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Unit 7 Inward and Ouiw Ard Mail: 7.0 Objectives
Unit 7 Inward and Ouiw Ard Mail: 7.0 Objectives
Structure
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Nature and Importance of Mail Service
7.3 Organising the Mail Service
7.3.1 Centralisation of Mail Service
7.3.2 Decentralisation of Mail Service
7.4 Stages in Handling Inward Mail
7.5 Stages in Handling Outward Mail
7.5.1 Stages in Making Outward Mail Ready for Despatch
7.5.2 Stages in Despatch of Outward Mail
7.6 Equipment for Mail Handling
7.6.1 Letter-Opening Machine
7.6.2 Folding Machine
7.6.3 Addressing Machine
7.6.4 Franking Machine
7.7 Let Us Sum Up
7.8 Key Words
7.9 Answers to Check Your Progress
7.10 Terminal Questions
7.0 OBJECTIVES
7.1 INTRODUCTION
One of the basic functions of an office is to receive and transmit information relating
to the operations of the organisation. This is particularly important in a business
office. A business concern has to keep regular contact with its customers, creditors;
investors and other organisations in the course of conducting its business operations.
Mail service plays very important role in the business concern.
In this unit, you will learn the nature and importance of mail service, the
organisational set-up required to handle the mail and the routine steps involved in
handling inward and outward mail. You will also be acquainted with the equipments
and machines used in a modern office for handling mail.
Correspondence received or. sent through the post office or through messengers is
called 'mail'. Mail may be classified into three distinct categories: Inward mail,
Outward Mail and Interdepartmental mail. The value and effectiveness of mail to an
organisation depend on the speed and efficiency with which it is handled or dealt
with. Mail service refers to the organisational set-up or arrangement in the office for
dealing with all inward and outward mail Every office. large or small, must set up
40 the necessary mail service for prompt and efficient han. ..ling of mail. The importance
of mail service to an organisation should not be underestimated. It is the focal point Handling Incoming and .
Outgoing Mails
of most business activities.
An effective and economical mail service enhances the efficiency of the organisation
in various ways. By helping to improve interbranch and interdepartmental relations,
it ensures better functioning of the organisation. Mail service is an indispensable and
integral part of office operations. It supplements other office operations like
correspondence, typing and duplicating and record keeping. These operations lose
much of their effectiveness unless their efforts are backed by an efficient mail seryice.
Prompt and correct handling of mail by the mailing department also helps in
reducing the overall cost of office operations by eliminating unnecessary
correspondence. Moreover, it helps in promoting the goodwill of the firm among
customers and the public through prompt and correct handling of mail. .
Where people work in a group, their combined efforts can be productive only when
their individual efforts are organised and coordinated. Organisation helps to achieve
the desired objective in the most efficient and economical manner. Like any other
office service, mail service also requires the combined efforts of a number of staff
working as a team. The purpose of organising the mail service is to ensure
performance of mail handling work with maximum efficiency and at minimum cost.
4) ~e.-~f II!I!C_~~!l_~!
u~ec~nomical : !he volume o~ depart~ental ~ail is not
sufficiently large tojustify-economical use of mad handling machines.
i . 1 ~ •
,
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2) Your organisation has five departments. Each department receives and sends out
hundred letters a day on an average. Mention three principal advantages to be
derived from decentralisation of mail service.
i) ; .
ii) -.
!
ill) : ;
3) Which of the following statements are True and which are False?
i) Message received by telegram is not mail.
ii) Mail service enhances the goodwill of the organisation.
ill)Centralisation of mail service saves clerical labour.
iv) Economical use of office machines is possible under departmental mail
service.
v) Departmental mail service leads to duplication of work.
vi) Proper supervision is ensured in both centralised and departmental mail.
rl_ - __ t~ .. :..~!._..
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2) Opening the mail': The morning mail is frequently the heaviest. The work of
opening the mail and sorting them for distribution to concerned departments
should start earlier than normal opening time so that these may receive prompt
attention of the dealing staff.. Before opening the envelopes, a preliminary sorting
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Records MainteDllDce and
MaD Services . of the envelopes and covers is done to segregate urgent mail from ordinary ones.
Envelopes may be opened by hand or With the help of machines.
3) Scrutiny of the mail: The contents of the envelopes have to be scrutinised
carefully to ascertain their nature, number of enclosures and identity of the
department concerned. Enclosures should be checked with the covering letter to
verify their correctness. In case of money enclosures likecheques, drafts, postal
orders etc.,' the amount indicated therein should be checked with the covering
letter. If there is any discrepancy, it should be noted on the letter and initialled
by the handling clerk. Remittances received by money order, registered post or
insured post should be entered in a separate register kept for the purpose.
