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I. OBJECTIVE
1. To provide guidelines on the proper dissemination of information to external or third parties such as suppliers, lessors, franchisees, etc.
II. DEFINITION OF TERMS
(Not Applicable)
III. GENERAL POLICIES
TEXT
A. Receiving
All employees receiving text messages from the third party (customers, suppliers, etc.) must confirm the acceptance of it by responding to the text message. The response may be thru a short reply of acknowledgement such as: “Noted. Thank you”. Appropriate actions must be taken. All questions and inquiries must be conveyed as soon as possible for better comprehension.
B. Sending
When trying to reach a third party, it is preferred for the employee to call the contact person, especially for important and urgent matters. Sending out a text message to the third party must only be considered when the employee’s call can not get through the contact’s line. The employee must then ensure and confirm that the contact person received it within an allotted time period.
Text Messaging Etiquette:
1. Keep it short and direct.
Text messages must only contain important information. Avoid sending long messages that may confuse the reader. Keep the message direct-to-the-point to save time and for better understanding.
2. Avoid the use of abbreviations and slang or text lingo.
Business text messaging does not need to be too formal, but it doesn’t mean that it’s okay to be too informal to the point of being sloppy. Mind that you are representing the company. Even the use of official company abbreviations (GJVI, BBT, SSM, CDH, WD, etc.) must be skipped. This is to avoid confusion in the part of the contact person.
3. Be aware of your tone.
Same as personally making a call, text messaging can also present a tone. It is presented by the way the sender constructs the message. To avoid sounding abrupt and arrogant, be courteous in constructing a text message. Read the message out loud and determine whether it sounds good or rude.
4. Do not use CAPS (all in capital letters).
This is in relation to Rule #3. Using all capital letters in a text message commonly suggests shouting or screaming. The reader can easily misunderstand it and possibility of conflicts may arise. On the other hand, using all lowercase letters looks sloppy and lazy.
5. Use proper punctuations.
Proper construction of a text message includes proper use of punctuations. Text messaging may be considered an informal communication medium but in business, adding some formality is a must. Improper use or neglecting the use of punctuation marks can cause many problems. It can cause the message to be nonsensical or absurd and therefore confuse the reader and cause miscommunication.
6. Introduce yourself.
In sending a text message to the third party, the sender must introduce his- or herself in the text message. Aside from being polite, it will save the reader from confusion and from ignoring the anonymous message.
7. Proof or double check before sending.
It is important to keep in mind that rereading the message before sending it is crucial. It can save possible conflicts and further explanation or clarification. Mind that you are representing the company, so make sure that your message looks professional.
8. Confirm receiving.
Make sure that the reader received your message.
9. Reply to all text messages.
It is important to respond to every text message that you receive from third parties. It is a courteous way to confirm that the message is received and understood well.
10. For immediate or emergency concerns, CALL not text.
Text messaging is not encouraged for concerns that need immediate action or affirmation. Do not hesitate to call the person you need to be in contact with during this kind of situation. As stated earlier, only send a text message if your call can not get through your contact’s line (e.g. cannot be reached, the contact won’t answer, etc.).
CALL
A. Receiving
All employees receiving calls from the third party must confirm the comprehension of it to the caller. All questions and inquiries must be conveyed as soon as possible to prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
B. Calling
All employees making calls to the third party must ensure that the contact person is properly informed and understood the meaning of the message.
Phone Call Etiquette:
1. Greet pleasantly.
No matter how urgent or important the issue is, it won’t hurt to open the conversation with a greeting. Starting the conversation with a cheerful greeting provides a good sensation for the person on the other line. Mind that you are representing the company. You don’t want to make a bad first impression to a potential client or worse, ruin the good image of the company to existing clients.
2. Introduce yourself.
In making a call to the third party, the caller must introduce his- or herself first before getting to the message. Aside from being polite, it will save the receiver from confusion. More over, confirm the identity of the person you’re calling. It is a waste of time discussing an important issue to the wrong person.
3. Be aware of your tone.
All employees must be aware of their tone especially those who happen to have a rough voice over the phone. Use your words properly and speak them in a well manner.
4. Keep it brief, direct and clear.
Keep the conversation short and to the point. Expect the other person to be busy with other work or task and spare them the long story by summarizing the situation without leaving out important points. Also, speak clearly to save time repeating phrases over and over.
5. Listen actively.
Be professional and actively listen to the person on the other line. Never interrupt or cut them in the middle of their sentence.
6. Ask permission before putting on hold.
If you need to put the person on hold for a while, do so. However, it is rude to just put them on hold without their knowledge. Instead, kindly ask their permission first or at least inform them that you have to put them on hold for a while, and be sure that it won’t take long.
7. Return call rather than on hold.
If you are not sure whether you can come back immediately or not, just tell the person on the other line that you will have to go and just call them back. Don’t put the other person on hold for too long, you’ll just waste their time. More over, return the call as you promised.
8. Confirm comprehension.
Make sure that the person on the other line understood your message. You must confirm it without making the other person feel dim-witted.
9. Consider first before making the call.
Before making a call, consider first whether the call is important. Avoid wasting both of your time by making calls unnecessarily. On the other hand, do not hesitate making a call just because you’re intimidated and feel like wasting the time of the other person. If it’s important and the other person’s opinion or statement is needed, don’t think twice.
10. Be sensitive.
All employees must be on-call 24/7. Do not leave the phone unanswered when someone from the third party calls. Answer the call on the first ring, as much as possible. All calls are deemed to be important and must be answered. On the other hand, if making the call, be sensitive enough when no one answered at the third try. Just make the call again after a while.
E-MAIL MESSAGING
A. Receiving
All employees receiving e-mail messages from the third party must confirm the acceptance of it by responding to the e-mail message. All questions and inquiries must be conveyed as soon as possible to prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
B. Sending
All employees sending out e-mail messages must ensure that the contact person is properly informed and must confirm acceptance of it.
Never use CC when copy furnishing office employees/ officers, use BCC instead.
Electronic Mail (E-mail) Messaging Etiquette:
1. Create a clear and direct subject line.
A good subject line provides a hint on what the message is all about. It must be short, clear and direct.
2. Use company-issued e-mail address.
Each employee is given an official company e-mail address. It must be used in every e-mail conversation to the third party.
3. Keep the message brief and direct.
The body of the message must be kept short and to the point. Summarize long discussions but avoid omitting important details.
4. Avoid the use of abbreviations.
Use of official company abbreviations (GJVI, BBT, SSM, CDH, WD, etc.) must be skipped. This is to avoid confusion in the part of the contact person and to maintain a professional environment.
5. Don’t send junk or chain letters.
E-mail messages must only contain important information or discussions. Employees must never send junk or chain letters (spam messages). Mind that you are representing the company.
6. Mind the humor.
Sometimes, other contact persons from the third party can be too friendly. Some of them might not mind making humorous posts. However, important discussions are better left out of it. Also, since e-mail messaging is not made personal or face-to-face, some humor posts can be misinterpreted.
7. Be aware of your tone.
Same as text messaging, e-mail messaging can also present a tone. It is presented by the way the sender constructs the message. To avoid sounding abrupt and arrogant, be courteous in constructing an e-mail message. Read the message out loud and determine whether it sounds good or rude.
8. Do not use CAPS (all in capital letters).
Using all capital letters in an e-mail message commonly suggests shouting or screaming. The reader can easily misunderstand it and possibility of conflicts may arise. On the other hand, using all lowercase letters looks sloppy and lazy.
9. Use proper punctuations.
Proper construction of an e-mail message includes proper use of punctuations. Improper use or neglecting the use of punctuation marks can cause many problems. It can cause the message to be nonsensical or absurd and therefore confuse the reader and cause miscommunication.
10. Create your signature.
Every employee must create a signature for their own e-mail address. The signature must include their name, designation, e-mail address and contact number. This is to ensure that your contact person from the third party knows who you are and your role in the company.
11. Proof or double check before sending.
It is important to keep in mind that rereading the message before sending it is crucial. It can save possible conflicts and further explanation or clarification. Mind that you are representing the company so make sure that your message looks professional.
12. Mind your recipients.
Keep your e-mail message individualized to each and every contact person from the third party. Not only will that appear professional but also special compared to sending one e-mail message to a group of recipients.
13. Confirm receiving.
Make sure that the person received your message.
14. Reply to all e-mails.
Not only is it polite, but hitting reply to each and every e-mail received will confirm that the message is received and understood well.
FAX
A. Receiving
All employees receiving faxed documents must read the document thoroughly. All questions and inquiries must be conveyed as soon as possible to prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
B. Sending
All employees sending out faxed documents must ensure that the contact person is properly informed and must confirm the acceptance of it. Confirm fax back and record the full name and position of the recipient and date and time received in the log book designated for fax messages.
Use the cover page that can be found beside the fax machine. The purchasing staff is the custodian of fax machine, thus, he/she is responsible in ensuring the availability of fax cover page.
Fax Etiquette:
1. Make a call first before faxing the document.
Before you fax the document, call the other line first and alert the intended receiver or the person you wish to send the fax to. This is to ensure that there is someone to receive your document on the other line.
2. Give instructions.
If your intended receiver is not available, leave an instruction to the other person on the line. Get the person’s name and designation so you know who to follow up or confirm the handing over or passing of the document.
3. Cover page or fax header.
Use the official company cover page or fax header when faxing a document. Fill out the necessary details. This is a good back up to Fax Etiquette nos. 1 and 2 when no one is receiving your call and/or the person who entertained you forgot your instructions.
4. Confirm receiving.
Once you finish faxing the document, call again to the other line to confirm if they receive the document (except when no one is receiving the call).
5. Inform fax error.
If you are the one receiving the document, inform the other person when there is a fax error so that they can resend the document.
PRINTED DOCUMENTS
A. Receiving
All employees receiving memos, letters, or printed documents must read the document thoroughly. All questions and inquiries must be conveyed as soon as possible to prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
B. Sending
All employees sending out memos, letters or printed documents must ensure that the contact person is properly informed and must confirm the acceptance of it.
Important: When sending out memos or any document, make sure that it was checked by the immediate head before disseminating.
Document Circulation Etiquette:
1. Choose your circulation list.
Determine the list of third parties involved. Do not hesitate to leave out others who are not affected.
2. Print a copy for each.
Produce a copy for each contact persons concerned. Do not expect them to know and accept everything written in the document without giving them a copy to read and ponder on.
3. Produce a receiving form.
When giving out copies of the document, prepare a receiving form (e.g. Transmittal Slip) where the recipients can sign and confirm acceptance of the document. File it for future reference.
IV. PROCEDURE FLOWCHART
Flowchart Title
(Not Applicable)
V. REFERENCE/INTERFACE PROCESS
Document Title
(Not Applicable)
VI. FORMS AND RECORDS
Form Title
1. Transmittal Slip
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