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Mail Room Procedures

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MAIL ROOM PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION
in the majority or large offices, the postal department is a central unit serving the Various departments of the firm. There is therefore a large amount of incoming mail to be dealt with before distribution

Mail inwards and mail outwards are clearly both connected with the postal out they are not handled in the same way. For instance, while mail outwards involves the weighing, stamping and actual dispatch of letters and parcels,
at times convenient to the Postal organisation. However, firms wishing Mail is usually delivered to the addressee by the postman, and it arrives collect at time convenient to them may do so through the ‘private box’ or ‘private
bung service. The former enables the firm to here a box in the Post Online sortie department into which their mail will be placed and from which it can be collected The private bag service enables a fin to send a driver to collect the firm’s Which will be handed over in a suitable locked bag provided by the firm Placed note that a separate box or bag is required for parcels, and if one of the other and is usually the mom metrication or postal department, mail inwards does not quite the same fort or routine activity in many times much of the correspondence is addressed to the firm as a whole not a portraiture persons or departments. some firms even print on their trekker Honing will correspondence to be addressed to the General Manager” or watt other illiberal. Ir this is the practice, Whitehead (1982) observed  that a preliminary suit-out is necessary to ensure that letters reach the proper  department
This preliminary suit out is best carried out by experienced staff often the personal secretaries of the various departments or even the office manager himself Summer members of lower management staff open the mail together, sorting into parental trays. In other offices a supervisor controls the incoming  mail, with more junior stall doing the routine activities of opening letters and rough sorting

MAIL DEFINED

Mail could be defined as an order business in which the buying and selling goods is conducted by correspondence.

INCOMING MAIL:

These are correspondence in the form of letters, parcels through post or by postman which are received by an organisation

COLLECTION OF MAIL:

Mail is usually delivered to the addressee by the postman, and it arrives at times convenient to the Post Office organisation. However, firms wishing collect at time convenient to them may Go so through the ‘private box’ or
‘private bag’ service. The former enables the firm to here a box in the Post Office sortie department into which their mail will be placed and from which it can be collected The ‘private bag’ service enables a firm to send a driver to collect the film’s which will be handed over in a suitable lacked bag provided by the fim. Plax note that a separate box or bag is required for parcels, and if one of the delivery, which is a way of proving that the posted items reaches its
destination. correspondence used for both, a double fee is payable. The services enables firms to ensure that
mail is collected, opened and distributed to departments early in the day, so that can be read and action taken at the earliest possible moment. He is for mail inwards staff to start work earlier than other employees and this is
sometimes operated on a rota basis

GENERAL RULES GUIDING THE OPENING OF INCOMING MAIL

systematically, with particular attention to the security of incoming  cheques or As a matter of routine, mail should be opened scientifically and money. It is also important to ensure that all the contents of envelopes  are completely
To be moved and secured together before the envelope is thrown away. Some departments prefer to keep envelopes with the contents for example: Personnel Department can often learn a lot about an applicant from the way an
envelope is missing make a note of the fact against the ‘enclosure’ and sign accordingly.

RULES FOR DEALING WITH MAIL INWARDS
1. Carry out a preliminary sorting: Separate the first-class from the second- class letters. Arrange both types in tidy packs with the addresses all facing the same way.

2. Extract the personal letters: Extract any envelope marked private’, “Confidential’, ‘Personal’. Or ‘To be opened by addressee only’. Stamp these letters on the envelope with a date stamp to show the date of arrival, and perhaps the time of arrival.

3. Open the non-confidential sealed letters: Sealed letters should be opened, either with a paper knife or with a letter opening machine.

4. Remove and sort the contents: After removing the contents the clerk should ensure that the envelope is empty by holding it up to a desk light. Then the correspondence removed should be opened out, and date stamped with the date, or time and date, of its reception. If it has any enclosures’  mentioned at the foot of the letter, ensure that they were in fact enclosed. If any are missing make a note of the fact against the ‘enclosure’ accordingly.

5. Record important documents in the mail inwards register: For instance, the arrival of money, cheques, bills of exchange etc should be recorded in a remittance inwards book. Similarly, where loose postage stamps are received
for example, in requests for samples, patterns are recipes or to cover  return postage- the cashier will eventually pass them on to the post department for use, changing them out as part of the petty cash imprest: Alternatively, the

6. Special note on records delivery: A lot of important mail is sent recorded Post Office will repurchase them subject to a 10 percent discount. written. The following procedures might apply, but every office will have  its own
special procedures, which the reader should discover on taking up employment.

7. certain types of mail to be circulated to several departments, so informed of the latest developments. The duplication or phone copy that Prepare regulation slips If necessary, in many offices, it is the proctor documents gives each department able copy, and a full record of even Less expensive, however, is the fixation to the respondent of a couch slip which shows the order in which the correspondence should circulate Thus, the circulation slip is routed to all the directors of the company and Date stamp: to be applied immediately to every document. This will impress of mail, although the conventional pigeon-hole method is widely used Sorting equipment: Suspension files may be necessary for a large volume to take charge of all outgoing mail. In some companies each department
seasides Where a central postal department exists, it is usually for that depends

8. Open the unsealed letters. These should be opened and the coments often
circulars — put into the trays of those most likely to be interested,

INWARDS CORRESPONDENCE BOOK

This is a register which is used to record particulars of all correspondence. received in an organisation. It has the following column headings:
The date From which Date of letter References Endorses For the
later was organisation
No. of if any
received
the letter

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR THE PROCESSING OF INCOMING MAIL

a. Letter-opening machines: This slice off a narrow strip from the side office envelope. This should be used with caution, for it is easy to cut a strip also off the contents.

b.the time and the date and suitable wording on the document. smaller companies. Flap sorters save desk space.

