Dancing to Dirges

Depressing and happy things Tim says, sometimes while drunk

Thursday, April 03, 2008

How to do my job

Each job is kept in a box. We use the lids from old envelope boxes for this, so they're about 9x12 and an inch deep. So you go down the hall to the job cabinet, and you get the next job in the queue. Go back to your office. The box will have the following items:

-Job Ticket (internally created by the CSR)
-Data Processing Requisition (from the client)
-Mail House Requisition (client)
-file list (emailed from client to CSR)
-ask arrays
-segmentation sheet

1)Take the Job Ticket and the Mail House Req and make sure they match up. Check mail dates, job name, file quantity and name, mail class and type (stamp, meter, indicia), entry point, permit number and entry point (what post office it's going to), and finally the sample description. We keep a list of mail samples and descriptions on a chart, and compare them to the customer instructions for the post office papers. For example, this job has a #10 carrier envelope, #9 BRE, and a single 8.5 x 11 letter, folded to fit the #10. That's Sample P on my chart, so you know that six of them weigh 3.3 ounces, and are .25 inches thick. This determines how many will go in a tray, and will give the post office an individual piece weight. They audit our paperwork by weight.

2)All files are kept in a central directory. Go get the files for this job and copy them to the appropriate folder on your system. Convert the files. We do all our work in Borland dBase IV, which is an ancient and entirely unused system. This is why you're having trouble finding a job, btw. Your skillset is obsolete. In addition to converting the data file, you convert the segmentation sheet, filtering out all the fields except the client keycode. This is used for a relational check program later on. We will refer to it as the input check file, when the time comes.

3)Confirm that the data file counts match the segmentation sheet. Segment the job according to the data requisition. Confirm that the segment counts match. Find any fields that are too long to fit into the window of the #10, and correct them manually.

4)Assign ask arrays, according to the ask arrays sheet. This is done by relating client codes and previous ask amounts to a set of parameters determined by the client. In addition, you may need to create variable text fields. Run the input check file against the database, to create an output check file. This file has one of every possible ask array and client code. Check against customer ask arrays to confirm everything was done correctly.

**That was the hard part of the job. If this was an easy job, this took you 15 minutes. If it was a very difficult job (usually because of complicated ask arrays and variable text) this has taken you six hours. No joke.**

5)Set up the Postalsoft routines to run the job. This usually just means that you change the workorder, then adjust the fields that are being pushed through the system. ACE and Match/Consolidate involve only minor changes. Presort you need to enter the dimensions of the sample. LabelStudio is generic.

6)Print out reports and tray tags. Do final formatting and convert output files into Access. Check final counts against post office papers. Check that final output + deleted records + foreign files = input count.

7) Send the whole damn thing to the client. Take the job box with paperwork, tray tags and final work order to the CSR.

8) Go to the cabinet. Get another job.

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