paul mundy managing correspondence handling incoming letters

Paul Mundy www.mamud.com

Managing correspondence

Handling incoming letters


Registering and archiving letters

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss

1 2

22

34

3


Registering letters

Secretary registers letter immediately it is received in special logbook

Logbook Handwritten hardcopy (or better) Excel

Stamp DATE RECEIVED on letter Write SEQUENCE NO. on letter Make photocopies if necessary Fills in routing slip and staples it to

letter


To register in incoming mail logbookItem Example

Sequence number 2007/0057

Date received 10 Jun 2007

Date sent 8 Jun 2007

From Nespak

Ref no. of sender N07/1234/ab

Subject Request for contract amendment

Attachments -


Example of Excel document logbook


Routing slip

No. 2007/0057 Date received 10 Jun 2007

Attachments Subject Nespak contract amendment

To

1

Action

2

3

4

Deadline Signature

Date


Distributing incoming correspondence

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss

2

22


Deciding on action

Boss decides on action needed Boss fills in routing slip Boss forwards letter to

Staff member responsible, or Archivist


Routing slip

No. 2007/0057 Date received 10 Jun 2007

Attachments Subject Nespak contract amendment

To

1 Mr Ibrahim

Action

Check justification

2 Ms Fatima Arrange meeting with Nespak 12 Jun if possible

3

4

Deadline

Urgent! 10 Jun

Signature

Date 10 Jun 2007


Deciding on action

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss

23

3


Performing action

Staff member Performs action Provides feedback to boss Returns letter to archivist


Performing action

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss2

34


Archiving letters

Archivist Decides on classification Registers letter in catalogue Writes classification on letter

(so you know where it goes) Files letter in correct place If the letter covers two topics so has to be filed in

two places… make a photocopy Catalogue in Excel


Archiving letters

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss2

43


Correspondence archive catalogue


Storing letters

Punch holes in letters

Store letters in lever arch files

Put them in order received

Most recent on top


Storing letters

One file per major topic for each year

Example Nespak 2007 Nespak 2008

Label spine so you know what’s in file

Print out registration logbook and put in front of folder


Classifications

As far as possible, make hardcopy and electronic filing systems parallel

Same names and file structures for Windows

subdirectories Outlook folders Hardcopy files

Hardcopies

Windows documents

Outlook emails


Borrowing letters

Secretary

Archivist

Staff responsible

Boss


Borrowing letters

If you borrow a letter, put it back! Archivist checks letters in and out


Letters that come via email

If the letter is an attachment to an email, print it out and treat it as a paper letter

Safer to print out all electronic correspondence

But… If the boss is good at computers

Forward emails to boss Print out only important letters

paul mundy managing correspondence handling incoming letters

Documents

paul mundy

archivist slide

excel slide

folder slide

deadlinesignature date

action boss

archiving letters archivist

letters store letters