Unit two: principles of providing administrative services

Unit two: Principles of providing administrative services Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. • The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk • Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly • When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference • Then, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number.

Please note that this Assessment document has 9 pages and is made up of 9 Sections. Name: Section 1 – Understand how to make and receive telephone calls 1. Complete the table below with descriptions of at least two different features of a telephone system and how / when they would be used. | Feature | How / when used | | 1.

Answer Phone | By pressing a number on telephone we can listen messages left by | | | others | | 2. Conference Call | This allow us to speak with more than one person simultaneously | | | | . Prepare a brief report advising people on: • How to follow organisational procedures when making and receiving telephone calls • The purpose of giving a positive image of yourself and your organisation when making and receiving telephone calls. If possible, use specific information from procedures in your own organisation (or one that you are familiar with). Within an organization while receiving calls one should follow the organizational procedure i. e. nswer the phone within certain number of rings, use standard greeting, read script as advised, identify the personal when transferring the call or passing on the information and finally be ready to take colleagues calls when they are not on their desk. When you are making a call to a client ensure that you build a rapport with them and make them feel at ease. Ensure you are aware of the purpose of call and make a check list of the points that you will be asking.

The main purpose behind while receiving or making calls is to portray a good and professional image of an organization is to retain the existence customers and attract new ones and fulfil customer satisfactions Section 2 – Understand how to handle mail 1. Explain the purpose of correctly receiving, checking and sorting mail and packages (both incoming and outgoing). It is very important andresponsibilityof everyone within an organization to follow the correct procedures while receiving, checking and sorting outgoing and incoming mails.

In case if a mistake is made then may be some body is waiting for an important mail and because of negligence it may go to a wrong person or even go missing. Once a mail is received we need to ensure the security and confidentaility aspect of it while delivering it to the recpients. If the mail requires urgent delivery then we need to ensure that mail is delivered or dispatched quickly and securly. It can apply to both incoming and outgoing mail as if the mail is urgent it should be treated as urgent and delivered or dispacted soon. 2. Complete the table below with the following information: At least two examples of internal mail services that are available to organisations • At least two examples of external mail services that are available to organisations | Internal mail services | External mail services | | 1. using internal envelopes so that mail can be circulated internally| 1. Recorded delivery | | | | | 2. ransfer mail between different offices of an organization | 2. Special delivery | | | | Internal mail services Normally between offices we do have internal transport service that operates. We can use that service to deliver mails betweeen offices. We can also use services of individuals if they are travelling between offices.

Also if we are working in a headoffice and it has several buildings then we can also use the internal service that deliver or trasnport between different buildings. External mail services For external mail services we can use local mail service like Royal Mail, post office or parcel office. We can either call them and book the item so that they can pick and deliver or we can go to the nearest post office and post the item there. 3. Describe two methods that you can use to calculate postage charges for mail and / or packages.

We can weight and measure mail to calculate postage charges. We can weight the mail with the help of weighting machine and measure the mail with the help of measuring deivce provided by Royail mail. Once we calculate the weight and measurement we stamp a stamp accordingly. For example if we want to sent a a first class mail we need to cataegorize the mail do we need one standard 1st class stamp or a larger one depending upon post. We should also consider the timing as first class can take upto 3 working days so if mail is urgent we need to use other services that are quicker.

We can also use service provider like Royal mail and use their website to check out the charges. We can take the mail to any local post office and weight the items and pay the charges accordingly, we need to ensure a signed for or special delivery that if mail is important and needs to be delivered soon. In case if the contents of the mail are important we can also insure the mail. Section 3 – Understand how to use different types of office equipment 1. Describe the main types of equipment found in offices and how they are used. Include examples of at least three different types of office equipment.

Shredding machines are used to shred important confidential documents. The main purpose of the shredding machines is to destroy your important documents that are not useful anymore but that can be important for someone else and that can be misused by anyone. Computers and its accessories such as Printer, scanner etc. used to prepare documents and print them if required. We can use computer programs such as microsoft applications word, access and excel etc. to create letters, records, electronic worksheets, database management, presentation, graphics, Internet use and financial documents.

Forcommunicationwe can use fax machine and telephone. We can send the documents quickly to customers either by fax or use emails and for verbal communication we use phone. The disadvantage of faxmachine is that it require electricity, requires paper for receiving and sending faxes and it should be always on to receive faxes. The advantage of fax machine is that they are relatively inexpensive and some are part of all in one printers and you may need to occasionally pay for the toner, and a dedicated phone line and paper.

Another advantage is that it doesn’t cost you more than the normal phone costs per minute. 2. Explain the purpose of following manufacturer’s instructions when using equipment. The main purpose behind the manufacturer’s instructions manual is to operate the equipment correctly and safely. This can reduce the maintenance cost and increase the equipment life. By following the basic guidance provided by the manufacturer the equipment will last longer, safer for others to use it and will work efficiently. 3. Explain the purpose of keeping equipment clean, hygienic and ready for the next user.

We need to keep the equipment clean and hygienic so that the next person who will be using it will be safe. He can safely use the equipment and hygienically safe from any disease. While working in an organization once should tidy stuff, store equipment safely and clean it regularly with appropriate products. As an example one should use wipes to clean computer screen that will be beneficial for other as well. In workingenvironmentwhere there is a shared workspace it is good if we leave the area clean and organized that can also leave a good impression for the next person.

Section 4 – Understand how to keep waste to a minimum in a business environment 1. Explain why waste should be kept to a minimum in a business environment. One of the main reasons that waste should be kept to minimum in a business environment is financial reason i. e. it can reduce the cost and spending and environmental reasons. Company can waste a lot ofmoneyto either recycle or dispose of that extra waste. One should think twice while using company resources that do they really need that or they can use any alternative to save some money for the company. . Identify at least two main causes of waste in a business environment. Because of heating, lightning and powering equipment we waste energy Another example is the resources such as ink cartridges, papers and toners of printers etc. Another source is use of paper in printing, before printing one should ask them self that do they need to print this out and if so can they use both side of paper for printing to save papers. 3. How can you keep waste to a minimum in a business environment? Describe at least two ways of doing this.

For paper waste we can use a recycling service for paper waste. For other waste like plastic bottles, plastic bags and others we can use recycling bins Recycling is a cost effective method of dealing with your waste es[ecially using different bins for different things simply because it is often cheaper when compared with general waste management and disposal. Recycling often reduces clutter and improves the working environment. Less clutter also means increased safety around your workplace. We can use emails instead of using posts where email can work.

Emails are fast and can be delivered at once around the world. No other form of written communication is as fast as an email. We can advertise products in the email that can reach to a lot of people and we can save a lot of money on resouses like paper, printer etc. we can send the email to hundred of recepients without expanding any money on visible resourses and save a lot of money and making business environment eco friendly. We can turn off the lights and all power switches when it’s not required to save the energy. Section 5 – Know how to make arrangements for meetings 1.

Complete the table below listing at least two different types of meetings and describing the main features of each type of meeting. | Type of meeting | Main features | | Team meeting | The main feature of such meeting is to follow any agenda, track the progress of the team on the | | | current project, sort out issues related to team peformance, update on the upcoming projects and | | | discuss any outstanding issues.

It also allows individuals to generate number of ideas which can | | | prove to be quite effective in solving any organizational issue | | Training meetings | The main feature of such meeting is to keep the staff up to date, upgrade their skills and help them| | | in grooming. It also increases the staff productivity thus customers are served and satisfied more | | | quickly.

This improves efficiency, reduces costs and leads to higher profitability. With the aide of| | | training meeting we can raise morale of individuals which leads to a more motivated team. If | | | colleagues are motivated here are many opportunities open to them. | | Appraisal meeting | The main objective of such meetings are to recognise the individuals effort and praise them and give| | | them reward.

Because of that Individuals take personal responsibility for improving both the | | | business processes and their own abilities. Such meetings also reflects the performance | | | expectations, establishgoalsfor the coming year and discuss the success in the past year. | 2. When arranging a meeting: • What sources and types of information are typically needed? • How should meetings be arranged? We need to know the individuals requesting the meeting and they are aware of organizational procedure to arrange the meeting

We should be aware of the reason of the meeting, the attendees list, duration of meeting and any resources like any projector or wall board required for presentation. Firstly confirm the attendees list, date and time, place and any resources required. If required circulate a brief message around about the agenda of the meeting and if meeting is long and refreshments are required also confirm the arrangement. Finally ensure that all attendees receive a confirmation of date, time, venue and a small brief description about the meeting. Section 6 – Understand procedures for organising travel and accommodation arrangements . Explain the purpose of confirming instructions and requirements for business travel and accommodation. The main purpose, behind confirmation of instructions and requirements for business travel and accommodation, is to ensures that all individual arrives on time for the appointment and all attendees are well aware of time and date of the event, accommodation and travel details, parking facilities, location of the event, in case they need special arrangement person’s details who will be responsible for that and finally the main agenda and ist of things they need to bring in with them. 2. Complete the table below with an outline of the main types of business travel and accommodation arrangements that may need to be made and the procedures that should be followed when doing this. Travel and accommodation arrangements | Procedures | | Travel by Car and staying over night | If people are travelling by car we need to ensure that accommodation have enough | | | parking space if not then the alternate parking arrangements should be informed to the | | | people. We can select from bed and breakfast to hotels in terms of overnight | | | accommodation.

We need to know how many nights they will be staying and book | | | accordingly. In case they need evening meals we need to make them aware of the | | | arrangements. | | | | | Travel by train and staying for few hours in the | If people are travelling by train we should ensure that they are aware of the ways to | | meeting place | reach to their desired location.

We can arrange taxis for them to avoid hassle. | | | Sometimes we have foreign national who can’t speak English well, in that case we need | | | to ensure that interpreter is there to fulfil their needs. If they are attending the | | | meeting for few hours we must ensue that the refreshments are pre ordered. | Facility for disable peoples | If we know anyone who needs special arrangements such as wheel chair, we need to ensure| | | that all required facilities are in place to facilitate them. | | | | | Interpreter presence | Sometimes we have foreign national who can’t speak English well, in that case we need | | | to ensure that interpreter is there to fulfil their needs | . Explain the purpose of keeping records of travel / accommodation arrangements in a business environment. It is very important to keep a record (accommodation and travel expenditures) of an event once it’s over, as we can use that evaluation next time. This evaluation can help us next time in decision making i. e. we can improve the accommodation next time, find a cheaper suppler and get early discounts by booking in advance. Evaluation itself is a god process that can highlight any flaws in planning and identify that how we faired accommodation and travel.

It also helps in identifying any issues such as parking arrangement of any particular accommodation. Section 7 – Understand diary management procedures 1. Briefly explain the purpose of using a diary system to plan activities at work. Give at least two reasons. One of the essential planning aids used within an organization is diaries and depending upon the nature of the business its use varied from person to person. It does help individuals to plan their activities and tasks as in some organization follow strict deadlines for their project.

Information that can be logged in a diary contains timing, date, location and people who are involved. Another advantage of keeping up the diaries is that individuals know the whereabouts of other colleagues. For instance if we someone wants to speak with one of your colleague by checking his or her status in staff diary we can deal with the caller accordingly. 2. Identify the information needed to maintain a diary system in the workplace.

Nowadays computerized or electronic diary is used in organization and most widely used diary program is Microsoft outlook. It includes information of employees such as their name, contact information, email address, location etc. In some companies it also shows their availability and show their current status i. e. if they are on annual leave or absent due to sickness. Section 8 – Understand the purpose of delivering effective customer service and how to do so 1. What are the differences between internal and external customers in a business environment?

