Top 10 Free (Or Almost Free) Ways to Reduce Mailing Costs

Top 10 Free (Or Almost Free) Ways to Reduce Mailing Costs

By Adam Lewenberg, CMDSS, MDC, President of Postal Advocate Inc. 

There are plenty of ways to reduce mailing costs but many of them require investment in equipment, software, labor etc. I thought it would be a good idea to give you some ideas on services you can use that would be free or only had a minimal investment. The best part is that all of these strategies should be easy to implement and could have a quick impact to your bottom line.

Presort Services- 6-15% Savings If you are sending out over 400 pieces per day or 1,000 on single mailings, you may be able to use a Presort Service to get postal discounts. The most typical arrangement is you would meter your mail at the First-Class Mail® Presorted rate (Currently $.433 vs. $.46 single piece rate), the provider will pick up at your site and comingle with other mailers. These presort services will run this mail through their sorting system to break it down to the deepest postal discounts. The USPS pays them a Value Added Rebate (VAR) of the different between the metered rate and the final rate the item was submitted. These services can typically handle First-Class Mail® Letters, Flats, and Standard Mail®. Some providers will also work with International. Larger volume customers will be able to get deeper discounts.

Mail Equipment and Postage Audit and Recovery Services 30-70% Savings these services will look at what you are spending on your mailing equipment to find ways to reduce costs. They will make sure you have the right machines at the correct rates as well as manage renewals and vendor negotiations, to help save up to 70% on equipment costs. These firms are also looking for any vendor overcharges or postage recovery opportunities from dormant accounts. Mail Audit and Recovery Services are especially valuable if you have multiple locations and lack the visibility across your enterprise to all of the mailing spends. The best part is they do not charge for their services and only share in a piece of any savings or recovery. This minimizes your risk and gives you a partner to find any available savings.

PC Postage This is being able to generate postage from a computer without needing a meter or trips to the Post Office to buy stamps. I am including this because the costs are very low, ranging from free for limited feature systems to $40 per month for versions that handle shipping and other integration. You should consider PC Postage if you fit into one of the following groups:

1. You are a low volume mailer spending less than $100 per month in postage.

2. You are a company that ships product or sends Priority or Express Mail®. You will get Commercial rates for many classes which will save money and the shipping label will include the destination and return address, postage and tracking barcode.

New platforms are web based and can be used while travelling or in home or remote offices.

USPS Intelligent Mail® Small Business Tool the USPS wants to support small volume mailers and now offers a way to qualify for IMB Full Service for free! Through their gateway you can process mailings of less than 5,000 pieces (125,000 pieces per permit maximum) without needing to purchase any software. Here is how it works.

1. Register at the customer gateway

2. Fill out the information for the mailing.

3. Upload the your mailing list (Excel or CSV format)

4. Print your forms, labels or direct the output to a printer.

This is a great way for small volume mailers to be able to comply with the newest postal requirements without needing to invest in software. Here is a PDF from the USPS that goes over more detail on how it works.

Commercial and Commercial Plus Rates for USPS Express and Priority Mail®  The USPS has three rates for Express and Priority Mail®:

1. Retail: What you pay at the USPS counter

2. Commercial: 2-14% Savings - The rate paid through a postage meter, PC Postage and USPS Click and Ship.

3. Commercial Plus: Additional 2-13% Savings - High Volume mailers can get additional discounts if they commit to specific volumes. The best part is you can use your combined output across multiple locations to qualify. Here are the requirements to apply but you should reach out to your USPS shipping specialist to verify and discuss options:

a. Priority Mail®: 5,000 pieces at one time or 75,000 pieces in the previous year.

b. Express Mail®:5,000 pieces in the previous year.

A great way to save is to look at your volumes and how they are being processed today to make sure you are getting the lowest rates.

USPS Incentives and Discounts The Post Office has been trying different tactics to get us to mail and ship more which can be a huge added value to you. I am going to list a few examples that may be helpful that should be considered:

1. Second Ounce Rides Free: A two ounce First Class Mail® Presorted and Automation Mail piece is the same price as a one ounce letter saving $.20. This is designed to get mailers adding extra inserts to increase the value of the piece of mail.

2. Free Tracking on USPS Priority Mail®: With the last rate change the USPS has just made their tracking service free vs. the $.75 they used to charge.

3. USPS Promotions and Incentives: The USPS has started having time limited programs where mailers can get money back for sending specific types of mail. Examples include putting QR Codes on the piece or adding a picture permit which is being offered this summer. Click on this link to see the most current promotions.

Setting up a USPS Caps Account Most businesses will have multiple USPS accounts and it is often difficult to manage and maintain proper funding levels. Because of this, funds get lost and accounts get closed. The USPS offers a way to link all of these accounts to a central portal for funding, reporting and visibility. It is free to set up these accounts and it is a best practice by many experienced mailers.

Mail Equipment Provider Postage Payment Programs It is also a best practice to reach out to your mail equipment provider to see what they have available for postage payment options. Here are some examples that may be available to you:

1. Being able to link all of your locations meter and permit accounts together for single visibility, funding and control.

2. Postage advances for your meter and permit accounts.

3. Interest on your pre-deposited postage balances.

4. Reward programs for postage and permit use along with other vendor spend.

Every Day Direct Mail (EDDM) from the USPS The USPS is trying to get new businesses to use the mail and has created a service to make it easy and affordable. All you need to do is go to the USPS gateway and enter the area you want mailed and the portal will tell you the cost, number of pieces, and will generate the proper postal forms. There are no addressing requirements and rates are $.16 or less. This is a great service for businesses that want to mail within a specific geographic location to all addresses.

Optimized Business Reply Accounts Business reply accounts typically go on autopilot but this could end up costing you thousands more than you need to spend. The most important thing to look at is the numbers of returns that you are getting to make sure you are in the right type of account. The cost to maintain these accounts ranges from $200-9,335 per year but as the cost goes up, the per piece return price goes down. I recommend meeting with your USPS Mail Design specialist to make sure you are set up with the right account structure to minimize total return mail spend.

Hopefully some of these 10 items will help you save money on mail or at least point you to where you need to go to get more information. There is never one way to reduce costs. It is being able to look for the areas that may have been overlooked in the past or where new rules, services and technology can make an impact.

 

Adam Lewenberg, CMDSS, MDC, is President of Postal Advocate Inc., runs the largest Mail Audit and Recover firm in the United States. Their mission is to help entities with large numbers of locations reduce mail related expenses, recover lost postage funds, and simplify visibility and oversight. He can be reached at (617)372-8653 or adam.lewenberg@postaladvocate.com. 

5 Ways to Improve Your Mail Operations

5 Ways to Improve Your Mail Operations 

Managing the mail operations and solutions in a mail center is an important and challenging task, but these helpful tips can help you solve common issues that mail centers may come across. This post is inspired by the webinar The Top Concerns of Mail Center Managers and discusses how to improve five vital aspects of mail operations: carrier communications, employee education, staff motivation, inbound mail tracking, and containing mailing costs. In this post, which is the first of a two part series, we will discuss better carrier communications, better employee education, and better staff training and motivation.

 1. Better Carrier Communication some common issues with the carrier communication include keeping up with changing regulations and pricing and unclear communication channels. To mitigate these issues, you can: Get involved with your local Postal Customer Council (PCC). PCCs exist to improve relationships with local business mailers and educate business mailers with programs and seminars. You can go to the USPS website to find a PCC near you and get involved. Sign up for Postal Explorer for access to a price calculator, a domestic mail manual (DMM) and advisory, a quick service guide, international mail information, and more. You should also regularly visit www.pe.usps.com to stay informed. Visit a local USPS Business Center to stay updated and get your questions answered. Sign up for the Business Customer Gateway on the USPS website.

2. Better Employee Education It’s important to educate employees in your organization in order to prevent late drop offs, last minute jobs, improperly prepared mail, and improper service requests. Some strategies that can improve employee education include: Holding mailing service classes for all newly hired personnel, similar to an orientation. Providing and circulating weekly mailer tips, just one or two a week, to help your team learn how to improve the quality of mail and reduce mail costs. Becoming more involved with all department managers. Surveying department managers quarterly to better understand their areas of concern and discuss service quality. This promotes helpful feedback and can lead to mail center improvement for all parties involved. Developing a mail services guide with general information on internal and inter-office mail, USPS mail, alternative delivery services, new ideas, mail center security, and other useful links. This can be implemented through mail solutions like Postal Explorer and Pitney Bowes Postal Advisor.

3. Better Staff Training & Motivation To improve mail processes and retain employees, you should also train and motivate your team. That way, you can prevent unreasonable expectations and keep employees engaged. Some great tactics for improving staff training and motivation are: Cross-training on jobs, so that employees develop more diverse skill sets. For example, they may know how to operate the mailing machine, but they can also learn how to run your addressing, inserting, and shipping systems. This increases esteem and makes team members feel more valuable. It also provides flexibility for your company, in case team members go on vacation or leave the company. You can do this using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS). Holding goal-setting and information sessions, such as weekly team meetings, to discuss the previous weeks or upcoming projects, to increase alignment, or even for additional training, Re-evaluate and upgrade job descriptions to reflect a more accurate image of job activities. This establishes clearer expectations of employees, creates a path for employee growth, and allows for new and exciting responsibilities for long-term team members. Enabling training outside of the mail center, such as with Pitney Bowes mail management seminars, Pitney Bowes webinars, and PCCs.

 

As we discussed in Part 1 of this guide, managing the mail operations and solutions in a mail center is an important and challenging task. This post is inspired by the webinar The Top Concerns of Mail Center Managers and discusses how to improve five vital aspects of mail operations: carrier communications, employee education, staff motivation, inbound and outbound mail tracking, and containing mailing costs.

In this post we will discuss better inbound and outbound tracking and better mailing cost containment.

