Whenever your company receives a business document such as a contract, you should send an acknowledgment letter. While the letter essentially serves as a receipt, it also tells the recipient the actions to be taken regarding the contract. It should be sent as soon as the document has been received in order to assuage any concerns on the part of the sender. Since the recipient of the letter is a client of the company, the tone of the letter should be courteous and sincere.

The letter should begin with an acknowledgment of the receipt of the document in question (i.e. we have received the contract). Then, the letter should tell the recipient what action will be taken on the document (i.e. the contract should be signed and returned to you by courier within five business days).

The acknowledgment letter should communicate to the recipient that the document is being taken seriously and being acted on with all due urgency. The deeper aim of the letter is to build goodwill and trust for the company on the part of the client. So that the recipient feels that the document is being taken seriously, the letter should be signed by a high company official even if they are not the ones who directly write the letter.

Since this is an official letter, the tone should be formal even to the opening and closing salutations. Suggested closing salutations include Sincerely, Yours Truly or Respectfully Yours. In the opening salutation, the recipient should also be addressed either as Dear Mr. or Mrs. or by their formal title if they have one (i.e. Dr. or Prof.).

Here is a sample of a letter acknowledging the receipt of a business agreement.

Sample Acknowledgment Letter

(Date)

(Name of recipient)
(Position)

Dear (name of recipient)

We would like to acknowledge that we have received (document). We are currently examining it and if there are no issues to be addressed, the signed (document) will be returned to you within five business days. If there are any further concerns regarding the (document), we will contact you by (date).

Thank you for your continued trust in our company and we look forward to doing business with you in the future.

Respectfully yours.

(Name of sender)
(Position in company, company name)