The 15 office functions (and their characteristics)

These are the main office functions, explained and summarized with the tasks they include.

In any organization it is necessary to carry out a series of activities 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 about fifteen if we group them into more generic functions.

Below we will find out what are the main office functions and what is their importance for the whole of any organization.

The 15 office functions (characteristics and work areas)

In any organization there are several employees performing different functions. Each of them is specialized in his or her field, which may require some type of more or less high level of training necessary to carry out the function they perform in the organization. Their functions are very diverse, dealing with aspects such as administration, inventory, financial management, employee selection or mail distribution.

Organizations can be described as organisms in which if any one of its parts does not work properly, the whole will fail or become less functional.. It is therefore essential that the company's employees master the skills expected of them when carrying out the tasks assigned to them, making use of good oral communication, organizational skills, document writing and office automation skills. All of these skills relate to the 15 main office functions that we will discuss below.

1. Planning

Planning is at the top of our list as it is the most important task within an organization. This involves defining what methods and organizational structures are going to be implemented in the company, clearly establishing the expected business plan and the expected results..

Although there are technological tools that help to concretize the methods proposed in the business plan and to distribute tasks among staff members, it is essential that a good planning has been established from the beginning. If you do not start off on the right foot, it is difficult to achieve the business objectives that the organization wants to achieve.

The people in charge of carrying out the planning must have a clear business vision.In addition to knowing in depth the hierarchy within the company and the strengths and weaknesses of the members who are believed to be suitable for the objectives required of them.

2. Writing documents

In every office there is a lot of writing. One of the most time-consuming tasks for company employees is writing reports and related documents such as transcribing important conversations and meetings, as well as taking minutes. Aspects such as audits and inventory reviews are also written and recorded.

The drafting of documents also includes the development of guidelines and protocols to help new and veteran employees understand how toThe drafting of documents also includes the development of guidelines and protocols to help new and veteran workers understand what to do in each scenario or task they are asked to perform. They can also detail aspects such as background, progress, results, advantages and disadvantages of applying one method or another in a specific situation of significant importance to the company.

3. Attending 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 they exchange ideas, share presentations, share information, share ideas, share experiences, and so on. exchange ideas, share presentations, present reports and reports on projects in progress..

These meetings are held with the objective of sharing common points of view and aligning their sights on the achievement of a certain goal or the completion of a certain project. They try to set the direction that workers should follow to work on the same objective, in a coordinated way and without repeating tasks uselessly among them. Therefore, roles, tasks and deadlines are assigned in the meetings.

What is discussed at the meetings is recorded in minutes for archiving.. Their frequency, duration and aspects to be discussed are delimited by the organization itself and the attendees of the meetings. 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. Scheduling meetings

The meeting, face-to-face or online, is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind each one of them there is a lot of preparation, investing time and resources to clarify what is going to be discussed or what is going to be done in them.

It may seem simple, but it is not when you consider that whoever is in charge of scheduling such meetings has to be aware of the project to be discussed, who are the people who are interested in attending and what times are convenient for them.

Scheduling meetings is not only about deciding on location, time and attendees, but also about making sure that the attendees will be able to attend. making sure that attendees will be able to attend and that the time chosen does not coincide with tasks or other meetings that are even more important.. It also involves deciding whether the topic you want to talk about is important enough to be discussed in a meeting, whether face-to-face or online, since no one wants to hold meetings for things that could be discussed by chat or email.

5. Organizational mail review

Another office function is the review of the organization's e-mail. At first glance it sounds rather simple, seeming to involve only opening emails that we receive from different levels of the company where we work. However, the truth is that this is one of the activities that can take up most of our time, with studies indicating that on average we spend an average of 20.5 hours a week doing this task..

The e-mails sent to us by our company must be read in depth, noting down the important aspects that our boss or colleagues tell us and making sure that no important message is misplaced. We must also answer them, since it is not very professional or cordial not to give a response of gratitude or a minimum comment that we have received such a message both to a superior and to a subordinate.

6. Company mail distribution

Mail distribution in the company is a task that does not require extensive training, although it does involve a lot of responsibility. You must have a great sense of urgency, good organization and know all the departments, offices and positions of importance within the company to deliver the information to the people you need. deliver the information to the right people as quickly as possible..

Among the documents and other items that may be waiting for the organization's employees 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

Logistics is related to the transportation of all goods related to the company, both their arrival to the company and departure to other companies and storage..

This function also includes interacting with suppliers so that they can provide us with raw materials that are essential for the manufacture of products and services offered by the organization. Whoever is in charge of logistics has the objective of making sure that the company has everything it needs to maintain production.

8. Call answering

The telephone is still one of the most used means of communication and the business world is no stranger to this. Call answering is an essential function in any organization, being the way in which the company communicates with its customers. the way in which you communicate with customers, suppliers or among your own co-workers, and the way in which you communicate with your employees..

This function is not as simple as it seems. To exercise it properly, a certain degree of protocol is required since, especially in the face of potential customers, 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 (telemarketer). The rules of courtesy must be respected, maintain an institutional tone and watch the volume of voice and vocabulary.

Whoever is in charge of the telephone must be attentive to what the person he/she is talking to is saying, whether it is a supplier or a customer. While performing this function, the telemarketer should take down as much information as possible related to his or her interlocutorIn order to expand the company's contact database with a potential customer or an interesting supplier.

9. Attention to the client

The attention to the client consists of physically assisting customers with respect to the questions and doubts they have about a service or product offered by the organization.

This is one of the most sensitive functions in companies, since depending on how customers are treated and how effectively their questions or complaints about products or services are resolved, they will be satisfied or not.

10. File organization

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

One way or another, every activity in the company generates some kind of document that must be kept, such as invoices, minutes, notes, minutes, sales reports, printed reports... This information should be catalogued, archived and stored, depending on its level of importance and whether it is likely to be consulted in the future.

11. Printing and copying documents

The printing of documents is just that, printing the files that are necessary to have them in physical format and getting them to the appropriate getting them to the right people..

This function is coupled with that of organizing files, since it may also be necessary to print documents previously stored in digital format in order to have a spare physical copy and keep it in the right place.

12. Personnel selection

No company retains its workers permanently, either because they decide to leave, are fired or simply die. People come and go, and it is necessary to hire new employees so that the company can work at maximum performance. Personnel selection consists of choosing future employees from among potential candidates..

The tasks related to the selection of personnel we have to interview the candidates, to look at their resumes, to investigate their digital footprint and to confirm that their references are true.

13. Inventory

The inventory function involves finding out what resources the company has available and whether it needs any particular object or item in order to properly carry out its functions.. The inventory taker is in charge of finding out if office supplies, equipment, furniture, cleaning materials or any other item is missing.

It is also part of the inventory to inform about incoming and outgoing 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 material home. All of this will be recorded in a report detailing the situation of the resources and possible needs in the event of a shortage, if any.

14. Financial management

Financial management consists of making sure that the money handled by the organization fulfills its expected life cycle, buying and selling the products and services it needs.The management of finances consists of making sure that the money handled by the organization fulfills its expected life cycle, buying and selling the products and services the company needs and offers, and investing it wisely. This also involves keeping all invoices, sending them to the right people, recording them and making the necessary administrative payments.

15. Administration

By administration we mean more paperwork-related issues, such as legal issues and bureaucracy.. It is necessary for the company to know very well which legal aspects it must comply with, as well as to take into account the forms and documents to be filled in and submitted to the state administration to confirm that its activities are legal.