[e.g. This department provides a support role to other departments and deals with the day supply of resources and facilities to the office/factory/workshop ..]

Critical to the success of our system is:

What critical success factors have you identified to ensure a smooth system

[e.g. well trained and friendly front of counter staff]
[e.g. good control system for ordering of supplies]

Reception (our public face)

Purpose

To standardise reception processes to ensure thoroughness, consistency and efficiency coupled with excellent customer relationships.

Procedure

Daily duties

Refer to Receptionist Position Description for full details.

Answer Telephones
Collect Mail and sort and allocate
Receipt of Cash
Typing of professional documents
Faxing
Photocopying
Stock Inventory
Meet and Greet customers at counter
Prepare Tax Invoices for commissions on Sales
Drinks/hospitality for customers
Banking
Petty Cash
Clean Amenities
add more..

General duties

All faxes must go on [enter-your-company-name-here] Cover Sheet

Privacy issues are paramount. Never provide information regarding staff, Customers by telephone, in person or in writing.

NEVER provide personal contact details of any sort to anyone.

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Meeting Schedule

Purpose

Hold regular management meetings that check that the Management System is effective, and which discuss areas for improvement.

MEETINGS

(Provide in this section a schedule of standard company meetings – the example below is a schedule of meetings in a real estate office)

Meeting type	Frequency	Agenda
Sales meeting Chaired by [] Attended by [] Minutes by []	Each Monday at []	Weekly Sales Report Stock inventory Leads to sales ratio
Factory meeting Chaired by [] Attended by [] Minutes by []	Each Wednesday at []	Safety issues Production
Quality management meeting Chaired by [] Attended by [] Minutes by []	First Monday of every month	Production issues Delays

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REVIEW MEETING

To be held at least every six months, to review the effectiveness of the management system as a whole. Other management meetings and other activities such as internal audits, look at the effectiveness of specific areas of the management system.

Review inputs can include:

Results from internal audits
Results from external audits
Supplier, customer and client feedback
Industry feedback
Production and efficiency data
Nonconformance trends
Corrective and preventive actions
Improvements to specific systems eg, software, inventory, training, reporting, etc
appropriateness of policy statements

Review outcomes can include:

Improvements to procedures, forms and work instructions
Improved Customer and Client service/value adding
Improved resource planning and management
Improved communication systems

FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS

Promptly address actions on minutes and action lists, and sign off actions when closed.

Greeting Telephone Callers

Purpose

In this procedure, the Receptionist greets a telephone caller and helps them to transact their business in the office. This procedure starts when the customer telephones the office.

It ends when the Receptionist has finished the transaction or has successfully handed the customer over to another Staff Member.

Note: Any Staff Member answering a telephone call has the role of Receptionist.

Scope

This procedure applies to all telephone callers.

Background

All visitors, including sales customers, landlords, tenants, suppliers and competing agents, will judge our firm by the telephone reception they receive. They will then, at some stage, pass on this initial impression to their friends and associates.

The company partly builds its reputation on how it treats its telephone callers.

Failure to return telephone calls is a very fast way to make people see you as unprofessional.

Procedure and Rules

Mood of telephone calls

Conduct all telephone calls with an atmosphere of:
Warmth and friendliness
Patience and good humour
Interest or enthusiasm (not apathy, artificial friendliness or resentment)

Incoming telephone calls

Answer the telephone within three rings.
Use the words:
“Welcome to <company name>. <your first name> speaking. How can I help you”
If the call is for a specific person or role, transfer the call immediately.
If nobody appropriate is available to take the call, record:
Caller’s name
Caller’s contact phone number
(If a property is involved) Property address
Person or role they want to speak with
(If they want to be called back) Suitable time to call back
Message or reason for call
Time and date of call.
Contact the person called and relay the message.
Deliver the written message to the person called by placing it on their desk and then confirm with the person called that they received the message.
If you can’t get the message through to the person, ask a fellow team member or manager to follow up the call.

Returning telephone calls

Return all telephone calls on the same business day or within 24 hours at the latest.
If you know that you will not be able to return a call in that time, ask another Staff Member to call, apologise and say when you will be available.

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Greeting Visitors to the Office

Purpose

In this procedure, the Receptionist greets a visitor and helps them to transact their business in the office. This procedure starts when the visitor comes into the office. It ends when the Receptionist has finished the transaction or has handed the visitor over to another Staff Member.

