provides readers recommendations and suggestions to deal with writing reply emails

LIST OF TABLES AND FIRGUESList of tables Table 3.1: Staff’s frequency in writing reply emails in English...20 Table 3.2: Style is often used in a reply email...22 Table 3.3: The level of

This graduation aspires to have some specific solutions to difficulties inwriting reply emails for the staff in Sales Department in Techcom Truong AnCo.,ltd This is carried out within nearly a month, with the main situations is thereality in writing reply emails of the staff The study mentioned general theories ofreply emails, providing some criteria for comparison in the other parts of the study.The results from the questionnaire survey and statistical analysis showed that thestaff in the company still had to cope with a lot of problems during their writingreply emails process as well as other kinds of email Commonly found difficultiesare belong to some main groups with their own features and characteristics such as:difficulties are related to information, issue is involved in applying theory in reality,problems have connection with specialist terms, and grammar problems Eachgroup of them has their own roots, causes their own consequences There are somereal stories for the readers to clearly imagine of these problems

The results in the paper can also be improved by consulting some suggestionsand recommendations in the last chapter of this study For information problems,recipients should acknowledge, ask for time to solve them immediately In terms ofthe theory which applied in real emails, it depends on each specific situation, thewriter will wipe out some unnecessary parts and use suitable style When meetingspecialist terms in processing documents, the writer should ask other people foradvices, and self-improve every day And in a reply email, the writer should not usecomplicated structures or words The study also supply other useful tips and point toremember to help the readers “keep calm” when dealing with reply emails

In the process of completing this graduation paper, I have received so much ofhelps, guidance and encouragements from many people Sincerely, I would like toexpress my gratitude to them for their enthusiasm and advises for me

First of all, I would like to express my deepest thank to my supervisor, Vu ThiThanh Hoa, MA who has offered me suggestions on how to shape the study andalways been most willing to give me valuable advices, helpful comments, corrected

my graduation paper as well as inspired me with her guidance and ideas

I am also grateful to all teachers in the Faculty of English of ThuongmaiUniversity for their thorough training me with their previous supportive lectures inthe last for years

And many thanks to managers and staff in Techcom Truong An Co.,Ltd, whohelped me a lot and provided very much useful information for me to complete thisstudy

Last but not least, as always I wish to take this opportunity to give my specialthanks to my family, my friends for their understanding and encouragementthroughout the preparation of this study

This graduation paper has been completed with my great efforts However,errors and mistakes are unavoidable because of my limited knowledge Therefore, I

am very willing to receive the reflection, sympathy and contribution from teacher tomake my study more perfect

Hanoi, 19th April, 2018Nguyen Thanh Thao

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS ii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

LIST OF TABLES AND FIRGUES vi

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous study 2

1.3 Aims of the study 3

1.4 Research subjects 4

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Research methodology 4

1.7 Organization of the study 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Definition of email and some theories 6

2.1.1 Definition of email and reply email 6

2.1.2 Importance of reply email 6

2.1.3 Essential qualities of a reply email 8

2.1.4 Classification of reply email 9

2.2 Structure of a reply email 9

2.3 Content in a reply email 11

2.3.1 Reply to a job applicant 11

2.3.2 Reply to enquiries 12

2.3.3 Reply to an order 13

2.3.4 Reply to requests for payment 15

2.3.5 Reply to complaints 15

2.4 When and How to write a reply email 16

2.4.1 When to write a reply email 16

2.4.2 How to write a reply email 17

3.1 Data analysis 20

3.1.1 Result from survey questionnaires for TAG’s staff 20

3.1.2 Result from reply emails analysis in TAG 26

3.2 Summary of findings 27

3.2.1 Information problems 27

3.2.2 Theory about email problems 28

3.2.3 Email’s style problems 28

3.2.4 Specialist terms problems 29

3.2.5 Grammar problems 30

CHAPTER 4: RECCOMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 32

4.1 Some suggestions to overcome staff’s difficulties in writing reply emails 32

4.1.1 Solve information problems 32

4.1.2 Deal with applying theory and form of reply emails in reality 32

4.1.3 Cope with email’s style problems 32

4.1.4 Face with specialist terms problems 33

4.1.5 Deal with grammar problems 34

4.2 Some tips for writing emails 35

4.2.1 Use formal language 35

4.2.2 Use a proper form of closing 35

4.2.3 Message text 35

4.2.4 Style 35

4.2.5 Email abbreviations 36

4.3 Points to remember 36

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations Meaning in English Meaning in Vietnamese

Limited company

Công ty TNHH Techcom Trường An

LIST OF TABLES AND FIRGUES

List of tables

Table 3.1: Staff’s frequency in writing reply emails in English 20

Table 3.2: Style is often used in a reply email 22

Table 3.3: The level of applying theory in writing reply email of the staff 23

Table 3.6: Staff’s common problems in writing reply emails 24

Table 3.7: Common problems in reply emails of TAG 26

List of figures Diagram 3.1: Staff’s opinion about the importance of writing reply email 20

Diagram 3.2: Staff’s frequency in writing reply emails in English 21

Diagram 3.3: Style is often used in a reply email 22

Diagram 3.4: Assess email’s inner quality 22

Diagram 3.5: Suitable time to write reply emails 23

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

1.1 Rationale

In today global world, where developing nations are trending towards globalintegration, openness is more prevalent in most countries Since then, the economy andsociety have continued to welcome new cultural flows into their country

In Vietnam, after the country joined the major economic associations in the worldsuch as WTO the country has many opportunities to learn and receive technical andinformation technology achievements in the world

Gradually, the industries are also developing, including those that have not beendeveloped in the past, such as information technology In this area, most of theachievements are inherited from the developed economy, so the content, knowledge,and approach are all related to English - the most popular foreign language in theworld When working in information technology companies or in other fields,employees often have to deal with English documents, using English as a powerfultool to get things done In the process of translating documents, direct translations,writing e-mails to partners or clients of the company, communicating or consultingclients / foreign partners in English, there are many problems that cause Englishlanguage users to have difficulty

Recognizing the constant difficulties that arise, and through the practice of actualization, I found that understanding the causes and resolving them are reallynecessary To improve the quality of work people need to overcome, and overcome thebarriers to work And for a student in English faculty, in my opinion, solving problemsrelated to language practice at work is an effective way to improve work productivity And in a myriad of issues related to the practice of English for a graduate student

self-in English and to start lookself-ing for a suitable job, emailself-ing is one of the most importantskills Business letters are one of the ways for any business to communicate with all ofits stake holders These stake holders may include customers, suppliers, employees,shareholders, management, government and the public in general Proficiency in emailwriting is a process of cultivating and practicing in reality to accumulate experience

responses, demonstrates the hard-working of learning, working, and engaging withpartners.

So hone in email writing skills is essential and should be one of the serious goalsthat commercial English students desire to pursue and achieve it

1.2 Previous study

In general, theories or researches work on writing emails especially the replyemail in a company, agency or organization is still a potential topic The previousresearches related to this topic mostly discuss on theoretical and practical aspects, andthe different types of letters, but very few essays or works do in-depth study on othertype of message However, these writings and works have also created a certainfoundation for subsequent scholars to study and develop their own works

A study on email focuses largely on email marketing, "The truth about emailmarketing," published in 2008 and written by Simms Jenkins Simms Jenkins is theCEO of BrightWave Marketing - the leading email marketing agency in the NorthAmerican With the managing of Simms Jenkins, BrightWave Marketing has grownrapidly, building many relationships that have been ranked as one of the fastestgrowing private companies (according to Inc News) He is also the author of anotherbook titled "The new inbox: why email marketing is the digital marketing hub in asocial and mobile world" was released in 2013 His 2008 book mentions 49 truthsabout email marketing, they are mostly about development and social issues aroundemail "Simms has the expertise to simplify the complex email world From e-mailmarketing specialists to email-savvy fans, The Truth about Email Marketing can bringdeep knowledge and thought-provoking information that we all can apply in onlinemarketing and email marketing.” Among 49 truths the fact No 21 is a short essay onhow to write email in general

In addition, a Japanese book about

e-mail guidance is a very meticulous study

The book is about a company specializing in

stationery products, with two main

characters are the new sales and PR staff,

work under a general manager, and the other

characters are the company’s partners

Emails appear around the work situations of

these characters: corporate internal mail,

superior mail assignments to subordinates,

quotation and appointments for client companies, mail between the PR department andadvertising printing company In each situation will appear an email, called NG mail,means that the email content is not good (difficult to understand the word is nottransparent, , and then analyze each step to see where is not good, how to fix, how tolayout After analyzing each step and giving a layout for each situation, there will be astandard email rewritten in such a layout Because it is written in the form ofsimulation so it is very well and understandable, show out each part of the mailstructure for what purpose, and which can be used structures, phrases