4. Better Inbound and Outbound Tracking Tracking prevents incomplete addresses on mailing pieces and creates more accountable mail. Some mail solutions that can help you improve your tracking system include:

 •Have a centralized receiving location, that way you can make sure the carrier is delivering as promised and your company can immediately inspect packages for damages. This also helps your company to validate the number of inbound packages

 •Use inbound package management tracking software, so that you’re able to scan items coming in.

 •Use VeriMove Net for mailing list management and to keep up with official USPS changes of address.

 •Use SmartMailer to eliminate duplicate and undeliverable addresses from your mailing list.

5. Better Mailing Cost Containment  In order to contain mailing and shipping costs, you should analyze and reconsider the type, class, department, and frequency of your mail pieces. To successful contain costs, you should:

 •Choose the proper envelope size. The size and shape of your mailings affects the price. For example: •A post card is 33 cents and can be up to 6 by 4 inches and a quarter inch high.

 •A letter is 46 cents and can be up to 6 1/8 by 11 1/2 inches and a quarter inch high. A letter can be no more than 3.5 ounces.

 •A flat envelope is 92 cents and can be up to 12 by 15 inches and ¾ inches thick. A flat has to be flexible.

 •A parcel is $2.07 and or more.

•“If it fits, it ships” is not always the best choice for lighter items going further distances. For examples, a medium flat rate box is $11, but, using regular shipping, a 2-pound item only costs $9.88. Locally, you can send up to 11 pounds for less than a flat rate box.

 •Unknown to most, priority mail has the exact same delivery time as first class mail. They both provide 2-3 day delivery coast to coast. First class items are also significantly cheaper than priority mail. For example, it costs $3.77 to ship a 13 oz. parcel through first class mail and $5.25 for a legal flat rate envelope sent by priority mail.

 •Use extra services strategically. The USPS extra services are proof of mailing, proof of delivery, and protection in transit. Make sure to consider the full range of offerings and compare and contrast the costs of your options to get the best deals.

 •Utilize the accounting functions that are provided on mailing machines tab from Pitney Bowes. These accountability functions can help team members make more prudent decisions about how they spend.

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Fired

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Fired

Finding a career that is right for you can be a long and time-consuming task. Once you've found a good career fit, you certainly want to make sure your time at the company is long and successful. Experience is the best teacher, and you can learn from the mistakes of others. In this list of "10 Sure-fire Ways to Get Fired," you will find what NOT to do if you want to keep your new job.

1. Use email excessively for personal reasons. Most people have access to email through their company's systems. This is a luxury for some, particularly for those who do not have email at home. However, there's a good chance you company is not providing the email so you can keep in touch with your college friends. Email at work should be used just for that – work.

2. Commit other fatal email errors. Remember that email is completely track able. Businesses can monitor employee use, retrieve old messages, and figure out just what you have been sending, and to whom. Sending or receiving inappropriate materials, putting sensitive company information in email messages, gossiping about co-workers or company personnel electronically – these are errors that will get you a personal escort out the door. If you don't want your manager or others to see it, don't put it in an email.

3. Abuse the Internet. The Internet has become a major issue for U.S. business. A survey by the ePolicy Institute, the American Management Association and U.S. News & World Report found that 35 percent of companies have disciplined or terminated employees for visiting restricted or unauthorized Web sites. Think your company isn't tracking your Internet use? Think again. Leave your personal surfing at home.

4. Consistently show up late for work, and then make sure you leave early. Looking to send a message that you don't care about your position or your personal success? Arriving late and leaving early are two great ways to accomplish this. They tell your manager your dedication is lacking and are two things that will get you noticed, but not in a positive way.

5. Be disrespectful or politically incorrect in the workplace. Political correctness is a hot topic in today's modern workplace, and most companies have zero tolerance for offensive remarks and actions. If you've got a humdinger of a joke but it's just a bit offensive, it's best to leave it home and opt for a simple knock-knock.

6. Do the bare minimum – nothing more. So you complete your "to do" list every day, but do nothing more? Employees like this get passed over for promotions and place themselves on the top of the "dispensable" list. There will come a day when a new, enthusiastic over-achiever will come looking for your position. If you've done the bare minimum, chances are he or she will get it.

7. Consistently handle personal business at work. While most managers understand that personal business comes up from time to time during work hours, this business should be kept to a minimum. Acceptable personal business at work does not mean using company phones to call mom, dad, your friends, your softball team, or your stylist. Limit the amount of personal business you take care of from work, or you might have plenty of time on your hands to take care of it from home.

8. Use illegal substances or drink alcohol during the workday. This one sounds too obvious to mention, but drinking during the day or using illegal substances are two ways that will send you back to the job search market. There's no such thing as a "two martini lunch." Stick to non-alcoholic drinks during the workday, and save the rest for happy hour.

9. Treat the workplace like it's your own personal social club. It's great to make new friends at work and be involved in the company's social scene. However, making friends becomes a problem once you spend more time at other peoples' desks than you do at your own. If you'd like to continue to get to know your co-workers, keep a healthy balance in the workplace.

10. Blatantly look for other jobs. Think it's a good idea to fax your resume out from work and do phone interviews for other positions from your desk? Your manager will beg to differ. If the job you have taken is not right for you, look around discreetly and respectfully.

50 Ways to Manage Your Time

50 Ways to Manage Your Time

 

12 Top Time Savers

1. Reserve an hour each day. Close your door, turn off the phone and concentrate on priorities. It's amazing what you can accomplish in one uninterrupted hour.

2. Write it down. Making a master list of everything you need to do will de-clutter your mind and reduce your stress level. Each day, move a few of these items to your daily to-do list.

3. Keep a running list of errands to do. Group them together by location and do everything at once.

4. Delegate! Taking the time to teach someone else to complete a task for you will ultimately free up your time for more important things. For one week, analyze each thing you must do and ask you, am I the person who must do this or should I find someone else to do it.

5. Develop forms. Is there a sales letter that you write every week? Make a master on the computer. Think about things you do daily and ask yourself if there is a way to standardize them.

6. Make a list of things you can do in five minutes or less. (Examples: write a note to a friend, straighten a drawer, and make a quick phone call) The next time you have a few minutes to spare, choose something from your list to do.

7. Prioritize, Prioritize! It is better to accomplish three very important projects in a day than it is to finish 20 low priority tasks. Think about this as you plan your days.

8. Stock up on supplies. Keep the basics such as stamps, envelopes, notepads and favorite pens in your desk and ready to go. Buy in bulk to save money and time.

9. Keep a reading file. Place in it, letters, memos, reports, newspaper articles (cut out from the paper), magazine articles (removed from the magazine), etc. When you are stuck in traffic or sitting in a doctor's office, pull out your file and read something meaningful to pass the time.

10. Do like tasks together. Make all your phone calls together. Run all your errands during lunch hour one day per week. Write thank you cards to customers once a week. Have a daily, 15-minute meeting with your assistant.

11. Reduce interruptions. Have everyone in the company learn and use these time-saving tips. Some businesspeople put a flag on their door or their cubicle when they are not to be interrupted.

12. Get organized! You can save an hour per day by de-cluttering and organizing your desk, your files and your paperwork.

Organize Your Desk in 8 Steps

13. Start at the beginning. Remove everything from your desktop. Put back only the necessities and keep a large clean space for current projects. What are the necessities? Phone, notepad, calendar, step file organizer, current project. Keep the cutesy items in sight but off your desk.

14. Place your phone. Place your phone on the left side of desk if you are right handed and on the right if you are left handed.

15. Keep a spiral notebook by the phone for messages. Start with the date each day. By doing this, you will have reference info when you need it.

16. Keep or delete? If you use something every day leave it in your desk; if you use something once a week, you should be able to reach it from your chair; if you use something once a month keep it in your office or work area. If you use something less than once a month, keep it elsewhere.

17. Look for ways to daily improve your life.

18. Keep your office supplies in one drawer. Keep only the supplies you use frequently in your desk. Do you really need 25 pens and 15 packages of salt?

19. Sort through your desk files. Keep only personal files and files that you refer to weekly in your desk drawers.

20. Look around. End each day (or at least each week) by tidying up your desk and returning everything to its place. (Yes, everything should have a place.)

Dealing with Paper Overload

21. Read with a highlighter in hand. Highlight any actions required (due dates, appointments, etc.) or important information as you read your mail, reports, and articles.

22. Keep a file of quick tasks – catalogs to review, short articles to read, forms to sign – and take care of them while you wait for something to print or a meeting to begin.

23. Sort through large paper piles efficiently. Sort them: priority mail, junk mail, magazines, bills, etc. before acting on any of it.

24. Deal with paper as you receive it. On an everyday basis, go through your mail, in-box, e-mail, etc. and sort into the following files: trash/delete, to do, to file, to read and to delegate/refer.

25. Establish a place just for paperwork. Keep it accessible and free of clutter.

26. Make a holding file. Use it to store information when you are awaiting follow- up from someone. If you need to follow-up with someone, mark the follow-up date and name in your calendar with an (H) after it.

27. Schedule a certain amount of time everyday. To keep up with your ever-growing paper piles, set a time each day, without interruptions, to process.

28. Use a master list. Get rid of those small slips of paper and sticky notes that accumulate on your desk, in your car, on your computer, and add all information to your master list. Review it daily.

29. Think about it. As you go through your day, really think about the way you do things and ask yourself if there is a better way.

30. Utilize lists. Keep running lists in your planner or in a notebook of the following: gift ideas, i.d. numbers, books to read, clothing needs, web sites to review, general ideas, etc.

Filing Pointers

31. Make a list of your current file headings. Can you delete or combine any? If a file is over 2" thick, break it down into sub-headings.

