CIRCULAR

LETTERS
Business Communication
CIRCULAR LETTERS
 Used to send the same information to a number of
people.
 Used in sales campaigns and for announcing
important developments in business, such as
extensions, reorganisations, changes of address,
etc.
CIRCULAR LETTERS
A circular letter is prepared once only and it may
then be duplicated for distribution to the various
recipients. Names, addresses and individual
salutations may be inserted after duplication in
order to personalise the letter
CIRCULAR LETTERS
 Word processing with its mail-merge facilities
makes it possible for each letter to be an original,
with the 'variable' details (eg inside address,
salutation, etc) being merged with the letter during
print­ing.
 Although circulars are being sent to many people,
it is important to suggest an interest in the recip­
ient by giving them a personal touch
 CIRCULAR LETTERS
Remember the following rules:
1. Be brief - people will not read a long-winded circular.
2. Make the letter as personal as possible by addressing each
letter to a particular person, by name if you know it. Use
Dear Mr. Smith instead of Dear Reader, Dear Subscriber or
Dear Customer instead of Dear Sir or Madam. Never use
the plural form for the salutation - remember, one recip­ient
will read each individual letter.
3. Create the impression of personal interest by using you,
never our customers, all customers, our clients, everyone.
CIRCULAR LETTERS
 Instead of
 Our customers will appreciate
 We are pleased to inform our clients Everyone will
be interested to learn

 Say
 You will appreciate
 We are pleased to inform you
 You will be interested to learn
CIRCULARS ANNOUNCING CHANGES
IN BUSINESS ORGANISATION
Changes in a firm's business arrangements may be
announced by circular letters such as those which
follow. Where the salutation has been left blank, it
has been presumed that the letter would be word
processed and individual names, addresses and
salutations would be merged to add a personal
touch.
Expansion of existing business
Dear Customer
To meet the growing demand for a hardware and general store in this area
we have decided to extend our business by opening a new department.
Our new department will carry an extensive range of hardware and other
domestic goods at prices which compare very favourably with those
charged by other suppliers.
We would like the opportunity to demonstrate our new merchandise to you
and so are arranging a special window display during the week
beginning 24 June. The official opening of our new department will
take place on the following Monday 1 July.
We hope you will visit our new department during opening week and give
us the opportunity to show you that the reputation enjoyed by our other
Departments for giving sound value for money will apply equally to
this new department.
Yours sincerely
 Opening of a new business
Dear Householder

We are pleased to announce the opening of our new retail

grocery store on Monday 1 September.
Mrs. Victoria Chadwick has been appointed Manager.
She has 15 years experience of the trade and we are sure that
the goods supplied will be of sound1 quality and reasonably
priced.
Our new store will open at 0800 hours on Monday 1
September. As a special celebration offer a discount of 10%
will be allowed on all purchases made by the first 50
customers. We hope we can look forward to your being one of
them.

Yours sincerely
Dear
Establishment of a new branch
Owing to the large increase in the volume of our trade with the Kingdom of Jordan, we
have decided to open a branch in Amman. Mr Faisal Shamlan hasbeen appointed as
Manager

Although we hope we have provided you with an efficient service in the past, this new branch in your
country will result in your orders and enquiries being dealt with more promptly.

This new branch will open on 1 May and from that date all orders and enquiries should be sent to
Mr Faisal Shamlan Manager
Tyler & Co Ltd
18 Hussein Avenue
Amman
Tel: (00962)6-212421
Fax: (00962)6-212422

We take this opportunity to express our thanks for your custom in the past.
We hope these new arrangements will lead to even higher standards in the service we provide.

Yours sincerely
Removal to new premises
Dear
The steady growth of our business has made necessary an early move to new
and larger premises. We have been fortunate in acquiring a particularly good
site on the new industrial estate at Chorley, and from 1 July our new address
will be as follows:
Unit 15
Chorley Industrial Estate
Grange Road
Chorley
Lines CH2 4TH
Telephone 456453 Fax 456324

This new site is served by excellent transport facilities, both by road and rail,
enabling deliveries to be made promptly. It also provides scope for better
methods of production which will increase output and also improve the quality
of our goods even further.

We have very much appreciated your custom in the past and confidently expect
to be able to offer you improvements in service when the new factory moves
into full production.

Yours sincerely
 Reorganisation of a store's departments

Dear

In order to provide you with even better service, we have recently

extended and relocated a number of departments in our store.

On the ground floor we have a wide selection of greetings cards,

including both boxed and single Christmas cards.

In the Children's and Baby wear Department on the first floor there is a new
'Ladybird' section.

Our Fashion Fabrics and Soft Furnishings Departments are together on the
second floor. Light Fittings and Electrical Goods are relocated on the third floor.

The basement displays a good collection of wallpapers, most of which we are

able to supply within 24 hours.

We thank you for your past custom and hope we may continue to be of service
to you.

