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Important notes 4
Electronic Mail
The capacity to send correspondence from one computer to another has transformed communication within many offices. Electronic mail can be sent using a facsimile (fax) machine or as email via computer.
Organisations will have procedures for sending and receiving electronic communications; employees should know how often email and fax machines should be checked and how messages are delivered to the correct recipient.
Facsimile
Facsimile provides an easy and quick method of sending written or graphical information. It is important to
- use a cover sheet to provide clear details of both sender and receiver; use just the cover sheet when writing short messages
- check that all the required information is attached
- indicate, on the cover sheet, the number of pages being sent
- make sure that the correct number of pages is transmitted.
Email is utilised both internally (for memos, reminders, reports, telephone messages etc between personnel) and externally (correspondence and communication from outside the organisation).
The main advantages of electronic mail are its speed and cost effectiveness. The same email can be sent to a wide range of destinations with the one transmission, both within Australia and overseas. There is no need to go to the Post Office. Attachments (other files) can be ‘attached’ and sent with the message.
Disadvantages include security problems (despite the need for password access), accidental deletion and email being transmitted on to other (unauthorised) people. It is not wise to send confidential information in an email message.
Electronic address books are used for addresses of people regularly sent mail, and are stored within the email system or in a separate database. These need to be regularly maintained to prevent email going astray or recipients being left off a mailing list. Old records should be regularly deleted, new records added and information corrected or updated as necessary. Remember – a full stop in the wrong place can prevent email messages arriving.
Email addresses contain both the user’s name and a domain name (the name of the Internet Service Provider or the name of the company or organisation).
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For example s.claus@northpoleindustries.com
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s.claus
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@
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northpoleindustries
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.com
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user’s name
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at
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domain name
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type of organisation
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Types of organisations include gov (government), edu (academic), org (miscellaneous organisation) and com (commercial company).
Also watch out for country codes eg au (Australia), nz (New Zealand) uk (United Kingdom) etc. If there is no country code, it usually means the address is in the USA.
Emails should be carefully checked for the following before sending.
- Is the address correct?
- Does the message have a meaningful title?
- Is the body of the message clear and concise; are details accurate?
- Does the email include a signature block – the name, title, organisation, address and phone contact details of the sender?
- Is the email message a manageable size?
- Are necessary files attached to the email message?
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Will the message and attachment negotiate the Internet
Service Provider (ISP) gateway?
- Can the attached files be compressed to make them smaller?
- Should files be sent separately to reduce time?
- Can the attachment/s be opened by the receiver?
- Watch out for large files eg large documents or self-executable (.exe) files.
- Has a record of outgoing email been kept?
- Has the email been sent within the designated time?
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