Note: Any Staff Member greeting a visitor has the role of Receptionist.

Scope

This procedure applies to all visitors to the office.

Background

All visitors to the office, including customers, suppliers and the general public will judge our company by the reception they receive. They will then, at some stage, pass on this initial impression to their friends and associates. The company partly builds its reputation on how it treats visitors to its office.

No matter who enters the office, it is essential to immediately and courteously greet that person and make them welcome.

All staff must know how to correctly receive a visitor.

Procedure and Rules

Greeting visitors at appointments (all staff)

Wear your company name badge, if appropriate, at all times when meeting visitors.
Smile, walk up to the visitor and introduce yourself with a handshake.
(If you already know the visitor’s name) Greet them by name straight away.
(If you don’t know the visitor’s name) They will most likely respond with their name when you introduce yourself. In any case, find out their name and use it straight away in your welcoming response.

Greeting visitors in the reception area (all staff)

Wear your company name badge, if appropriate, at all times in the reception area.
Say “Good Morning. How can I help you” in a friendly manner.
Do not leave any visitor waiting to receive a welcome. If you are on the phone or having a discussion when a visitor arrives, excuse yourself for a few moments. Greet the visitor and assure them that you will give them your full attention shortly.
If you are expecting visitors, tell the Receptionist the names and expected times. This helps the Receptionist to greet them by name and hand them over to you.
(Non-reception staff-If you are the first person to see a visitor, or if the receptionist is busy) Greet the visitor as if they have arrived for a meeting. Follow the role of the Receptionist until the Receptionist is free.
Ask the visitor if they have an appointment and whom they are here to see:

(If the visitor does not have an appointment) Ask them how you can help. Help them with their transaction or hand them over to the most appropriate person.
(If the visitor does not have an appointment) Take them into our coffee lounge. Offer them a drink and tell them that you will get the team member they are waiting for.
Tell the Staff Member straight away that their visitor is waiting.
Tell the visitor that the Staff Member knows they are here, and will be along shortly.
Monitor the visitor until the Staff Member arrives, reassuring them and reminding the Staff Member if necessary

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Food, Drink and Cleaning Up

Purpose

This section sets out rules for food and drink in the office and when on company business.

Scope

This applies to all staff on all occasions in the workplace and when on duty.

Background

Staff need an opportunity to enjoy lunch and refreshments during their working day. These rules make sure that this enjoyment does not interfere with other people’s work or enjoyment or the company image.

If people eat or drink in the presence of customers or other staff who are not involved in this activity themselves, it can offend or distract them, or create a bad impression.

Unless it is an agreed part of a group activity such as a meeting, no Staff Member has a duty to serve or clean up after another Staff Member’s food or drink.

Procedure and Rules

Serving and cleaning up after refreshments

There are exceptions to this rule. See “Shared refreshments” below.

Make or purchase and serve your own refreshments for yourself.
If you use cutlery, crockery or glassware, wash, dry and put it away yourself immediately after use.

Shared refreshments

The following activities are OK:

Providing, serving and cleaning up after each other’s refreshments on an equal share basis.
Eating and drinking in front of a client if you are sharing refreshments with the client
Providing, serving and cleaning up after refreshments as a duty if this is part of a declared formal group activity such as a staff conference or training course.

Office and workplace tidiness

Do not leave dirty mugs or cups anywhere overnight.
Do not bring strongly aromatic foods into the workplace.
If you are throwing away food, wrap it up before putting it in the bin. If it is likely to smell bad before the bin is emptied, throw it away outside the workplace.
Do not eat or chew gum while on duty if you are in view of the public or of visiting clients.

Opening and Closing Office Procedure

Purpose

To complete open or close the office to ensure proper security

Background

Needed so that business complies with legal requirements and security issues

Scope

This applies to all staff

Procedure

What procedure and/or rules apply

Upon Opening the Office

The office should be opened no later than 8.45 in the morning this means arriving before the opening time making yourselves presentable then opening the office.

The following should be done after opening:

Turn on lights
Turn on photocopier and printers.
Turn on air-conditioner set to 21 degrees
Check front window display and make sure all property displays are turned the correct way and are clean and current.
Sweep the front reception area if necessary and front footpath.
Replace flowers and generally tidy up.
Take money from security draw and place in till at reception

This is our clients first point of contact and it will need to be presentable at all time.

Closing the office

The office is to be closed no earlier than 5.15 pm

The following should be done before leaving.

