
An example of the active voice might be: "What can I do to address your complaints?" This version of the phrase, in the active voice, is much clearer and easier to understand for the reader.An example of the passive voice might be: "What specific complaints can I address for you?" The subject of the sentence, the customer ("you"), appears at the end of the sentence, rather than at the beginning of the sentence.X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source The active voice is much more effective in a business letter because it establishes a more assertive tone. But the passive voice can make your writing seem dull or confusing. We use the passive voice all the time in common speech. Use the active, rather than the passive, voice. Or, "After careful consideration, I have decided not to…". If you’re delivering bad news, begin with a phrase like: "We regret to inform you…".Begin with a phrase like: "I am delighted to inform you…" Or "We are excited to inform you…". You may be writing to inform the reader they won a contest, or they received a spot in a graduate program.Begin the letter with: "We received your complaint about our Mars space program." Or, you are an employee at a company and are writing in response to a customer complaint against the company’s space program.Begin the letter with: "I am contacting you because you have an outstanding balance on your account from March 2015." For example, you (the business owner) are writing Nina Brown about an unpaid bill from last month.Such as: "I am contacting you because" or "I recently heard about.and would like to know more about…" You can also use an "I" statement if you are writing as the owner of the business. Focus on a direct statement such as: "We are writing to inform you" or "We are writing to request".Use "we" if you are writing on behalf of a company or organization. Start by using "I" if you are stating your opinion as a business owner.Don’t be vague about the purpose of the letter. Is it to let your customers know about your new location in a new part of town? Is it to remind a customer about an unpaid bill or outstanding balance? Or respond to a customer complaint? With this purpose in mind, craft a first line that lets the reader know right away what the letter will be about. State the purpose of the letter in the first line. This could be "Sincerely", or "Kind Regards". The closing of the letter, with a signature.We will focus more on this in the next section of the article. X Research source You can also use "To Whom It May Concern", but only as a last resort if you have no idea who your audience is. If you are not sure who is going to be reading the letter, use "Dear Sir, or Dear Madam". This could be "Dear Ms Brown" or "Dear Nina Brown". So, for example, if you were writing to Nina Brown, you can leave the Ms/Miss off of her name if you are not sure what her marital status is. This is the name and address of the person you are writing to. If your address already appears in your letterhead, you can skip this heading. This is your address, formatted in the standard address style. The date is important as it can be used for your records and the receiver’s records. Today’s date, or the date you are sending the letter.Beginning from the top the bottom of the document, your business letter should have the following headings: X Research source Each heading must be left aligned and there should be one space between each heading. It is also the easiest to setup and follow.



The block form is the most common format used for business letters.
