Business Writing & Examples
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Business writing is a skill that can help you communicate clearly and persuasively with your colleagues, clients, customers, and stakeholders. Whether you are writing an email, a report, a proposal, or a blog post, you must follow some basic principles to ensure your message is well-received and achieves your desired outcome.
In this article, we will share some of the best business writing examples from experts and provide examples of how to apply them in your own writing. Following these examples can improve your business writing skills, boost your credibility, and grow your business.
What are the four main types of business writing?
Business writing can be categorized into four main types based on their objective, such as:
- Instructional
- Informational
- Persuasive
- Transactional
Let’s look at each type in more detail and see some examples of how to use them effectively.
Instructional
Instructional business writing is directional and aims to guide the reader through the steps of completing a task. It includes user manuals, memos, policies, procedures, and instructions.
The goal of instructional business writing is to provide clear, concise, and accurate information that enables the reader to perform the task correctly and efficiently. To achieve this goal, you should:
- Use the active voice and strong verbs to describe the actions
- Use numbered or bulleted lists to present the steps in a logical order
- Use imperative sentences to give commands or directions
- Use transition words and phrases to show the sequence and connection between the steps
- Use diagrams, images, screenshots, or videos to illustrate the steps if necessary
- Provide examples, tips, warnings, or notes to clarify or emphasize important points
For example, here is a sample memo that uses instructional business writing to inform the employees about a new procedure for submitting expense reports:
To: All Employees From: Accounting Department Subject: New Procedure for Submitting Expense Reports Date: December 1, 2023
Dear Employees,
We are writing to inform you about a new procedure for submitting expense reports that will take effect from January 1, 2023. The new procedure is designed to simplify and streamline the process, reduce errors, and ensure timely reimbursement of your expenses.
The new procedure is as follows:
- Log in to the online expense management system using your employee ID and password.
- Click on the “Create New Report” button and fill in the required fields, such as the report name, date, purpose, and project code.
- Attach scanned copies of your receipts or invoices to the report. Make sure the receipts or invoices are clear, legible, and show the date, amount, and description of the expense.
- Review your report and make sure all the information is correct and complete.
- Submit your report by clicking on the “Submit” button. You will receive a confirmation email with a report number and a link to track the status of your report.
- Wait for the approval of your report by your manager and the accounting department. You can check the status of your report by clicking on the link in the confirmation email or by logging in to the online expense management system.
- Receive your reimbursement by direct deposit to your bank account within 10 business days after the approval of your report.
Please note that:
- You must submit your expense reports within 30 days after the end of the month in which the expenses were incurred. Any reports submitted after the deadline will not be processed or reimbursed.
- You must keep the original receipts or invoices for your records for at least one year after the submission of your report. You may be asked to provide them for verification or audit purposes.
- You must comply with the company’s expense policy and guidelines, which are available on the intranet or by request from the accounting department. Any expenses that are not in accordance with the policy or guidelines will be rejected or deducted from your reimbursement.
If you have any questions or concerns about the new procedure, please contact the accounting department at accounting@customuniversitypaper.com or call 555-1234.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Sincerely,
Accounting Department
Informational
Informational business writing pertains to recording and sharing business information accurately and consistently. It includes financial statements, minutes of meetings, reports, newsletters, and announcements.
The goal of informational business writing is to inform the reader about the facts, data, and events relevant to the business. To achieve this goal, you should:
- Use the inverted pyramid structure, which means presenting the most important information first, followed by the less important information
- Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, tables, charts, or graphs to organize and highlight the key information
- Use the passive voice and neutral tone to maintain objectivity and formality
- Use precise and specific language to avoid ambiguity and confusion
- Use citations and references to acknowledge the sources of the information and to avoid plagiarism
For example, here is a sample report that uses informational business writing to summarize the results of a customer satisfaction survey:
Customer Satisfaction Survey Report
Introduction
This report summarizes the results of the customer satisfaction survey that was conducted by Custom University Paper in November 2023. The purpose of the survey was to measure the level of satisfaction and loyalty of our customers and to identify the areas of improvement for our products and services.
Methodology
The survey was administered online using a third-party platform. The survey consisted of 10 questions that asked the customers to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of our products and services, such as quality, price, delivery, support, and overall experience. The survey also included an open-ended question that asked the customers to provide any feedback or suggestions for improvement. The survey used a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = very dissatisfied, 2 = somewhat dissatisfied, 3 = neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 4 = somewhat satisfied, and 5 = very satisfied. The survey was sent to a random sample of 1,000 customers who had purchased our products or services in the past 12 months. The response rate was 25%, which means 250 customers completed the survey. The margin of error was 5% at a 95% confidence level.
Results
The results of the survey are presented in the table below, along with the mean and standard deviation of each question.
Table
Question Mean Standard Deviation How satisfied are you with the quality of our products or services? 4.2 0.8 How satisfied are you with the price of our products or services? 3.8 0.9 How satisfied are you with the delivery of our products or services? 4.1 0.7 How satisfied are you with the support of our products or services? 4.0 0.8 How satisfied are you with the overall experience of our products or services? 4.1 0.7 How likely are you to recommend our products or services to others? 4.3 0.9 How likely are you to purchase our products or services again? 4.4 0.8 The results show that the customers are generally satisfied with our products and services, with an average rating of 4.1 out of 5. The highest rating was for the likelihood of purchasing our products or services again, with an average of 4.4 out of 5. The lowest rating was for the price of our products or services, with an average of 3.8 out of 5.
The results also show that the customers are loyal to our brand, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 for the likelihood of recommending our products or services to others. The Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is a measure of customer loyalty based on the percentage of promoters (customers who rate 9 or 10) minus the percentage of detractors (customers who rate 6 or lower), was 48%, which is considered excellent according to the industry benchmark.
The open-ended question revealed some of the feedback and suggestions from the customers, such as:
- “I love your products and services, but I think you should offer more discounts and promotions to attract more customers and reward loyal ones.”
- “Your products and services are of high quality, but I think you should improve your delivery time and tracking system to make it more convenient and reliable.”
- “Your products and services are amazing, but I think you should provide more support and training to help customers use them more effectively and efficiently.”
Conclusion
The customer satisfaction survey showed that our customers are satisfied and loyal to our products and services, and that they appreciate the quality, delivery, and support we provide. However, the survey also indicated that we can improve our pricing strategy and offer more discounts and promotions, as well as enhance our delivery and support systems and provide more training and guidance to our customers. We will use the feedback and suggestions from the survey to implement the necessary changes and improvements to our products and services, and to ensure that we continue to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations and needs.