Internal customers are the one who either work for an organization or serve the people who are not employed by that organization while the external customers who do not work for the organization but either buy the product or services to fulfil their need. In other words staff working for a particular organization purchases a particular good or service then he will be classified as internal customer, while an external customer is the one who come to the company to buy a service or good require to him and by no means employed by the company. 2.

Explain why customer service should meet or exceed customer expectations. Include at least three reasons in your answer. Customer service should be met or sometime exceed customer expectations as it can: • Gain customerloyaltyand that means customer will always turn to us when that particular good or service is required • Get good recommendations form customer that can provide us good publicity and allow an organization to expand its business • Increase the business growth and that can create a sense of job security within the organization.

Once an organization is getting extra customers it can expand its business and can create more jobs and extra bonuses for existing staff. 3. Explain the importance of building positive relationships with customers. Outline two ways in which this can be achieved. Every member of an organization has a duty to be efficient as he may be a first point of contact for the organization and that can create a long lasting impression on customer. Employee should showprofessionalismasfailureto do so will not give customer any confidence while dealing with his organization.

It is of vital importance to gain customer’s trust, meet or sometimes exceeds customer’s expectations as it can bring in new business opportunities. We can gain customer’s trust by actively listening to them which enables us to identify their needs and satisfy them accordingly. By keeping communication channel open both parties can grow their business in a healthy and friendly environment. Both parties should trust each other and payrespectto each other ideas because that can contribute to a belter resolution of a problem if one does occur. 4.

How do customers demonstrate their own needs and expectations? When a customer places an order or requested a service then they expect that service or goods to be not only delivered on time but also up to agreed standard. Customer normally expects that promise should be kept. In this competitive world customer also want bargain in prices as if someone is offering the same services at a very low cost they can turn to them as well. Customers’ need can also be gathered by collecting the feedback from them on the good or service offered and that be used for future to improve their experience.

Customer can also raise their concerns directly with the company and by effective communication they can sit together, listening to each other and come to a resolution that can be accepted by both. Section 9 – Understand the purpose of reception services and how to follow reception procedures 1. What is the purpose of the receptionist role as the first point of contact in a business environment? Receptionists have many roles to perform such as give direction and sometime escort the key people to different part of the building. Generally visitors used them for general information or to solve any issues.

Receptionist should have god communications skills and are aware of making good rapport with the visitors so that they feel they are at ease as some times visitors get confused. Now days most organization use sign in procedure and receptionist ensures that this is done properly and visitors are issued identification badges. In special cases receptionist also inform visitor about the standardhealthand safety information. 2. Describe how a receptionist can present a positive image of themselves and the organisation and explain why this is important.

Receptionist job is of vital importance as they are the first point of contact for every visitor, they should greet all visitors with smile regardless of their importance or arrival (if they are expected or not). Some receptionists commonly do mistakes and expect that key people are well and best dressed and in that they annoyed some key peoples. The general principal for all is to treat everyone fairly, with courtesy and make them feel that you have time for them. As they are the first point of contact in most organization, they can leave a positive image and long lasting impression of an organization.

If they act or behave unprofessionally the visitor may lose confidence while dealing with the organization. 3. In relation to your own organisation (or one that you are familiar with), explain what must be done when carrying out entry, departure, security and confidentiality procedures in a reception area. When a visitor enters into a building and approach the reception, they should be greeted first and offered help. If they want to visit someone with in an organization, take their details inform the desired person about their arrival.

Advise them about the unrestricted visitor access area of recreation and make them feel at ease until the desired person come down and accompany them. Upon arrival of the desired person make them an identification pass and note down their time of arrival, their contact details and vehicle registration number if they have parked their vehicle. Once they have finished their meeting note down the timing and ensure that they have returned the pass and issue them any parking exit pass if required. Once you have completed all 9 Sections of this Assessment, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your work to your tutor for marking.