What are the characteristic of good business letter?

Some characteristics of a good business letter:

1. A professional format should be used.
2. Letters should be clear, concise, and complete.
3. The main purpose of the letter should be clearly stated, avoiding unnecessary, irrelevant thoughts or emotions.
4. A letter should use courteous, professional language and appropriate grammar.
5. A letter should clearly say what action or outcome you expect as a result the correspondence.
6. A letter should include any pertinent dates, deadlines, and the information to contact the writer.
7. Always thank the recipient for their time and attention.

1. CONCISENESS. Conveying the message in the fewest number of Words and sentences as possible. Brevity is the rule of thumb.

• If your letter can't be read and understood in less than 20 seconds, it has limited chances of success. To achieve this, the writer must eliminate Wordy and trite expressions. Simple and one and two syllable Words have the same power as three-syllable Words or phrases.

2. CLARITY. Your goal is that your reader understands what you have to say. Precise and familiar Words are always best. Jargon, slang and colloquialisms serve no purpose because they cause confusion.

• For example, the jargon 'spoilage' conveys different meanings to wet market vendors (rotten vegetables or fruits) and to the airline industry (empty seats). When it comes to sentence length, no matter how inspired you are, don't go beyond 20 Words.

3. CONSIDERATION of the reader; understand their needs. It is writing from their point of view and how they will benefit from the content of the message. The customer will appreciate the change in policy better if the benefits of such a change are personalized.

4. COMPLETENESS is presenting in the letter all the facts that the reader needs, to make a sound decision on your message.

• For instance, to order a refrigerator, make clear what model, size and color you want, when you need it, to whom and where it will be sent, why you have chosen that company, and how payment will be made.
• Include any limits, deadline dates, and clear information for the reader to follow up.
• When the information is incomplete, the reader is either frustrated or the reader will choose inaction.

5. CONCRETENESS, being specific rather than vague and general information; use specific facts and figures.

• For example, instead of 'The function of this office is the collection of payments.' say 'This office collects payments.'

6. COURTESY, always remain respectful as you are representing the company or organization whose name is at the top of the letter.

• Negative expressions (contrary to your inference; delinquency; I'm sure you must realize; we find it difficult to believe; you are probably ignorant of the fact; you failed to; you leave us no choice; etc.) can lead to a negative result. Language that discriminates on the basis of gender, disability, age, race, religion, ethnicity or nationality will also put you, your company or organization in a negative position.

7. COHERENCE means correctly arranging the content for ideas to flow logically and smoothly. Every statement must move the ideas forward.

• Always start with the reason you are writing; keep it simple and straightforward.
• The central body of the letter should contain the information needed for the recipient to act, or if the letter is for the purpose of advisory only, to understand your message. If attachments are included with the letter, do not repeat the information in the attachments, only refer to them and what they contain.
• The letter should end by telling the recipient what you expect them to do in response to your letter (if you avoid doing this, it is left up to the recipient to decide what they will do or if they will respond). Include the information for the recipient to follow up with contact names, phone numbers, email address, deadline date (if applicable), etc.
• Always close by thanking the recipient for their response or action; even if the letter is advisory only, thank them for their time and attention.

8. CORRECTNESS, check the correctness of facts and figures, names and dates, and of course, spelling and grammar.

9. CREDIBILITY refers to the status of the communicator, whether as a person or as representative of the company. As a message sender, you must write information that is true and believable. The letter must sound sincere and honest, enhancing the company or organization's and your own reputation.

10. CONSISTENCY of tone and style within a letter reflects the writer's responsibility and reliability. From the opening sentence to the last Word, you should use only one tone (light or serious) and one style (formal or informal). A shift in tone or style can indicate a lack of consistency and reliability of the writer.

A business letter or correspondence must be done by everyone at some point in their life. The format of a letter (simplified, block, semi-block, etc.) is not as important as the content conveying information in a way that will result in the result desired by the writer.