4) Date-stamping of mall: It is a common practice to stamp on each piece of
inward mail with the date and time of receipt. This is important for avoiding any
future dispute regarding date and time of receipt of the mail. A serial number is
also printed on each piece of mail for the purpose of reference.
Specially designed rubber stamps are used where other particulars, besides date,
time and serial number, are to be printed. One such stamp includes date and
time of receipt as well as nature of action taken. Look at Figure 7.1 and
Figure 7.2 .
Figure 7.1: Specimen Rubber Stavop Figure 7.2: Specimen Rubber Stamp for
for Date-Stamping .Date-Stamping
Recd .
Accounts
• Cashier
Ackd .
Sales
Replied . Legal 2
Orders
Filed : : . Mg. Director 3
5) Recording Inward Mail: Some record of the mail received each day has to be
kept as evidence of mail actually received and action taken on them. Different
methods are used for this purpose. One such method is to record all mail
received each day in a register known as 'Inward Mail Register' or 'Letters
Received Book'. The mail is recorded chronologically and serially along withth
name of the sender, nature, subject matter, department to which referred and
action taken. However, this method is time-wasting and expensive and is
becoming less cOI!lmon. A proforma of such a register is given below in
Figure 7.3
1990
/ Mar. 5 7S/c A.B.Co. Letter Full Cashier
Ltd. (Enclo.: Payment
Kanpur Cheque for against
Rs.500) Invoice
No. 251
44'
liudunlwomln& aad
Another method used is less cumbersome and time-wasting. A Mail Room List OataoiD&Mails
is prepared on each batch of mail delivered to a particular department on a
particular day. Separate lists are prepared for each department and these are sent
to the departments along with the mail. Carbon copies of the lists, duly
acknowledged by the receiving department, are filled in the mail room for future
reference. Aproforma Mail Room List is given below in Figure 7.4.
In some offices, only letters are recorded or listed and other types of mail like
Orders, Challans, Statements etc., are sent to the dealing departments where they
are recorded and dealt with. Telegrams and messages are treated as mail and
recorded or sent to the dealing departments for action.
6) Sorting and distribution of mail: After date-stamping and recording, the
inward mail has to be sorted out. To ensure correct sorting and distribution, the
work should be assigned to an employee who is thoroughly acquainted with the
organisation. To facilitate 'sorting separate trays, baskets or pigeon holes are used
for each department or individual 'officer. Where the volume of the mail is large,
hand or electrically operated Mail Sorter machines may be used. The sorted mail
, are sent to the respective departments by messengers. '
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Check Your Progress B
1) What do you mean by date-stamping of mail?
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2) Enumerate the routine stages of handling inward mail.
i) :.............................. ii) .
m) iv) ..........................................•.................
v) .., ,................ vi) ............................................................
Handling outward mail is a much more complex affair than handling inward mail. It
requires a thorough understanding of postal regulations and rates, timings of postal.
clearance, postal facilities available for despatch of mail etc. Equally important is the
setting up of well-planned system and routine for efficient and economical handling
of outward mail.
Before folding, the enclosures of each letter are checked carefully with the letter,
Each letter and its enclosures are then placed one inside the other and properly
folded. Minimum number of folds are used to suit the size of the envelopes.
Where a large number of letters have to be folded, hand or electrically operated
'Folding' machine can be used to save time and labour. Window envelopes may
be used to avoid insertion in wrong envelope.
3) Sealing and Stamping : The next stage is to seal the envelopes and covers with
gum or adhesive. Where sealing is done by hand, special methods are used to
save time and labour. Envelopes of the same size are laid flat with their flaps
overlapping each other. In such position; gum or adhesive can be applied to the
end of a number of flaps at a time. Registered and Insured covers or articles senl
by 'Book Post' have to be sealed as per Postal Rules. Where the volume of mail
is large, hand or electrically operated 'sealing' machines or 'Envelope Sealers'
may be used to save time and labour.
Before stamping, the sealed envelopes are sorted out into two groups: those to
be sent by post and those to be despatched by messengers. Mail to be sent by
post are also sorted into different categories : ordinary mail, registered mail,
speed post mail, book-post articles etc. This facilitates. calculation of value of
stamps to be used. The articles in each category are then weighed carefully to
determine the value of stamps to be used as per postal regulation: 'Stamping',
i.e., affixing of postage stamps on envelops and covers may be done by hand IX
with the help of machines.
