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The information centre of your business is the office. It is the first contact made between customers and your business, as well as the store for your bookkeeping and written work about your business.
The person who runs your office will usually be the one who answers telephone calls. Train her or him to do so clearly and efficiently. The voice on the telephone may be the first impression that people gain of your business. Remember, the staff who answer the telephone can create or destroy the image of efficiency which you are working hard to establish. Careless handling of a telephone call can make customers impatient and even result in the loss of business.
The following points are a guide to good telephone technique:
· Arrange that the telephone is answered promptly and politely. "Good morning, Betterwork Products" is much more efficient than just" Betterwork Products", and simply saying "Hello" is of no help at all.· Some telephone operators answer by saying " Hold the line please". This is impolite and may lose business for you. Instruct your office staff so that they avoid such conduct. It is not professional.
· Members of staff who also have telephone extensions must be taught to answer the phone in the same way.
· Staff who are slow to answer the telephone, or who do not meet their promises to make return telephone calls to customers as quickly as they can, could also lose business for you.
REMEMBER: THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR BUSINESS MAY BE HOW THE TELEPHONE IS ANSWERED
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THIS CONDUCT CAN LOSE YOU BUSINESS
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REMEMBER: THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR BUSINESS MAY BE HOW YOUR LETTERS LOOK
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People who run their own businesses need to communicate with customers or suppliers by means of letters. The business letter may often be the first impression that people will gain of your business.
To produce good business letters, you must remember the following points:
· The first impression of a letter is important. Check the layout and presentation of your letters. Do they look good? Is the writing or typing neat? Is the letterhead neat and clean?· Think out the objective of each letter you write. Is it a letter asking for money, a letter ordering goods, a complaint about poor service or a letter asking for a loan? State your objective clearly and briefly.
· Begin your letter with the main idea that you want to put over and avoid just writing pleasant words.
· Before you dictate a letter, write down all the relevant information. The easiest way to do this is to list the points you wish to make and build your paragraphs around these points.
The office is the place where you store all the written information and records of your business. It is very important to keep these things together neatly so that your office staff can find the information easily.
This means that there must be a system for collecting and storing the various types of paperwork such as letters, invoices, receipts, orders and so on. There must be one place and one place only for each of the different types of paperwork. Tidiness is essential to run your business efficiently.
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Remember: The tidiness of your office may also be the first direct impression gained by a customer who visits you personally. |
YOUR OFFICE IS YOUR INFORMATION STORE: KEEP IT TIDY
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DO YOUR FILING THIS WAY
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To collect and store the paperwork of your business, you need to file the different types of papers. Do not spend a lot of money on this.
Box files are good but expensive. Simple folders are cheap. Holes can be punched in the folders and in the documents. The documents can then be fastened into the folders with a string. A simple filing system of this type may be adequate for your business.
It is essential to keep the filing up to date. Time should be set aside each day for filing the documents, and it must never be missed. Documents should be sorted in separate files under the different file headings. You can have separate files for the following items.
OR THIS WAY
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BUT DO IT EVERY DAY
Information for calculating pay should include wage lists with the names of the workers together with their details, their total pay, deductions from pay and net pay received.
Where there is a lot of travel by employees and the business pays for that travel, copies of the claims for expenses must be kept.
Information on each completed job must be stored (e.g. the details of labour and material or the customer's order).
When your typist types invoices, two copies should be filed alphabetically in a file called "Invoices outstanding." This is an essential file because it represents money which will come into your business when the customer pays. When the payment is received from the customer, the two copies are stamped " Paid ". One copy is moved from the Invoices outstanding file to the Invoices paid file, which is also kept in alphabetical order. It is essential that the other copy of the same invoice is filed in number order, usually in a Voucher file.
HOW TO DO YOUR INVOICING:
TYPE THREE COPIES OF THE INVOICE
GIVE ONE COPY TO YOUR CUSTOMER AND FILE THE OTHERS
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Some businesses use one General voucher file, in which all paid vouchers are stored. When money is paid or received, the relevant voucher is marked " Paid ", a number is written on it and it is filed in the Voucher file in number order.
WHEN THE CUSTOMER PAYS, STAMP THEM "PAID" AND FILE THEM AGAIN
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These are invoices which you have received from suppliers of goods or raw materials (e.g. material for making your product) or from businesses which have supplied you with services (e.g. motor car repairs, electricity or stationery). These invoices are filed alphabetically. Many small businesses maintain two files:
· Unpaid invoices from suppliers; and
· Suppliers' invoices paid.
Once the payment is made, a note is written on the unpaid invoice stating when and by whom payment was authorised and that the details have been checked. That invoice is then transferred to the file labelled "Suppliers' invoices paid," again in alphabetical order by supplier's name.
KEEP SUPPLIERS' INVOICES IN SEPARATE FILES
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This file is for all tax matters relating to your business and employees.
Even in the smallest office there should be files for incoming letters and copies of replies. Letters can be filed alphabetically according to the first letter (A, B, C, etc.) of the client's name.
LETTER FILES
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THESE ARE THE FILES YOU NEED
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There are many more files you can buy, depending on the size and kind of your business. We will not describe these in full, but there is one particular file which we mention because it is so important for your success in business. This file is called "The business" and should be used to file the originals of all important documents relating to the business such as annual reports, board meetings, insurance policies and important contracts. The file with the originals of the documents should be kept in a safe and the file with the copies can be kept with the other files.
KEEP YOUR BUSINESS DOCUMENTS SAFE
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There are many machines available which can help with the office work (e.g. calculators and typewriters). Many of these machines are very expensive. However, an essential purchase for your business as soon as possible should be a typewriter. Buy the best you can afford because the letters from your office create an impression of your business in the minds of customers. As you expand, you may think it is necessary to invest in a photocopying machine. However, make sure you have enough work to make such a purchase useful; otherwise, continue to take your work to a photocopying shop until the amount of photocopying work increases.
FIRST, BUY A TYPEWRITER: BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD
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A PHOTOCOPYING MACHINE IS USEFUL IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH WORK
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REMEMBER: YOUR OFFICE MAY BE THE FIRST IMPRESSION THAT PEOPLE GET OF YOUR BUSINESS-
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ORGANISE IT EFFICIENTLY
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