Inquiry Letter and Response to Inquiry Letter

Yessi’s Arduiino Electronic

Jl. Pondok Gede No. 100

Bekasi 17411

December 6, 2016

PT Arduino Electronic Cirebon

343 Jl. Abu Chaer

Cirebon 14595

Dear Mr. Siska,

My name is Yessi Herlistiana and I’m the Manufacturing Operations Manager at PT. Yessi’s Electronic. I am looking for a supplier for Arduino. I want to know whether you have it available and if so, how much it would cost. Also, I would like to inquire about the extended warranty and credit payment options. Please revert back to me with all relevant information, options, and suitable alternatives. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Yessi Herlistiana

Yessi Herlistiana

SAMPLE INQUIRY LETTER REPLIES

Thank you for your inquiry regarding our [product or service name]. In response to your query, [list here needed information: prices, availability, etc…]. In addition to the information provided above, I have enclosed a sample [brochure, catalogue, etc…] that contains more detailed information about our products and services.

It would be my pleasure to welcome you in my office to discuss in more details your requirements and to see how I can assist you in fulfilling them. Alternatively, I can visit yours if it’s more convenient.

In the meanwhile, if you have any questions or need more clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you for your interest in [product or service name]. To answer your question, [list here needed information: prices, availability, etc…]. I have also attached a copy of detailed specifications and prices for your reference.

I would like to know your requirements in more detail and explain to you how our [products or services] can help you in that regard. Perhaps we can arrange a meeting [next week] at a mutually convenient time and place to discuss more.

In the meanwhile, if you have any questions or need more clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Looking forward to doing business with you.

Thank you for contacting us regarding [product or service name]. To address your concerns, [list here needed information: prices, availability, etc…]. You can find detailed information about each product on our website [www.something.com] along with specifications and images.

If you would like to know more on how we can help you, I will happily pay you a visit to discuss your requirements in detail.

In the meanwhile, if you have any questions or need more clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for considering us to be your partner.

Letter of Enquiry

An enquiry letter is one which seeks some information from the receiver. Business organisations (and individuals) have to make enquiries at the beginning of a business transaction. Even if you want to purchase a piece of furniture for your home, you do not go and buy it immediately. You scout for the best furniture dealer, best in every sense, quality, price etc. You compare the prices before striking a deal. The enquiry was at a personal level. The enquiry letter in fact does this job for the organization. The enquiry letter itself may be a solicited enquiry or unsolicited enquiry.  When you respond to a seller’s letter, advertisement or visit to promote sales with a letter of enquiry, it carries a benefit for the recipient.. This is a solicited enquiry. He will respond to it provided your enquiry is exact and precise. An enquiry may be an unsolicited one trying to get Inhumation. The enquiry may be of a preliminary nature to be followed by other exercises of a business transaction, later.

An enquiry letter may be a routine enquiry between firms that are already involved in a transaction.

A letter of enquiry should be precise and brief, clear and complete. It should state the purpose of the enquiry with clarity. It should ask for all the details the writer is interested in knowing. The letter should be written in such a way that the receiver does not ask for further clarifications on the subject of enquiry. The direct or deductive method should be adopted in a letter of enquiry. The letter should clearly spell out the information sought and state why the information is being sought even in the opening part of the letter. If the enquiry is on a sale and has a number of questions pertaining to it such as price, quality, warranty, discount etc., the questions should be clearly enumerated and even numbered. The enquiry should also indicate the date by which the response is expected so that it prevents unnecessary delay by a misunderstanding on the part of the receiver.

The letter should clearly indicate the action desired, the schedule of time and finally end on a note of courtesy and goodwill. Enquiry letters are also written seeking  information on a prospective employee, or a borrower and his credit standing etc.

INQUIRY LETTER

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.

Inquiry Letter Definition

A document requesting information sent on behalf of an individual or an organisation for their own respective purposes, which can be mutually beneficial to the recipient and the sender.

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 are Letter of Intent, Letter of Interest, Query letter, Prospecting Letter, Pre-proposal Letter and Concept 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 inquiry 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.

References:

https://yeshikajasmine11.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/inquiry-letter-and-response-to-inquiry-letter/

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