Place cash and other monies in security draw at rear (leave money till unlocked)
Tidy desk and front reception area
Ensure window display is neat and tidy (all photo’s turned correctly)
Place back up tape corresponding to relevant day is placed in the SERVER TAPE DRIVE
Turn off your computer (NOT THE SERVER)
Turn off air-conditioner
Turn off printer
Lock back door
Turn off lights and lock door

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Site Security

Policy

Customers, contractors and other visitors must be accompanied at all times.
Corridors and aisles must be kept clean and clear of obstructions.
Sensitive files must be locked in a filing cabinet after use and not left lying on desks unattended.
Computer files must be closed when PC is unattended.

The Administration Manager will prepare and instruct staff on:

procedures for locking the office at the end of the day
policies and procedures for after-hours access
procedures for after-hours security.

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Cleaning the premises

Purpose

This section explains the cleaning requirements for the office.

The company operates better in a clean and tidy environment.
Visitors to the office can gain a bad impression if the office is untidy.
If the office is not clean, it can be a health hazard

Procedure

Cleaning during the day

If staff members carry out a messy task, such as a mail out or opening and installing new equipment, they must clean and vacuum when they have finished.
See food drink and cleaning up

Cleaning at the end of each day

See customer areas
See front window display
See opening the office
See closing the office
See individual desks

Cleaning Contractor

Conducts weekly cleaning according to the cleaning specifications. These include:

Areas for cleaning
Products and equipment used
Standards required
Weekly, monthly and annual cleaning instructions

Document and Data Control

Purpose

The objective of this procedure is to identify internal and external documents that are subject to controls.

Background

A considerable problem that often leads to the failure of any management system is the inevitable paper war which occurs when documentation is not controlled. This procedure seeks to identify a method of controlling documents.

Scope

All staff

Procedure

INTERNAL DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION

Definition:

Internal documents are procedures, forms, drawings and instructional & advisory material of a permanent nature, designed and written by the company. They are not records.

Internal documents include (for example):

procedures
forms
drawings (internal only)
checklists
work instructions

computer templates (standard letters, etc)
sales material
business plan.

All “groups” of internal documents are identified on the form “Master List: Controlled Internal Documents and Data”.

For each group of documents on the Master List, kept as hard copy:

place current hard copies in a binder (or similar)
fill out and place a Control Register at front of binder
control and change internal documents as per flowchart in the relevant procedure under “management”.

For each group of documents on the Master List kept in electronic (e) files:

format a Control Register template at the top of the documents
control and change documents as per flowchart in the relevant procedure under “management”
if required, create passwords to identify read only users, and read and write users.

External documents

External documents can include:

Supplier, operator and maintenance manuals for plant and equipment
Specifications, procedures and drawings provided by customers and suppliers
Standards
Statutory Regulations
Material Safety Data Sheets
Codes of Practice

(Manuals, Standards and other reference material can be thought of as the company’s “Technical Library”).

External documents register

The custodian of external documents, which are relied upon to provide important and current information, will:

record the current issue on an External Documents Register
update the Register when a new issue is received
delete obsolete documents
regularly check that the Register is complete and current
regularly account for all listed documents
regularly contact the supplier to ensure currency
identify sources of suitable reference material (eg, professional institutes, industry publications, manufacturers, Standards Australia, regulatory bodies).

Uncontrolled documents

Copies of operations manuals, procedures or work instructions may be issued to interested parties on request. If they are issued as controlled or uncontrolled, record this on the Controlled Document Register.

Uncontrolled copies are marked “UNCONTROLLED COPY: NOT SUBJECT TO UPDATE”, on the front cover in red ink, prior to issue.

Controlled copies are marked “CONTROLLED COPY”, on the front cover in red ink, prior to issue.

Tips

Any tips learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Traps

Any traps to avoid learnt from previous experiences that should be passed on – delete this section if not needed

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Filing and Records Management

Purpose

Establish controls that identify, maintain and store in good condition records that provide objective evidence of management and quality control in all areas of operation.

Procedure

A filing system that allows for easy storage and retrieval has been established for all records, and is controlled within each department.

Filing systems must be identified, sections labelled, and individual files neatly kept in alphabetical order, unless otherwise specified.

Records, both hard copy and electronic, are kept in a clean, dry and secure location by the custodian to prevent deterioration or loss.

