and prepare your letter. Though the layout has been planned but the content may not always live up to the layout. Drafting is a good option because you may not always come up with a good letter and you require certain revisions or consultations with your seniors. Here, you can experiment and chalk out a format for future use.
- Appropriate Recipient – Your inquiry may not yield the desired results if you are in doubt about the exact recipient. You may know about multiple recipients but who is the one, that is most likely to respond in a positive and helpful manner. To solve this query you can contact the recipient’s office and find out who is the most appropriate. For indirect methods you can use previous correspondence containing letterhead or recipient’s name. The company’s website can also be helpful in this matter. Never address your inquiry letter to a ‘Department’, ‘Head of Department’ or ‘To whom it may concern’. An individual will read your letter and this individual represents the department. So always direct your letter to 'A Person having Authority' and 'Not to Authority having a Person'.
- Impressive Opening – Inquiry letter being a representative to many types of other letters requires an impressive opening. It may not be the agenda of all inquiry letters but wherever it is applicable, you have to impress the reader. To arouse the interest you can state the profit involved in the query. You should write in an active voice and offer relevant facts. The letter should live up to the anticipation and expectations of the reader, making it effortless to read. You can also use certain apt phrases and quotes towards this effect. You can flatter the recipient with certain praises but don’t exaggerate. Self introduction in the starting itself wouldn’t be a good idea so refrain until it is anticipated.
- Be Specific and Brief – It makes sense to be specific and brief. Specificity of your letter will lead to easy perception of the information. Brief letter will be read quickly and wouldn’t appear as burdening. Moreover, there is no scope for anything apart from the request and its relative aspects. You can be specific by offering the most important information; one which will fulfil most of the needs of the reader. You can be brief by using short paragraphs and using one word whose meaning is equivalent to a number of words. Mostly an inquiry letter is of 2 to 3 pages.
- Be Straightforward – Straightforward doesn’t mean a simple go. You have to be direct but by remaining within the boundaries of etiquettes. You shouldn’t sound cold and boring. You have to be professional and follow all the observances expected from an inquiry letter. For, example you shouldn’t condemn, be sarcastic or arrogant. One may not realise it but when others read it, they can point out the anomalies. So build a momentum instead of directly coming to the objective of the letter.
- Generate and Maintain Interest – There are many ways of presenting information. It is up to you how you present it. You can utilise a question to arouse the curiosity of the recipient. You can maintain this interest by providing some hints as to what you have written next. Don’t lose the momentum of the tone as it can reduce the interest. Present your idea which forces the person to imagine a scenario.
- Supportive Documents –Don't forget to attach the required documents. These documents are supportive towards your cause. For a prospective employee these add value to the credibility of the individual. In a business scenario it is complimentary and well thought idea. They also augment the effect of the letter.
- Facilitate the Response – When you seek information which is more essential to you than it is to the reader, you are required to ease the reply process. So enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your query. Even, otherwise it shows your presence of mind, willingness to ensure smooth and quick response. If the inquiry is more beneficial to the recipient, your contact number and other details are already there on the letterhead.
- Offer Incentives – When you make it obvious that the inquiry is beneficial to the recipient, it acts as an incentive. If you make it clear – ‘The How’ and ‘What’ of the desired outcome of the letter, it also serves to offer an incentive. You can emphasise the role of the reader in the inquiry and how it will add up to his credentials. You can use examples towards this effect; a profit to the recipient does go long down the line.
- Review and Revise – Coming to the final section, double check the address. Your letter should have all the qualities of being a professional one. Ensure the use of simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Check for any spelling and grammatical errors. If in doubt get a reliable proofreader to review it.
ORDER LETTER
An “Order” is an expense for the person placing the order
and an income for the one getting it. But this is not all. The company that
bags the order has to fulfill lot of commitments to ensure that it has a
satisfied customer, which can be an individual or another company. Timely
delivery of the order, quality of delivery and after sale service – are all
part and parcel of getting an order.
An
Order Letter is the one that is written by the person/company placing the
request of purchase from another company. This letter comes into action only
when a detailed study of the desired product has been done in the market and
based on promised service, quality and price of the product, a decision for a
purchase has been made.
An Order Letter should be drafted very carefully as it needs
to pen down all the terms and conditions of the purchase for the benefit of
both involved parties. It should have details such as product specifications,
quantities, price agreed upon, delivery date, late delivery clauses, etc. It
should be addressed to the person responsible for the execution of the order
with a copy to the head of department. Since it is totally an official letter
it should be typed.
DOS
AND DON’T’S OF ORDER LETTER
- An Order Letter should be addressed to the person responsible for executing the order
- It should include all the terms and conditions agreed upon by both involved parties
- Since it is purely an official letter it should be typed out
- There is no need to use too many adjectives in the letter since it is purely for an order being placed
- The letter should have all relevant details related to the order, for example, quantity, price and other terms and conditions
SAMPLE
ORDER LETTER
Name
of the person to whom order is being placed
Name
and address of the organization
Name
of the person placing the order
Name
and address of the organization
Date:
Subject:
Order for 100 copies of Mastering Mathematics
Dear
Sir or Madam,
As
per our discussions on __________ (date of meeting) we are pleased to place an
order for 100 copies of Mastering Mathematics book by _________ (writer) for
Class VII for the ICSE Board on the following terms and conditions:
- The cost of each book will be Rs.________ (inclusive of all taxes)
- Payment terms will be a post-dated cheque for 50% advance with order. This cheque will be cleared on the day of the deliver. The balance payment of 50% 7 days after delivery and after random inspection
- Delivery will be done within 7 days from the order date
- Delivery will be done at ________________ (address of organization)
- If the order is not delivered as per the above terms and conditions, the order stands cancelled
Please
find enclosed chequenumber ________ dated ________ for Rs.________ towards
advance for the order.
Hoping
to have a long business relationship with you.
Best
regards,
(Name
of signing authority)
Source:
