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.
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 areLetter of Intent, Letter
of Interest, Query letter, Prospecting
Letter, Pre-proposal Letter andConcept
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.
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.
Inquiry
Letter Formats
Inquiry Letter Format - Full Block
Style
|
Organisation
Letter Head
OR
Your
Name
Your Address (can
be positioned only to the left)
Date
(can be positioned only to the left, before/after or at the start)
Recipient's
Name (specific official or person)
Recipient's Address
Reference or Subject (as
required)
Dear
Recipient (Salutation)
First
Paragraph – Details of the Inquiry
Second
Paragraph – Brief history, suggestions,
statistical data etc.
Third
Paragraph – Offer assistance towards
communication and assistance
Subscription – Thanking you, yours sincerely etc.
Your
Signature
Your Typed First Name Last
Name
Your
Designation (as
required)
ENCL (optional) stands for ‘Enclosure’ |
Inquiry
Letter Format - Modified Block Style
|
OrganisationLetterHead
OR Your Name
Your Address (should
be positioned to the right)
Date (should be positioned to the right)
Recipient's
Name (specific official or person)
Recipient's
Address (can
be positioned only to the left)
Reference or Subject (as
required)
Dear
Recipient (Salutation)
First
Paragraph (aligned left) – Details of the Inquiry
Second
Paragraph (aligned left) – Brief history, suggestions,
statistical data etc.
Third
Paragraph (aligned left) – Offer assistance towards
communication and assistance
Subscription – Thanking you, yours sincerely etc.
Your Signature
Your Typed First Name Last
Name
Your Designation (as
required)
ENCL (optional) stands for ‘Enclosure’
(Closing should be positioned to the right) |
Order Latter 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
‘https://targetstudy.com/letters/inquiry-letter/
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