TOPIC 7

PROCESSING MAIL
 KEY POINTS
 Procedures of incoming mail
 Procedures of outgoing mail

(Sorting and distributing, various classes of

mails and services)
 Incoming Mail Procedures
 Sorting and Distributing Mail
 Open, Separate and Annotate Incoming
Mail
 Documentation of Mail Receipt
 Refer, Route and Prioritize Mail
 Handling Mail While Away from Office
 Sorting and Distributing Mail
In Small Companies
 Sort mails to individual staff or department
 Done by one person
 Hand delivered the mail
 If several stacks/bundles of mail, carry in
pouch, folder, mail basket or mail cart
In Large Companies
 Done in a Mailroom
 Process large volumes of incoming mail
 Postal workers easy to deliver mail to
mailroom
 Use specialized equipment in processing
mail: electric envelope openers, sorting
units, automated delivery systems
 Opening Envelopes/Packages
 Mailroom workers open all mail (Except
Personal or Confidential mail)
 Use Electronic Envelope Opener to open
envelopes
 Take care not to damage the contents when
opening envelopes, packages and boxes.
Just cut at the end edge of envelope.
 Safety Precautions
 Protect yourself against any danger while
opening mail
 Wear gloves and face mask
 Avoid touching your face
 Wash hands after handling mail
 Do not open suspicious mail
(inappropriate/unusual labeling,
strange/no/different return address, excessive
packaging)
 Vacant room and inform security enforcement
 Sorting Mail

 Sort mail into provided compartment

according to name or department
 Use rotary sorting unit to process large
volume of incoming mail
 Distribute Mail

 Once mail opened, it is ready to be

distributed
 A worker from each department comes to
collect the mail Or
 A mailroom worker distribute mail Or
 An automated delivery system transports
mail to the various departments and
collect outgoing mail
 Handling Incoming Mail
You may need to process your supervisor’s mail
Steps to follow:
 Open Mail (Do not open personal or confidential
mails. If opened by mistake, write on the envelope
‘Sorry, opened by mistake’ and initial it)
 Separate and Annotate Mail
 Document Receipt of Mail
 Referring/Routing Mail
 Prioritizing Mail
 Handling Mail While Away from the Office
 Prioritizing Mail
Mail is categorized in the order of its importance as below:

 Urgent messages (fax, overnight delivery mails)

 Personal & Confidential letters
 Business letters, memos or other special important
mails
 Letters with checks or money orders
 Other business letters
 Letters containing orders
 Letters containing bills, invoices, or requesting
payments
 Advertisements
 Newspapers and magazines
 Packages
 Handling Mail While Away
 Keep a mail register record
 Contact the travelers asap
 Refer routine mail to others who can
respond
 Answer mail yourself whenever possible
 Send a synopsis of received mail to
traveler
 After prioritizing, store it in an appropriate
place
 Outgoing Mail Procedures

 Prepare Outgoing Mail

 Identify the Classes of Domestic Mail
 Various USPS Postal Services
 Identify Address and Packaging Methods
 Postal Services By Private Mail Delivery
Companies
 Processing Outgoing Mail

 Folding and Inserting Mail

 Sealing and Weighing Envelopes
 Stamping Mail
 Printing Postage for Mail
 Folding and Inserting Mail
 Copies have been made, if necessary
 Letters have been signed
 Your initials appear below your boss’s
signature
 All enclosures noted at the bottom of a letter
and enclosed in the envelope
 Check address on envelope and on the letter
 Check on the zip codes
 Choose appropriate envelope (Standard
envelope no. 10 – for business letter and
window envelope)
 Sealing and Weighing Envelopes

 Envelopes must be sealed

 Use moist sponge or moistener
 Weigh each mail accurately to apply the
proper postage
 Mail weighing machines: stamping mail and
printing postage for mail
 Stamps are sold in sheet, booklet or rolled
form
 Postage meter is a machine that prints
postage in the amount needed
 Handling Volume Mailings
 Volume mailing is sending the same items
to many people at the same time.
 Use computer-generated mailing lists to
send large volume of mail
 Contain addresses for customers,
prospective customers, subscribers or those
who live in certain geographic areas
 Advantages

 Retrieve, change or delete address easily and

fast
 Easy selection of certain address
 Print letter addresses and salutations on form
letters as well as address labels
Address Requirements for Automated Handling

Use OCR(Optical Character Reader) to

speed up mail processing. OCR is an
electronic equipment that scans or reads the
address on an envelope and print a bar code at
the bottom of the envelope.
Tips in preparing automated mailing:
 Avoid handwritten envelope
 Use correct address format
 Use correct envelope size (use rectangular envelope)
 Apply address within the OCR read area
 Address should be visible on the window envelope
 Classes of Domestic Mail
 First-Class Mail (letters, bills, postcards/postal card, checks,
money orders, business reply mail)

 Priority Mail (two-three day service, max weight 70 pounds)

 Express Mail (fastest service-next day delivery)
 Periodicals (newspaper, magazines)
 Standard Mail (Type A: advertising brochures,
catalogs and Type B: parcel post, packages, books)
 Mixed Classes of Mail
 Special Postal Services
 Each special service is charged with a fee
 Choose the one best suited to your
company’s mailing need
Types of Services:
 Registered or Insured Mail (most secured mail)
 Proof of Mailing or Delivery
 COD Mail
 International Mail
 Postage to other countries is higher and
the mail weights are limited
 Overseas packages must be packed very
carefully to ensure safe delivery
 Customs forms are filled and custom duty
is charged
 Private Courier/Delivery Service

 This service guaranteed delivery on time

basis
Preparation in delivery:
 Your name, address and phone number
 Recipient’s name, address and phone number
 The class of delivery service
 The weight of the package
 The current date
 The payment method or account number
 Interoffice Memo (Hand-delivered)
 Telegrams
Delivered next day
Charges charged on the number of words in
the message
THE END