Letter of response. Sample response to a letter of request

Drafting a response to a letter of inquiry (also known as a response letter) is a standard norm of business ethics. As a rule, requests are made either by potential partners of the company with a request to provide any information about the activities of the enterprise, goods, services, prices and discounts, or by existing counterparties, for example, to obtain information about delivery times, payment, forwarding or correction of documents, etc. .d.

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The response to the request is of an official nature and is part of the company’s business workflow.

General rules for writing an answer

First of all, you should remember that the answer should be written by the exact employee of the enterprise to whose name the initial letter was written. Exceptions are possible only in cases where this employee is absent for some reason (sick leave, business trip, dismissal) - then the answer can be written by the one who replaces the currently absent person.

The language and presentation of the message should mirror the request letter. In other words, it is advisable to use in the text the same form of address that the sender of the request used, the same vocabulary, terminology, linguistic expressions and sequence of presentation, of course, provided that the author of the initiative message has proven himself to be a competent and correct person.

It is necessary to indicate a link to the number and date of the incoming message, but you must not repeat the mistakes made by the author of the request and it is undesirable to indicate them in the response letter (only if this does not relate to the specific activities of the company).

The answer to the request can be either positive or negative.

A positive answer should be as detailed as possible,
and the negative one is justified and extremely correct.

In addition, if a request is refused, it would be good practice to provide the author with information about under what circumstances the answer may be positive.

In any case, the response letter should be written in the most polite manner possible. It is advisable to avoid empty replies, and even in the absence of the necessary information, you must write a response with restraint, politely and respectfully towards the author of the request.
Rudeness, as well as deliberately false information, are completely unacceptable.

Existing types of citizen appeals

The types of appeals that individuals submit for consideration are reflected in the norms of current legislation.

Highlight:

Offer. The document is drawn up if a citizen has an idea to improve the work of the organization. The document will be beneficial for the recipient of the letter, as it provides an opportunity to draw attention to the problems identified by the client. Relevant documents are often used to improve the norms of current legislation or the functioning of government agencies.
Statement. The document is usually sent if it is necessary to correct mistakes or draw attention to violations of the rights or interests of specific citizens. Additionally, the statement can reflect an assessment of the quality of work of the organization or official.
Complaint. The document is drawn up if it is necessary to protect the rights and interests of a specific person or an entire group of citizens.

How to write a response to a request

The form of submission and execution of the response to the letter of request can play a decisive role in the relationship between organizations. That is why its compilation should be treated very carefully, adhering to certain rules.

First of all, before composing a response letter, you should inform the sender in any convenient way that you have received the request. Next, if you have all the necessary information, you can begin to answer. The sooner a response message is written, the better, but if the requested information is not available at the moment, it is better to wait with the letter.

The structure of the answer is quite standard from the point of view of office work.

At the top of the message (right or left) you need to write the name of the sending company (indicating the address and telephone number), as well as the specific employee on whose behalf the response is being written.
Next, enter information about the recipient in the same way.
After this, the answer itself is written. It must fully correspond to the essence of the request and, if the requester in his letter asked several questions at once, divided into separate points, the answer must be written in exactly the same format. If any additional information is attached to the response, this must be reflected in the body of the letter, noting it separately.
Likewise, if circumstances so require, the response can include references to some laws, regulations and legal acts.

When should I respond?

There are no set deadlines. If the request specifies a deadline, then you should respond within the designated period, indicating the following phrase: in response to your letter, we inform you of the following (then comes the necessary information). If the deadlines are not specified, then according to the generally accepted rule, the response document is sent within seven days. When more time is required to collect information or documentation, you must adhere to a reasonable time frame for sending the letter - the actual time required to collect specific information or documents.

How to write a response letter

You can write the answer

as in handwritten form (mostly this is done when the request itself arrives in a similar format),
and in printed form (this method significantly saves time).

It can be drawn up on a simple A4 sheet or on the organization’s letterhead - the second option allows you not to manually enter the company details, and it looks much more respectable. The response must necessarily contain the signature of the employee who represents the organization indicating his position. There is no need to put a stamp, because... as of 2021, the legal requirement for legal entities to use stamps and seals has become invalid.

The response is drawn up in a single copy ; before sending it, it must be numbered (in accordance with the company’s internal document flow), and also dated.

Information about the letter must be entered into the journal of outgoing documentation - if the response to the request is lost or disagreements arise with the counterparty, this will allow you to quickly understand the situation.

Citizen's rights and security guarantee

The list of rights that must be observed is reflected in federal laws.

A person may:

get acquainted with materials related to the consideration of applications regarding employment or other areas, if such an action does not affect the rights and interests of other persons;
receive substantive responses to applications;
provide additional evidence of your case and request the necessary documents;
appeal unlawful decisions;
send documents with a request to terminate the consideration of the application.

The law guarantees citizens maximum security. Thus, a person cannot be persecuted on the basis of the fact that he addressed the authorized body with a statement containing criticism. Additionally, information contained in a citizen’s appeal cannot be disclosed. The opportunity to perform actions can only be given by the applicant himself.

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Should I wait for a response to the response letter?

Almost all business letters require a response, but there is an exception to this rule.

The response letter does not require any response, since it initially does not contain any requests, requests or proposals. In fact, it contains only the information that the other party required.

At the same time, it is the response letter that can become the starting point for concluding a profitable contract or transaction, as well as a simple and accessible way to resolve any problems and difficulties in the relationship between partners.

Rules governing the consideration of citizens' appeals

Documentation prepared by a government agency must comply with a list of requirements. They are fixed by law. Thus, the organization will consider the appeal only if it has the appropriate authority. The area of legal relations is regulated by Federal Law No. 59 of May 2, 2006. The document reflects the time frame within which the received application must be considered. Additionally, there is a registration procedure and a procedure for making decisions on citizen complaints.

Classification of business papers

Between the parties, most issues are resolved in writing. And according to the law, as you know, oral agreements are not valid. Therefore, every enterprise must conduct business correspondence. It is a generally accepted means of exchanging information as a result of official contacts between various organizations and enterprises.

All business letters are divided into two categories:

Those that require a mandatory response.
Those that do not need such a reaction.

The response letter falls into the second category. It is one of the commercial types of documents along with a letter of request, information, warning, offer, reminder or presentation. Such papers are usually used at the time of concluding and further supporting various contracts and other agreements between the parties. The response letter, unlike the others, does not ask for anything and does not offer anything. It only contains information that was previously requested by the other party.

What to do if a job offer came as a phone call?

Do not panic! Take a mid-pause and say hello in the most confident voice possible. Listen carefully to the employer's entire speech. Your interest in the interlocutor and the work should be visible; ask a few relevant questions. Ask them to send you all the detailed information on the vacancy by email, or immediately arrange an introductory interview.

Do not show doubt under any circumstances; you must express your thoughts clearly. Even if there really is doubt, do not refuse additional information or conversation, it is quite possible that the right vacancy is right in front of your nose, but you were caught by surprise and the body’s natural reaction to a stressful situation interferes with common sense.

If the call came in a crowded place or in public transport, inform the interlocutor that you will call him back. You should not talk in uncomfortable places, even if you feel the importance of the call. Ruining your impression of yourself is much worse than making the employer wait a little. Waiting is not always a bad thing, in any area of life it can add value and create a more important impression.

Consumer extremism

Probably each of us has heard the expression “the customer is always right” in life in a store, cafe or other establishments, but is this true in reality? Let's figure it out.

To illustrate this problem, it is worth giving an example of a complaint from one citizen. The buyer purchased a machine for the production of fence mesh from an individual entrepreneur. I used it for more than a year, after which I wanted to return it to the seller and demand the money back, taking into account compensation for moral damages due to the fact that the machine unexpectedly broke down. I wrote a complaint to the seller and thought that the law was on his side. However, the seller was not timid. He defended his rights in court and proved that the buyer’s actions were illegal and the demands could not be satisfied.

Thus, consumer extremism can be characterized as deliberate actions of the consumer aimed at causing damage to bona fide sellers. At the same time, as judicial practice shows, it is not easy to get rid of an annoying consumer, much less bring him to justice under the law.

Now this situation is gaining momentum, so legislative protection measures are already necessary for entrepreneurs.

Currently, one of the current methods of combating this phenomenon remains a clear recording of negotiations between the seller and the consumer in writing, including the availability of competent samples of responses to complaints.

Strictly official

If you need to respond to an official letter, then you need to do it correctly. We must remember that such treatment must certainly be polite and correct. Don't forget about literacy too. It is ridiculous to see obvious errors in information provided by a reputable organization.

From the very beginning, the address is printed in the upper right corner. It is an exact copy of what is indicated on the envelope. The answer is always given to some kind of request, therefore, in the registration stamp at the top left, its initial details (number and date of departure) must be noted. Then there is a short address to the addressee (you can simply indicate the last name without initials). The text should contain detailed explanations regarding the problem of interest. Only verified data should be used as arguments. Under no circumstances should you rely on rumors and speculation. If necessary, you can use excerpts from regulations indicating the relevant articles. The director of the enterprise signs such a document, and just below a note is made with the name and telephone number of the responsible executor.

Source of the article: https://businessman.ru/new-chto-takoe-pismo-otvet-i-kak-pravilno-ego-sostavit.html