What Is an Acknowledgment Letter?
Acknowledgment letters are also called as letters of receipt. They are formal and short letters, mainly serving the legal purposes. In business, such letter plays an important role as it indicates that you value the opinion and time of the concerned party. Writing such formal business letters can help you to build good will and trust.
Whenever your company receives any kind of business document from whomsoever, it becomes important on your part to send a letter of acknowledgment in return. It plays the role of receipt and so you should send it as soon as possible after receiving any particular document. Write to the point and truth in the letter without exaggerating and make use of polite tone.
How to Write an Acknowledgment Letter?
Create outline
Create outline by writing your needs related to acknowledgment letter. For instance, if you are writing a letter to acknowledge a product then keep the related documents with you. Create point list that signifies information related to your satisfaction, dissatisfaction etc.
Draft rough letter
Use the information that you have created while defining the outline of a letter to draft the rough copy of it. Drafting is important because it is the rough copy of a letter and you can write anything that comes in your mind related to acknowledgment. Read your drafted content aloud so that you can make out mistakes, if any.
Address it to the concerned person
Find out the person who is to be acknowledged. This can make it easy for you to address the letter to the concerned person. The letter will not have a great impact if you address it directly in the name of a company or an organization.
Keep it simple and short
Understand one thing that acknowledgment letter always have to be simple and short, so it is advisable to avoid adding irrelevant details. Don’t add repetitive information. Make use of simple words rather than, adding complicated phrases.
Proof-read your letter
While proof-reading your letter it is important to scrutinize grammatical errors, spelling errors, sentence formation etc. The paragraphs you write should have a sense of completeness. The tone in which you write the letter should be consistent.
Acknowledgment Letter Writing – Small Guide
In business communication, an acknowledgment letter is used to acknowledge a fact or a situation or any kind of action. It is a simple way of saying thanks and showing your spontaneous reaction. In business, it works as a strength to improve relationships between:
- Company and employee
- Two different companies
- Two different individuals
In order to show your gratitude, ensure that you do not exaggerate. Remember that it is an acknowledgment letter and so simple acknowledgment or thanks is enough.
While starting such letter writing, do not forget to include the date and subject line. This proves to be helpful in future correspondence. The way you approach in the letter should be courteous and polite.
Time is an important factor which you need to consider while writing such letter. This letter holds value, only when you send it at the right time. It is a prompt response from your side and so time plays a very important role.
Important Key Phrases to Use in an Acknowledgment Letter
Letter of acknowledgment is the proof, that you received a particular document or any kind of request. When it comes to handling the certain legal process, such letters play an important role. In these types of letters, you need to make use of certain key phrases like:
- I am acknowledging receipt of the following documents
- If I can assist you…, do not hesitate to call
- I hereby acknowledge the receipt of the following documents
- I am writing to inform you that
- Thank you for sending me (documents, quotation etc.)
- I am writing to confirm our telephone conversation
- We received your return shipment of (any product)
Important Acknowledgment Letter Writing Rules
Letter of acknowledgment is used by an individual or a company to communicate in a formal way. An acknowledgment letter is different from writing any kind of personal letter. There are certain rules that in you need to follow while writing such business letter. These rules are…
- First analyze, why you want to write such a letter? If you know the purpose of letter writing, then framing content can become easy.
- In the upper left side corner, you should remember to put the date. Add recipient’s name, below the date and don’t forget to include complete name of the company with the address.
- It is important to include proper salutation like dear, sir, Ma’am etc.
- Letter body should be such that, a receiver can find it easy to understand your acknowledgment. Use the font that is easily readable.
- Choosing right closing of the letter is important. You can end with “Sincerely” and then can put your name under it. Don’t forget to check spelling and grammar error. When printed letter is ready, don’t forget to sign it.
Acknowledgment in an Email Format
Email is the branch of a letter! Yes, you heard it correct! With the digital age, many things are changing and to some extent emails have taken the pace of letters. There is not much difference between email and letter. For instance, both are like driving a car with different gear system.
If you know basics about acknowledgment letter writing, then it can become easy for you to draft acknowledgment email. Some of the differences between letters and emails are like:
- Like the letter, in an email, you don’t have to add address above the email body.
- Email sign-offs need to be extravagant in comparison with letters.
- Emails are basically shorter and simple.
In business, you may have to acknowledge various kind of emails. Here are few tips that can help you to write correct acknowledgment email replies:
- It is important to notify your client or partner that you have seen an email so that they can further continue the required task if any.
- Notify your client or partner, if you want to make changes in any kind of document or agreement.
- Let your client or partner know, if there are any delays in the order.
Format of Acknowledgment Letter Writing
Letter Header
- Your Name
- Your Address
Recipient’s Name
- Specific official or person
- Recipient’s Address
Date
Letter Body
- Reference or Subject
- Dear Contact Person
First Paragraph
Show some gesture of acknowledgment by adding required details related to service, product, etc.
Second Paragraph
- Relevant points
- Clarify your objective
- Confirming receipt of the product or service
- Thanking the addressee
- Intimation for any further communication
Letter Close
Thanking you, yours sincerely etc.
Signature
First name and last name