The 15 Office Functions (and Their Characteristics)
In every organization it is necessary that a series of activities be carried out for the company to move forward, in addition to being able to meet the goals it sets and offer the products and services in which it specializes.
Although we could talk about hundreds of functions that are carried out within a company, the reality is that there are only fifteen if we group them into more generic functions.
Next we are going to discover what they are main office functions and what is its importance for the entire organization.
In every organization there are several employees performing different functions. Each of them is specialized in their field, which may require some type of higher or lower training necessary to carry out the function they perform in the organization. Its functions are very diverse, addressing aspects such as administration, inventory, financial management, employee selection or mail distribution.
Organizations can be described as organisms in which if any of its parts do not work properly, the whole will fail or will be less functional That is why it is essential that the company’s workers master the skills expected of them when carrying out the tasks assigned to them, using good oral communication, organizational skills, writing documents and knowledge. office automation. All of these skills relate to the 15 main office functions that we will look at below.
1. Planning
Planning is at the top of our list as it is the most important task within an organization. This It involves defining what methods and organizational structures are going to be carried out in the company, clearly establishing the expected business plan
Although there are technological tools that help specify the methods proposed in the business plan and distribute tasks among staff members, it is essential that good planning has been established from the beginning. If you don’t get off to a good start, it is difficult to achieve the business objectives that the organization wants to achieve.
The people in charge of carrying out planning must have a clear business vision in addition to knowing in depth what the hierarchy is within the company and the strengths and weaknesses of the members who are believed to be suitable for the objectives asked of them.
2. Document writing
In every office there is a lot of writing. One of the tasks that takes up the most time for company workers is writing reports and related documents such as transcribing important conversations and meetings, in addition to keeping minutes of them. Aspects such as inspections and inventory reviews are also written and recorded.
When writing documents The development of guides and protocols to help workers is also included , novices and veterans, to understand what they should do in each case or task that is requested of them. They can also detail aspects such as background, progress, results, advantages and disadvantages of applying one method or another in a specific situation that is significantly important for the company.
3. Attend meetings
What is a company without the famous business meetings? In every organization, meetings are held between the members of a work team, in which ideas are exchanged, presentations are shared, reports are presented on ongoing projects
These meetings are held with the objective of sharing points of view and aligning their goals to achieve a specific goal or completion of a project. They attempt to set the direction that workers must follow to work on the same objective, in a coordinated manner and without needlessly repeating tasks between them. Therefore, in the meetings, roles, tasks and delivery times for each of them are assigned.
What is discussed in the meetings is recorded in minutes for your archive Its frequency, duration and aspects to be discussed are defined by the organization itself and the meeting attendees. For example, there are companies in which meetings are held daily, while in others they are weekly, biweekly, monthly… The frequency of the meetings will depend on the needs of each company and what is discussed in them.
4. Meeting scheduling
The meeting, in person or online, is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind each of them there is a lot of preparation, investing time and resources to clarify what is going to be talked about or what is going to be done in them.
It may seem simple, but it is no longer so if we think that whoever is in charge of scheduling such meetings has to be aware of the project that is going to be talked about, who are the people who are interested in attending and what times work best for them.
Scheduling meetings not only involves deciding place, time and attendees, but also make sure that attendees will be able to attend and that the chosen time does not coincide with tasks or other even more important meetings In addition, it involves deciding whether the topic you want to talk about is important enough to be discussed in a meeting, whether in person or online, since no one wants to hold meetings for things that could be discussed by chat or email.
5. Review of organizational email
Another office function is checking the organization’s email. At first it sounds simple, seeming that it only involves opening emails that we receive from different levels of the company where we work. However, the truth is that it is one of the activities that can take the most time, with studies indicating that on average we spend an average of 20.5 hours per week doing this task
The emails that our company sends us must be read in depth, noting the important aspects that our boss or colleagues tell us and making sure that we do not miss any important messages. We must also respond to them, since it is not too professional or cordial not to give a response of gratitude or a minimal comment that we have received such a message to both a superior and a subordinate.
