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 areLetter of Intent, Letter of Interest, Query
letter, Prospecting Letter, Pre-proposal Letter andConcept
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.
Types of Inquiry Letter
1. Personal status inquiry letter:
The letters that are written by prospective employers for obtaining information
about job applicants are called personal status inquiry letter. Employers write
this letter to obtain information relating to the applicant’s personal and
family background, ability, skills, honesty, character, integrity, quality of
performance, fitness for job etc. generally this letter is written to the
referees mentioned by the concerned applicant. In response to this letter, the
referees write a reply letter to the employer. This response letter may be
favorable, unfavorable or neutral to the applicant.
2. Business
status inquiry letter: When a business enterprise writes letter to another
business enterprise for collecting information about a prospective customer, it
is known as business status inquiry letter. This letter is usually written for
collecting information about financial capability, goodwill, nature of business
dealings, honesty etc. of a business enterprise to determine whether to
establish business transactions with it. Responses of this letter may be either
favorable or unfavorable.
Sample of Inquiry Letter
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