OUTGOING MAIL
Introduction

the company secretary and the accountant. Sometimes a rubber stamp is used bearing the names of the persons or departments 19 be circulated, but a circulation slip overcomes the difficulty met where there is insufficient  space on the item for a rubber stamp Distribute the trays of mail. Finally, trays should be distributed carefully the individuals concerned, so that none of the contents is lost. Empty  envelopes should be kept for three days at least in case they are needed for  reference and before finally being disposed of they should be checked again to make sure they are empty Instruct the office staff that the office post must not be used for private  mail. usual steps involved. outgoing correspondence to the postal department for dispatch, in other  companies a post messenger goes round the various department to collect the mail. These are mail which are sent from one organisation to the other.

OUTGOING MAIL DEFINED:
These are mail which are sent from one organisation to the other

PROCEDURES OF ORGANIZING OUTGOING MAIL

The detailed procedures will vary with the size of the business, the volume of outgoing mail, and the equipment available. However, the following are  the
1. Decide where envelopes are to be types at the time of typing the letter, or centrally (usually the former).

2. Give instructions that letters requiring the special attention of the  post clerk, eg, first class, registered foreign, etc. should be marked in pencil in the  top right-hand corner to that effect.

3.Institution regular collection of mail from the departments where it is signed. Regular collection during the day will help to relieve congestion at the end of the day.

4. Fix a deadline at the end of the day after which letters will not be accepted for dispatch that day (without special permission from a designated official).

5. Ensure that the post clerk deals methodically with post and sorts it  into “home” and overseas” and into different denominations before stamping. If there is more than one piece of paper in a letter, it should be weighed to ensure
that the right amount of postage is affixed.

6. Use folding and sealing machines when large quantities of letters are to be posted

7. To avoid letters being placed in the wrong envelopes, window envelopes could

8. Write brief details of all letters in the post book (possibly not so  important when franking machines are used.
be used.

9. Instruct the post clerk to check all “Encs” on letter and to see that  enclosures

10. Decide on the method of stamping

11. If a franking machine is used it should be returned to the office safe each night

12. The post book should be kept on the imprest system to prevent fraud.

13. Balance the post book every day.

14. Prohibit sale of stamp to employees.

15. Instruct the office staff thar the office post must not be used for private mail.

16 All Post Office receipts for registered and recorded delivery letters  and parcels to be gummed in the special book provided.
17. Always state the postcode on envelopes, where this is known.

OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE BOOK
Dispatch clerk
Town
mail. The register has the following headings:
Daler Name of For whose Reference Nature
dispatch receiver affention & date of
of letter if any
letter
Postage book
Stamps
Remarks
Details of Name and Town
Units used
NK
Stamps bought
Ν Κ.
This book (register) is used to record detailed particulars of all Enclosure(s) Mode or dispatch Initial
After the letters have been stamped, particulars of the letters posted may be entered in a postage book which serves as: (1) a check on the number of used, and (ii) a record of all letters posted. See a sample of postage book
below
Folding machines: Where large quantities of circulars, invoices, statement

Envelop-Sealing machine: An envelope-sealing machine is capabled moistening the gum and sealing the flaps on envelopes. The envelopes 27 fed automatically into the machines and the process, which is quick as

Collating machines: A collating machine enables the operator to sorta collate documents easily and quickly. Instead of the pages being pro Machines and equipment for processing outgoing mail price lists, etc., have to be folded for the post, a folding machine mayo used. It may be operated by hand or electrically.
hygienic, enables large quantities to be sealed securely.

A postal franker is a machine purchased privately from the manufacturers who first have to obtain a licence in the buyer’s name from the Post  Office.  operate the machine, a lever or knob is set to the required postal value,
and when the envelopes are passed through the machine an imprint is made, showing the date, postal district and value. An advertising slogan, or the user’s name and address can also be printed on the package at the same time. If a package  is too thick to pass through the machine a strip of gummed label should be used Correspondence that are franked must be carefully arranged with all the and addresses facing in the same direction and tied in bundles. Post Office placed in posting boxes if special envelopes are used to contain the franke envelopes arrangement of the paper containers in the machines experienced when papers are collated from a table. Inserting and mailing machine: This machine, which is only suitable for office handing circularized mail on a large scale, is capable of.  all out
dispatch clerk is posted to sum book below

  • Collating up to eight endorsers.
  • Opening the envelope flap.
  • Inserting endorsers into the envelope.
  • Moistening the flap
  • Sealing the envelope
  • Printing the postal impression on the envelope
  • Counting and stacking the envelopes.
  • Remarks

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