legendinc.com's Company Manual: Corporate Policies

Purchase Orders

All purchase orders, whether to order supplies or to order work from a vendor, must be completely and accurately filled out (specifications, half-tone line counts, stock, etc.) and signed with approval. Supplies can usually be signed for by the Senior Vice President/Treasurer. Orders for vendor work must be signed by the President. If supplies are being ordered for a specific client, the account representative for that account must sign with his approval for what is being ordered, in addition to the Vice President/Treasurer or President. All company purchases, for clients or for the company, must be authorized by purchase order.

Deliveries

The authorized delivery methods are: Fax Machine Federal Express Express Mail Express Courier Registered Mail Purolator Legend employees on their way We should try to make deliveries cost effectively. If it is not an extreme rush, try to use the least expensive means. Remember, to keep copies of everything that leaves the company, and that the President should see everything before it leaves the building.

Phone Messages

Phone numbers and complete information about a phone call should be on all messages, even if you have to look them up. Messages should be clear, informative and well-stated even if you have to rewrite them.

The President

Come to the President with thought-out alternatives and solutions. Don't just come with a list of problems. If possible, ask any other person or use any other resource before going to him. But always keep him fully informed on client meetings and each project's production. Good communication is not a game, but the intelligent center of the company's activities. Information should circulate easily and quickly whether the news is good or bad. The sooner a problem is brought to light the less damage it can do.

Coming and Going

When leaving at any point during the day, all employees must say good-bye and inform others of their destination and time of return. They must also take a cell phone and inform others of the number. If Bill is in the building, always let him know, directly, you're leaving. On-time arrivals and departures are a must. Early to work and late to leave is much better than the other way around. Remember to always say good-bye to Bill before leaving for the evening at the end of each day, either in person or on the phone. He may need to tell you something, so give him a chance to indicate that. There are times when the company may need you to work late or on weekends. Be ready for that possibility and plan ahead.

Proofreading

Proofreading is done by either the proofreader or by three (3) other people. Each job must be proofread and signed-off, even if it's only one word. In order to proofread properly, the proofreader needs the original source of information, a copy of the mechanical and whatever the client signed off last. In the case of a blueline coming back from a printer for approval, or advertising being preapared for publication after client approval, the employee managing the project should compare it to the last copy approved by the client. It should also be proofread by the proofreader or by three (3) people. Bill, should look at it and approve it before (1) the changes are made and (2) before it goes off printing or off to the publication. Always, always refer to the original and the last client signed off copy. No exceptions. Otherwise, what are you really doing?

Telephones

When answering the telephone, answer, "Good morning (afternoon, evening), Legend. This is __________." in a soft, friendly, upbeat voice. Try to make yourself sound welcoming and friendly every time you pick up the phone and be prepared to listen and take effective messages. Never ask clients for their telepone, or other, numbers. Try not to ask for the speaker to repeat everything. (see telephone messages section). When someone calls, asking for a Legend employee and that employee is out, answer with where that person is. Never say, "He's out of the office." Be informative, professional and offer your assistance. Bill can usually be reached by cell. He can always be reached somehow and should be kept informed of message as soon as possible. Putting the message in a person's in basket or on their desk or chair is not enough, personnally tell the individual about it.

Client Calls

Whenever a client calls for Bill or any other employee, that person should be notified, even if someone else handles the call. The reason for having the outstanding communication technology we do is just for that purpose. The cell phones, especially, should be used whenever possible to communicate what is happening in the company to Bill while he is out of the office.

Project Jackets

Work Orders and Project Jacket are to be filled out completely, including time and/or cost estimates. Every blank on the Project Jacket should be filled out intelligently and followed. The due date of each job is based on when it comes into the job queue. The job gets into the line of work already scheduled. If it's a rush job, the client will need to be informed of those extra charges.

Hours

Legend, Inc.'s hours of business are 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. If an employee is going to be late, he or she should call by 8:00 A.M. with the reason and should speak with the President, if possible. The truncated hours on Friday and before holidays are at the President's discretion and dictated by client requirements. No employee should ever count on leaving early on Fridays, or before holidays.

Lunches

All lunches should be taken for one hour between 12 Noon and 2 P.M. After 2:00 P.M., everyone should be back at work. No one is authorized to have a lunch hour that extends beyond 2:00 P.M. This greatly assists communications with account representatives, clients, and vendors who often call just before or just after their lunches.

Client Approval

Before any artwork (at whatever stage of development) leaves the building to go to clients or vendors, Bill must see and approve it. This should be done prior to presentation materials being compiled so any changes he makes will be easily incorporated without unnecessary expense to the client. The job must be proofread and be attractively presented in hard copies or on the Internet. The job is not closed until it has been approved and signed-off by the client.

Typeface and Graphic Standards

Each client should have specific graphic standards and typefaces which should be upheld consistently on each project. We should be aware of which logos to use, which taglines to use, when to use certain closings and of all current updates in force. These should be written down in an organized manner so that no matter who is working at Legend, our work will be consistent with client expectations.

Letters and all Legend Communications

Letters and all communications, should be typed perfectly (no strike overs, misspellings, misused words), never handwritten, and always proofread before being given to Bill for his signature or sent out under anyone else's signature.

Also, notes should always accompany each and every delivery to a client (or to anyone else) explaining what is enclosed and including a Legend signature. The client should always have some communication from us with every package or envelope, even if we are just sending a simple copy to them.

Laser Printing

We charge for all client-related laser printing, roughly at $1 per 8.5 x 11 sheet. Also, always use the "print records being browsed" selection and never the "print current record" selection option for five reasons: it requires you to actively select and think about what you are printing, it trains you to constantly be aware of what you are doing, it saves a lot of time in the end by printing what you actually want, it is thoughtful to others who are following this rule and who anticipate the settings to be standardized, and it saves paper. Remember, most Macintosh programs remember how the printing was selected last, so your lack of attention to this rule will be encountered by others.

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