PFA Full Form Name
Full Form of PFA :
Please Find Attached
PFA Full Form is Please Find Attached. PFA is a very commonly used
Internet slang. However, unlike many of those slang words like LOL, ROFL, and
other terms, PFA is used more formally in emails and official portals. This
term is used to indicate that there is a file attached to the mail. PFA is
often used in categories like Information Technology, Computers, and Web Chats.
It is also popular and applies for personal emails where one attaches a picture
or personal documents. It is, however, not considered informal and thus is used
in business letters too.
Communication is important for
the exchange of thoughts as well as information. Professional emails need
additional information added in the form of spreadsheets, data files, invoices
and other matters. It is very difficult to incorporate these in the main mail
as it is organized data that needs special attention. Thus, these files and
sheets are sent as attachments with the mail.
PFA Full Form – Additional
Information
PFA is “Please Find Attached” a
particular file or data sheet in the email. Many people argue about the usage
of the word “find” in the phrase. They feel that find is when something is
lost. But that is not true. Here “find” is used in connection with the
attachments that needs to be noticed in the mail. Most of the times people just
read the email and fail to notice that there is extra data added in the form of
attachment that needs to be attended to. Writing “PFA” in the mail automatically
prompts the reader to notice the attachment and acknowledge it.
In professional mails
spreadsheets with tabular information, invoices, graphical charts etc are
needed to be attached in order to inform the other team members about the
proceedings in the company. However, besides written matter sometimes PPTs
(PowerPoint Presentations), pictures or small videos can also be attached. This
PFA is not limited to professional mails and can be used in personal emails as
well. “Please Find Attached” is sort of a reminder term used in emails to
highlight the necessity for action to access important files, documents,
pictures etc that are sent along with the mail.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO WRITE PFA?
Email is an electronic
communication medium that has limitations to what is written. Example, if a
company has to forward an excel sheet with tables containing sales or marketing
details or contact information etc, then it is not possible to write the entire
matter within the email. Under such circumstances, the data sheets are created
separately and then sent as attachments with the main mail. This way it is easy
to access the data directly instead of hunting it down through the mail matter.
Thus, in order to draw the
attention of the reader to take notice of the attachment it is essential to
write PFA, which is a reminder to check the email for attachment. An advantage
of the attachments is that since they are separate from the main mail, they can
be downloaded and saved on the drive. The attachments usually contain stuff
that needs to be referred at a later date too. Hence, keeping a separate sheet
or file of the information helps in maintaining it in a safe folder from where
it can be accessed later or as and when required.
IS IT RIGHT TO USE THE TERM
“PLEASE FIND ATTACHED”?
The first thing that comes to
mind when we read the word “find” is that we are seeking something that is
lost. However, it is not necessary to take the word literally. The word “Find”
is used to draw attention to the attachment that is added to the email. Nothing
needs to be “lost” and “found”. This is just a way to say that “please note the
fact that there is added material in the mail, so kindly view it”.
PFA or Please Find Attached
purely refers to the file attachment in the email which can be a spreadsheet,
PPT, pictures, word doc, etc. The fact that they are attached implies that they
are of some relevance to the reader and it would be wise to acknowledge them.
As mentioned earlier, all the important matter to be conveyed cannot be written
in the actual mail due to formatting and space restrictions.
Nonetheless, the same can be
prepared on a separate sheet as a file that can be easily downloaded and
referred to as required. In the case of professional matters, the data can be
saved in a folder after the download and then accessed whenever needed. Since
the attachments are named files, it is easy to organize the files for easy
reference.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
TERM PFA?
PFA or Please Find Attached has
significance like:
§ It alerts the
reader about an attachment in the email
§ It signifies
that whatever is attached can be of importance and needs to be acknowledged.
§ There is an
indication that the email that is sent is incomplete without the attachment
since the matter of importance / concern / perusal is attached separately and
not included in the main mail.
§ In a way, it
can be said that when the person writes PFA in the mail, it is a reminder for
him too that a file is to be attached to the mail. So this works as a double
check to note that the mail is sent WITH the attachment and not without one.
§ Professional
emails are the ones that use this term the most as there are constant files to
be sent across to different members in the company and it is not physically
possible to sit and write the matter in different mails. So a single copy of
the document to be circulated can be made and then added as an attachment to the
email, addressing it to one person and keeping the others in CC. This way the
relevant information is transmitted to all simultaneously. A mention of “PFA”
in the mail can alert all the members to open and check the attachment.
WHAT OTHER WAYS CAN BE USED TO
CONVEY THE MESSAGE?
Some people are very particular
about writing the details in full and refuse to use any forms of acronyms or
short forms. Please Find Attached can be easier said by just writing three
letters PFA. However, some like to use the full form or say it in a different
way /words. Some other ways of informing the reader about the attachments are
“kindly check the attachments in the email” or “please find the attached file
for your perusal” or “I have attached the XYZ document for your viewing”
and so on.
Remember, the bottom line is to
draw the attention of the reader to open the attachment and acknowledge it.
Communication can never be complete without a proper guideline and PFA is just
a simple term that helps in achieving it. Thus, it does not matter the order of
the words “please find attached” or “attached please find document XYZ….” So
long as the message reaches home and the important document sent as an
attachment is properly received by the receiver, it is not relevant how you convey
it.