the office procedures and technology - never stop...

The Office Procedures and Technology

Chapter 11

Processing Mail

Copyright 2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Sorting and Distributing Mail

In small companies

Sort mail at your workstation

Hand deliver each stack to the appropriate

person or department

Topic 11-1 Incoming Mail Procedures Slide 2

In large companies

Opening packages and envelopes

Safety precautions

Sorting mail

Distributing mail

Handling Incoming Mail

Opening mail

Do not open mail for others that is marked

Confidential or Personal

Check for enclosures

Make sure the signature and address are on

the letter before discarding the envelope


Separating and annotating mail

Place mail you will answer in one stack and mail

to be handled by others in another stack

Annotate correspondence to aid in creating a

reply

Annotate: write comments related to

the content on a document

Key Term

The underlined

words and

annotations on

this letter will

make preparing

a response

easier

Documenting receipt of mail

Note receipt of mail received by special postal

services or private mail services

Note mail you expect to receive in a separate

envelope or package

This database is used to

document the receipt of

special mail


Referring or routing mail


A referral or

routing slip

is used to

forward mail

to others

Prioritizing Mail

Arrange mail items in order of importance

1. Urgent messages 6. Orders

2. Personal and confidential letters 7. Bills and invoices

3. Business correspondence of

special importance

8. Advertisements

4. Checks or money orders 9. Newspapers and magazines

5. Other business letters 10. Packages


Handling mail for coworkers who are away

from the office

Maintain a mail register

Advise the traveler of important actions needed

immediately

Refer routine mail to others who can respond or

answer yourself

Send a synopsis of mail if the trip is to be long

Prioritize and store mail in an appropriate place


Focus On …

Protecting Confidential Information Confidential information is that which should be

kept private or secret

Examples

Inside information about company plans

Proprietary information about company products

or processes

Private information about clients or employees


Follow guidelines to safeguard business

information

Know your supervisor’s preferences

Follow correct mail procedures

Secure your workstation

Protect written documents

Reduce electronic information loss

Processing Outgoing Mail

Procedures vary from company to company

Various services may be used

United States Postal Service

Private mail companies and courier services

Topic 11-2 Outgoing Mail Procedures Slide 7

The USPS

provides many

services useful

to businesses

Folding and inserting mail

Verify that items are complete and correct before

mailing

Copies have been made

Letters are signed

Enclosures are present

Addresses on the letter and envelope match

Addresses include a nine-digit ZIP code

Fold correspondence appropriately for the

envelope used

Follow these

steps to fold

an 8 1/2" by

11" sheet for

a No. 10

envelope

Processing Outgoing Mail

Sealing and weighing envelopes

Envelopes must be sealed before mailing

Envelopes must be weighed to determine the

proper postage


Stamping mail

Postage must be applied to mail to be delivered

by the USPS

Stamps may be purchased in sheet, booklet, or

rolled form

USPS stamps

are available in

various designs

and postage

amounts

Printing postage for mail

Postage meter prints postage in the amount

needed

Purchase postage for the meter at a post office or

online

Handling Volume Mailings

Involves sending the same item to many

people at the same time


Properly prepared volume mailings may qualify

for reduced postage rates

Computer-generated mailing lists are often used

for volume mailings

Specialized mailing equipment automates the

process of preparing volume mailings

Address Requirements

The USPS uses optical character readers

(OCRs) to process mail

Addresses that cannot be read by OCR take

longer to process

Optical character reader: electronic

equipment that scans the address on

an item and prints a bar code

Key Term

ZIP codes

Use of a nine-digit ZIP code speeds delivery of a

domestic mail item

ZIP code directories are available in print and

online

Address format

Block the left margin of the address

Use all capitals and omit punctuation except in

the ZIP code

Use standard abbreviations

Include the ZIP code in the address for domestic

mail

Include the foreign postal code for an

international address

Using a proper

address format

speeds the

delivery of mail


Classes of Domestic Mail

First class

Priority mail

Express mail

Periodicals

Standard mail

Mixed classes


Special Postal Services

Registered or insured mail

Proof of mailing or delivery

COD mail


This certified

mail receipt

indicates that

the mail item

was delivered

Other Types of Mail

International mail

Service provided by the USPS and private

companies

Customs forms may be required


Customs: government taxes

on imported items

Key Term

Private courier/delivery service

These services usually cannot deliver to a post

office box

Many delivery companies have a Web site that

allows a package to be tracked from mailing

through delivery

Interoffice mail

Delivered by mailroom workers in large

companies

Envelopes usually differ from those used for mail

going outside the company

Telegram

A message delivered by Western Union

Can be sent by calling Western Union or

accessing the company’s Web site

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