From the basic knowledge and information in these above books, the reader cancombine his or her personal research to improve their own correspondence in everysingle type of email In this study I focus on the way to write reply email by findingsome common problems in my internship company in a short time, and suggestingsome solutions for the difficulties

1.3 Aims of the study

The study on writing reply email of staff in sales department aims to figure out

an overview on writing strategies and procedure commonly employed in writing replyemails and other types of emails as well

In details, my Graduation Paper aims at achieving some objectives:

The first objective is studying some aspects of writing reply email skills inbusiness correspondence

The second purpose is to explore the real situation of writing reply email inTechcom Truong An Co.,ltd.

The findings and discussing some common problems occur in writing replyemails such as: presenting without a purpose, not informative enough, and othermistake in sentence’s structure… are hopeful that they will help to improve emailwriting skills of staff in Techcom Truong An as well as other students in Englishfaculty

The last but not least aims is providing suggestions to get an effective way inwriting reply emails

on the subjects who share the same work and work situation In conclusion theresearch mainly focus on the way to write reply emails of staff in Sales Department ofTechcom Truong An Co., Ltd

1.5 Scope of the study

The study focus on reply emails sent to foreign partners or abroad companies, sothey require of effort and time to research and study However, due to the limitation oftime and knowledge, my study could not cover all the aspects of this theme in thisfield I only focus the study on Techcom Truong An Co.,ltd

common characteristics, and then are carried out to analyze by using some methodssuch as: Qualitative Method, Quantitative Method, Comparative Method, AnalyticalMethod…

After gathering data, a procedure of analyzing data should be draw carefully.This study is mainly carried out with observing ambient phenomenon As theinternship time in the company is short, other information is collected by inviting somestaff in Techcom Truong An do questionnaires and show their experience in writingreply email

Gathered data will be analyzed by comparing with the theories in Chapter 2 ofthe study to figure out the common problems in writing reply email of the company

In addition, a small survey was conducted for the staff in Techcom Truong AnCo,ltd, evaluations about their matters and the difficulties that they have to cope withwhen writing reply email And the data for Chapter 3 will be collected from about 20specific reply emails in the company

In general, those methods are combined with each other to supply each other andwork together in an effective way

1.7 Organization of the study

The study is divided into 4 main parts:

1 Chapter 1 about introduction which gives out the reason for choosing thetopic, point out some previous studies, aims of the study, research subjects, and scope

of the study as well as the research methodology applied

2 Chapter 2 mentions some theories related to the study which provides readerswith knowledge of email, and some basic comparison in theory

3 Chapter 3 focus on figuring out some research findings and some furthercomparisons with procedures and data analysis

4 Chapter 4 provides readers recommendations and suggestions to deal withwriting reply emails

- The last part is the conclusion of the study All the information from theprevious parts of the study is summarized again in this part and some suggestion areoffered for further study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of email and some theories

2.1.1 Definition of email and reply email

2.1.1.1 What is email?

“Electronic Mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices Email is similar to a letter, it is sent via the

internet to a recipient An email address is required to receive email, and that address

is unique to the user Some people use internet-based applications and some useprograms on their computer to access and store emails” according to Wikipedia

2.1.1.2 Types of email

According to several purposes of writing emails in business correspondence aswell as other communication area, emails or letter are divided into many types such as:business enquiries, quotations, orders, complaints, recoveries, replies… For any kind

of email received, the reader as a company or individual in a business relationship has

to write a reply email to sender and acknowledge them necessary information if thesender needs

2.1.1.3 What is reply email?

Reply email, is a type of email in business correspondence, in which you willanswer or suggest some solutions for what you are asked; or you can confirming thatyou can help; ‘selling’ your product; suggesting alternatives, referring the customerelsewhere; catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, samples, demonstrations,representatives showroom visits, etc In general, the content in reply emails mostly isabout the answers which writers would like to explain for readers The information ofreply emails has to be useful, complete not only in content but also in the form to make

an impression at the first sight

2.1.2 Importance of reply email

The present day business operations are not restricted to any locality, state ornation Today production takes place in one area but consumption takes placeeverywhere in the world Since the businessmen as well as customers live in far offplaces they do not have sufficient time to contact each other personally Thus, there

arises the need for writing emails It is said that emails appeared in the world for solong Business emails were not essential in olden days But now the importance ofmails has increased because of vast expansion of business, increase in demand as well

as supply of goods Reply emails keep good contacts in business, enhance businessculture through the way they are written As following the importance of letters inbusiness correspondence in the book of English faculty at Thuongmai University;emails also:

2.1.2.1 Help in maintaining proper relationship

Today business activities are not confined to any area or locality Thebusinessmen as well as customers are scattered throughout the country Thus, there is aneed to maintain proper relationship among them by using appropriate means ofcommunication Here, business emails play an important role The customers can writeemails to the businessman seeking information about products and businessmen alsosupply various information to customers This helps them to carry on business onnational and international basis

2.1.2.2 Be an inexpensive and convenient mode

Though there are other modes of communication like telephone, telex, fax, etc.but business information can be provided and obtained economically and convenientlythrough emails This method of communication help people save time save moneyeven save more energy to keep their contacts and develop the business relationships

2.1.2.3 Create and maintain goodwill

Sometimes business emails are written to create and enhance goodwill.Businessmen at times send emails to enquire about complaints and suggestions of theircustomers They also send emails to inform the customers about the availability of anew product, clearance sale etc All this results in cordial relations with the customers,which enhances the goodwill of the business

2.1.2.4 Serve as evidence

We cannot expect a trader to memorize all facts and figures in a conversation thatnormally takes place among businessmen Through emails, he can keep a record of allfacts Thus, letters can serve as evidence in case of dispute between two parties

2.1.2.5 Help in expansion of business

Business requires information regarding competing products, prevailing prices,promotions, market activities, etc If the trader has to run from place to place to getinformation, he will end up doing nothing It will simply result in loss of time Butthrough business emails, he can make all enquiries about the products and the markets

He can also receive orders from different countries and, thus enhance sales

2.1.3 Essential qualities of a reply email

An email should serve the purpose for which it is written If a businessman writes

an email to the supplier for purchase of goods, the email should contain all the relevantinformation relating to the product, mode of payment, packaging, transportation ofgoods, etc clearly and specifically So the inner qualities is the most important factor The inner qualities of a good business email refer to the quality of language, itspresentation, etc These facilitate quick processing of the request and that leads toprompt action Let us discuss the various inner qualities of a good business email.Simplicity - Simple and easy language should be used for writing businessletters Difficult words should be strictly avoided, as one cannot expect the reader torefer to the dictionary every time while reading letter

Clarity - The language should be clear, so that the receiver will understand themessage immediately, easily and correctly Ambiguous language creates confusion.The letter will serve the purpose if the receiver understands it in the same manner inwhich it is intended by the sender

Accuracy - The statements written in the letter should be accurate to, the best ofthe sender’s knowledge Accuracy demands that there are no errors in the usage oflanguage - in grammar, spellings, punctuations etc An accurate letter is alwaysappreciated

Completeness - A complete letter is one that provides all necessary information

to the users For example, while sending an order we should mention the desirablefeatures of the goods, e.g., their quality, shape, color, design, quantity, date of delivery,mode of transportation, etc

Relevance - The letter should contain only essential information Irrelevantinformation should not be mentioned while sending any business correspondence

Courtesy - Courtesy wins the heart of the reader In business letters, courtesy can

be shown/expressed by using words like please, thank you, etc

Neatness - A neat letter is always impressive A letter either handwritten or typed,should be neat and attractive in appearance Overwriting and cuttings should beavoided

2.1.4 Classification of reply email

Reply to other recovery emails

2.2 Structure of a reply email

We have discussed above the qualities of a good business letter as well as email.The quality will be maintained if we give proper attention to each and every part of theemail Let us now learn about the different parts of a business email

The essential parts of a reply email are as follows:

1 Heading -The heading of a reply email usually contains the name and postal

address of the business, E-mail address, Web-site address, Telephone Number, FaxNumber, Trade Mark or logo of the business (if any)

2 Date - The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after the

heading as the day, month and years Some examples are 28th Feb., 2003 or February

28, 2003

3 Reference- It indicates email number and the department from where the letter

is being sent and the year It helps in future reference This reference number is given

on the left hand corner after the heading

4 Inside address - This includes the name and full address of the person or the

firm to whom the letter is to be sent This is written on the left hand side of the sheetbelow the reference number Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g.,the Secretary, the Principal, the Chairman, the Manager, etc

5 Subject - It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the email

relates It attracts the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to knowquickly what the letter is about

6 Salutation - This is placed below the inside address It is usually followed by

a comma (,) Various forms of salutation are: Sir/Madam: For official and formalcorrespondence Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual Dear Sirs/DearMadam: For addressing a firm or company

7 Body of the email - This comes after salutation This is the main part of the

email and it contains the actual message of the sender It is divided into three parts (a) Opening part - It is the introductory part of the email In this part, attention ofthe reader should be drawn to the previous correspondence, if any In routinecorrespondence, be direct The purpose of the memo, e-mail or letter should be clearlystated in the first sentence One or two lines might be added to give context, but thefirst paragraph might also be only one sentence long If the message is negative, themain idea should go in the body paragraphs and the introductory paragraph should be aneutral buffer that provides the best news, a compliment, agreement, or understanding,depending on the situation

(b) Main part - This part usually contains the subject matter of the email Itshould be precise and written in clear words Use the body paragraphs to providedetails and explanations Some background information can also help clarify thepurpose of the correspondence Group similar ideas into the same paragraph, but use aseparate paragraph for each different topic A memo in particular should be clear andconcise, so avoid long, dense paragraphs Instead, use short sentences and highlightingtechniques, such as bulleted lists

(c) Concluding Part - It contains a statement of the sender’s intentions, hopes orexpectations concerning the next step to be taken Further, the sender should alwayslook forward to getting a positive response At the end, terms like Thanking you, Withregards, With warm regards may be used

8 Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending an email It must

be in accordance with the salutation For e-mail taking the place of letters, thecomplimentary close “Regards” is still expected

9 Signature - It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close.

As far as possible, the signature should be legible The name of the writer should betyped immediately below the signature The designation is given below the typedname Where no letterhead is in use, the name of the company too could be includedbelow the designation of the writer

10 Enclosures - This is required when some documents like cheque, draft, bills,

receipts, lists, invoices etc are attached with the letter These enclosures are listed one

by one in serial numbers

11 Copy circulation - This is required when copies of the letter are also sent to

persons apart of the addressee It is denoted as C.C

12 Post script – This is required when the writer wants to add something, which

is not included in the body of the letter It is expressed as P.S

2.3 Content in a reply email

2.3.1 Reply to a job applicant

A resume and cover letter make up a job application When you receive a jobapplication, first send a letter acknowledging that you received it After you read thejob application, decide whether to interview or reject the applicant Send all applicantseither an interview letter or a rejection letter

Before you reply to job applicants, you must evaluate their skills Compare theskills they listed in their resume and cover letter with the requirements you listed inyour job advertisement

A letter replying to a job applicant is short and direct Its tone is formal The body

of a letter replying to a job applicant generally has three parts And the content in eachtype of reply email to job applicant is:

Acknowledgment Letter

Opening Tell you received the

Interview Letter

Opening Invite the applicant for an

Opening Tell you received the

application

Thank you for sending us your resumefor the position of administrativeassistant

Action Explain why the applicant

Opening: In an email reply, abbreviation in the subject line automatically shows

that you are replying to a message Therefore it is not usually necessary to use asalutation Thank the writer for his or her enquiry Mention the date of his or her letterand quote any other references

Confirming that you can help: Let the enquirer know near the start of your

reply if you have the product or can provide the service he or she is asking about It isirritating to read a long letter only to find that the supplier cannot help

'Selling' your product: Encourage or persuade your prospective customer to do

business with you A simple answer that you have the goods in stock is not enough.Your customer might have made ten other enquiries, so remember it is not only insales letters that you need to persuade Mention one or two selling points of yourproduct, including any guarantees, special offers, and discounts

Suggesting alternatives: If you do not have what the enquirer has asked for, but

have an alternative, offer that But do not criticize the product he or she originallyasked for

Referring the customer to another place: You may not be able to handle the

order or answer the enquiry If this is the case, tell the enquirer and, if possible, referthem to another company which can help them

Even if you can handle the enquiry you may still have to refer the enquirerelsewhere

Sending catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, and samples: Remember to

enclose current catalogues and price lists with your reply If you are attachingcatalogues, price lists, etc to an email message, make sure you compress them to saveyour recipient's time when they download the material If prices are subject to change,let your customer know It is bad policy suddenly to send a letter telling a customerthat prices have been increased by ten per cent after you have quoted a firm price And

if you are sending samples under separate cover, let your customer know when theyare likely to arrive