The distribution of mail in the company is a task in which extensive training is not required, although it does imply a lot of responsibility. You must have a great sense of urgency, good organization and know all the departments, offices and important positions within the company to deliver the information to the people who are most convenient for you and as soon as possible
Documents and other items that employees of the organization may be waiting for include invoices from suppliers, response letters from a government body, credit cards, designs, folios, electronic devices such as graphics cards and raw materials.
7. Logistics
The logistics It has to do with the transportation of all merchandise related to the company, both its arrival at the company and its departure to others and storage
Within this function there is also that of interacting with suppliers so that they provide us with essential raw materials in the manufacture of products and services offered by the organization. Whoever is in charge of logistics aims to ensure that the company has everything necessary to maintain production.
8. Call answering
The telephone continues to be one of the most used means of communication and the business world is no stranger to this. Call answering is a primary function in every organization, being the way in which you communicate with clients, suppliers or among your own co-workers
This function is not as simple as it seems. To exercise it properly, a certain degree of protocol is required since, especially for potential clients, this is the first form of contact for many of them, both those who call the company and those who are called to inform them of your offers (teleoperator). Rules of courtesy must be respected, an institutional tone must be maintained and the volume of voice and vocabulary must be monitored.
Whoever is in charge of the phone must pay attention to what the person they are talking to is saying, be it a supplier or a client. While carrying out this function, the teleoperator must write down as much information as possible related to his interlocutor in order to expand the company’s contact database with a potential client or an interesting supplier.
Related article: “Quantitative school of administration: what it is, and characteristics”
9. Customer service
Customer service consists of physically serving customers regarding questions and doubts you have about a service or product offered by the organization.
This is one of the most sensitive functions in companies, since depending on the treatment given to customers and how effective you are in resolving their doubts or complaints about products or services, they will be satisfied or not.
You may be interested: “The 12 psychological tricks that supermarkets use to make you spend more money”
File organization is a key aspect in companies, whether it is done in paper or digital format.
In one way or another, Every activity in the company generates some type of document that must be kept such as invoices, minutes, notes, minutes, sales reports, printed reports. This information must be catalogued, archived and safeguarded, depending on its level of importance and whether it is likely to be consulted in the future.
11. Printing and copying documents
Printing documents is just that, printing the files that are necessary to have them in physical format and get them to the right workers
This function is coupled with the function of organizing files, since it may also be necessary to print documents previously stored in digital format to have a spare physical copy and save it in the appropriate place.
12. Personnel selection
No company permanently retains its workers, either because they themselves decide to leave, are fired, or simply die. People come and go, and new employees need to be hired so that they can work at their highest performance. Personnel selection consists of choosing future workers from among possible candidates
For tasks related to personnel selection, we have to interview candidates, look at their resumes, investigate their digital footprint, and confirm that their references are true.
Related article: “Personnel selection: 10 keys to choosing the best employee”
13. Inventory
The inventory function It involves finding out what resources the company has and if it needs any specific object or element to be able to properly carry out its functions Whoever takes inventory is in charge of finding out if office supplies, equipment, furniture, cleaning materials or any other element are missing.
It is also part of the inventory to report on the income and expenditure of resources, such as failures or damages that some of them have had or if there is a suspicion that there are workers who are taking office supplies home. All this will be recorded in a report detailing the situation of the resources and possible needs that have occurred due to their shortage, if any.
14. Finance Management
Finance management consists of ensuring that the money managed by the organization meets its expected life cycle , buying and selling the products and services that the company needs and offers and investing it wisely. This also involves saving all invoices, sending them to the appropriate people, registering them and making the necessary administrative payments.
15. Administration
By administration we mean issues more related to paperwork, such as legal issues and bureaucracy It is necessary for the company to know very well what legal aspects it must comply with, in addition to taking into account the models and documents to fill out and present to the state administration to confirm that its activities are legal.
