Handout 1: Handling mail PowerPoint presentation Principles of providing administrative services Handout 1: Handling mail

Introduction Mail can be Internal – within the organisation. Where internal mail is between branches of an organisation at different locations, there may be a delivery service run by the organisation. External – outside the organisation. Post Office services, couriers or messengers will need to be used. Even in this age of electronic communication, organisations still send and receive standard mail: mailshots and letters to customers, formal communications such as contracts or offers of employment, legal notices, agreements, invitations, reports and bills and statements. The list is endless – you only have to look at the amount of post you receive at home to understand. Depending on the size of the organisation, there may be a mail room that deals with the mail for the whole organisation or it may be the administrator or secretary’s job.

Collecting the mail Mail should be collected at frequent intervals from each department’s ‘outgoing mail’ tray. A final collection time should be stated to ensure it reaches the Post Office in time. Though mail for posting arrives in the mail room throughout the day, afternoons are normally the busiest times. Depending on the organisation: letters may be put into envelopes before being sent to the mail room and ‘1’ or ‘2’ pencilled in the top-right corner to indicate first or second-class post addressed envelopes and letters are sent to the mail room to fold and insert letters into the envelopes.

Place the letter inside and seal the envelope. Outgoing mail The letter/document must be folded to fit the envelope with as few creases as possible. Place the letter inside and seal the envelope. Weigh the envelope to calculate postage. Affix the correct stamps (or frank with the correct amount) and place into one of three categories: INLAND – anywhere in the United Kingdom OVERSEAS SPECIAL OR SIGNED FOR. If window envelopes are used, care must be taken to ensure the address will appear in the window when the letter is folded and inserted.

Post Office guidelines for addressing envelopes Address envelopes parallel with longest edge. One-third of the way across and half-way down. Give each item of the address a line of its own. The postal town should be in capitals. The postcode should be the last item. Instructions to the post office – top left corner. Stamps/franking or the words ‘By hand’ – top right corner. Instructions to the incoming mail department – above the address. The postcode should be the last item, on a line of its own, with a space between the two halves. Instructions to the post office, eg Air Mail, Special Delivery stickers, etc should be placed on the top left corner. Instructions to the incoming mail department, eg private and confidential or for attention of..... etc should be placed above the address.

Example envelope SIGNED FOR DELIVERY For Attention of Mr P Ross Purchasing Department Ross & Co Ltd 14 High Street WORTHING Sussex BN22 4BH

Factors that inform the postal service to be used the size of the letter the weight how urgently it needs to arrive at its destination whether the destination is inland or overseas. Details of all services provided by the Post Office to meet both private and business customers’ needs can be found in the POST OFFICE GUIDE, on www.royalmail.co.uk and in a variety of leaflets issued free of charge.

Postal services for non-urgent mail Letter and Large Letter post First class Second class. Parcel post First class/second class Small/medium/large. Letter and Large Letter post – standard rate for ordinary letters up to 100g; higher rate for larger envelope sizes or weights. First class – generally arrives next day Second class – up to three days. Parcel post First class/second class Small/medium/large – postage rate is determined by both size and weight.

Postal services for important or urgent mail signed for special delivery couriers and messengers. Signed For Delivery for important documents, eg passports for valuables as compensation is payable if not delivered. allows the progress of the package to be tracked gives confirmation of delivery as it is signed for on receipt. Special Delivery Same or next day service URGENT mail. Couriers and messengers express delivery prompt delivery of important packages.

Franking machines – advantages Replace postage stamps by imprinting the amount of postage. Franked post is cheaper than stamped. Prevents pilferage. Correct date and amount of postage required/service required must be set before envelope or label (for parcels) is franked. Franked mail has to be put into special bags and taken to or collected by the Post Office. Franked mail is processed more quickly than stamped mail as it bypasses the stage where the stamp is cancelled. If the franking machine does not include scales, the mail must first be weighed in order to calculate the cost of postage. The envelope, postcard or label is fed through the machine which prints: the amount of postage date, time and place of posting machine’s licence number organisation’s slogan or logo. Franked mail must not be put into post boxes.

Some print out the amount spent each day on postage. Weighing scales Many organisations use electronic scales containing a microchip programmed with current postal rates. Some print out the amount spent each day on postage. A keypad is pressed to indicate the service required and the destination and the scales weigh the item to calculate the postage amount. Every time the postal rates change, the Post Office will arrange for the machine to be reprogrammed.

Needs to be sorted and distributed as quickly as possible. Incoming mail Needs to be sorted and distributed as quickly as possible. The day’s business may be dependent upon it. First class and special post is opened first, followed by second class. Mail should be date stamped to show the date of receipt. Any enclosures firmly attached. Mail marked ‘Confidential’, ‘Personal’ or ‘Private’ should not of course be opened, but the envelopes date stamped

Circulation slips When the same item of mail is destined for multiple recipients, eg a catalogue. A list of possible recipients is attached to the mail. It is then passed to the first recipient on the list who then ticks off their name and forwards it to the second, and so forth. The circulation slip should indicate where to forward the mail once the last recipient has seen it.

Example circulation slip