What are the ways in which companies can reduce the costs and time involved in writing letters?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Since time and effort cost money, many companies look for acceptable ways to reduce the
amount spent in writing letters. A few ways to reduce writing costs are to use:
• Form letters: Form letters are letters in which the same message is sent to many
addressees. Using form letters saves time in planning, dictating, and transcribing. Fewer
errors will result because the spelling, punctuation, and grammar have to be approved only
once. Form letters and paragraphs do not have to be retyped. They are simply selected and
printed.
• Form letters with variables: These are used when similar, but not identical, responses are
needed. In addition to the date, inside address, and salutation, other details are changed
throughout the body of the letter. These changes are called variables.
• Letters with form paragraphs: For similar writing situations that occur frequently but vary in
content, experienced business communicators use form, or boilerplate, paragraphs.
Boilerplate paragraphs and complete letters can be stored on disk and retrieved and altered
as necessary. Only the variables need to be typed. As a result, routine letters can be prepared
quickly and efficiently.
• Merged letters: These letters save time when you need to send the same letter to a group of
people. Merging requires a data file, which contains the names and addresses of people on
your mailing list, and a form file, which contains the form letter and the codes to merge the
information with the data file. Merging the two files allows you to print letters that appear to be
individually typed and addressed.
• Templates: Many word processing programs today come with templates of letters. A
template contains the format for a letter and can include the letterhead in addition to the
skeleton of a letter. To use a template, you either insert it into your blank document or you
open a copy of it, add the text in the places indicated, and print. This saves time and helps the
user who is unsure of the correct letter format.