Office Automation In Your Station

There is a new breed of office equipment that can streamline your station. It will make your station's office staff more efficient and it might even allow you to reduce the number of office staff members.

We all know that we're in the '90s, but where's all the stuff that George Orwell was talking about that should have been here in '84? There are no flying cars, but George would be pleased to see what has happened in the good ole' American office environment. It's come a long way in the last ten years. Computers have changed every aspect of the radio station, including the office. Almost all office equipment is controlled by a computer or microprocessor, even the typewriter!. What exactly does the new breed of office equipment do and is it right for your station?

:

**Let's Update Your Office Terminology**
Out/Old	Hip/NEW
Typewriter	Word Processor
Receptionist	Auto-Attendant
Message Pad	Voice Mail Box
Memo	E-mail
Over-Night Letter	Fax
Dot Matrix Printer	Laser printer
Mimeograph	Copy Machine

Voice Mail

Voice mail systems can handle many more calls than a single operator and they don't ever miss a message.

We've all heard of voice mail, in fact you can't escape it. You call a business expecting a live operator but instead you get a machine! "Thanks for calling Acme Rubber Company, please dial 1 for sales...2 for Engineering....etc". Voice mail systems can handle many more calls than a single operator and they don't ever miss a message. Voice mail (vmail) systems are usually made up of two seperate parts, auto-attendant and the voice mailbox system. The auto attendant answers the phone, and routes the call to a particular extension just as an operator does. If the extension is busy or the person doesn't answer, the call is transferred to the voice mailbox that corresponds to that person's extension. The caller hears a message from the person he is trying to reach and then is able to leave a detailed message. Think of it this way, it just like having an electronic answering machine at every employee's desk.
Voice mail systems work in conjunction with your phone system. Check with your phone company to see what type of phone system you have, because not all phone systems can be integrated with a vmail system. "PBX" phone systems are usually compatible with vmail systems. How can you tell if your phone system is a "PBX" type? If you have to dial 9 to get an outside extension, you probably have a PBX system.
Not all vmail systems are created equal! Look for a system that is efficient. You don't want your callers/clients to press 20 numbers just to reach a person or a particular department. Make sure there is sufficient storage time to hold the vmail messages. The amount of calls that your vmail system can handle simultaneously is determined by the number of "ports" on your system. Purchase a system with enough ports to handle your phone system traffic.

VMAIL FEATURES

1. Auto-Attendant
a. Answers your phones without operator assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
b. Can handle many more calls than a single operator.
c. Can greet callers with a different message for each part of the day/weekend.
2. Vmail
a. Mail boxes ensure that messages are not lost and the callers have the opportunity
to leave detailed messages.
b. Callers can leave messages anytime they want
c. By using beepers/pagers, you can have the vmail system notify you that there are
messages for you in your vmail box.
c. Within your building you can "broadcast" or send a message to a group of extensions
simultaneously!
d. Messages are "stamped" verbally with time and date when they were received.

Fax Machines-

Plain paper faxes save time and money

Buzz Words: Plain paper - Laser
The majority of fax machines out there utilize a thermal type of paper. Thermal printing leaves a lot to be desired because the paper deteriorates after a period of time, so important faxes must be copied to plain paper. Plain paper faxes solve the thermal dilemma. Although they've been around for about 4 years, prices have been high until recently. Not only have prices of the fax machines dropped, the cost of receiveing each fax (Paper+toner/ink cartridge) has dropped.
How do you know if you're still using a thermal fax? Look for a roll of paper in the fax machine. Thermal fax machines use a heat process, there's no ink or printing cartridge. Plain paper fax machines utilize either a toner cartridge, an ink cartridge or a film cartridge. Some machines can hold 500 sheets of paper. Set up at least two fax machines in your facility. Dedicate one fax to outgoing and one to incoming faxes. This will greatly smooth out any kinks in your faxing process.

Computer Systems

Hello Word Processing ...Good Bye Typewriter?

If your staff composes letters or writes copy on a typewriter, you're in the Stone Ages! Computer systems are cheap! They can be much cheaper than a good typewriter. Typewriters are great for typing cart labels or a quick envelope, but if you really want to be efficient, replace your typewriters with a word processing system. Install a computer network that will allow your staff to share resources and printers. To speed up the printing process, use laser printers with a print speed of at least 8 pages per minute. If your office is large, install several printers so that you maximize your efficiency.

Sort, Staple and Feed

How many copies do you make in one month? How critical is the speed of your copy machine (copies per minute)? Do you need an automatic sorter/stapler? These are questions that your equipment supplier will ask you.The are usually two costs involved: the price of the machine and the maintenance contract. Maintenance contract prices are usually based on the amount of copies made per month. Machine prices vary with copy speed, duty cycle(the recommended per-month limit of copies), and special features. If you do a lot of copying, make sure the machine can handle the load. If speed is a factor, select a machine that can do at least 60 copies per minute.