Yours sincerely
Death of a colleague
Dear

It is with much sadness that I have to tell you of the sudden

death of our Marketing Director, Michael Spencer. Michael
had been with this company for 10 years and he made an
enormous contribution to the development of the business.

He will be greatly missed by all his colleagues.

I am anxious to ensure continuing service to you. Please contact me

directly with any matters which Michael would normally deal with.

Yours sincerely
CIRCULARS ANNOUNCING CHANGES
IN BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS
 When a change takes place in the membership of a
partnership, suppliers and customers should be
informed by letter. For retiring partners this is
particularly important since they remain liable not only
for debts contracted by the firm during membership but
also for debts contracted with old creditors in
retirement.
 The correct signature on such letters is that of the name
of the firm without the addition of any partner's name.
Dear
Retirement of a partner
We regret to inform you that our senior partner, Mr. Harold West, has
decided to retire on 31 May due to recent extended ill-health.

The withdrawal of Mr. West's capital will be made good by contributions

from the remaining partners, and the value of the firm's capital will there
fore remain unchanged. We will continue to trade under the name of
West, Webb & Co, and there will be no change in policy.

We trust that the confidence you have shown in our company in the
past will continue and that we may rely on your continued custom. We
shall certainly do everything possible to ensure that our present
standards of service are maintained.

Yours sincerely
Appointment of a New Partner
Dear

A large increase in the volume of our business has made necessary an

increase in the member­ship of this company. It is with pleasure that we
announce the appointment of Mrs. Briony Kisby as partner.

Mrs. Kisby has been our Head Buyer for the past 10 years and is well
acquainted with every aspect of our policy. Her expertise and
experience will continue to be of great value to the company.

There will be no change to our firm's name of Taylor, Hyde & Co.

We look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial business relationship with

you.

Yours sincerely
 Conversion of partnership to
Dear
private company
The need for additional capital to finance the considerable growth in the
volume of our trade has made it necessary to reorganize our business
as a private company. The new company has been registered with
limited liability in the name Barlow & Hoole Limited.

We wish to stress that this change is in name only and that the nature
of our business will remain exactly as before. There will be no change
in business policy.

The personal relationship which has been built up with all customers in the past
will be maintained; we shall continue to do our utmost to ensure that you are
completely satisfied with the way in which we handle your future orders.

Yours sincerely
 LETTERS ANNOUNCING CHANGE OF
Dismissal of firm's representative
REPRESENTATIVES
Dear
We wish to inform you that Miss Rona Smart who has been our representative
in North-West England for the past 7 years has left our service.

Therefore she no longer has authority to take orders or to collect accounts on

our behalf.

In her place we have appointed Mrs. Tracie Coole. Mrs. Coole has for many
years had control of our sales section and is thoroughly familiar with the needs of
customers in your
area. She intends to call on you some time this month to introduce herself and to bring
samples of our new spring fabrics.

We look forward to continuing our business relationship with you

Yours faithfully
 Dismissal of firm's representative
If the representative left of her own free will and was a valued member of staff
the first paragraph of the above letter would be more suitably expressed as
follows:

Dear

It is with regret that we inform you that Miss Rona Smart who has been our
representative for the past 7 years has decided to leave us to take up
another appointment

Therefore she no longer has authority to take orders or to collect accounts on

our behalf.

In her place we have appointed Mrs Tracie Coole. Mrs Coole has for many
years had control of our sales section and is thoroughly familiar with the needs
of customers in your area. She intends to call on you some time this month to
introduce herself and to bring samples of our new spring fabrics.

We look forward to continuing our business relationship with you

Yours faithfully
 Appointment of new representative

Dear
Mr. Samuel Goodier who has been calling on you regularly for the past 6 years, has now joined our
firm as junior partner. His many friends will doubtless be sorry that they will see him much less
frequently and we can assure you that he shares their regret.
Mr. Goodier hopes to keep in touch with you and other customers by occasional visits to his former
territory.
Mr. Lionel Tufnell has been appointed to represent us in the South West and Mr Goodier will
introduce him to you when he makes his last regular call on you next week. Mr. Tufnell has worked
closely with Mr. Goodier in the past and he will continue to do so in the future.
Mr Goodier will continue to offer help and advice in matters affecting you and other
customers in the South, West, and his intimate knowledge of your requirements will be of great
benefit to Mr Tufnell in his new responsibilities.
Our business relations with you have always been very good, and we believe we have
succeeded in serving you well. It is therefore with confidence that we ask you to extend
to our new representative the courtesy and friendlines you have always shown to Mr
Goodier.
Yours faithfully
 INTERNAL CIRCULARS TO
Many circulars are written to staff regarding
STAFF
various matters concerning :
 the general running of business,
 safety and security,
 administrative matters and
 many other things.