Annually in [e.g. June]

Archive the previous 12 months prior records into Archive Boxes

Label boxes with contents and destroy date
store (WHERE)

Transfer across the current financial year’s records into the 12 months prior file
new files established as appropriate for commencement of the new financial year
12 months previous records stored in archive boxes (WHERE)
All other files stored until retention period complete
At end of retention period remove for safe disposal

Email retention and archiving policy

Purpose

To help employees determine what information sent or received by email should be retained and for how long, this policy identifies the broad categories of electronic messages processed by the [enter-your-company-name-here] system and sets out the factors to be considered in setting practice guidelines to be adopted in each case.

The rise to predominance of electronic communication mandates electronic message management systems comparable to existing hard copy filing systems.

All material, electronic or otherwise, created by employees and volunteers of [enter-your-company-name-here] in the course of their employment or accessed by employees on [enter-your-company-name-here] equipment is the property of [enter-your-company-name-here].

Policy

All [enter-your-company-name-here] email information shall be categorised into four main classifications with retention guidelines:

Administrative Correspondence (4 years)
Fiscal Correspondence (4 years)
General Correspondence (1 year)
Ephemeral Correspondence (Retain until read, then destroy)

Administrative Correspondence

[enter-your-company-name-here] Administrative Correspondence includes, though is not limited to, confidential management information, employee-related information, and project-related correspondence.

To ensure Administrative Correspondence is retained in an accessible format, a mailbox admin@(Insert organisation name) is to be created.

Users should copy (cc) to this address when receiving or sending such email, when retention will be administered by the IT officer.

Fiscal Correspondence

[enter-your-company-name-here] Fiscal Correspondence includes all information related to revenue and expense for the organisation. To ensure Fiscal Correspondence is retained, a mailbox fiscal@(Insert organisation name) is to be created,

Users should copy (cc) to this address when receiving or sending such email, when retention will be administered by the IT officer.

General Correspondence

[enter-your-company-name-here] General Correspondence covers information that relates to customer interaction and the operational decisions of the organisation. The individual employee is responsible for email retention of General Correspondence where this is likely to be of continuing usefulness.

Ephemeral Correspondence

[enter-your-company-name-here] Ephemeral Correspondence is by far the largest category and includes personal email, email dealing with the work of the day, and email containing information outdated by events. Staff may destroy this after reading.

Depending on the particular circumstances of the organisation, four further classifications may also created with their own retention guidelines:

Instant Messenger Correspondence

[enter-your-company-name-here] Instant Messenger General Correspondence may be saved with logging function of Instant Messenger, or copied into a file and saved. Instant Messenger conversations that are Administrative or Fiscal in nature should be copied into an email message and sent to the appropriate email retention address.

Correspondence involving intellectual property

Any correspondence that involves the creation of any significant intellectual property rights shall be retained at the discretion of the CEO. To ensure Administrative Correspondence is retained in an accessible format, a mailbox ip@[enter-your-company-name-here] is to be created. Users should copy (cc) to this address when receiving or sending such email, when retention will be administered by the IT officer.

Correspondence of legal significance

When legal proceedings are in process – and in Victoria, when legal proceedings are in progress or reasonably to be anticipated – particular considerations apply to document retention. It is the responsibility of the CEO to inform staff should these considerations be applicable and to circulate staff with any relevant changes in policy and procedures.

Storage

It shall be the responsibility of the CEO or their nominee to maintain backup tapes from the [enter-your-company-name-here] email server. Once a quarter a set of tapes shall be taken out of the rotation and be moved off site. Email shall not be removed from the off site backup tapes.

Anti-Virus Software

Purpose

[enter-your-company-name-here] will run Anti-Virus software to maintain active and updated virus protection across all of its sites.

Policy

[enter-your-company-name-here] purchased licenses for (insert antivirus product name) for all machines in [enter-your-company-name-here]

Procedure

Anti virus automatically updates the servers at each site automatically once a week.

After this update is completed the servers ‘push out’ to all other antivirus installations on the [enter-your-company-name-here] networks these updates ensuring that every computer in [enter-your-company-name-here] is updated at least once a week as long as it is turned on.

The benefits of this are:

Removal of any manual process previously involved in updating virus protection software.
Better virus protection because automated procedures can be forgotten or ignored.
Better guarantee that virus protection software will be updated often.
Better management of virus protection software and its updates through a server/client hierarchy.

Special requirements:

It is still good for someone to check that antivirus has updated as expected once a week, and if no update has been done for 2 weeks in a row it is sometimes