Customer Service Level 2

Communicate in writing

Types of documents

Letters

Letters are a main method of communicating, normally externally, for businesses. Letters must be clearly structured with the details of whom it is for, the date and the content well presented. Like a report, a well-structured letter requires an introduction, main content and summary. There are certain conventions to letter writing, eg the use of ‘Dear’ at the beginning and the use of ‘Yours faithfully’ or ‘Yours sincerely’ at the end and care must be taken to ensure accuracy with spelling and grammar.

Memos

Memos are internal communications which are sent to one or more members of staff. Some staff is direct recipients of the correspondence, while some are copied in. Short memos have been replaced by email. Government departments use memos for formal inter-departmental correspondence.

Faxes

Fax machines were an important method of communication in the office for many years but email is now taking over and the fax is used less frequently. Fax machines allow documents to be sent from one machine to the other throughout the world. Fax machines use the telephone system and now use ordinary paper. Older machines use rolls of specially coated paper and it must be noted that the ink on such paper fades over time. Most fax machines have a mechanism that will continually try an engaged number until the document goes through. Fax is still a useful method of sending diagrams or documents containing a signature. An advantage is that the original document is retained by the sender.

Email is the communication tool of the Internet. It is a fast and cheap method of communication for which you need a connection to the Internet and an email address. It also allows files, eg reports, photographs, spreadsheets, letters to be attached to the message and be delivered at any time of the day to virtually any part of the world so long as the other person also has an Internet connection and email address. Email also allows you to save all messages (and attachments) in and out.

There is an email etiquette you must conform to:

• Most organisations monitor email and Internet use so it is important that you know the organisation’s policy regarding email communication and the house style to be adopted.

• Always check that the person you are sending the email to is the correct person. Often emails can be sent accidentally to the wrong person through the automatic insertion of an address from the address book which you don’t check correctly before sending.

• Never use capital letters throughout the email as this is seen as being aggressive and is almost like SCREAMING at the recipient.

• Always put the subject or topic in the subject box as this allows the recipient to get an idea of the likely content and makes it easier to find when filed.

• Never send confidential information by email – remember emails can be forwarded on to others.

• A virus checker must be used to ensure the security of the system.

Emails are only a fast and efficient mode of communication if you or the person you send the emails to use the system regularly. It is a valuable method of keeping in touch but as with all communication care must be taken to ensure accuracy.

Reports

Reports are used to present information to others. Reports will be on a particular subject and the content will often need to be researched thoroughly. A report needs clear structuring with the purpose and summary of the content at the beginning. The main body of the report contains the findings supported by the evidence. The findings need to be logical and clear, laid out in a concise and easy to follow way. The report should end with a summary of recommendations. All references and sources of information should be noted. Reports must be accurate and written with its audience in mind.

Formal reports

A report should be concise, although examples and illustrations may be necessary in order to clarify points in the main body of the report. It should have headings for each section. It is therefore important to plan the report before you start to write it. Note down all the points you hope to include and then organise them into a logical order. Here are the stages in producing a report:

Stage 1

Before you write, ask yourself the following questions:

· What is the purpose of the report?

· What is the problem to be solved?

· What do I hope to accomplish?

· Does the report aim to inform or analyse?

· Who is going to read the report?

· What does the reader need to know?

Stage 2

Compile data – begin your investigations using various methods appropriate to the purpose of the report, e.g. questionnaires, meetings, internet research.

Stage 3

Produce a draft. Before you begin, organise your material into a logical order. As a guide, your report should have:

• A beginning (introduction)

• A middle (factual section)

• An end (summary/recommendations)

Title page - this should contain the title of the report with the name of the person who has compiled it and the date.

Contents page - This may not be necessary if the report is short. However, if it is a long report it is useful to list the paragraph headings and the pages on which they appear.

Terms of Reference - Give the background to the report here – why it was written and what it is about, e.g. To report on ... (subject) as requested by ... (person’s name and title) on ... (date).

Procedure - Here you must explain everything you did in Stage 2, ie how you investigated the matter and the steps you took to gather the information. Use numbered points here.

Findings - Make sure your report progresses logically from one point to the next, with headings for each section.

Conclusion - Sum up the findings of the report and draw assumptions and inferences.

Recommendation - On the basis of the information presented in the Findings and Conclusions, make some recommendations for action (or perhaps for no action). Remember it is not your place to make decisions, only to make suggestions.

Stage 4

Finalise your report – edit the report and make sure it meets the objectives. Ask yourself certain questions about the presentation, style, language and tone:

· Is all the information in the right section?

· Is the wording and language used consistent?

· Is everything reported accurately and clearly?

· Is the writing as brief and clear as possible?

· Does the report say exactly what you want it to say?

