Letters are the best way to ensure that employees or customers are notified of a change in policy. People tend to ignore signs and emails because they are bombarded with so many advertisements and email messages each day. Letters, on the other hand, are more difficult to ignore because they are associated with formality and important messages. Notification letters are simple to write and very effective.

Load company letterhead into your printer. Most companies have policies that official communications must be on letterhead because it helps convey the idea of consistency and authority.

Open the letter by typing the date. If the letter is going to an individual, type the recipient's name and address. If the letter will be part of a mass mailing of similar notices, do not type the name, or use the mail-merge feature on your word processing program to insert the names.

Begin the letter by typing "Dear Mr./Ms. (Name)" followed by a colon, or for a more general mailing "Dear Valued Customer" or a similar pleasantry.

Begin the letter by briefly explaining the situation. If you are writing to give bad news, as in a notice of overdue books or a past due bill, explain what the bill was for and how late it is. If you are writing to notify customers about a change in policy, explain the problem that created the need for the policy change.

Explain the notice clearly and succinctly so that the recipient will not miss the message. Provide the relevant dates for when the policy will go into effect.

Give action information such as any deadlines or procedures that the recipient of the letter should follow. Provide your contact information in case they have questions.

Close the letter by thanking the employee or customer for his attention, and type your name. Sign in the space above your name.

Tip

Keep the letter brief and matter of fact. If you apologize too much customers or employees might interpret this as an indication that they can argue with the notice or policy change.