The words enquiry and inquiry mean almost the same and are used interchangeably. Enquiry relates to the act or process of seeking information. In everyday correspondence, people in business have to deal with numerous letters of enquiry.
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When people need information about products, services, terms and conditions, margins and discounts, opening and closing, and a host of such relevant details from banks, insurance companies, traders, suppliers, transporters and the like, letters have to be sent or calls made. It could be a traditional letter or an e-mail.
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Similarly, organizations which receive such letters of enquiry have to respond by providing the information sought swiftly and courteously. Two such common types of enquiries in the world of business are credit and status enquiries. Drafting of such enquiry letters is indeed quite simple and such letters are considered to be routine letters.
The main objective in writing such letters is to seek information. The letter should necessarily be polite and specific about the details sought. Come straight to the point and state what you want to know. If you want a quick response, say something nice about the organization or the product. In other words, make sure your letter of enquiry ends on a note of goodwill.
Here are some examples of credit enquiries:
i. ‘Please let me know if you have credited our account for the supplies we made vide our Bill No 86/2013 dated January 02, 2013.’
ii. ‘We shall be thankful to know from you if the maturity proceeds of our fixed deposit receipt for Rs 50,000 that matured on 4 Jan 2013 have been credited to our current account.’
Here are some examples of status enquiries:
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i. ‘Will you please let us know if the cheque drawn on Canara Bank, Model Town, Bhopal dated 4 Jan 2013 for Rs 25,000 sent for collection has been realized and credited to our savings account no. 3625 with you branch.’
ii. ‘Please let us know if you have despatched 20 boxes of mangoes to our regional office in Kolkata as per our order dated 3 January 2013.’
While we have given above examples of traditional letters of enquiry, it is worth noting that with internet and mobile banking, e-mail and telephone communication the need for writing such routine letters has come down significantly.
Letters of enquiry, however, would be relevant when the details sought are numerous and when a record (document) needs to be created for having sent an enquiry. With most organizations today having their own websites giving all relevant details, the need for such routine letters is much less and arises only when detailed information is sought.