A Guest Post by Scott Ragin
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you maintain; you will need to communicate in written with the customers and other organizations, as well as with the employees in the organization.
The typical business correspondence comes in the form of a letter, consisting of the following parts:
- The address of the sender
- Date
- The address of the recipient
- Salutation
- Body
- Closing
- Enclosures
Writing the actual sentences within these paragraphs is not as easy as it seems. Fortunately, business correspondence has become more flexible thanks to online tools. Now that you’re able to communicate with your partners, collaborators, and coworkers on a daily basis, the tone can get friendlier and the form of a business letter doesn’t have to be maintained.
In the continuation, you’ll find a list of 5 tools that will help you master the art of business correspondence.
1. High-Impact Business Writing Online Course
Take a look through few samples of business letters you’ve got. Some of them leave a great impression because the writer sounds confident and knowledgeable, but they also maintain proper business etiquette. Some other letters, on the other hand, make you laugh, simply because the writer had no idea how business communication was supposed to look like. You don’t want to be one of those people in business.
This online course (available on Coursera) will teach you how to present your thoughts, instructions, and ideas in a concise manner, which is acceptable for business correspondence.
2. Purdue Online Writing Lab: Writing the Basic Business Letter
If you don’t have the time for a full-length business writing course, you can rely on this guide. The Purdue Online Writing Lab takes you through every section of the business letter.
In addition to the explanations about the format, font, and punctuation, you’ll also find a sample business letter. Analyze it carefully and take it as a model. Your own business letter should look similar, but don’t try to copy the style. Keep in mind that you also need to showcase some personality if you want to send a memorable business letter.
3. OfficeSuite
With the expansion of technology, business correspondence is no longer limited to letters and emails. There are plenty of other opportunities to explore, with OfficeSuite being one of them. This toolkit gives you everything you need to communicate over the phone, via fax, or online. It has great phone system features and smartphone apps.
The fax feature is probably the most important tool in terms of business correspondence. It allows you to fax on virtually any device without even requiring phone lines.
4. AussiEssay
Being a great businessman doesn’t mean that you’re a great writer, too. Buying a lousy writer doesn’t mean you’re not good in business, either. What happens when you have to write business letters and other types of documents, but you can’t master the process no matter how hard you try? AussiEssay is the tool to try in such situations.
This is an online writing company with a great team of trained writers. They can follow your instructions and help you write a masterful business letter in a matter of hours. The direct communication with the writers will serve as a mini writing course, since you’ll see them in action and you’ll realize how the ideas can be translated into clear writing.
5. Intranet Software
Every serious organization needs an internal portal, where everyone can access relevant information, documents, communications, and contracts.
Intranet Software can make that happen. With its help, you’ll reduce the internal email correspondence. Why do you need to do that? Well, emails can get really messy. Not everyone organizes their inbox, so people have difficulties finding the right message or document at the right team. With Intranet Software, everything is organized.
It doesn’t matter whether you like or hate business correspondence; you can’t escape it. The least you could do is try to get better in it; and the 5 tools above will support you in the process.
About the Author:
Scott Ragin is a digital marketing expert, social media specialist working in multi-channel marketing, content strategy and connecting social media to business initiative. Scott loves guiding other people through their business practice and shares his ideas as a blogger. Feel free to contact him at Facebook, or Linkedin.
