The document provides guidance for learners on understanding business administration topics related to mail handling, reception services, and diary management. It includes explanations of key criteria for each learning outcome, such as describing how to deal with junk mail, explain a receptionist's role, and prioritizing diary bookings and changes. The guidance notes also reference additional online resources for further information on topics like health and safety implications of visitors, and problems that can occur when managing diaries. Learners are reminded that the unit must be completed within two weeks.

1. NCFE Principles of Business
Administration
Level 2 Certificate
Waterside
Tutor: Michelle Walsh
mwalsh@accross.ac.uk
01254 354413

2. Induction
 Fire evacuation
 Toilets
 Smoking
 Phone calls / appointments
 Commitment = 70%
 Absences – To be reported
 Brews – 25p per session
 Questions?

3. Learning objectives
Unit 61 Understand how to deal with mail
 The learner can:
 1.1 Explain how to deal with ‘junk’ mail
 1.2 Describe what to do in the event of problems arising when dealing with incoming or outgoing mail
 1.3 Describe how to operate a franking machine
 1.4 Explain how to prepare packages for distribution
 1.5 State organisational policies and procedures on mail handling, security and the use of courier services
 1.6 Explain the process for reporting suspicious or damaged items in accordance with organisational
procedures
2 Understand reception services
 The learner can:
 2.1 Explain the receptionist’s role in representing an organisation
 2.2 Explain an organisation’s structure and lines of communication
 2.3 Describe an organisation’s standards of presentation
 2.4 Explain the health, safety and security implications of visitors to a building
 2.5 Explain how to deal with challenging people
3 Understand the management of diary systems
 The learner can:
 3.1 Explain the importance of keeping diary systems up to date
 3.2 Describe the basis on which bookings and changes are prioritised
 3.3 Explain any constraints relating to making bookings for people or facilities
 3.4 Describe the types of problems that can occur when managing diaries

4. 2 week deadine for this
unit
We’ll work through half of the criteria today

5. Unit 6 – LO 1 Guidance

6. AC 1.1
See if suitable for staff, if not then recycle
Ask all staff to order personal goods home instead of work
Request other businesses and organisations you trade with not to sell on details of the
business
Return to sender
 If you get junk mail with a return address on the envelope, you should: Write “unsolicited mail,
return to sender” on the envelope. Post it - you don’t have to pay. This won’t guarantee that
you won’t get any more junk mail, but it’s a way of letting the company know that you don’t
want any more mail.
Register with the ‘Your Choice’ scheme
 Registering with the Direct Marketing Association’s ‘Your Choice’ scheme will help reduce the
amount of marketing junk mail you get. Contact DMA and ask them to send you an opt out
form.
 Direct Marketing Association
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
Phone: 020 7291 3300
yourchoice@dma.org.uk
You’ll start getting less junk mail in about 12 weeks.
Contact Royal Mail
 You can tell Royal Mail to stop to delivering junk mail to your address. You need to download
this form from the royal mail website (pdf). Fill it in and send it to the address on the form.

7. AC 1.2
Potential problems:
Deadlines missed, appointments missed – Ensure
post is sorted quickly and efficiently by getting it to
the right person
Security issues, damage – Items are checked at
reception
Mail delivered to wrong address – Put back through
the post or use return to sender

8. AC 1.3
 Franking Machine
Machine provides labels which include, date, price, return address and company logo. Correct
amount of postage is checked by weighing items and selecting the size of package… letter, large
letter, parcel and so on and also whether you want it sending first or second class. This is in line
with Royal Mail current rates.
Second class post is placed into a green bag and first class is placed into a red bag, both are
which supplied by the Royal Mail.
You need to make sure there is sufficient credit on the franking machine or items won’t be franked
– Balance is shown on the bottom of the screen. The company would keep a copy of when it was
last credited and who by. There may be someone appointed for this as it can be credited at the
machine itself
http://www.frankingmachine.co.uk/faq/

9. AC 1.4
Once packages/letters have been franked and put in appropriate
bags
Courier/Royal mail will collect from reception
Packages are usually in envelopes or wrapped in appropriate
packaging by the staff who are sending them out
Sometimes a postage certificate is needed so this will be
completed and then signed by the courier who collects them mail.

10. AC 1.5
Security of items – Confidential data, delivered to named staff via
pigeon holes to be opened by the member of staff themselves
If no name then administrators to open
Outgoing mail is sent via trusted courier, appropriately packaged

11. AC 1.6
 Suspicious or damaged items
 Record date and time of receipt
 Report to appropriate authority – usually
line manager first
 Do not open – Can sometimes tell by
uneven packaging, discolouring, odour

12. 15 MINS

13. Unit 6 – LO 2 Guidance

14. 2.1
As a receptionist, your day-to-day work would include:
 greeting visitors and directing them to the correct
person or department
 managing the visitors book and giving out security
passes
 answering enquiries in person, by phone and on
email
 providing or sending out information
 managing a booking system
 providing refreshments
 keeping the reception area tidy
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/plan
ning/jobprofiles/Pages/receptionist.aspx#sthash.mhGKc
AMH.dpuf

15. AC 2.2
This depends on the size of company
Think flat stucture or hierarchy – Chains of command
organisation’s structure to include the departments and
contact points for referral
To make communication timely and effective
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/structure-lines-
communication-organization-73425.html

16. AC 2.3
 Think about the company themselves
 How they meet expectations
 Reputation
 Staff

17. AC 2.4
Employer duty – Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
Fire register – Sign in/out
Dependant on business – ID card
Prevent unauthorised access
Data protection - Records
 http://www.theiet.org/factfiles/health/hsb56-page.cfm
 http://www.contentextra.com/publicrelations/files/topic
guides/PR_TopicGuide_1_2.pdf

18. AC 2.5
 challenging people should cover those who have
difficult queries who require specific assistance.
Challenging people could also include those who
may be angry, unreasonable, confused and/or
those who may have problems, questions,
additional needs/requirements, poor
communication skills or language barriers
 Think about what you would do to overcome this –
Your tone, body language, words, actions
 http://quals.onefile.co.uk/pdf/unit/NHC_027.pdf

19. Unit 6 – LO 3 Guidance

20. AC 3.1
 A diary which is not kept completely up to date will
have all sorts of confusion. It will make people
lose confidence and becomes time wasting.
 People turn up when not needed
 Not able to fit other appointments in
 Change of venue/time
 http://hubpages.com/business/Diary-Management-
NVQ-Level-3-Diploma-in-Business-and-
Administration

21. AC 3.2
Prioritised:
 urgent and important
 non-urgent but important
 urgent but not important
 non-urgent and not important
http://hubpages.com/business/Diary-Management-
NVQ-Level-3-Diploma-in-Business-and-
Administration

22. AC 3.3
 Constraints:
 availability of room(s)
 costs involved
 availability of attendees

23. AC 3.4
 Potential problems – Overlapping appointments
 Lack in communication
 Not confirming
 Updating
 http://hubpages.com/business/Diary-Management-
NVQ-Level-3-Diploma-in-Business-and-
Administration

24. Learning outcomes – Unit 6
DID YOU……?
1 Understand how to deal with mail
The learner can:
 1.1 Explain how to deal with ‘junk’ mail
 1.2 Describe what to do in the event of problems arising when dealing with incoming or outgoing mail
 1.3 Describe how to operate a franking machine
 1.4 Explain how to prepare packages for distribution
 1.5 State organisational policies and procedures on mail handling, security and the use of courier
services
 1.6 Explain the process for reporting suspicious or damaged items in accordance with organisational
procedures
2 Understand reception services
The learner can:
 2.1 Explain the receptionist’s role in representing an organisation
 2.2 Explain an organisation’s structure and lines of communication
 2.3 Describe an organisation’s standards of presentation
 2.4 Explain the health, safety and security implications of visitors to a building
 2.5 Explain how to deal with challenging people
3 Understand the management of diary systems
The learner can:
 3.1 Explain the importance of keeping diary systems up to date
 3.2 Describe the basis on which bookings and changes are prioritised
 3.3 Explain any constraints relating to making bookings for people or facilities
 3.4 Describe the types of problems that can occur when managing diaries

25. Any questions?

26. See you next week
You need to make a start on;
Unit 06