Before drafting a response, a correspondence clerk reads through incoming letters or emails to figure out exactly what the person needs, then gathers whatever records, an invoice, a claim, a service history, are relevant to answering accurately. The actual writing covers a range of situations: damage claims, credit disputes, billing errors, and complaints about service, each requiring its own tone and level of detail. Clerks also maintain files tracking correspondence activity and compile data from those records into periodic reports for their department.
Pros
Pay can reach over $64k without needing a four-year degree
Desk-based, climate-controlled work with a predictable, structured routine
Develops strong written communication skills researching and composing formal correspondence
Cons
Employment in this field is projected to shrink over the next decade (-5.6%)
A relatively small number of positions nationwide (around 700) limits opportunities
Regularly fields complaints, billing disputes, and other frustrated correspondence from customers
A typical day
The inbox is triaged by 8:30: today's stack includes a billing dispute with three attachments, a damage claim on a shipped order, and a complaint letter that's two pages of frustration hiding one fixable problem. Each response starts with the file — pulling the account history, checking what was promised against what happened — because a reply that gets facts wrong makes everything worse. The writing itself is a craft: firm on policy, warm in tone, specific about next steps. Complicated cases get routed with notes attached; recurring ones get flagged so someone upstream can fix the root cause. By day's end, forty replies have gone out, each one logged, each one somebody's problem handled.
Tasks at the job
Maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities.
Read incoming correspondence to ascertain nature of writers' concerns and to determine disposition of correspondence.
Gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary.
Prepare documents and correspondence, such as damage claims, credit and billing inquiries, invoices, and service complaints.
Compile data from records to prepare periodic reports.
Compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work, and the work is highly structured, following set procedures. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job.
Education necessary or common
High school diploma; some on-the-job training or apprenticeship
Licenses & certifications
Microsoft Office Specialist certification (helpful)