Arranging demonstrations and visits: Certain products, e.g heavy equipment,

machinery and computer installations, may need demonstrating In these cases thesupplier will either send a representative or adviser, or suggest that the customer visitstheir showroom

Closing: Always thank the customer for contacting you You should also

encourage further enquiries

2.3.3 Reply to an order

2.3.3.1 Confirming an order

When you send a letter confirming an order, be specific Give any additionalinformation about the order, such as items that are out of stock or on back order.Before you write the email, make sure that you can fulfill the order If there is aproblem with availability or schedule, write about it in the letter

The body of a letter confirming an order generally has four parts.

Opening Refer to the specific order

and the date it was sent or

arrived

We received your November 24 fax andPurchase Order 11 3512

Focus State the problem, if any As we discussed in our phone call this

morning, the chip set Intex 440SX is not instock

Action Tell what you plan to do We will back order this item and will ship it

on February 5

Closing Thank the reader If I can be of further assistance, please do

not hesitate to call Your business is veryimportant to us, and we look forward toserving you in the future

2.3.3.2 Refusing an order

There are a number of reasons for a company to refuse an order, and some of themost common are given below Whatever your reason, you must be polite: the wordsreject and refuse have a very negative tone, therefore it is better to use decline or turndown instead

A reply email to refuse an order is written in these situations:

Out of stock: You may be out of stock of the product ordered, or you may no

longer make it Note that, in either case, you have an opportunity to sell an alternativeproduct, but remember not to criticize the product you can no longer supply

Bad reputation: The customer may have a bad reputation for settling their

accounts or, in the case of a retailer of, say, electrical or mechanical products, mayhave offered a poor after-sales service which could in turn affect a manufacturer's orsupplier's reputation In these cases, it is better to indicate terms on which you would

be prepared to accept the order, or, as in the last two examples below, find a diplomaticway of saying 'no'

Unfavorable terms: The supplier may not like the terms the customer has asked

for, either for delivery or discount or payment

Size of order: The quantity required might be too large or the quantity required

might be too small

2.3.4 Reply to requests for payment

If you are asking for more time to pay, you should apologize for not havingcleared the account on the due date, explain why you have not paid, and when and howyou intend to clear the balance Remember, your creditors are more interested in whenthey will get their money than in good excuses

Three steps are usually taken by a supplier to recover a debt The first is to write

a polite letter which accepts that there may be a good reason why the account has notyet been cleared The second is a more insistent request which refers to the letter youhave already sent, and encloses copies of invoices and statements You can in thesecond request, state that you expect payment or a reply within a reasonable time Afinal demand must be handled with restraint Review what has happened, explain thebalance has been outstanding for a long period, and if necessary threaten legal action ifthe account is not paid within a specified period

2.3.5 Reply to complaints

In business, sometimes you will receive some complaints about your products orservices The problems may be caused by several of factors such as: wrong delivery,damage, bad workmanship, non-delivery, accounting errors… And when writing replyemail for these problems you have to be polite and thorough

Opening: Acknowledge that you have received the complaint, and thank your

customer for informing you

Asking time to investigate the complaint: Sometimes you cannot deal with a

complaint immediately, as the matter needs to be looked into Do not leave yourcustomer waiting but tell them what you are doing straight away In this case, an email

or fax message is appropriate as the customer then knows immediately that you havereceived the complaint and are doing something about it

Explaining the mistake: If the complaint is justified, explain how the mistake

occurred but do not blame your staff You employed them, so you are responsible fortheir actions

Solving the problem: Having acknowledged your responsibility and explained

what went wrong, you should put matters right as soon as possible, and tell your

Rejecting a complaint: If you think the complaint is unjustified, you can be firm

but polite in your answer But even if you deny responsibility, you should always try togive an explanation of the problem

Closing: It is useful when closing your letter to mention that the mistake, error,

or fault is an exception, and it either rarely or never happens You should also, ofcourse, apologize for the inconvenience your customer experienced

2.4 When and How to write a reply email

2.4.1 When to write a reply email

A survey by MailTime, an app that helps organize email, found that most people

—52 percent—expect to get an answer to work-related emails within 12 to 24 hours,according to MarketWatch Only 3 percent of respondents said they were willing towait a week for a response

In reality, many people do answer work emails quite quickly: Nearly one-third ofworkers said they respond within 15 minutes and one-quarter respond within 30minutes (When it comes to personal emails, however, nearly 60 percent ofrespondents said they often wait two days to respond.)

