Parts of business letters in general consist of the following:

No	Name of Parts	Explanation
1	Return Address	The return address contains: Your street address: Jl. Merdeka Your city, state and ZIP code: Washington, DC 20433 or Your city, country and ZIP code: Yogyakarta, Indonesia 55171 A comma separates the city from the state or country. A comma also separates the city or province from the country. Example: City, State: Berkeley, CA City, Country: Yogyakarta, Indonesia City, Province, Country: Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta Indonesia Business letters usually have a printed letterhead. The letterhead has all of the company's information, including address, phone number, fax number, company Web site and personal e-mail address.
2	Date	The date of a letter is the date the letter is written. The date is below the return address. Always spell out the month in the date at the beginning of a business letter. It is also better to spell out the month in dates in the body of the letter. In correspondence between countries that use different styles, dates can be confusing when only numbers are used. U.S. Style: -month/day/year -January 12, 2005 -01/12/05 Non U.S. Style: -day/month/year -12 January 2005 -12/01/05
3	Inside Address	The inside address contains the following addressee information: Title, First Name, Last Name: Mr. Adam Mulyono Job Title: Vice President of Operations Company Name: Adaro Energy Street Address: Menara Karya, 23rd Floor, JL. H.R. Rasuna Said, Block X-5, Kuningan, East Kuningan, South Jakarta City, Province, Country ZIP Code: South Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia 12950 In the United States, the house or building number comes before the street name. In some countries, the number comes after the street name. In addition, when there is no state or province, include the country after the city. Ms. Alana Prameswari Public Relations Manager of ANTAM (Aneka Tambang) Jl. TB Simatupang No.1, Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia 12530
4	Salutation	The salutation is the phrase, including the addressee's name, that is used at the beginning of a letter. Use a colon at the end of the name (Dear Mr. Bakti: ). There are three types of salutations: Formal: Use a formal salutation if you do not know the person's name. Examples include: Dear Sir or Madam and To Whom It May Concern. Standard: This is the most common type of salutation in business correspondence; use the person's title and last name. Examples include: Dear Mr. Akmal and Dear Dr. Rania. Informal: If you know the person well, use his or her first name. Examples include: Dear Anggara and Dear Kirana.
5	Body	The body of a letter tells why you are writing. There are generally four parts to the body of a letter. Opening: Give your reason for writing. Focus: Provide details about why you are writing. Action: Tell what will happen next. Closing: Thank the reader.
6	Complimentary close	The complimentary close is the phrase you use after you end the body of the letter and before you sign your name. Like the salutation, there are three types of complimentary closes: formal, standard, and informal. The phrases Sincerely, Sincerely yours, and Yours sincerely can be used with any type of complimentary close. In addition, you can use Yours very truly, Very truly yours, Very cordially yours, and Very sincerely yours for formal complimentary closes. Cordially and Yours truly are appropriate for informal complimentary closes.
7	Signature/ Typed name	The writer's name and job title (or department) are typed at the bottom of the letter. He or she then signs the letter directly above the typed name. Sometimes you will see two sets of initials at the bottom of a business letter. The first set is the writer's and is capitalized. The second set is the typist's and is lowercase. A slash separates the two sets of initials. Writer/Typist 🡪 JP/rs cc's The letters cc stand for carbon copy. Carbon paper is a type of paper that was used to make copies before photocopiers and computer printers existed. Today, a "cc:" tells us who else received a copy of the letter. Note: cc: is not capitalized, and is always followed by a colon (:).

Additional information on salutations and closings in business correspondence

Addresses	Salutation	Closing
Unknown gender	Dear ______:	Sincerely,
Unknown name	Dear Director:	Sincerely,
Corporation consisting of women and men	Ladies and Gentlemen:	Sincerely,

a. Writing a cover letter/application letter

The body of cover letter generally has four parts.

1. Opening: Tell (1) that you are applying for a job and (2) the source of your information
2. Focus: Tell why you are suited for the job.
3. Action: Tell what you plan to do
4. Closing: Be positive

b. Replying to a job applicant

A letter of replying to a job applicant is usually short and direct. However, the tone is advised to be formal and informative. The body of a letter replying to a job applicant is generally divided into three parts.

