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UNIT 2d
MAIL HANDLING
PUPIL NOTES
Standard Grade Administration Unit 2d: Mail Handling Internal & External Mail
Internal mail is communication sent and received within an organisation. It may be within the one building or between branches of the same organisation. External mail is communication sent outwith an organisation or received from outwith the organisation, for example, letters to customers or from suppliers etc.
Incoming Mail
Incoming mail could be received by: Post person (1st or 2nd class or Special Delivery which must be signed for on delivery) Courier (particularly for large, bulky parcels or urgent/valuable deliveries) Private box (or PO box) Email Fax Voicemail (including answering machines)
Incoming email should be delivered to staff workstations as soon as reasonably possible. This ensures that all mail is received quickly, allowing staff to complete tasks on time. It also reduces time wasted waiting for important information.
Mail should be distributed at regular times throughout the day. This allows staff to plan their tasks around when they will receive mail and important documents.
Alternatively, mail may be scanned onto the computer system, where it can either be emailed to relevant staff or stored and accessed on the organisations network. Private or confidential mail would not be scanned but taken directly to the appropriate member of staff.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Standard Grade Administration Unit 2d Notes 2
Email
Email (electronic mail) is information sent and received via computer. It can be internal (messages sent from one computer to another within the organisation) or external (sent outwith the organisation).
Features of email: Files can be attached (spreadsheet, word processing documents etc) Priority of message can be shown (high, low) Important messages can be flagged to remind the recipient they contain information, which has to be followed up Groups can be created, allowing a message to be sent to all the people in a group at the same time A sender can use the Receipt/Confirmation facility so they know that their message has been opened An Out-of-Office facility can be used to advise a sender if a recipient is unavailable
Advantages of email: Communication is more efficient as information can be sent, received and acted upon quickly Information can be sent confidentially as passwords are required to open mailbox Lengthy documents can be sent at low cost (as an attachment) Efficient communication, as one message can be sent to a whole group
Disadvantages of email: Sender must know the email address of the recipient Unless the sender requests a Read Receipt there is no way of knowing if the recipient has opened mail Requires regular checking Problems with connection to the internet service provider can create problems
Fax
A fax (facsimile) is an exact copy of a document sent from one fax machine to another (this can include text, photographs and graphics). Some computers/printers can also receive/send faxes. Fax machines are often located in the reception area, so they should not be used to send or receive confidential information.
Advantages of fax: Speed of transmission makes it suitable for sending urgent information Relatively low cost of transmitting information Disadvantages of fax: May take time to reach the intended recipient (particularly if the fax machine is located centrally) Sometimes faxed documents are not accepted as legally binding
Voicemail
Voicemail is a facility that lets a telephone caller leave a recorded message for an intended recipient. It is useful for when a staff member is out of the office, unavailable or already on the telephone. It enables the staff member to handle queries as soon as they are available and means the customer doesnt have to call back.
Outgoing Mail
Outgoing mail should be collected from departments at regular intervals throughout the day. This spreads the workload of the mailroom staff. It also means that staff do not need to interrupt their work and leave their workstations to take post to the mailroom.
In a small organisation with a low volume of mail, the receptionist often deals with the mail. Large organisations are likely to have a separate mail department.
Mail will be sorted by mailroom staff into categories (first or second class, parcels, courier, Special Delivery, etc) and postal charges will be calculated (based on size, weight and thickness of the package, and methods of delivery). Mail is then franked with the correct value or stamps to the correct value could be placed on the package. Alternatively postage could be purchased online, printed in the office and placed on the package.
Postal Scales used to weigh packages to calculate postage. Can be electronic or manual.
Other equipment that may be used in the preparation of outgoing mail includes addressing machines, folding and inserting machines and labelling machines. Fax and email are also used to send outgoing mail.
Electronically (Email/Fax)
Suitable for urgent information as delivery/transmission is immediate Information can be sent at a time convenient to sender (available 24 hours per day) Allows for an immediate reply Relatively cheap
Large organisations may use Royal Mail Business Collection service where the Royal Mail will come to the organisations premises to collect all outgoing mail.
Type of Communication
Legal Contract
Suggested Method(s)
Courier or post possibly Special Delivery or Recorded signed for Fax or email
Justification
Confirmation of hotel booking tonight Box of sales catalogues to arrive in Manchester tomorrow Letters to customers inviting them to a sales event next week Information to all employees Employee database file required immediately by personnel
Courier
Not all customers will have access to email or fax; not urgent Ensures all employees can access information Attachments can be edited; confidential information can be sent by email