The results suggest that prompt email responses are an important part of keepingyour customers and colleagues happy and meeting their expectations Business ownerswho wait too long to respond—such as days instead of hours—risk upsettingcustomers or prospective customers

A 2013 survey by Toister Performance Solutions found that 61 percent of peopleexpect a response from a business within one day, while about 30 percent expect aresponse within four hours “I have both landed and retained business because of howpromptly I respond” to emails, Jonathan Bernstein, president of public relationsconsultancy Bernstein Crisis Management, told MarketWatch Millennials—today’s20- and 30-somethings—are even more impatient when it comes to email Most areused to using instant messaging, texting and Facebook, where they can normally get aresponse within minutes, or even seconds, Dan Schawbel, founder of MillennialBranding, told MarketWatch “If you don’t hear from someone in an hour, youimmediately feel like they are ignoring you because you’re used to instantgratification,” Schawbel adds

In business correspondence, reply emails are very necessary to keep goodcontacts, and solve problems And right the moment you receive an email, you have tothink about how to deal with the problems you faced and how to express well yousolutions in an email The problems should be solved as soon as possible

2.4.2 How to write a reply email

2.4.2.1 Before writing a reply email

First and foremost, you should identify your position to know clearly aboutwhich is the suitable personal pronoun to use when writing emails Secondly identifywho is the reader of your email Then you have to prepare information or documentsthat supply for you answer In general, ask yourself two questions before beginningany kind of correspondence First, who is the audience? The audience and yourrelation to the audience determine the tone of the correspondence Second, what is thepurpose? The purpose of the correspondence determines the content Consider whyyou are writing and what information is required Collect and organize all theinformation necessary and construct an outline

2.4.2.2 Writing a reply email

Step 1: Formatting your email

(i) Use a professional email address Ideally, your email address should be avariation of your real name, not a username or nickname Use periods, hyphens, orunderscores to secure an e-mail address that's just your name, without extra numbers

or letters, if you can

(ii) Stick to a professional font Most email services now allow you the option towrite using a variety of fonts and text styles For a formal email, however, keep thingsconservative, with fonts like Times New Roman and Arial Avoid decorative fonts likeComic Sans or Old English In addition:

Write your email in a legible font size, such as 12 point type

Do not use all caps These make it seem like you are shouting at the recipient.(iii) Use a short and accurate subject line Use keywords in the subject line thatsuggest exactly what you are writing about, in just a few words This helps make surethat readers don’t overlook your email because the subject line is missing, is too

Step 2: Writing your message

(i) Use a proper salutation Always open a formal email with a salutation.Addressing the recipient by name (if known) is preferred Include the person's titlewith their last name, followed by a comma or a colon You can precede the salutationwith "Dear " if you like

If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to, use a salutation like

“Dear Sir/Madam,” “Dear Sir or Madam,” or “To whom it may concern.”

Do not use “Hello,” “Hey,” “Hi,” or other informal salutations

(ii) Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if necessary) If you are writing tosomeone you don't have an existing relationship with, such as a new customer, hiringmanager, or government official, tell them who you are and why you are writing Dothis in the first sentence or two of your email

(iii) Prioritize the most important information Once you’ve introduced yourselfand the general reason you’re writing, you can follow up with the body of your email.Put the most important content near the top This respects your recipient’s time, andmakes the purpose of your email clear

(iv) Get to the point For a formal email, it’s ok to be direct, as long as you arepolite Beating around the bush will only lose your reader and make it harder to figureout what you want or need from them

(v) Keep it brief There’s no set length for how long an email should be.However, it’s a good idea to keep an email to about one (laptop or desktop size) screenlength

If your email is relatively lengthy, break it up into short paragraphs Insert a linebreak between each paragraph instead of indenting

(vi) Consider the tone you use in writing emails Use first and second person

pronouns (I, you, we) and contractions (can’t, didn’t) to keep a friendly tone Also,focus on the reader’s perspective, using “you” more than “I” Remain courteous anduse positive rather than negative language In general, memos can be moreconversational and less formal than letters because the receiver is more familiar to thesender

Step 3: Preparing to send