32. Start each file heading with a noun. E.g., not "house insurance" but "insurance - house."

33. Think about where you would look to find a certain piece of paper. That should be its file heading.

34. Keep an alphabetized list of all your file folders. Attach it to your filing cabinet for easy reference.

35. Buy a step file organizer for your desk top. In it, place files labeled "to do," "to file," "to read," etc. Other options include: "e-mail to send," "to enter (computer)," and reference files for associates, employees, spouse.

36. Keep any current project or work in progress in your standing vertical file. Out of sight many times means out of mind.

37. Treat your computer files (especially e-mails) like paper files. Delete if possible or separate into "folders."

38. Remember this rule: The important part is not how you file but being able to find what you want when you want it.

Managing at Home

39. Make a phone binder at home. Include in it: phone numbers, emergency information, schedules and take-out menus. Keep it by the phone.

40. Take some time out on Sunday. Make sure everyone in the family has five clean, pressed outfits for the week ahead. This will save many headaches during the week.

41. Make a menu once a week. Then make a grocery list and go through your coupons. Go to the grocery store at an off-peak hour.

42. Make each family member responsible. Have everyone put away their own clothes and belongings each night. Even a toddler can throw clothing in a hamper and help clean up toys.

43. Store items where they will be used. Keep one extra set of sheets in each bedroom. Buy a pair of scissors for each room.

44. Buy work clothing in 3 or 4 colors only. Almost everything will go together and you'll feel less stress when dressing. You can still be colorful on the weekends.

45. Make a gift wrap center. Buy a large, clear plastic container and fill it with wrapping paper, scissors, tape and ribbon. Keep it stocked.

46. Make a commitment. Take a walk for five minutes today and every day. You'll find that it is a great tension reliever and many times, you won't stop after five minutes.

47. Make a bill paying center. Buy a clean plastic shoe box and place in it your checkbook, a pen, address stamper, envelopes and stamps. Throw in bills as they arrive.

48. Buy a small hook today. Screw it into the wall next to your door at home. Always place your keys on it when entering.

49. Don't be afraid to get rid of things. If you don't love it or it's not useful on a regular basis, why keep it?

50. Keep your clutter if you love it-- just find ways to work around it so you can still be organized, productive and efficient.

Ten Tips for Successful Negotiating

Ten Tips for Successful Negotiating

The ability to negotiate successfully is crucial for survival in today's changing business world. Negotiation is fun if you know what you're doing. So for all you busy execs, here are Ten Tips for Successful Negotiating:

1. Develop "negotiation consciousness."

Successful negotiators are assertive and challenge everything. They know that everything is negotiable.

"Challenge" means not taking things at face value. It means thinking for yourself. You must be able to make up your own mind; as opposed to believing everything you are told. On a practical level, this means you have the right to question the asking price of that new car. It also means you have an obligation to question everything you read in the newspaper or hear on CNN. You cannot negotiate unless you are willing to challenge the validity of the opposing position.

Being assertive means asking for what you want and refusing to take "no" for an answer. Practice expressing your feelings without anxiety or anger. Let people know what you want in a non-threatening way. Practice "I" statements. For example, instead of saying, "You shouldn't do that," try substituting, "I don't feel comfortable when you do that."

Note that there is a difference between being assertive and being aggressive. You are assertive when you take care of your own interests while maintaining respect for the interests of others. When you see to your own interests with a lack of regard for other people's interests, you are aggressive. Being assertive is part of negotiation consciousness.

2. Become a good listener.

Negotiators are detectives. They ask probing questions and then shut up. The other negotiator will tell you everything you need to know -- all you have to do is listen. Many conflicts can be resolved easily if we learn how to listen. The catch is that listening is the forgotten art. We are so busy making sure that people hear what we have to say that we forget to listen.

You can become an effective listener by allowing the other person to do most of the talking. Follow the 70/30 Rule -- listen 70% of the time, and talk only 30% of the time. Encourage the other negotiator to talk by asking lots of open-ended questions -- questions that can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no."

3. Be prepared.

The Boy (and Girl) Scouts were right. Gather as much pertinent information prior to the negotiation. What are their needs? What pressures do they feel? What options do they have? Doing your homework is vital to successful negotiation.

4. Aim high.

People who aim higher do better. If you expect more, you'll get more. Successful negotiators are optimists. A proven strategy for achieving higher results is opening with an extreme position. Sellers should ask for more than they expect to receive, and buyers should offer less than they are prepared to pay.

5. Be patient.

This is very difficult for Americans. We want to get it over with. Whoever is more flexible about time has the advantage. Your patience can be devastating to the other negotiator if they are in a hurry.

6. Focus on satisfaction.

Help the other negotiator feel satisfied. Satisfaction means that their basic interests have been fulfilled. Don't confuse basic interests with positions: Their position is what they say they want; their basic interest is what they really need to get.

7. Don't make the first move.

The best way to find out if the other negotiator's aspirations are low is to induce them to open first. They may ask for less than you think. If you open first, you may give away more than is necessary.

8. Don't accept the first offer.

If you do, the other negotiator will think they could have done better. (It was too easy.) They will be more satisfied if you reject the first offer -- because when you eventually say "yes," they will conclude that they have pushed you to your limit.

9. Don't make unilateral concessions.

Whenever you give something away, get something in return. Always tie a string: "I'll do this if you do that." Otherwise you are inviting the other negotiator to ask you for more.

10. Always be willing to walk away!

Never negotiate without options. If you depend too much on the positive outcome of a negotiation, you lose your ability to say "no." Clients often ask me, "if you could give me one piece of advice about negotiating, what would it be?" the answer, without hesitation, is: "Always be willing to walk away."

You can go pretty far with these basic ideas.

Secrets of Successful Office Managers

SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL OFFICE MANAGERS

Office managers are a special breed. They possess a job title that's difficult to define, with a myriad of responsibilities that vary from office manager to office manager. If there's any consistency in the position, it's that they're typically multitaskers and the "go to" people in the office. They're the people that know where the bodies are buried. They know what to do when incoming phone lines are ringing like crazy or whom to call when the copier is out of toner or when the cleaning service didn't show up the night before.

Indeed, a job description for the average office manager might state that he or she does just about everything and with enthusiasm. That pretty much describes office manager Lynn Greenwade's role at Aguirre Corp. in Dallas, Texas. "I would even clean the toilets if that's what was needed," says Greenwade. "I don't feel that anything is beneath me." And because of that attitude, she's given many more important responsibilities as well. "My job description is 'Lynn will do it,'" laughs Greenwade.

Greenwade also recognizes that she's part of a team. "I do everything that it takes for people to do their jobs seamlessly," says Greenwade. "They should never notice, as far as I'm concerned, what I do, unless they have a problem."

The business of communicating

Office managers require superior communication skills. "Communication is paramount over anything," opines April Tryck, office manager for Personal Growth Systems in Anchorage, Alaska. But, Tryck maintains, communication works both ways. "If you don't quite understand the entire assignment-and don't want to admit that you don't know-don't keep doing it," advises Tryck. "It's much better to go back and ask, 'Could you please clarify this?'"

Greenwade adds that explaining to your team why you're doing things a certain way helps you get buy-in from the team. "If you're working on a project, it certainly helps to get their buy-in and input on it," adds office manager Sherry Dalton with Johnson Controls in Milwaukee, Wis., "because, they'll support it when it's time to implement it and measure the results." Plus, getting input from other team members will allow others to see particular dilemmas you're experiencing in a new light and could introduce new and more efficient solutions.

An office manager must also have excellent written communication skills. When you send memos and e-mails, there are clearly two types of people who will receive them: those who will read them and those who won't, says Lizi Hagan, an office manager with Spotlight Productions in Louisville, Ky. She uses the "short message and long reason" approach to get her point across. "There are people who care about the reasons why you are sending a memo and those who won't get past the first two lines," explains Hagan. "I divide my e-mails into the short message, 'Please turn out the lights when you go home,' and the long reason, explaining why, how much we pay and how [keeping the lights off] helps us. So, the people who will only read the first sentence get what they need, and the people that care can read the rest."

The ability to communicate information about a new policy, report, or office equipment simply, succinctly, and tactfully so as not to demean anyone is also a necessary skill. "Giving them information-the big picture-in terms they can understand is important," says Dalton. When team members didn't understand some of the financial terms discussed in a meeting about financial statements, Dalton tried a different approach. "I borrowed a presentation that substituted elements of their home checkbooks in place of business terms," explains Dalton. "That helped them understand the financial statements so that when they heard the different terms come up around the office, they knew what they meant."

Visual aids are helpful for communicating specifics in numbers, costs, and directions on how to do something. "We have these all-in-one machines, and it is intimidating to walk up to this big copier and make it fax," explains Hagan. "So, I wrote short, specific, step-by-step directions on how to do it. I even illustrated which button to push and posted [the directions] above the machine. But still people were intimidated." Hagan finally got her co-workers to use the directions by saying, "You know, I've written these directions, and I wish you would help me see if they're any good. Walk through them step by step, and if there's some place that doesn't make sense, tell me, and then I'll change the directions."

It's one thing to know what needs to be done, by when, and by whom. It's completely another feat to actually make it happen. To get their teams to respond, successful office managers must do more than just communicate a point. They must show team members the value of participating. Showing co-workers and team members their role on a project encourages creativity and productivity. "Show them their value in that strategic action item," notes Dalton. "Once they can see their value in the organization, then I've got lights going on in people's heads. They are excited and motivated about what they will do and about the results that I will share with them."

Dalton says that this can be done first and foremost in group meetings or in private meetings with individuals using reports and progress graphs to chart the project's advancement. Also, for high-priority projects, a note dead center on a keyboard is a perfect way to catch a team member's attention.

"When things get busy, keep everybody on one specified task," observes Hagan. "This will keep your team focused on working and not discussing the amount of work."

Attitude goes a long way toward this goal: If you put out a helpful, positive attitude, this is what your team will give you back.

Buying time

Buying supplies can also be a tricky business. Although some office managers are influenced by brand, others tend to buy on price. The best option might be somewhere in between.

Tryck sticks with quality, "If something is top-of-the-line, I know it will last a long time."

Raising children and buying supplies for her home has helped Greenwade bargain shop. "You learn to be firm on price," she says. "Always ask for what you want on service, negotiate and be specific. Take lots of notes when you are talking with new (or old) suppliers. And, make spreadsheets to compare their prices-or ask them to do it."

She also recommends being loyal to good suppliers because they just might return the favor. "Everyone loves to be praised, and asking to be a reference for a company could keep you in their good pricing graces," maintains Greenwade. But often suppliers have to earn Greenwade's business. And sometimes it's the little things that make the difference. "One courier service wanted our business so badly that the rep sat down with my 'Paid' folder and went through six months of records, comparing delivery-by-delivery what [his company] would have charged with what we actually paid," explains Greenwade. "He got my business too."

Greenwade suggests that you compare your suppliers' prices every year or two to keep them on their toes. "If you show them you can get a better deal someplace else, they will do what they can to keep you."

Also, consolidate where you can. "We lease copiers and fax machines, and when I took over, we had four different brands. Now, they are all from one company and much more manageable," Greenwade notes.

Easing the tension through laughter

Offices are like families. They get cranky. Successful office managers who stay positive and genuine in these situations can help matters tremendously. Dealing with a heated situation with a smile can translate the bad energy into something positive and give a manager an edge as a mediator.

"Some years ago, I worked in an office with engineers who all knew I had a teaching background," recalls Hagan. "One day, two engineers were screaming at each other in the middle of the office, and nobody seemed to be doing anything about it. They were just sitting there with their mouths open, watching. So, I walked right up between them, and I looked at them with my best teacher look, and I said, 'If you don't stop this, you're not going out to recess!' It broke the tension, and they realized, yes, they were acting like children."

Power of positive thinking

Successful office managers also have a positive attitude. "You have to dress for success, which also includes dressing your attitude for the day," says Dalton. "You must be positive almost 100 percent of the time."

"If you want to be a good office manager, you must be flexible, roll with the punches, and do almost anything," says Greenwade. "When I interviewed candidates for an administrative assistant position last year, I told every candidate, 'You may be asked to take coffee into a meeting. But that doesn't mean that we think of you as the coffee [gofer].'"

Adds Greenwade, "Whomever I hire here, I am hiring for [his] brain. [That person] might be asked to review a proposal before it goes out to a client. So, [he's] an important part of this group."

Dealing with stress

It takes a special person to multitask at the speed of sound, and taking time to catch your breath at work and outside of work is essential. "Chances are I'll get a five-second break if I give myself that," says Tryck. "When I'm stressed, I take a walk to cool down or do some neck stretches, but I don't ignore my stress."

She maintains that scented candles or an occasional piece of chocolate might give her the break she needs. Most of all, she tries to leave her work at work when she goes home at the end of the day. "That's easy to say, but if I want an ounce of lucidness left for Friday, it's therapeutic," says Tryck, who concedes it's not always easy to forget about work. "When I go home and I'm still thinking about work, I have to remind myself that I'm not at work anymore and I'm not getting paid right now. That usually works for me."

Ten Tips for Better Business Writing

TEN TIPS FOR BETTER BUSINESS WRITING

Where once Medieval monks toiled for a lifetime over handwritten manuscripts, today's electronic technology allows us to zap our words around the globe in seconds, but it hasn't made us better writers. Arguably, the opposite has occurred. In deference to speed, our writing has often become increasingly terse and sloppy as we sacrifice quality to communicate faster.

Clear, effective business writing not only reads well, it's also good for one's business and career. Managers routinely turn down job candidates whose resumes and cover letters contain mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Likewise, supervisors can use such mistakes to weed out candidates for promotions.

The best rationale for good writing falls under the heading of common sense. People won't respond to communications they don't understand. One of the master keys to success in any line of work is the ability to convey your ideas effectively to others, be they team members, superiors, or customers. You may have the greatest idea in the history of modern thought, but unless you can bring it beyond the confines of your own mind, it isn't worth much.

In the interest of improving written communication, try the following tips next time you write a business letter, memo, proposal, or other document. You will be able to send it with confidence, knowing your message will be better understood, because good writing makes for good business.

1. Know your purpose - Before you put down the first word, you need to know what you are writing about. This is a twofold question in that you not only need to know your subject matter; you also need to understand why you are writing. Do you intend to inform the reader, persuade him or her to accept your point of view, elicit a desired action by the reader, or some combination thereof? Keeping in mind the reason you are writing helps keep you focused and concise while avoiding the temptation to wander off topic.

Sherry Roberts, a Greensboro, N.C.-based writer who offers seminars on improving business writing, suggests beginning any written piece with a one-line synopsis of the main point you wish to convey, not unlike the one-line descriptions of movies found in TV Guide. Use the synopsis as a focus point as you write.