Acknowledgement Letter

Part	Content	Example
Opening	Tell you have received the application.	We have received your application for this position on January 17.
Action	Explain the process.	At this time, we are in progress in reviewing several curriculum vitae…
Closing	Thank the applicant for their interest.	We genuinely appreciate your interest in MediaX Corp.

Interview Letter

Part	Content	Example
Opening	Invite the applicant for an interview.	After reviewing your CV, we are pleased to invite you for an interview…
Action	Explain what will happen.	Your interview is scheduled for Thursday, April 11st at 11 am.
Closing	Be enthusiastic.	We look forward to meeting you at MediaX Corp.

Rejection Letter

Part	Content	Example
Opening	Tell you received the application.	Thank you for sending us your CV for the position of Digital Marketer.
Action	Explain why the applicant is rejected.	Unfortunately, we are deeply sorry to say that your qualifications do not match our needs at this time…
Closing	Be polite and positive.	We wish you every success in your career journey.

c. Writing customer relation letter, such as letter about change in company address, product promotion, and product recall

A customer relations letter helps to build and maintain a good relationship between a business and its customers. A customer relations letter can announce many different topics, such as a new address, a product promotion, or a product recall. Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the facts. Customers need accurate, up-to-date information about the companies they do business with.

Letter about Change in Company (Address)

The body of a letter informing a new address generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Give details.
3. Action: Tell what will happen.
4. Closing: Be positive.

Letter on Product Promotion

The body of a letter on Product promotion generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Give details.
3. Action: Tell how to get more information.
4. Closing: Be positive.

Letter on Product Recall

The body of a letter on Product recall generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Give details.
3. Action: Tell what will happen.
4. Closing: Be positive.

d. Writing employee relation letter, such as letter of reference, employee announcement, and letter of introduction

Letter of Reference

There are two kinds of reference letters. In one type, you reply to a specific request to recommend someone for a job. In the other type, you write a general recommendation that can be used in more than one situation. The body of a reference letter generally consists of four parts:
1. Opening: introduce the person you are writing about
2. Focus: Give relevant details about the person
3. Action: Discuss the future
4. Closing: restate the main idea. Ask the person to contact you if necessary.

Letter of Employee Announcement (New Employee)

The body of an employee announcement letter generally consists of four parts:
1. Opening: introduce the person you are writing about
2. Focus: Give relevant details about the person
3. Action: Discuss the future
4. Closing: restate the main idea.

Letter of Introduction

The body of a letter of introduction generally has four parts:
1. Opening: introduce the person you are writing about
2. Focus: Give relevant details about the person
3. Action: Discuss the future
4. Closing: restate the main idea.

e. Writing personal business letter, such as letter expressing thanks, letter expressing congratulations, and letter expressing condolences

Personal business letters are an important type of business correspondence. These letters and notes express thanks, congratulations, and condolences. They show concern and establish a social link between the writer and the recipient. For some occasions, such as birthdays and holidays, most business people do not write letters. They send greeting cards and add a short, personal note. Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the right information. These letters are very important to the relationship between the writer and the recipient.

Letter of Expressing Thanks

The body of a letter expressing thanks generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Give specific information.
3. Action: Show appreciation.
4. Closing: Restate the main idea.

Letter of Expressing Congratulations

The body of a letter expressing congratulations generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Personalize the information and be positive.
3. Action: Refer to the future.
4. Closing: Restate the main idea.

Letter of Expressing Condolences

The body of a letter expressing condolences generally has four parts:
1. Opening: Tell why you are writing.
2. Focus: Share your thoughts.
3. Action: Offer a suggestion.
4. Closing: Restate the main idea.

f. Requesting a service

Letter requesting for a service is needed when you are dealing with a project and you come across an obstacle.  It is used to ask for help. It may be a simple request for services or additional resources, or it could be a complicated matter where you need to hire a specialized consultant to complete the job.

When you send a letter requesting a service, you must give detailed information so the service provider can give you a complete and accurate response. Before that, make a list or fill out a form or a log to outline your needs. You can also call the provider to discuss your needs before writing your letter.

The body of a letter requesting a service generally consists of four parts:

1. Opening: telling why you are writing
2. Focus: giving details about your requests
3. Action: giving a time frame
4. Closing: thanking the reader and mention future communication

g. Cofirming a Service

When you send a letter confirming a service, you must restate all of the details. The recipient needs to know that you understand the information and will fulfill the request accurately. Before you write the letter, review all the information. If necessary, contact other people in your company who are involved. Ask them if they have anything to add. Make a list or fill out a form or a log outlining the information.

