Outcome 3

1. Outcome 3

2. Mail received in the organisation must be dealt with promptly so that others in the organisation are able to start their day’s work • Mail room staff often begin work earlier that others • If mail is not received early enough by using normal mail delivery by postman, the organisation may rent a post-office box • This allows the organisation to uplift their mail at any time during the day

3. How do we deal with incoming mail? • Open mail (not private, personal or confidential) • Remove contents • Date-stamp mail (do not cover anything important) • Make copies of documents to be seen by more than one person or use a circulation slip • Check and attach enclosures • Sort mail into departments • Mail is then collected by departments (at certain times) or • Delivered to individual departments

4. Main equipment in an incoming mail area • Letter opener • Date stamp • Photocopier • Mail trolley for delivering to departments • Shredder • Pigeon holes/trays for each person/department

5. How do we deal with Outgoing Mail? • Collect mail from departments or • Staff deliver mail to mail room by a specified time • Check that enclosures have been included, that the letter is signed and that the address on the envelope matches the inside address on the letter

6. Sort mail into First Class, Second Class and Special Delivery How do we deal with Outgoing Mail (2)? • Fold and insert letters into their envelopes • Seal envelopes • Weigh letters or parcels • Stamp or frank envelopes/parcels • Record value of postage

7. Special Category Mail • Branch Direct • Business Collection • Business Reply • Cash on Delivery • Certificate of Posting • Freepost

8. Special Category Mail (2) • Post Office box • Recorded Signed For • Redirection Service • Sameday • Special Delivery

9. Main equipment in an outgoing mail area • Folding and inserting machine • Letter and parcel Scales (manual or electric) • Franking machine • Sundries eg stapler, punch, string, tape and scissors

10. FILING

11. Information must be: • Kept Tidy • Kept Safe • Stored in an accessible place • Able to be found easily and quickly when needed

12. Quick and simple to use • Does not take up too much space • Able to meet future needs • Located in a convenient place • Documents should be safe and tidy

13. Methods of Filing The method of filing used will depend on the type of organisation and the type of document to be filed. Methods include: • Alphabetical – most common method • Numerical – Banks file by customer account number • Geographical – British Gas/Scottish Power may file records by area • Subject – Libraries and Book Shops

14. Filing Terms • Release Symbol • Cross-reference cards • Out cards • Miscellaneous File • Pending Papers

15. Filing Procedures • Check staff out trays for documents bearing a release mark • File regularly • Pre-sort the documents for filing • Take each section in turn, place the documents in the appropriate file • File papers in chronologicalorder

16. Improved presentation Easy to amend Sort order Improved accuracy Interrogation Space saving Saving paper Integration Customer, supplier and employee details can be held electronically on a database such as MS Access

17. In offices many different types of documents have to be copied • This is called REPROGRAPHICS

18. Reprographic Tasks: • Making copies of letters, reports, catalogues, posters brochures and booklets • Collating and binding pages together • Laminating – covering pages of booklets and posters to make them hard wearing

19. REPROGRAPHICS EQUIPMENT • Photocopier • Collator • Laminator • Binder • Scanner • Printer

20. Features of a Photocopier • Provides exact copy of a document • Copies are produced quickly • Copies can be made onto card, paper, OHP transparencies • Documents can be fed in quickly

21. Features of a Photocopier cont. • Copies can be made in various sizes A4, A3 • Copies can be made back-to-back • Documents can be collated • Original can be enlarged or reduced

22. Features of a Photocopier cont. • Some photocopiers can staple documents • Can be adjusted for light/dark copies • Can produce colour copies using a colour copier • Some photocopiers require an ID code before use

23. Collator • Puts together pages of a multi-page document • Often linked to a photocopier so that pages of a long document can be printed off, stacked, then collated into order ready for stapling or binding

24. Laminator • A machine used to heat seal documents inside a plastic coating • Useful for producing posters, Staff ID’s

25. Binder • A binder is a machine which holds the pages of a book together • A Comb Binder puts a plastic spine on the book • A Thermal Binder uses heat to fasten an adhesive spine to the book

26. Scanner • A scanner produces an exact copy of a document or graphic for storage on a computer • 2 types - Hand-held and a flatbed scanner

27. Printer • Used to print off copies of documents held electronically • Used to print one master copy which would then be photocopied to produce multiple copies • Toner cartridges can be expensive

29. Keyboarding • Answering the telephone • Filing • Handling Mail

30. Pleasant and polite • Neat and well presented • Knowledgeable about the organisation • Patient, calm and able to cope under pressure • Able to get on well with people at different levels • Good communication skills

31. Check the appointments book • Contact the member of staff the visitor wishes to see • If available, direct to the appropriate member of staff/office • If delayed, ask the visitor to take a seat/refreshment In either case: • Ask visitor to sign the Visitors’ Book • Issue visitor with a security pass

32. The Appointment’s Book is prepared in advance and will contain the following details: • Names of expected callers (in chronological order) • Time they are due to arrive • With whom they have an appointment • Reason for the visit eg interview • Visitor’s pass number

33. If unavailable ask them: • To arrange another appointment • If another member of staff could help If available: • Issue a visitor security pass • Direct to the appropriate member of staff/office • Contact the member of staff the visitor wishes to see Since this visitor is not in the Appointments Book he/she must be recorded in the Register of Callers/Visitors’ Book

34. The Register of Callers/Visitors’ Book will contain the following: • Date • Name of caller, company address and telephone number • Who they are visiting • Time they arrived • Time they left • Visitor’s pass number • Car registration number (if applicable)

35. An organisation chart shows visitors and staff the relationships between individuals eg • The chain of command • The span of control • Who is responsible to whom

37. Employee Names • Job Titles • Room Numbers • Groupings within the organisation • Photographs • Telephone Numbers

38. Employees can see an overall picture of the organisation. • The position of the employees within the organisation. • Lines of communication flowing up and down the organisation. • Lines of authority - managing director to departmental manager. • Lines of responsibility - sales director in charge of the work of the sales manager.

39. Organisations must communicate information efficiently. Board of Directors Managing Director • Information should flow up and down the organisation. Sales Director Sales Manager • The more levels the more chance of information breaking down.

40. Line relationships in an organisation show those employees who are in charge of the work of other members of staff.

41. Line Relationship This section of chart shows the following line relationships • Chief Executive -Finance Director • Finance Director -Cost Accountant • Cost Accountant -Senior Accounts Assistant • Senior Accounts Assistant - Accounts Assistant

42. Lateral relationships exist in organisations where members of staff are directly responsible to the same immediate supervisor or manager.

43. Lateral Relationship • The Chief Executive is directly responsible for 3 members of staff. • The lateral relationship exists between the Finance Director, Marketing Director and Human Resources Director. • All have the same level of responsibility.

44. Features: • Finds appropriate slots for appointments automatically • Sets reminders for regularly occurring meetings or important appointments • Can access several diaries at once to schedule a time for appointments • Files can be directly linked to database files to provide more information quickly

45. The receptionist is able to access others’ diaries to check for expected callers • If appointments overrun or are changed, amendments can be easily made by any user, thereby keeping the receptionist informed of the changes automatically • Maintaining the diary is much quicker than manually skimming through the pages of a paper-based diary to find an available appointment for an unexpected visitor Advantages: