If you use mailstops you already know the advantages that can be obtained. It reduces reliance on the many names employees may use to refer to the same department, and in some cases, nicknames. Newer employees are early adopters and longer term staff pick it up over time.
Some questions to consider when evaluating your Mailstop System: Do you sort mail by an individual or by department? Is mailed picked up from a central point or do you deliver? Do you deliver to the individual or a department area and then sort to an individual by the department?
The answers to these questions help in determining what the mailstop formula looks like.
If mail is picked up, then the recipient only needs an identifier. If mail is delivered, then you have to add a delivery path. Some identifying examples are the PO Box number or a house identifier for an individual, and building, floor, and desk or room location.
Mailroom staff can design, implement and learn a new system. The difficulty can be in publishing that system so that all staff has access to the information.
There are two electronic methods that can be automated so that new hires, terminations and internal changes can be made without manual intervention. It takes a cooperative effort with both the Human Resources and the Information system group/staff.
The mechanics of making it work depend on the sources of data. Generally a company will have department codes and employee codes in a HR application. A default table can be created to link these numbers to mailstops. When employees are hired they automatically go into the default assignments or are deleted when terminated. Transfers and job changes are also accounted for with changes linked to the table and then published.
Publication can be on a company intranet where the mailroom has a page of general information and a link to a table showing mailstop data for either a department or individual or both.
An alternate method can be in Microsoft Outlook or a similar venue. A company may already have a method where staff is familiar in looking up employee telephone numbers and department information. To assist in a smooth transition, this method can work well by piggybacking on a familiar routine.
This Mailstop System method is very beneficial for newer employees who are unfamiliar with who and where people are located. Mass internal mailings, such as from HR, can be presorted by mailstop and speed the distribution of the mailing and reinforce mailstop usage.
Internal communications will certainly improve using this mailstop method. In addition, it can assist in directing external mail to the right spot and eliminate the guess work of where an item needs to be delivered.
For more information on this topic please contact Rick Pratt at (802) 847-5902.
