This book deals with a subject of growing importance in every
office--that of handling correspondence and filing all papers and
documents which form a part of the records of every business. While
making no attempt to teach letter writing, suggestions are made which,
it is hoped, will prove of assistance to those whose duty it is to
handle correspondence. Among those whom it is hoped a study of this
book will benefit, are the incoming-mail clerk, the correspondent, the
stenographer, the private secretary, the file clerk, and, in fact,
every person who has anything to do with handling and preserving
business or professional correspondence.
Present-day conditions tend to increase the volume of correspondence in
every office, and any improvement that will reduce labor or contribute
to more prompt service is welcomed. Every concern, except possibly the
small establishment doing a strictly neighborhood business, uses the
mails more and more in the transaction of its business; we buy, sell,
pay bills, collect money, make contracts, and execute all sorts of
transactions by mail--all of which necessitates writing letters. Not
only is it necessary to answer letters promptly, but the increasing
accumulation of correspondence must be preserved and filed in a manner
that will permit of easy reference; all of which emphasizes the
necessity of systematic methods in the conduct of this very important
department.
In the belief that more representative illustrations will result, and
that they can readily be adapted to the needs of a small establishment,
the suggestions herein are applied to a business in which the
correspondence is large in volume.
OPENING AND DISTRIBUTING MAIL
=Opening Mail.= Incoming mail should invariably be delivered to one
desk in charge of a clerk, usually known as the _incoming-mail clerk_.
When a business has reached a position where a large correspondence is
handled, it is poor business policy for an executive to assume the task
of opening the mail. The natural conclusion, when a house has a large
correspondence, is that its business is correspondingly large, and the
executive who is fitted for his position can devote his energies to
larger tasks with better results. He should be free to look after the
big things--to plan greater results for his business or his department.
The argument has been advanced that it might be dangerous to trust a
clerk with such business secrets as are found in the correspondence,
but in the handling of business transactions practically every one of
these "secrets" come to the knowledge of several clerks. Surely, if
employes can be trusted with the cash and to keep the accounts--if
stenographers can be trusted to take letters of the most confidential
nature--a clerk can be trusted to open and distribute the mail.
=Sorting Mail.= Sorting the mail is the first duty of the incoming-mail
clerk. This sorting is important in that all personal mail may be taken
out before it is opened. A general rule among all large houses is to
instruct all employes to have personal mail sent to their private or
home addresses, but in spite of all precautions an occasional personal
communication will come to the business address. An acquaintance
may know that Smith works for Jones & Co. and, having forgotten his
personal address, sends his letter in care of the house.
If Smith happens to be an unimportant employe, there will be no
question about the communication being personal; but if he is a
department head, there may be reasons for doubt. Large business
organizations are divided into departments, each in charge of a
manager. The correspondence of each department is signed by the head,
over his official title. A reply may be addressed in the name of the
house, to _Smith, Sales Manager_, or to _Smith_, without the title.
The letter addressed to _Smith, Sales Manager_, belongs to the house,
but if his title is omitted, it belongs to Smith, and to open it
without permission is a violation of the law. When the departmental
correspondence is heavy, a considerable number of letters addressed
to the manager, but without his title, may be received, and it is the
custom in many houses to secure written permission from department
heads to open all such letters. This protects the clerk in case a
personal letter is opened by mistake, and insures prompt attention to
correspondence received during the absence of the department manager.
=Distributing Incoming Mail.= After the mail is opened, it should be
carefully distributed. While it is not necessary to read every letter,
the incoming-mail clerk should read as much of each letter as may be
necessary to determine to what department it should go. Frequently,
a letter addressed to one department refers to matters requiring the
attention of another--a letter ordering goods may be addressed to the
advertising manager, or a remittance to the sales department; or a
letter may require the attention of more than one department.
In a large organization it is a very good plan to designate the
departments and executives by numbers, that is, the president might
be _No. 1_, the general manager, _No. 2_, the sales manager, _No. 3_,
etc. When a letter requires the attention of two or more departments,
these numbers should be placed on the letter in the order of their
importance. On a letter containing a remittance and asking for a
quotation, the sales manager's number would follow that of the cashier.
Such letters are sent to the department whose number appears first,
and the numbers indicate to the correspondent that the letter is to be
referred to another department.
For distributing the mail, the clerk should be supplied with baskets
labeled with the names or numbers of the departments. Mail can then be
distributed quickly to the proper departments. If the number of baskets
exceeds six, a rack should be provided for them at the side of the desk.
In some offices, the incoming-mail clerk makes a record of all orders
received, before sending them to the sales or order department; in most
concerns, however, this is done in the statistical department, after
the orders have been passed upon. If the business is strictly cash and
not too large, the statistical work can be done by the mail clerk.
Fig. 1 shows a tally sheet which is made up by the mail clerk for
a small mail-order house. The sales of this house are divided by
departments, each department representing a few specialties. While the
business is essentially mail-order, a few agents are employed. On this
sheet, columns are provided for a record of the articles sold by each
department, the number and amount of cash and credit sales as a result
of advertising, sales by salesmen divided in the same manner, total
cash and credit sales, and the grand total. The cross-footings show the
total sales of each article, while the column footings show the total
sales, divided between advertising and salesmen, and whether cash or
credit.
[Illustration: Fig. 1. Tally Sheet of Sales for Small Mail-Order House]
[Illustration: AN EXTENSIVE EQUIPMENT OF CARD FILES IN THE OFFICE OF A
LARGE CORPORATION. MANUFACTURED BY YAWMAN & ERBE MFG. CO., ROCHESTER,
N.Y.]
When the mail is sorted, all orders are placed together, and these
are then sorted into the classes shown by the tally sheet. To prevent
holding order, a memorandum tally should be made of each lot of mail
handled, and the totals for the day entered on the sheet.
The tally sheet should be loose-leaf and made in manifold. A sufficient
number of copies should be made to supply all department heads who have
a direct interest in the volume of the day's business. Usually, copies
will be required by the executives and the sales manager.
=Departmental Distribution.= The sorting and distribution of the mail,
after it reaches the department for which it is intended, is also of
considerable importance. And, in this sorting, the department manager's
stenographer can render valuable assistance. For the same reason that
the head of the house is relieved of details, the head of a department
should strive to rid himself of tasks which can be as well performed by
a subordinate.
Whether the mail is sorted by the correspondent or his stenographer,
it should be gone through before an attempt is made to answer it.
Letters that can be answered at once should be placed by themselves;
those necessitating further information should be handled specially;
if a letter requires the attention of another department, it should be
answered immediately and passed on.
Under this plan, the mail is prepared for answer before a stenographer
is called to take dictation, which saves time. The correspondent who
does not plan his work calls a stenographer and starts dictating,
taking the first letter that comes to hand. When a letter about which
further information is needed is found, he sends to the files for
correspondence, wasting both his own and his stenographer's time while
waiting for the information.
Before any letters are answered, the necessary notations should be
made on all letters requiring information, and the letters sent to the
proper departments. The very first letters answered should be those
that must be referred to another department. These should be not only
dictated first, but transcribed and forwarded to the next department
before further dictation is given.
These methods will go far toward solving the problem of the prompt
handling of correspondence. Most large houses receive complaints of
delay in answering letters, and when these complaints are investigated
the causes of delay are found to be divided between a lack of method
in handling correspondence and ignorance or carelessness on the part
of the complainant. In any well-managed concern everything possible
will be done to overcome the first-named defect, even to the extent of
providing a system which will, at least partially, overcome the defects
due to the latter cause.
As to the complaints due to ignorance or carelessness, it is found
that at least 75% of all complaints received come within this
classification. In many cases complaints come from persons whose
correspondence is limited to a half-dozen letters, or less, a day.
They fail to appreciate the difficulties of the correspondent whose
dictation averages a hundred letters a day; being unaccustomed to
the departmental plan of organization, they do not realize that
each subject about which they write must be referred to one certain
department. And so, a single letter contains an order, a remittance,
and a request for some special information, and, because he does
not receive a reply covering all subjects referred to in his letter
by return mail, the customer complains of delay. It is entirely
legitimate to politely request a customer to use a separate sheet for
each subject--as orders, remittances, complaints, etc.--but since not
all will comply, some such method as has been described is needed to
insure against unreasonable delay in handling letters that require the
attention of several departments.
In another class is the letter which, for some reason, cannot be
answered at once. An example is the letter to a manufacturer, asking
for a price on a special machine. Before a price can be named, the
engineering department must make a careful estimate of the cost, and it
may be necessary to secure quotations on some special material needed.
This means an unavoidable delay, but the prospective customer should
not be left in a state of expectancy--the letter should be acknowledged
immediately, and the cause of the delay explained. The customer then
feels that he is receiving attention, while if no reply is made until
full information can be given, a competitor more courteous may secure
the order.
=Interdepartment Correspondence.= Of considerable importance in every
large organization is the interdepartment correspondence--the notes
from one department head to another. Every department head finds it
necessary at times to request information from other departments.
Even with an intercommunicating telephone system, with which every
large office and plant should be equipped, many of these requests are
of a nature that, to guard against misunderstandings, demand written
communications.
Usually, these communications call for prompt replies; a letter from
a customer may be held or some important action delayed until the
information is received. A good rule for the correspondent is to
give attention to these notes as soon as received, and answer them
at the earliest possible moment. The stenographer should, as a rule,
write these notes first, or if written in the order in which they are
dictated, should place them on the correspondent's desk immediately.
Of course, judgment must be exercised, for some of these notes do not
require immediate attention and should be held until more important
correspondence is disposed of.
There are also many notes giving instructions, either from a department
head to his subordinates, or from the executive heads to the heads of
departments. Except on general orders, affecting all employes, the
names of all department heads to whom the order applies, should appear
at the head of such notes. The manager may wish to call attention to
some act, common to all department heads, without making it a personal
matter with any one of them, so writes the same note to all. For
example:
July 15, 1909.
Mr. Blake,
Mr. Watson,
Mr. Kimball,
Mr. Cobb,
Mr. Royce,
Gentlemen;
During the past few days some of you have been a little careless about
getting to the office on time. If you arrive 5 or 10 minutes late,
it will have a very unfortunate effect on the discipline of your
department, and I trust that each of you will strive to overcome the
habit of arriving late--a habit which, I am sure, is entirely due to
carelessness on your part.
Yours truly,
General Manager.
In the above example, five copies of the note are required, and four
of these can be carbon copies. When Mr. Blake or Mr. Watson receives
the note, he knows that it is not addressed to him alone, but that each
of the others has received a copy. Without detracting from, but rather
adding to, its effectiveness, this note leaves a much more pleasant
impression than a personal note to each man. No one man feels that he
has been singled out for criticism.
CORRESPONDENCE SHORT CUTS
=Dictating by Number.= One of the greatest time savers in handling
correspondence is dictation by numbers. The plan is to indicate each
letter by a number, instead, of requiring the stenographer to take down
the name and address.
Probably 90 per cent of the letters dictated are replies to other
letters. When the correspondent has his mail ready for dictation,
he should write, or stamp with a numbering stamp, _No. 1_ on the
first letter answered. To the stenographer he will say "_No. 1_,"
and, instead of the name and address, this number is entered in the
stenographer's notebook. The original letter, from which the address is
obtained, is turned over to the stenographer. A new series of numbers,
beginning with _No. 1_, should be used each day, to run consecutively
during the day.
Careful tests, made in different offices, show that in taking ordinary
business correspondence dictation, the stenographer wastes about 20
per cent of the time writing the name and address. By the use of the
numbering plan, practically all of this time is saved.
=Form Paragraphs.= A large per cent of the correspondence of the
average business is a repetition of the things that have been said
before. Day after day the same questions are asked and answered,
the same complaints are received, the same arguments, formal
acknowledgments, and requests form a large part of the dictation.
Over and over the same paragraphs are used to say the same things, a
repetition and waste of time for both correspondent and stenographer,
which can be done away with by the use of form paragraphs.
For illustration, the acknowledgment of remittances is entirely
formal, rarely necessitating a special letter. Many times, however,
the letter of remittance asks for special information, which can be
given in the same letter with the acknowledgment. If one or more form
acknowledgment paragraphs are prepared to meet different conditions,
one of these can be used, saving the time required for dictation.
Form paragraphs are especially applicable in answering complaints and
in sales letters. Complaints can usually be divided into a few classes,
and one paragraph will answer all complaints of the same kind. In
sales letters, form paragraphs will answer all requests for certain
information about the product, the terms of sale, the guaranty, etc.
Not only do form paragraphs save much time in dictation, but they
result in stronger letters. It is the experience of every correspondent
that he can write better letters one day than another. The best form
paragraphs are found in the letters written on the correspondent's good
days.
Form paragraphs should be arranged for ready reference. A very
satisfactory method is to write them on sheets punched for filing
in a binder. The paragraphs should be numbered consecutively, and
indexed by subject. Copies should be supplied to all correspondents and
stenographers who have occasion to use them.
Frequently a large part of the day's correspondence can be handled
with form paragraphs, and through constant use the stenographer will
become so familiar with them that he will be in a position to answer
many letters without dictation. The really efficient stenographer--one
of the kind who expects to advance to the position of private
secretary--will make a careful study of form paragraphs, fitting
himself to handle the minor correspondence, thereby saving the more
valuable time of the correspondent.
=Talking Machines for Dictation.= Every year sees an increase in the
use of the talking machine for dictation. These machines have now been
brought to a state of perfection which makes their use feasible, and in
many large offices they are used to the almost complete exclusion of
shorthand writers.
An outfit for correspondence work consists, usually, of two
machines--one for recording and one for reproducing dictation. The
correspondent dictates his letters to the recording machine and passes
the cylinders on which the record has been made to the stenographer,
who transcribes on the typewriter direct from the reproducing machine.
In small offices, one machine is made to answer every purpose, as it
can be changed instantly from a recorder to a producer.
After the dictation on a cylinder has been transcribed it is shaved,
and is then ready for a new record. This permits of the use of the
cylinders until they are worn thin, and reduces the expense to a
minimum.
[Illustration: Fig. 2. The Dictaphone _Columbia Phonograph Co._]
The principal advantages claimed for this machine are that it saves all
of the time of the stenographer usually required for taking dictation;
the correspondent can dictate at any time without waiting for a
stenographer; the work is more evenly distributed, and consequently
finished earlier in the day. In the opinion of the writer, the chief
advantage lies in having the machine at hand ready for dictation day or
night.
While in some offices the shorthand writer has been almost entirely
supplanted, the machine is more likely to be used as an auxiliary.
It can never supply the brains of the human machine, and is not
likely to lessen the demand for competent stenographers. Fig. 2 is an
illustration of one of the well-known makes of correspondence machines.
=Correspondence Requisitions.= A considerable per cent of the letters
to be answered in a business office are of such a nature that former
correspondence must be referred to before an intelligent reply can be
given. The unsatisfactory character of the replies to many letters can
be traced to the fact that the correspondent did not take the trouble
to first find out what had been written before.
To insure against the loss of correspondence, it should be most
carefully filed, and every letter should be accounted for. Also, if a
correspondent wants certain correspondence from the files he should
state explicitly what correspondence or information he desires. This
not only insures his getting the information needed to formulate an
intelligent reply, but protects the file clerk.
The systematic method is to have a correspondence requisition, similar
to the one shown in Fig. 3. On this requisition is noted just what is
wanted--invoice, order, or letter--with room for special instructions.
One of these requisitions should be sent to the files whenever any
papers are wanted, and nothing should be delivered without such a
requisition. By placing this requisition in the files, in place of the
papers removed, the file clerk can always trace missing correspondence.
[Illustration: Fig. 3. Requisition for Correspondence]
=Complaints and Changes of Address.= In some lines of business,
complaints and notices of change of addresses are quite numerous. An
example is the business of publishing a weekly or monthly periodical.
Many complaints are received from subscribers who claim that they do
not receive the publication regularly. The great majority of these
complaints can be traced to carelessness on the part of the subscriber
in failing to notify of change of address.
In some businesses, the handling of complaints requires the services
of a correspondent, and a clerk to trace the complaint and gather the
information necessary before an adjustment can be made. In a smaller
business, the work of looking up the information usually falls on
the stenographer. But no matter who gathers the information, the
correspondent never should attempt to answer or adjust a complaint
until he has made a thorough investigation. Not until he understands
all of the causes leading up to the complaint, can he correctly judge
of its merits.
The policy of having all complaints handled by one man is in keeping
with approved business practice. A man who makes a study of the subject
soon learns to handle complaints to the ultimate satisfaction of all
concerned. Being independent of the selfish interests of a particular
department, he is much more likely to serve the best interests of the
house than any other man in the organization. The sales manager, for
instance, is not the best man to adjust complaints of customers; he is
likely to be more liberal than is warranted, because of his fear of
losing trade.
When a complaint has been investigated, everything possible should be
done to remove the cause, and to guard against a similar complaint in
the future. The seemingly little precautions count for much. In the
matter of changes of address, for instance, it is a small matter for
the one who makes the change to see that it is made not only on the
ledger but on the sales list, the collection card, and in every place
where the address is permanently recorded. Failure to make the change
in one place may lead to endless confusion.
_Stenographer's Reference Index._ Here is a suggestion for the special
benefit of the stenographer. Keep in your desk a reference index of
names, addresses, and telephone numbers. There are certain persons and
firms to whom your employer frequently writes letters. These are not
in reply to letters, but are written in the usual course of business.
The names of these persons should be on your index so that when you are
told to write to Mr. Hunter or Mr. Roberts you will not be obliged to
ask the address.
Probably your employer will not ask you to keep such an index, but
surely will appreciate your knowing the addresses. When he finds that
you always know the telephone numbers of the printer, the bank, and
other local houses with whom he does business regularly, as well as the
addresses of prominent out-of-town correspondents, he will at least not
place it to your discredit.