Is it formal to use "if" in a business email. For instance, "If you have any questions or concerns...." Our division's seniors always use it to answer the customer`s emails. Is it formal or is there any other words to express the same? Thank you.
-
1I'm not sure what you mean by "is it formal". There's certainly nothing wrong with this construction, and inviting the other party to clarify their question or ask additional questions is fairly common in business correspondence... or in correspondence generally.– keshlamCommented Aug 26, 2014 at 2:25
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Yes, it's considered formal English usage in business correspondence, and, indeed, it's almost obligatory. I'm hard put to think of any way for one business person to communicate with another entity what to do in the case that a particular effort has mailed to satisfy the entity addressed,, without useing "if", or a much more wordy alternative, for example, "in the event we have not answered your questions sufficiently, or in the event that you have other concerns". If is much more concise, simple, and easier to understand.
-
"Yes, it's considered formal English usage in business correspondence, and, indeed, it's almost obligatory." Thank you very much. Feel free to use the expression now.– RachelCommented Aug 29, 2014 at 1:57
As has been pointed out already, If[...] is a completely legal construct in a formal setting.
That being said, I myself tend to use another alternative- "Should you have[...]".
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to [...]
answered Aug 26, 2014 at 4:07
-
"Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to [...]" Thank you very much. It is what I have been looking for.– RachelCommented Aug 29, 2014 at 0:25