Business Correspondence: Purchase Correspondence Types, Use, Format and Writing Instructions

Purchase correspondence is a kind of business correspondence that is the first step of communication before making the financial transaction for a product, service or manpower. The purchasing department makes communication with all the companies, and individuals and the communication made for the purchase of a product, service or manpower is known as purchase correspondence in which the price, specification, and nature of the trade is discussed. So, for this, there is a need to understand the purchase correspondence. The business correspondences are made via business letters and follow formal letter writing guidelines.

Most of the organizations use things they do not make to assemble their large end products. So, for this purpose, they depend upon different equipment manufacturers or ancillary units. Additionally, the companies also want people such as vendors who have skills, manpower and the resources that are required by the manufacturer on a daily basis. Because of this, a purchasing department is usually created in an organization to deal with purchases.

Types of Purchase Correspondence

• Personalized correspondence
• External correspondence
• Circulars
• Internal correspondence
• Sales correspondence

Importance of using Purchase Correspondence

People who do business know very well that selling things is one of the difficult and important parts of the organization. However, purchasing can also be difficult.

The main reason for this difficulty is that you have to be certain that you’re purchasing the right thing. However, if you buy the wrong thing then it will increase the production cost of the company. Additionally, there can also be some uncontrollable deviations or unexpected breakdowns that may increase the purchasing cost. Furthermore, sometimes it also happens that your technology needs up-gradation which requires manpower to fix it. 

Anyhow, prices of things are very vital because if they’re unstable then your supply of things can be affected. So, the production line needs attention and maintenance at the same time. Therefore the use of purchase correspondence is essential to keep a record of the communication before and after the sale/purchase.

Purchase Correspondence Requirements

There are different requirements for the purchase correspondence and you have to meet them. These requirements are estimates, product specifications, shipping details, nature of the trade and other financial enquires. 

• Inquires in purchase correspondence

The crucial step that is needed to be taken while making a transaction that is commercial is to do an inquiry. Normally, you also inquire about things before buying so that the right decision can be made. 

Inquires are one of the very important parts of a supply system. So, they have to be written in a proper way so that valuable business can be brought to the firms.

The inquiry letters are written for the purpose of inquiry and are written in a direct way so that the message can be conveyed. They must be written very clearly, concisely and to the point. By writing in a direct way the message gets interpreted accurately by the other party and the desired answer can be achieved. 

While lettering down the inquiry letter great care is needed to be taken. Most of the times a well-written inquiry letter sets the tone of business deals. You must write the inquiry letter in a very courteous, straight and compact way. 

Additionally, the letter tone must be confident and positive. Try to be very precise and avoid lengthy statements and unnecessary details. And keep in mind that you do not have to repeat the details again and again. Moreover, do not show authority to the other person in your letter. You just have to ask your desired questions and that’s it. 

Before writing the inquiry letter make sure to prepare a questionnaire so that you can pen down your questions accurately. Try to make a logical flow in the sentences so that your receiver can understand your inquiry properly. 

• Industrial Inquiries & their Replies

In order to have an industrial inquiry you need to have the technical knowledge and for this purpose, you have to use the accurate jargon so that your message can be conveyed. This will help the receiver understand the purpose of the letter. Additionally, try to use a very formal language. 

To reply to an industrial inquiry letter, you have to have a great knowledge of the technical language so that the right reply can be made. Furthermore, make sure that the reply is very polite and courteous. 

The reply letter should start by stating gratitude and stating the ordered items the organization wants. Later you can convey the message about the things you have within your company. However, make sure that you don’t give the refusal straight away.

Moreover, if you want to refuse the order then you must give a proper and convincing justification with a valid reason. This is because you may have to do any future business. 

Apart from this, communication with different companies and industrial houses require a great knowledge of technical and commercial terms. So, make sure you have all that knowledge. 

• Estimates

The companies need to have the estimates when the services are needed by them. For example, if you want to install the duct, then an approximate estimate will be required by the company so that further arrangements can be made. 

Once, you have the estimate then the purchase of the service can be made. So, this makes the estimate another important part of the purchase correspondence. 

Additionally, it is also possible that a customer may ask you for the estimate so that the purchase can be made. So, the estimate letter must have all the details needed by the customer. 

Anyhow, the estimate letter must not be as technical as of the letter of inquiry. This is because both parties may not have a business relationship. It may happen that the estimate takes time to process but you must ask for a quick response. In this way, the other person will know that you are eager for the response. However, keep the language very formal.