A memo is some used for more day-to-day

matters, but for some matters a formal letter may
be printed on the company' s letter headed paper.
 Announcement about new
working
NEW hours
WORKING HOURS

With effect from 1 September 200_ working

hours will be amended to 0930 to 1730
Monday to| Friday instead of the present
working hours of 0900 to 1700.

I hope you will find these new hours convenient. If

you anticipate experiencing any difficulties please
let me know before 14 August.
NEW CAR PARK
Notice about new car park
You may be aware that some old buildings on our site have been
demolished. A piece of land in this area has been cleared so that it may
be used as a car park.

The new car park should be ready for use by 28 October. It will be
available between 0730 and 1830 hours Monday to Friday. The
company takes no responsibility for loss or damage to vehi­cles or
contents while in the car park.

If you wish to use the car park please obtain an agreement form from
Mr John Smithson, Security Officer. This form must be completed and returned
to him before using the car park.

Copy John Smithson, Security Officer

Information about store discount
DISCOUNT AT QUANTUM STORES
An agreement has been reached which will allow all our employees to
take advantage of the special discount scheme operated by Quantum
Stores.
As an employee of Omega International you will receive 10% discount
on any goods which are not already reduced in price. A discount of 2f%
will be given on reduced price or sale goods. If you wish to claim the
discount you must show your Omega identification badge.
These discounts will take effect from 1 September 20__
 Security information to Heads of
SECURITY
Department
In view of recent bomb threats received by several competitors, please
brief your staff on the following points of security.
1 All employees must wear a name badge at all times.
2 All areas must be kept as clean and tidy as possible. This will
reduce potential areas where bombs may be hidden.
3 Do not tamper with or move any suspicious object. The manager should be
informed and the police notified.
4 Evacuation should follow estabhlished fire drills.

All incidents must be taken seriously and a detailed report must be

submitted to me.

Please stress to all your staff that they have an important part to play in
maintaining a high level of security in all areas at all times
CIRCULARS WITH REPLY
FORMS
A tear-off slip is often used when a reply is required from
people to whom a circular is sent. Alternatively a separate
reply form may be used. The important points to remember
with such reply sections are:
1. Always begin with 'Please return by__ to __.This is a
safeguard in case someone separates the tear-off portion or
reply form from the main letter.
2. Use double spacing for the portion which will be
completed.
3. Leave sufficient space for completion after each
question/heading.
4. Use continuous dots where answers are required.
10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Omega International is celebrating its 10th year of providing quality

communications equip­ment. Approximately 50 representatives from
Omega clients are expected to attend a special loth Anniversary
Celebration on Friday 29 October 20—.

The directors have decided to invite all employees who have been with
Omega for at least 5 years to attend this special function. I am pleased to
extend to you an invitation to join us at Omega's 10th Anniversary
Celebration. Cocktails and a buffet supper will be provided.

This special function will take place from 1800 to 2300 hours at The
Mandarin Suite, Oriental Hotel, West Street, London.

Please let me know whether you will be attending by returning the tear-off
portion before 31 August.

I hope you will be able to join us.

 Example of tear-off slip
Please return to Mrs Judy Brown, Administration Manager, before
31 August.

I shall/shall not* be attending the 10th Anniversary Celebration on

Friday 29 October.
Name .................................................................................................................
......................

Designation/Department
......................................................................................................
Signature
..............................................................................

Date .........................................

*Please delete as applicable.

Reply form
Reply form accompanies a letter sent to clients of
a training organisation.
Clients are asked to specify whether or not they
would like to attend a one-day management
conference, when accommodation will be
required, and enclose a cheque to cover the cost.
REPLY FORM

Please complete and return by 15 February 200— to

Mr F J Fredericks Personnel Manager Professional Training Pte Ltd 126
Buona Vista Boulevard KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia
ONE-DAY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE SATURDAY 3 APRIL 200_
1 I wish/do not wish* to attend this conference.
2 I require accommodation on D Friday 2 April D Saturday 3 April
(Please tick)
3 My cheque for M$400 is attached (made payable to Professional
Training Pte Ltd)
Signature ...........................................................
Date.
Name (in caps) .............................................................
Title .........
Company Address...
Post code.
Telephone ......................................................... Fax
*Please delete as necessary.
 CHECKLIST FOR CIRCULAR

LETTERS
Personalise circular letters by merging
individual inside address
 Address the recipient by name if you know it, otherwise use
singular form 'Dear Customer', 'Reader' - NOT 'Customers',
'Readers'
 Insert a handwritten salutation if appropriate
 Show a personal interest - use 'you' instead of 'all
customers', 'everyone'.
CHECKLIST FOR TEAR-OFF
SLIP
 State reply date
 Mention to whom the form should be returned:
1. Internal forms - name/title only
2. External forms - name/title/company name and address
 Use same heading as covering document
 Use double spacing
 Use personal terms - I wish, I shall/shall not
 Use options/boxes where appropriate
 Leave sufficient space for completion
 Ensure the form contains everything you need to know