What is a Confirmation Letter?
A confirmation letter is a message or a document that confirms an agreement or an arrangement between two parties. The process works as one party offers an invitation to another party and the receiving party responds by honoring the invitation through a letter. This letter is called a confirmation letter and it essentially ‘confirms’ the deal between the two parties.
Types of Confirmation Letters:
Depending on the subject matter or the type of arrangement confirmed, confirmation letter can be of several types. In fact, the variations of this particular kind of letter are not strictly restricted to any organized classification. Hence, the confirmation letter takes on many different forms, each written in its own different style and format. Take the following confirmation letters for example:
- Employment Confirmation Letter
- Oral Agreement Confirmation Letter
- Payment Confirmation Letter (sample)
- Delivery Confirmation Letter (sample)
- Loan Confirmation Letter
- Seminar Confirmation Letter
- Application Confirmation Letter
- Purchase Agreement Confirmation Letter
- Admission Confirmation Letter
- Guest Attendance Confirmation Letter
- Travel Arrangement Confirmation Letter
- Authorization Confirmation Letter
- Nominated Team Member Confirmation Letter
- Transfer or Relocation Confirmation Letter
- Promotion Confirmation Letter
- Error Correction or Revision Confirmation Letter
Steps before writing:
- The confirmation letter is preserved as a very important document for future reference because it usually contains some very important information and details. So make sure to collect your information first and use only specific, verified and factual data. You don’t want this document to be haunting you later on.
- In the case of recording a formal telephonic conversation through confirmation letter, it is useful to make a checklist of what you are going to talk about or discuss in the conversation. That way, there is little chance that you will derail from the main talking points. In extension, it will help the cause of your letter.
Steps in writing the letter:
1. If you are writing (as a task) on behalf of your company, use the company letterhead at the top.
2. Use the business letter format to form the letterhead (below the company letterhead):
[Sender’s name]
[Sender’s information]
Date:
[Receiver’s name]
[Receiver’s information]
3. Use a proper subject line and salutation.
4. Begin the letter by directly conveying the message of confirmation. Express how pleased you are to accept the invitation or to be able to confirm the proposed arrangements.
5. In the first paragraph, also include all the relevant points of the agreement such as date of meeting/joining, location, etc. This makes it easier for the readers to revisit the information whenever they need to, without digging deep into the letter.
6. In the second paragraph, you may expand on the details or clarify the purpose of the meeting or the arrangement. Add any further information that you feel the recipient needs to know. In other words, this paragraph may be used for an elaborate description of the agreement, but do not make it unnecessarily lengthy.
7. You may use more paragraphs if needed. For example, in a job confirmation letter, you may use separate paragraphs to list additional benefits, information, responsibilities, etc. To be honest, everything depends on the purpose of the letter.
8. Finally, end the letter by thanking the recipients for their cooperation and ask for follow up if needed.
9. After closing salutation, enter your name and sign at the bottom.
A few tips to remember:
- Confirmation letters are often important business letters, so they must be written with the utmost professionalism. If necessary, allow an expert or someone experienced to handle the job for you. Type the letter with standard fonts and print it. Maintain a polished and formal language.Be direct and specific, and restrict the letter to only a necessary length. But don’t miss any important information.
- Keep in mind that the letter may be read out in front of a jury in the event of a legal case. So write the letter accordingly.