4) Reoording in Post Book : Maintenance .of a written record of mail despatched u
essential for two reasons: keeping a record of mail actually despatched and
keeping an account of postage expenses. Outward mail sent out through
messengers are entered in the PeonBook, which is signed by the addressee in
acknowledgement of receipt. Mail sent by post are recorded in .some offices 'ina
, register known as 'Outward Mail Register' or 'Despatch Register', which record!
the particulars of mail despatched each day in detail. However, this method is
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being discarded in modem offices as being cumbersome and expensive. A HADdling Incoming and
Outgoing Mails
proforma of such a register is given below in Figure 7.5.
SI. Ref. Name & Address Subject Enclo. Sender Post Remark
No: Date No. of Addressee
- I
A better method of keeping record of outwrad mail is the 'Post Book' or 'Stamp
Book'. It is much more simple and inexpensive. The Post Book serves as a
record of outward mail as well as a means of controlling postage expenses. It
keeps a check ori "the stamps in hand and stamps actually used each day. When
maintained on the imprest system it reduces chances of misuse or pilferage of
stamps. A proforma of the Post Book is given below in Figure 7.6.
Stamps Stamps
Date No. in hand Name Address used Remarks
Rs. P. Rs. P.
1989 A.B.e.
Mar. 5 7 -50 Kanpur 0-50
Co.
5) Posting and Delivery: This is the posting stage in the handling of outward mail.
Mail addressed to local addressees, particularly when they are urgent, are
delivered to the addressees by messenger. These are entered in a Peon Book and
the addressee has to sign the book before taking delivery of the mail. Ordinary
mail sent by post are delivered to the nearest Post Office and dropped in the
appropriate post box.
Distribution of despatch work throughout the day also facilitates the work of
both the mailing department and the post office concerned. Special category of
jnail, like Registered, Express delivery and Speed Post Letters and parcels have
'to be sent separately to the post office within the prescribed time for posting.
The function; working and advantages of some of these machines are discussed
below.
However, this type of machine should be used provided (a) the volume of work is
large-enough to justify its cost, (b) regular power supply is available, and (c) repairs
can be arranged quickly when necessary.
"CTl'", INDIA
RUPEES
~O.60
.800
Figure 7.7 : Specimen Indicia Figure 7.8 : Specimen Indicia
Advantages: The following are the main advantages of using a Franking machine:
1) It speeds up the work leading to saving of time, labour and cost.
2) Necessity of keeping large stocks of postage stamps of different denominations is
eliminated. Loss due to pilferage and misuse of postage stamps is avoided.
3) Control of expenses oil postage becomes easier and postage accounting becomes
simpler.
4) Franked mail ~n be more quickly dealt with at the Post Office.
5) Advertising slogans or special instructions can be printed on the envelopes
without extra cost or labour.
ill) _ .
Handling Incoming and
Outgoing Mails
7.7 LET US SUM UP
Mail service may be organised : (1) by centralising mail handling work in a central
mailing department, or (2) by performing the work departmentally, i.e.,
decentralising the work. Both the arrangements have advantages and disadvantages.
But for a large organisation with a large volume of daily mail, centralisation is
desirable. It ensures greater efficiency and accuracy, better supervision and
coordination, better control over postage.quicker handling of inward mail, saving of
clerical labour and economical use of office machines. Departmental mail service
lacks specialisation and efficiency in performance, lacks proper supervision, involves
duplication of work and makes use of machines uneconomical. .
For efficient handling of both inward and outward mail, a planned system and
definite inward mail are: opening of the mail, scrutiny, date-stamping, recording,
sorting and distribution. Before outward mail can be handled for despatch it passes
through three preliminary stages : production of the mail, signature and referencing.
Routine stages involved in despatching outward mail are : collection of the mail,
folding and inserting, sealing and stamping, recording, and posting and delivery of
the mail. ' ,
Use of proper equipments and machines ensure speed and accuracy in performance
of mail handling work. Some simple equipments are essential for mailing work even
in small organisations and in departmental arrangement. Costly equipments and
mailing machines can be properly and economically utilised only in large
organisations with large volume of mail and centralised mail service. Some important
types of machines used in the mail room are: Letter-openers, Mail sorters, Folding
machines, Inserting machines, Envelope Sealers, Addressing machines and Franking
machines.
Franking: The act of printing indicias of postage stamp and date of cancellation
mark on envelopes with the help of Franking machine.
Post Book: A book used for maintaining record of outward mail and account of
postage stamps used.
Note :These questions and exercises will help you to understand the unit
better. Try to write answers for them. But do not send your answers to
the University. These are for your practice only.
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