CORRESPONDENCE GUIDEKeep one matter in one coherent record
A correspondence folder works best when it represents a matter you can describe: an insurance question, a supplier discussion, a property repair or an ongoing customer request. It is less useful when it simply becomes another place called 'Miscellaneous'. Start by naming the matter and identifying the people or organisations involved. Then decide which incoming letters, outgoing replies and enclosures belong to it.
For example, suppose a service provider asks you to confirm a detail. Keep its original letter with the reply you prepare, the supporting document you provide and the acknowledgement you later receive. Record the dates for each event. The file called 'reply.pdf' tells only part of the story; a note explaining which question it answered helps you understand the exchange later.
Keep a small correspondence register alongside the documents. Useful columns are the document date, date received or sent, sender, recipient, subject, reference, current action and responsible person. Use a stable reference to connect related records. Do not change a reference simply because the next action changes. A separate status or action field is better suited to that purpose.
Working drafts and issued documents need a clear distinction. You may correct a draft several times, but the final version used for an outgoing letter should remain identifiable. If you later find an error, record the correction and its relationship to the earlier version. Avoid overwriting an issued file with a different document under the same name and then relying on memory to explain the difference.
Give each open matter a practical next step. 'Awaiting a reply' is more useful when it includes the date you plan to review it and the person responsible. A reminder should support a decision, such as checking whether the requested information arrived, rather than producing repeated notifications with no owner. When the matter is resolved, record a brief closing note and any continuing reason to retain the material.
Only share the documents needed by the person doing the work. A colleague who needs a delivery address may not need the entire history of a sensitive matter. Check the recipient before forwarding an attachment and use the sharing arrangements appropriate to the information. A neatly organised folder is still a private record when it contains private correspondence.
You can apply this approach with your current filing tools. Epistles is being developed around connected letter records and correspondence folders; the public website does not yet provide a place to upload them. The Templates library can help you draft an enquiry, cover letter or progress request while keeping the actual correspondence in your own records.
Back to guides ↑CORRESPONDENCE GUIDEWrite a letter the recipient can act on
Begin with the result you need from the letter. Are you asking for information, confirming arrangements, sending documents or following up an unanswered request? Choose one primary purpose and make it visible in the subject and opening paragraph. A recipient should not have to read several pages before discovering what you want them to do.
Add the context needed to recognise the matter: the relevant date, the organisation or contact involved, and an existing reference if there is one. Keep a short factual sequence rather than reproducing every previous email. If a detail is uncertain, say that it is your understanding or ask the recipient to confirm it. Clear distinctions between confirmed facts, questions and proposals reduce misunderstanding.
Put the requested action in a separate paragraph. For example: 'Please confirm which documents are still needed and the next step in the review.' That gives the recipient something concrete to answer. If you mention a target date, explain its context and avoid presenting an arbitrary date as an agreed commitment. Check any specialist requirements separately when a letter has a formal or regulated purpose.
Review the tone once the facts are in place. Polite, direct language is normally more effective than elaborate phrases or repeated expressions of urgency. Remove sentences that repeat the same point. Replace vague descriptions such as 'the issue' with the specific subject when a new reader might not know what they refer to. Use short paragraphs so the action is easy to find on paper or a screen.
Treat attachments as part of the letter, not an afterthought. List the documents you are providing and check that the right versions are attached or enclosed. If a document contains information irrelevant to the request, consider whether it needs to be shared at all. Check the recipient's address using an established source. Royal Mail's postcode finder is a useful route for checking UK postal addresses; a correct address still needs the correct named recipient or department.
Before sending, read the letter as though you are receiving it for the first time. Can you identify the sender, the matter and the action without guessing? Are names, references and dates consistent? Have all placeholders been replaced? Does the signature or sender block identify the person or organisation responsible? Save the final version with its enclosure list and note the sending route you actually use.
Use a template as a starting structure rather than a fixed script. The examples in the Epistles library are editable plain text and include guidance for different purposes. Adapt them to the facts of your situation. Downloading a template, creating a draft or producing a PDF does not send the letter; keep the separate sending record when you use your chosen delivery service.
Back to guides ↑CORRESPONDENCE GUIDESeparate the document from its delivery history
One document can create several records. There is the file you prepared, the version you approved, the instruction to send it and the later events reported by a provider. Keeping these together is useful, but treating them as the same thing can lead to inaccurate conclusions. A completed PDF is a document event. A carrier accepting an item is a delivery event.
Consider a business letter sent by both post and email. The email might be accepted by a service while the printed letter is still waiting for dispatch. Later, the email might bounce and the postal item might be handed to a carrier. A single label saying 'sent' hides important differences. Keep the channel, event, timestamp and source for each route so the record describes what is actually known.
For a physical letter, useful records can include the selected service, order or consignment reference, the print instruction, the checked page count and any carrier information supplied. For email, keep the relevant message or provider reference and reported outcome. Different services provide different levels of information; do not fill gaps with an assumption that an item was read or accepted by the intended person.
Document integrity answers a narrower question. A cryptographic fingerprint can help compare a digital file with a reference fingerprint for a specific version. A change in the file, including a new export or an alteration to its metadata, can produce a different result. A matching or non-matching file comparison does not independently establish the truth of the letter's contents or the delivery of a printed copy.
If a letter needs correcting, preserve the relationship between the earlier version and the replacement. Record which version was used for each sending instruction. Reusing the same delivery reference for a changed attachment can make later review confusing. A clear note such as 'replacement document issued after address correction' is more useful than silently changing the stored file.
When reviewing a matter, ask two separate questions: which document was involved, and which delivery events are supported? That distinction helps you decide whether to follow up, correct an address or ask a provider to investigate. It also helps another person understand the record without needing access to your memory of the original exchange.
The Epistles feature pages explain the planned approach to references, document fingerprints, audit history and delivery records. The public website does not currently generate evidence certificates, return live verification results or accept postal orders. For an item already sent elsewhere, use the relevant provider's official records and support process.
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