And: could the report be understood by someone who knows nothing about the situation, without that person having to ask questions to clarify anything?

Agenda and Minutes

In business, meetings are regularly held. Some meetings are informal while others are formal requiring an agenda and minutes. An agenda is a list of the items to be discussed at the meeting. It gives those attending information to allow them to prepare for the meeting and gives a structure to the meeting. A formal meeting with an agenda will be recorded in minutes. Minutes outline what was discussed and act as a record of the meeting. They also record action points relating to work to be carried out.

Whichever document is being used, you must ensure that it is the most appropriate and that it is ‘fit for purpose’. This means ensuring that it:

• is readable in terms of the language used

• is accurate in detail

• is easy to use in terms of its layout

• has the impact required in terms of formality and message

• maintains or enhances the organisation’s reputation.

House styles

A house style is where a set format is used by an organisation. Every organisation has an image that they want to project and this image is even reflected in their house style. Organisations have logos, e.g. High Street stores are instantly recognised by their logos. In each store of that organisation the name is instantly recognisable above the door by the fact it will be of the same colour, font size and style. Any documents produced by that company will follow that image in that they will all show the logo, be of same colour of paper, same font, set document layout – all of which makes up the house style. Many organisations also have a procedure, a set of rules that must be applied, on the house style to be adopted which will also indicate not only the font style and size to be use in various documents but also detail other rules that must be applied like margin settings, whether letters should be justified or not, which type of bullet point should be used etc.

Factors that may form part of the house style in use are the:

• Font style and colour

• Size of font

• Style and position of headings

• Spacing

• Justification of the text

• Size of the margins

• Position of date, references and addressee’s details on letters.

A house style means any documents from the organisation are instantly recognisable as being from that organisation and means that everyone in the organisation knows what any letter, invoice, internal report etc. should look like and presents a unified, professional image.

Templates

Many of the standard documents an organisation uses will be held as templates. A template is when you create a blank copy of the document which is saved for future use over and over again. If, for example, you knew you had to produce a menu for each day of a week you would not start each menu with a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen and repeat all the same basic information again and again. It is likely that within your organisation you would have a template you would use. The template would be a basic outline of the menu, eg a basic design that would show the restaurant name, address and other details that do not change, and then there would be a space for the actual menu content – this would be the only information that would require to be changed on a daily basis. Every time you wanted to produce a new menu a template (an outline of the basic menu) would be available or you to add the daily dishes to. If you had to produce the same document over and over again, and you started from a blank page every time, you would waste a lot of time. Organisations use templates because it means that documents are produced according to the house style, i.e. they all are laid out in the same way but the content can be changed as required.

Document layout

During the course of your work, you are likely to be asked to produce a variety of different documents, e.g.:

• Letters

• Memos/emails

• Faxes

• Reports

• Minutes/agendas

• Newsletters

• Flyers/posters.

In order to produce documents efficiently, accurately and when they are required, you will need to ensure you are clear about their purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines. The documents you produce will need to be accurate in content and give a positive impression of the organisation. There may be house styles and set formats to follow in your organisation, but the following are some standard conventions for layout of documents.

Memoranda

Usually referred to by the abbreviated title – memos. A memo is an internal communication sent from one person to another in an organisation. It is usual to have a memo template with all the headings and in fully blocked style to save time, although some companies have their own pre-printed memo paper. The layout is not as strict as for letters, but you must ensure you have a clear line space between items such as the ‘To’ and ‘From’. You do not need to use the courtesy title, Mr, Mrs, Miss, etc., but do put the name in full. It is also unnecessary to add a complimentary close or the words ‘Thank you’, ‘Kind regards’, etc. at the end.

Reports

• A beginning (introduction)

• A middle (factual section)

• An end (summary/recommendations)

Title page - This should contain the title of the report with the name of the person who has compiled it and the date.

Contents page - This may not be necessary if the report is short. However if it is a long report it is useful to list the paragraph headings and the pages on which they appear.

Terms of Reference - Give the background to the report here – why it was written and what it is about, e.g. To report on ... (subject) as requested by ... (person’s name and title) on ... (date)

Procedure - Here you must explain everything you did in Stage 2, i.e. how did you investigate the matter? What steps did you take to gather the information? Use numbered points here.

Findings - Make sure your report progresses logically from one point to the next, with headings for each section.

Conclusion - Sum up the findings of the report and draw assumptions and inferences.

Minutes

The minutes are a record of what was discussed and decided at a meeting. The meeting secretary will take notes during the meeting and then type them up in the appropriate format afterwards. A draft will usually be submitted to the Chairperson for approval before a copy is sent out to all those attending the meeting as well as those who should have attended but were absent. While the exact layout may vary, they always include the following headings: