Mail Room

 

There are several services to choose from, depending upon:

• whether the item is valuable, urgent or very important
• whether you need proof of posting and/or delivery
• the type of item and its destination

Courier Services

Courier services are used to deliver messages, packages or mails promptly regardless of the weight or size. Local packages are delivered immediately. Overseas deliveries usually take 24 hours within the Caribbean and to North America, and 2-3 days to Europe. Items are tracked and the sender is compensated if there is loss, damage or late delivery. 

Courier services are expensive, speedy and safe for urgent and important items. They are also convenient and confidential , and there is a door-to-door delivery and collection service.

Postal Services

When you are choosing a postal service you must consider the following points:

• How urgent or important is it? This will affect the class of mail.
• How do you want it to arrive? This will affect the delivery options.

SkyBox

People can buy goods online in the US. have them sent to a Miami address, and despatched to their home addresses. Similar services are offered by Laparkan.

Classification of Mail	Delivery Options
Express	Registered	Used for money and valuables. The cost depends upon the value. The item is insured against theft, loss and damage. The recipient must sign on delivery.
Priority	Express delivery	This has priority over other deliveries.
First Class	Recorded delivery	Used for important documents, such as legal papers, when proof of delivery is required.
Standard	Poste restante	This mail ‘rests’ at a named post office until collected by the addressee. If it is not collected it is returned to the sender.

Other Postal Services

• Private Letter Box: should be rented or designated; box number should be part of the address

• Locked Bag Services: For organisations that receive large quantities of mail and wish for added security between the Post Office and their premises.

• Redirection Service: used by people or organisations that move their offices to another location. A redirection notice is completed to ensure that the mail sent to the old address is forwarded to the new address.  Mail redirection can be for 3 or 6 months and it is not free. 

Procedures for Sending & Receiving Money Parcels

Regulations relating to Money and Valuables

• Money and valuables are sent by courier or by registered post and they are insured.
• Make sure the envelope is secure and no banknotes are visible. Do not indicate money is enclosed.
• Sign for the delivery of valuable items.
• Check that the package is undamaged and then take it your supervisor without opening it.

Parcel Post

• Used for items that are too heavy or bulky to go by letter post
• Overseas parcels can go by airmail or surface mail; longer but cheaper
• You can obtain a certificate of mailing as proof that the item was sent.
• For an extra charge you can track delivery and obtain signature upon arrival.
• Complete customs declaration form for overseas parcels
• Take ID to collect parcels from post office.

Packaging 

Good packaging means parcels arrive intact

• Use a box large and strong enough.
• Wrap fragile items individually with bubble plastic or foam sheeting.
• Fill any gaps with polystyrene chips or scrunched paper.
• Use wide carton-sealing tape, not sticky tape.
• Address the parcel clearly (your own name and your address as the sender)
• Label 'Fragile' if necessary

Procedures for Dealing with Incoming Mail

• Receiving mail
• Recording mail
• Stamping mail

• Remittances and registered mail are always recorded (date, time, amount)

• Enclosures (checked and attached to the main document; omissions are noted on document and initialed)

• Circulars (journals, may need to be seen by several staff; circulation slip is attached)

• Routing of mail
• Archiving (store items no longer referred to regularly)

Procedures for Dealing with Outgoing Mail

• Mail is sort into different categories for despatch e.g. first class, second class, parcels
• Envelopes and parcels are weighed and the postage rate is calculated before a stamp is affixed or the envelope goes through the franking machine.
• The mail is collected and taken to the post office.

Postage Books

Postage books are used to record the amount spent on outgoing mail each day so that the business can track its postage costs. Postage books are not needed if franking machines are used.

Mailing Equipment

Mailing Equipment	Functions	Benefits
1.     Letter opener	Automatically opens mail by taking a thin slice off the top of each envelope.	Opens large number of envelopes quickly without damaging the contents.
2.     Mail merge	Combines word-processed documents with the mailing list	Enables mailshots to be produced quickly.
3.     Addressing machine	Prints addresses onto envelopes automatically; used by publishers and government departments.	Speedy method of addressing multiple envelopes.
4.     Franking machine	-Puts a printed impression on each envelope and prints labels for parcels   -Automatic envelope sealing   -Automatic envelope feeding   -Automatic envelope stacking	-No need for stamps. A printed impression can include the company logo and return address as well as the postage rate.   -The machine keeps a record of postage costs.
5.     Collating machine	Combines several pages into a multi-page document	Saves assembling a long document manually (collators are now a common feature of office photocopiers)
6.      Folding, inserting and sealing machine	These functions are often combined into one machine that feeds content towards an envelope, folds the contents, inserts them, and seals the envelope automatically.	Automatically processes bulk mailings quickly and easily.