There are different elements of a letter confirming a service:

1. Opening (Tell why you are writing)
2. Focus (Restate the client’s needs completely)
3. Action (Discuss problems, if any)
4. Closing (Thank the reader)

h. Writing claim/complaint letter

A claim letter is a letter that you write to a company to point out a problem. Some problems that you write about in claim letters including receiving the wrong products, receiving damaged products, or receiving an incorrect invoice. Remember this golden rule in writing a claim letter: Never write to vent anger; write to get results.

Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the information about the problem. If necessary, contact other people in your company. Ask them if they have anything to add.

The body of a claim letter generally has four parts.

1. Opening (Explain the problem)
2. Focus (Give your reaction)
3. Action (Give a solution)
4. Closing (Thank the reader)

i. Writing adjustment letter

Sometimes, in a company, the system fails the customer or client, and someone is in need of an adjustment. Broken merchandise, faulty products, refunds, and credits are all situations that require an adjustment. In short, when something goes wrong, it is up to you—the company—to fix it. An adjustment letter is a letter that corrects a mistake. When a company has made a mistake, it is important to acknowledge it, correct it, and apologize for any inconvenience through this letter.

Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the information about the situation. If necessary, contact other people in your company. Ask them if they have anything to add. In some cases, you may want to offer something as an apology: a coupon, a discount, or a small gift.

The body of an adjustment letter generally has four parts.

1. Opening, to acknowledge the mistake.
2. Focus, to apologize for the error.
3. Action, to give a solution.
4. Closing, to apologize again to the reader.

j. Requesting information

When you send a letter requesting information, you usually want to find out something that was not included in a newspaper article, a company Web site, or other source. Before you write the letter, organize your information so you know what to ask.

When writing an inquiry (requesting information) letter, keep a few basic things in mind: First, you may mention where you heard about something, so be sure to keep a record of where and when you got your information. Then, introduce yourself, especially if the person does not know you or your company. Give just enough background to help your reader understand what you need, but do not bury the reader with trivial details. Then, be as specific as you can when stating what you want. Finally, be sure to thank your reader for any help, and let him or her know how much you would appreciate any assistance.

The body of an e-mail requesting information generally has four parts.

1. Opening, to tell why you are writing.
2. Focus, to tell who you are.
3. Action, to tell what you need to know.
4. Closing, to thank them for their assistance.

k. Providing information

When you send a letter providing information to customers, be sure to answer their specific questions. After you answer the questions, give the customer additional information about your company and its products and services.

Before you write the letter, make sure you are giving the right information to the right person. You may be answering many requests at the same time, and not all customers have the same needs.

The body of a letter/email providing information generally has four parts:

1. Opening: acknowledging the initial correspondence.
2. Focus: providing the information requested.
3. Action: providing additional information.
4. Closing: offering additional help and thank them for their inquiry.

If you are responding someone’s request with the information or materials requested, refer to the original request in your letter and list all accompanying documents or materials.

l. Ordering supplies

     All business order supplies. Supplies include many different items: computers, parts for assembly, and pens and pencils, for example. It is very important for businesses to have supplies when they need them. When you need supplies, first call the vendor to discuss price and availability. then send a letter with a formal purchase order.

       Before you write the letter and complete the purchase order, make sure you know exactly what items you need and on what dates you need them. The body of a letter of ordering supplies generally consists of four parts:

1. Opening       : Tell what you are ordering.
2. Focus            : Tell when you need the item.
   Tell how to deliver the item.
3. Action           : Tell how you will pay for the item.
4. Closing          : Ask them to contact you if necessary.

m. Confirming an order

Confirming an order is a transactional letter informing customers that you have received or processed their order. While sending a letter confirming an order, as the sender, you must restate all of the details related to the order. The order confirmation letter contains important details, such as delivery address, items purchased, amount paid, and many more.

Moreover, the recipient needs to know that you understand the information and will fulfill the request accurately. It is important to review all the information before you start to write the letter. Also, give any additional information regarding the order. For instance, the items that are out of stock or on back order.

