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 that are proposed 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 a fortnight of them if we group them into more generic functions.

Next we will discover what they are the main office functions and what is its importance for the whole of any organization.

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The 15 office functions (features and workspaces)

In every organization there are several employees exercising different functions. Each of them is specialized in their field, which may require some type of training that is more or less high and 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 their parts does not work properly, the whole will fail or be less functional. That is why it is essential that company workers master the skills expected of them when carrying out tasks assigned to them, making use of good oral communication, organizational skills, writing documents and knowledge of office automation. All of these skills relate to the top 15 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 implies 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 to specify the methods outlined in the business plan and distribute tasks among staff members, it is essential that a good planning. If you don't start off on the right foot, it is difficult to achieve the business objectives that the organization wants to achieve.

The people who are in charge of carrying out the planning must have a clear business visionIn addition to knowing in depth what is the hierarchy within the company and the strengths and weaknesses of the members who are believed adequate for the objectives that are asked of them.

2. Redaction of documents

A lot is written in every office. One of the most time-consuming tasks for company workers is writing reports and documents such as the transcription of important conversations and meetings, in addition to leaving minutes of themselves. Aspects such as inspections and inventory reviews are also drawn up and recorded.

In the drafting of documents It also includes the development of guides and protocols to help workers, novices and veterans, to understand what they should do in each course 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 concrete situation significantly important to the company.

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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 exchange ideas, share presentations, present reports and reports on ongoing projects.

These meetings are held with the objective of putting common points of view and aligning their sights for the achievement of a goal or completion of a specific project. They try to set the direction that workers must follow in order to work towards the same goal, in a coordinated way and without unnecessarily repeating tasks between them. For this reason, the meetings assign roles, tasks and deadlines for each one of them.

What is commented on in the meetings is recorded in minutes or minutes for filing.. 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.

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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 stops being 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 discussed, who are the people who are interested in attending and what times are they well.

Scheduling meetings does not only imply 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 if the topic you want to talk about is important enough to be covered in a meeting, either in person or online, since nobody wants to hold meetings for things that could be discussed by chat or email electronic.

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5. Organizational email review

Another office function is checking the organization's email. At first it sounds simple, it seems 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 us the longest, and there are studies that indicate that on average we spend an average of 20.5 hours per week doing this task.

The emails sent by our company must be read in depth, pointing out the important aspects that our boss or colleagues tell us and be aware that no message is misplaced important. We must also answer them, since it is not too professional or cordial not to give an answer of gratitude or the slightest comment that we have received such a message from both a superior and a subordinate.

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6. Distribution of company mail

The distribution of mail in the company is a task in which extensive training is not required, although it does involve a lot of responsibility. You must have a great sense of urgency, good organization and know all the important departments, offices and positions within the company to deliver the information to the people who are convenient for you and as soon as possible.

Documents and other items that your organization's employees may be waiting for include supplier invoices, letters response from a governmental body, credit cards, designs, folios, electronic devices such as graphic cards and materials cousins.

7. Logistics

Logistics It has to do with the transport of all goods related to the company, both their arrival at the company and their departure to others and storage.

This function also includes interacting with providers so that we can dispense essential raw materials in the manufacture of products and services offered by the organization. Whoever handles logistics aims to make sure the company has everything it needs to keep production going.

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 fundamental function in any 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 sounds. 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 their offers (telemarketer). The 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 telephone must be aware of what the person with whom he is speaking says, be it a supplier or a customer. While this function is being carried out, the telemarketer must write down how much more information is better related to his interlocutor, in order to expand the company's contact database with a potential customer or an interesting supplier.

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9. Customer Support

Customer service consists of physically serving customers with respect to the questions and doubts they have about a service or product offered by the organization.

It is one of the most sensitive functions in companies, since depending on the treatment that is given to Customers and how effective it is to resolve their doubts or complaints about products or services, they will be satisfied or not.

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10. File organization

The organization of files is a key aspect in companies, whether it is done in paper or digital format.

One way or another, All 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 should be cataloged, archived and safeguarded, depending on its level of importance and if it is likely to be consulted for 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 out to the right workers.

This function is coupled with that of organizing files, since it may also be necessary to print documents pre-stored digitally for a replacement physical copy and save on site suitable.

12. Staff pick

No company permanently retains its workers, either because they themselves decide to leave, are fired or simply die. People come and go, and you need to hire new employees so that they can work at their best. Personnel selection consists of choosing future workers from among possible candidates.

Tasks related to recruiting we have to interview candidates, look at their resumes, investigate their fingerprint and confirm that their references are true.

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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. The inventory taker is responsible for finding out if office supplies, equipment, furniture, cleaning supplies or any other item are missing.

It is also part of the inventory to inform about income and expenditure of resources, such as failures or damages that have had some of them or if there is a suspicion that there are workers who are taking office supplies to home. All this will be recorded in a report detailing the situation of resources and possible needs that occurred in the face of their scarcity, if any.

14. Finance management

Finance management consists of making sure that the money handled by the organization meets its expected life cycle, buying and selling the products and services that the company needs and offers and investing wisely. This also implies saving all the 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 their activities are legal.