"Your one-line synopsis is a grain of sand; it will help you begin. Large projects can be built from it, but the grain of sand itself is neither overwhelming nor intimidating," Roberts writes in the companion booklet to her seminar. "As you write, reread your one-line reminder. It will keep you grounded, focused, and on target. Know what you want before you begin to write, and the writing will come more easily."

2. Know your audience - Understanding your readers' needs and expectations will help you craft your written work to better meet those needs and expectations. If you are writing a report to insiders with whom you share detailed knowledge of the business task at hand, you can safely skip lengthy background information and use specialized jargon without having to stop and define it.

On the other hand, if you are writing a proposal for outside investors, who may not understand all the nuances of your industry, use patience in explaining potentially unfamiliar terms and processes.

3. Be a reporter - The old news reporters' style of telling the who, what, where, and why makes good sense for business writing. "The chief financial officer (who) reports sales of widgets are up 20 percent (what) in the North American market (where), thanks in part to several large orders from defense contractor General Doohickey Corp.(why). Make sure you cover these basics to ensure you haven't left out anything important.

4. Keep it concise - Regardless of what you may have been taught in school, writing more doesn't necessarily equate to writing better- especially in a business environment, where time is precious. When you send someone a written communication-be it a memo, a proposal, or an annual report-you are asking them to invest time reading the document and mentally digesting its contents. Because the reader usually has many other pressing matters, make things easy by minimizing excess verbiage and organizing information in an accessible manner. Following the list below can help keep your writing concise.

o Avoid long, convoluted sentences - keep it simple and direct.

o Provide a summary for long documents.

o Use bullet lists to express multiple ideas with minimal verbiage.

o Avoid redundancy.

o Be direct-don't wander off topic or bury your most important points under unnecessary verbiage.

5. Keep it simple - The importance of simplicity cannot be overstated. We learn in school to make our writing sound sophisticated by using complex sentence structures and big, fancy words, but in business writing, these characteristics only make writing harder to understand. For best results, use simple, direct sentence structures and plain, unambiguous words.

6. Use active voice - Passive voice, telling what happened, but not who did it, is one of the most easily overcome pitfalls to good writing. By using active voice, telling not only the action but also the actor, you provide more information for your reader and give your message a more authoritative tone.

Writing "Our team closed the deal Thursday" makes a stronger statement than "The deal was closed Thursday" because it places the emphasis on who closed the deal, instead of that the deal was closed.

7. Don't offend - Political correctness may seem a nuisance, but a major part of knowing the needs and expectations of your readers is being aware of their sensibilities. Avoid language that could be interpreted as a slight against a particular gender, ethnic group, or other segment of the population.

Some of the most difficult bad habits to break involve gender, as many devices commonly used in business writing show an outdated gender bias. Many women in the workplace, for instance, take offense at receiving a business letter that opens with the salutation "Dear Gentlemen." Likewise, many of us learned in school to use masculine personal pronouns (he, him, his) in situations where a gender is not specified. Today, this practice receives an almost universal thumbs down. Although some writers move to the opposite extreme by using the feminine pronouns (she, her, hers) in an inclusive manner, the more acceptable practice is to be truly inclusive by using both (he or she, him or her) or circumvent the issue by using a plural. Instead of saying "each employee must wear his or her ID badge," it is better to say "all employees must wear their ID badges."

8. Be consistent - There is more than one way to construct a grammatically correct sentence. Take, for instance, the issue of serial commas. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests using them (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), while the Associated Press Stylebook recommends avoiding them (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young). Likewise, whether you write a phone number as (123) 456-7890 or 123-456-7890 is largely a matter of taste.

Unless your organization uses a specific style manual for its written communications, the most important thing is to remain consistent, both within a particular document, and from document to document.

9. Don't depend on spell check alone - Sure, your word processor's spell checker is good for finding misspelled words, but we all know it's not perfect, especially if your typo happens to be a word in its own right, such as typing "fro" instead of "for." Always supplement an electronic spell check with good old-fashioned eyeballing. Even better, find a co-worker who is willing to give it a once over before you turn it in. It may even be to your mutual advantage to agree to check each other's work as a matter of course.

10. Don't just write - rewrite! - Revision is a necessity in good writing. Written work seldom, if ever, reaches its complete, final, and polished form in a single draft. Revising a document-usually more than once-allows an opportunity for making major and minor fixes to improve the message. Fortunately, modern word processors make the task of revision quick and painless.

A three-draft method works well for creating well-polished documents. When working on each draft, focus on a specific set of tasks. The first (rough) draft is for setting the ideas in place, more or less as you need them to appear in the final version. The second (content review) draft is for refining those ideas, adding missing points, deleting superfluous items, and sequencing the result for a logical and comprehensible flow. The third and final (proofreading) draft is for addressing mechanical issues such as spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. While it is fine to fix a misspelled word or misplaced punctuation mark on the first or second draft, or shift a couple of sentences around in the third draft, it is best to focus on editing tasks specific to that draft.