Write a business letter

Secretary · Time: 10 min · Email

Tools that fit this task

• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Claude $20/mo
• Copilot in Outlook $20/mo
• Copilot in Word $20/mo
• Gemini in Gmail $14/mo
• Microsoft 365 Copilot $20/mo

Prompt

Role: you are an executive assistant who writes plain, clear business letters.
Context: the recipient is {{who the recipient is and their position}}, our relationship is {{colleague, contractor, client, authority}}. Facts: {{three or four facts with dates and document numbers}}. Previous agreement: {{whether there was one and what}}.
Task: write a business letter asking for {{what exactly is needed}} by {{deadline}}. State what we will do if there is no reply by the deadline.
Format: two versions. The first is short, up to five sentences. The second includes the reasoning, up to 200 words. Tone {{neutral business, warm, firm}}. No long dashes, no filler phrases. Leave the greeting and signature as [Name] placeholders.

Steps

1. Write in one sentence what you want from the recipient and by when
2. List three or four facts the request rests on: the date of the event, the document number, a previous agreement
3. Give the assistant a prompt with the role, recipient, facts and the tone you need
4. Get two versions: a short one of five sentences and a longer one with the reasoning
5. Put the real names, numbers and dates into your own text outside the service and read it aloud
6. Check that the letter contains a specific request, a deadline and what you will do next if there is no reply

How to check the result

The recipient understands on first reading what to do and by when, the letter is free of bureaucratic filler and runs past five sentences only when reasoning is needed

Pitfalls

• The model adds polite promises and deadlines on your behalf: check that you can actually keep them
• Internal letters with employee names and salary amounts are drafted with anonymized data

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Executive letters on personal and HR matters: into a public service only as anonymized text
• Passport data, phones and addresses of travel and meeting participants: replace them with [Participant 1]
• Letters from government bodies and courts with case numbers and details: add the details locally

Other tasks for secretaries

• Clear your morning inbox in half an hour
• Log incoming correspondence with a short summary
• Prepare a cover letter for a document pack
• Find a meeting time with several participants
• Write meeting minutes from an audio recording
• Send action items to participants after a meeting
• Turn a scanned document into editable text
• Write an email to a foreign partner in their language
• Plan your week in the calendar with focus blocks
• Turn a finished document into a presentation
• Find a document in your drive by its content

AI tools for secretaries · Prompt: Write a business letter