Electronic Filing Techniques Part 2

Spreadsheets

A receptionist will always have a great deal of information on his or her desk. While you may assume you have the mental capacity and memory to retain specific information, the more time you spend at a growing firm, the more you will need to organize this data in an efficient and structured manner.

Consequently, many offices utilize spreadsheets and spreadsheet software. If you do not understand why you use spreadsheets, how to use them successfully, or what tools you may want to utilize during your time as a secretary, the following section will help you.

Data Gathering

Before beginning the majority of spreadsheets, you will need to have the necessary data readily accessible. These details may include:

Customer data; sales data; patient data; addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.; research data.

You will compile everything you may need to review in the future and can organize in a sensible way. First, you will need to determine what data you need and why you need it. As you continue to work as a receptionist, you will have a deeper understanding of the types of data you must be vigilant for. Discuss with the management and other secretaries what data points must be included in your daily entry system and how you might be able to obtain this data.

You may collect information by:

Getting data given to you; visiting departments to collect data; utilizing systems that compile data; extracting data from certain programs; reviewing paperwork; conversing with consumers, patients, or clients. In each of these situations, you will need to prioritize the most essential data points. Initially, you may wish to collect more information than necessary to ensure that you have every pertinent detail. Over time, you will determine what is most essential and optimize this collecting process. Currently, you can consider who you need to collect data from, what data you need to collect, and how you can keep it in a useful manner. Often, you may obtain data from a variety of sources, thus it is advisable to implement many systems.

You may wish to build a mailbox on your desk or outside your office door where others can drop off information for you to incorporate in a spreadsheet. You can also request that material be delivered to you via e-mail, where it can be stored in separate folders for perusal at a later time.

File folders on your desktop:

If you get documents via email, it can be helpful to store them in designated file folders on your computer’s desktop.

Observations recorded in a specific folder or notebook: It may be prudent to record information gathered during phone calls in a single location so that it may be quickly located and utilized. You will eventually find the data gathering system that works best for you, so try a variety of approaches to determine which seems to be most beneficial for your everyday tasks.

Data Entry

Once you possess the necessary information, it is time to compile it into a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets have columns and rows into which information can be entered. You’ll be able to design rows that make sense for the data you’re collecting, as well as rows of the collected data.

Using the invitation list example as an illustration, you might insert the following columns at the top of a spreadsheet:

• Name Address Telephone
• E-mail address

Then, you can enter the information so that it is easier to read and locate in the future. When you save the spreadsheet, it will be readily accessible for usage or when you need to change incorrect or missing information. It is not so much that data entry is tough as it can be challenging when collecting a large quantity of data.