> 
>We are looking at the possibility of merging with the office services dept.
(mailroom). While I am not 100% looking forward to this merger – basically
because I believe that we have worked hard to become a strategic discipline
that plays an important role in the daily operations of the company (not
saying that the mailroom is not important – but for sure it is not RIM), but
we must do what we have to do to survive in this economic climate.
> 

Unfortunate, but as you said, a sign of the times.  In years past, it was
quite common for RM to be linked functionally with other 'services', such as
mailroom, print plant, micrographics, forms control, even motor pool in some
cases.  Over time, these linkages were seen as being less logical, and
many/most of them have been broken.   

The thinking seems to be that as the volume of physical mail decreases in
most organizations, and there is a potential to 'scan on receipt' some mail,
there may be logic in once again joining these functions into a group... not
MY thinking, just "the" thinking =)


>In preparing for this merger, what are the most important steps we need to
take to ensure a smooth integration?
> 
>I have noted these steps:
> 
>Review all the dept's responsibilities/tasks and that of individual staff
members.
> 
>Review past year mailroom staff reviews (this should give me an idea of the
strengths' of the staff and group them accordingly). 
> 
>I plan to select someone from the mailroom staff who will report directly
to one of my RIM Managers. What I hope to gain by this is to transfer the
importance of RIM culture to the new manager and for the new manager to
recognize it and apply it accordingly. Of course, this would also help in
avoiding clashes - as the new manager is one of them.
> 


Looks like you're headed in the right direction.   I'd look for some metrics
as well, such as volume of mail (in/out), number of stops, deliveries per
day, routes to staff ratios, known high volume days/weeks/months (based on
business models).

You'll likely also want to evaluate funding and budget, condition of
equipment, regular mail versus express/UPS/FedEx and who pays for expedited
shipping needs... and keep in mind, the USPS just announced a planned
increase in rates and the closure of numerous depots, which will increase
delivery times.

There are also "expectations" that clients may have of the services offered,
so wouldn't hurt to determine if those are being met by current staffing
levels and if there are any plans to change funding for the function, now
that it is transferring from one part of the organization to another.

Tread carefully on your selection of a 'manager'- if one existed previously,
and they are not coming over as part of the package, make sure the funding
for that person comes as well. Part of the success will depend on well the
staff perceives the appointment of someone to serve in that role- even if
it's "one of them", it might not be the one THEY would have chosen =)

Good luck Vlad, I seriously doubt this will be the last time we here of this
type of a decision as we go forward in these "interesting times" we are facing

Larry
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