As stated above, confirming an order is necessary to inform the recipient regarding the order details information. In this section, you are going to identify and discover the proper order confirmation letter to the customers. The body of a letter of confirming an order generally consists of four parts:

1. Opening: telling why you are writing
2. Focus: giving details about your confirmations
3. Action: giving a time frame
4. Closing: thanking the reader and mention future communication

n. Memo

A memomemorandum (or memo) is a short, informal, written business communication—to briefly outline a particular situation, transaction, or agreement. It also helps you keep track of your business dealings by providing a paper trail. And, although paper memos (hard copies) have become practically obsolete in the age of advanced technology, electronic memos are widely used. They still serve the same purpose: they are used for policy statements, informal reports, company announcements, or directives.

Memos have long been referred to as in-house correspondence because they are usually informal documents sent between employees who work within the same company. But, memos today are now also sent between associates, both in and out of your company. Just remember this: Wherever your memo is sent, or however informal it is, you still need to follow standard business writing guidelines.

Just as with any other form of correspondence, you should think about what you want to write before writing it—and always remember your audience. You should also watch your spelling and grammar (use those spell-check and grammar check options in your computer system if you have them, but also remember to proofread it yourself because they don’t always catch everything), and be mindful of your tone. And, never forget to always maintain professionalism. A memo can be sent to just one person, or it can be distributed to a very large number of people, depending on who needs to read it. So, measure your level of familiarity in your writing by the relationship between you and your reader. Be personable, yet not presump- tuous and, as always, be careful with your words.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MEMO

Memos are:

• concise
• less formal than bussiness letters
• in-house correspondence

Memos:

• have two common formats: paper note, standard (includes electronic)
• have no inside address, salutation, or complimentary closing
• don’t have to provide background information

In Memos:

• there is wide use of bullets and numbers
• jargon is okay because they are sent between associates and are less formal
• standard writing rules apply — follow all the basic writing rules, such as tone, grammar, spelling,

PARTS OF A MEMO

There are fewer parts of a memo than there are of a letter. But, with the exceptions of the heading and the body, many of the fundamentals are the same:

Heading: This is the opening of the memo. It includes the date, the name of the recipient, the name of the sender, and the subject of your memo. The key difference from a letter heading is that a memo does not include a salutation:

TO: Rosa Angelina FROM: Hartanto & Patner DATE: January 4, 2021

Body: The body of a memo follows the same rules as the body of a letter. The only difference is that, because a memo does not include a salutation, the body starts two lines after the subject line.

Enclosure: This indicates that you have included additional paperwork in your correspondence. You can use the word enclosure. It is placed two lines beneath the reference initials. By adding an enclosure line, you are not only providing a courtesy to your reader, but you are ensuring that the extra information you are sending does not get overlooked:

Enclosure

Cc: This tells your reader who else is being sent a copy of your memo. You can preface the information with either cc, or with the word distribution, if the memo is being sent to more than three or four readers. It is placed flush left, and is two lines below the last notation:

Cc: David Suhatmaja, Electronic Data Systems       Deltamas Elektrodata, Dataport Corporation       Cikarang, Jawa Barat

o. Writing reminder/collection letter

A reminder letter is a letter that asks if a client has forgotten to pay a bill. It gently reminds clients that they owe payment to a company. If the client does not send payment, the company sends a collection letter. A collection letter is a letter that asks for a late payment (a collection) from a client. Both reminder letters and collection letters must be clear and firm, but also polite and professional.

Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the information about the problem. If necessary, contact other people in your company. Ask them if they have anything to add.

The body of a reminder letter or collection letter generally has four parts.

1. Opening: identify the missing payment(s).
2. Focus: give details about payment.
3. Action: review future action.
4. Closing: be positive about the business relationship.

p. Replying to reminder/collection letter

Basically, reminder letter and collection letter are the same as payment letter. When you receive a reminder letter or a collection letter, you must reply it quickly. The reply letter should explain the situation because your business’ reputation is very important.

Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the information about the problem. If necessary, contact other people in your company and ask them if they have anything to add. Don’t forget to check all the details; invoice numbers, amounts, and dates are correct before you send the letter.

The body of a letter replying to reminder letter and collection letter generally has three parts:

1. Opening  : identify the missing payment(s)
2. Focus      : give details about the payment
3. Closing  : apologize for any inconvenience and thank the reader