Must Have Tools for Australian Office Administrators

Office administrators play a critical role in any company. With an estimated 110,000 office administration employees in Australia alone in 2023, there’s no denying the need for office tools and solutions tailored to office administrators.

As an office administrator, you must handle various time-consuming tasks and responsibilities. From scheduling appointments to answering calls, filing information, managing communications, handling office records, and more, officer administrators are always busy – making tools for office administrators critical in getting the job done.

Without someone like you, your company could fall apart, but with such an extensive list of tasks, being the office manager can be tough. This article will help you meet your objectives as an office administrator by exploring the best tools to help you manage your work smartly and get more in less time. It’s time to stop stretching yourself thin and employ the following tools to make your professional life easier!

What is Office Management?

Office management is a job that improves the logistics within an office by focusing on productivity, efficiency, and working conditions within a workplace. This job involves the planning, designing, and implementing work within an organization and its offices, including creating a focused work environment and coordinating office activities to achieve organizational goals.

Office management might involve responsibilities like managing office equipment, maintaining a strict budget, welcoming visitors, organizing office activities, managing internal workplace communications, organizing in-office and off-site events, and more.

As an office administrator, you’re expected to do much for your company – from scheduling to acting as an office advisor. Roles for office administrators vary greatly between companies and industries, but no matter what, the critical role of an office administrator in an organization’s success is undeniable.

Typical Responsibilities: What Are Office Management Tasks?

Modern office management includes a variety of responsibilities and tasks that the office manager or administrator is expected to perform in a timely fashion. Some common office management tasks include the following:

• Communicating with professionals to  facilitate problem-solving and resolution and coordinate the business
• Assigning work to employees and monitoring overall performance
• Helping with the planning of office services and maintaining office standards
• Managing office facilities to ensure equipment, buildings, and other resources are well-maintained
• Maintaining and analysing compliance with  occupational health and safety regulations
• Allocating assets like human resources and equipment
• Managing office records and accounts
• Guaranteeing that all work activities align with government legislation and procedures
• Coordinating various personnel activities, including promotions, hiring, payroll, training, and more

Workplace Management Software: What it is and Why You Need It

Workplace management software is critical for any officer manager or administrator and helps promote office manager skills and productivity. Workplace management software is software and a centralized hub where you can manage workplace operations, such as schedules, employee productivity, inter-department communications, workplace safety, and more.

This software is critical because it helps you streamline and automate time-consuming processes, including meeting room reservations, desk booking, and visitor management. Additionally, this software helps you create effective work schedules and determine workplace strategies to optimize your office productivity.

Workplace management software is beneficial because it promotes workplace safety, keeps employees on the same page, enhances employee autonomy, improves productivity, and more – creating a more functional workplace.

What Should You Look for in an Office Management Software?

Not all office management software solutions are the same, and some software might benefit your business more than others. Below are our top features to consider when choosing an office management software solution.

Project Views

From calendars to timelines, charts to Kanban boards, having a centralized view of all your projects is essential. Office management software allows you to visualize your organisation’s progress by providing project views across mediums and including information about upcoming events and holidays to stay on top of different projects.

Collaboration Tools

Communication is critical to any organization – and office management tools help you collaborate efficiently with tools to communicate with other employees and collaborate on solutions, new ideas, and project tasks in real-time.

User-Friendly Interfaces

Your workplace management software won’t be effective if no one can figure out how to use it – so ensure you choose a platform with user-friendly interfaces that employees can comfortably navigate and use to their advantage. A user-friendly, intuitive interface will encourage employees to take advantage of the system without having to frequently consult support resources.

Ensure a solution is user-friendly by considering reviews before deciding on a software solution.

Document Management Tools

The best workplace management software will provide advanced document management tools to help promote collaboration between vendors, team members, and stakeholders. These tools can help you store and collaborate across documents to guarantee transparency in decision-making.

Mobile Accessibility

More and more people use mobile devices to access crucial organisational information, so choosing tools for office administrators prioritising mobile accessibility is a must. This access makes it easier to stay on top of employee activities and respond promptly to issues without switching to a desktop version.

This accessibility is especially important for employees who travel often or teams that work remotely.

Reporting and Analytics

You can’t just choose a solution and hope it works – you need software that offers measurable insights into your current performance. The best software solution will provide reporting and analytics tools that help you identify work patterns, forecast your company’s needs, and measure your overall performance, ensuring your business remains productive and competitive.

Structured Task Planning

With the various tasks you and your team manage daily, having solutions to provide additional structure to task planning is vital. A workplace management software solution provides an organised interface where you can lay out your tasks in a structured manner and ensure proper planning and task scheduling to prioritise tasks correctly.

Task Scheduling

Once you have a list of tasks you need to be completed in a specific timeframe, it is important to schedule them efficiently. A sound system allows employees to prioritise their work in order of urgency. Managers should also manage this scheduling aspect with ease by prioritising and assigning each task its time frame.

Task Tracking

With a good task tracking feature, managers can see the progress of each of their employees' projects and give feedback if necessary. This is an invaluable tool for productivity since it allows you to note where employees could be having a problem and provide them with the help or support, they need to complete the task.

Customizable Workspaces

Not all employees navigate work the same, making customisation invaluable to optimise employee performance and productivity. The right workplace management software will offer customisable workspaces that fit individual needs and preferences – making work better and more efficient for everyone.

Integrated Time Tracking

With more companies adopting a remote or hybrid workforce, the work management software they choose must include an integrated time tracking feature. This way, you can still keep track of your employees' hours and productivity regardless of location or presence in the office.

Import/Export Capabilities

If you are looking for work management software that can communicate with other programs in your company, then this feature should be a must-have on top of your list. You want to share any information at the touch of a button and make the transition from one program to another as seamless as possible.

For instance, if you need to send completed tasks to another department, it shouldn't be challenging to execute. Nor should you experience any problems when you need to import any information from another program.

Manuals and Guides

As much as possible, information should be readily available within the platform. If anyone needs help, it should be as easy to find the answer they are looking for.

While some companies prefer lengthy manuals and guides, others seek simple solutions without the extra material floating around. It is up to you which you would instead have based on your needs within your company, but this feature should make its way onto your list.

Tools By Type

Knowing how to choose the best office management software requires understanding what each tool is most effective for.

For Calendars and Events

One of the best tools for managing calendars is Google Calendar. Google Calendar allows you to book different events and notifies all invited parties before events like meetings begin – ensuring people are on time and reducing missed meetings significantly!

For Scheduling

Scheduling is a critical process for any business. Resources like Calendly allow you to show your appointment availability and help employees and customers book appointments with you efficiently.

For Accounting and Expenses

Accounting is a must-have for any business – and tools like QuickBooks offer the perfect solution for managing accounting processes with an automated invoicing tool that allows you to file taxes, manage cash flow, and track invoices.

For Communication

Communicating efficiently with employees through real-time meetings and conversations is essential for any business. Tools like Zoom and Google Meet allow you to communicate effectively with your team through text and video, giving you multiple communication options to share your thoughts and concerns.

For Stationary

Stationary can be a dull, time-consuming process – but with tools like Padtastic, you can meet all your stationary needs through a personalized solution!

For Project Management

Managing your projects is critical to successful completion. Project management software like ProofHub is beneficial because it allows project managers to access resources for task management, notes, reports, online proofing, and more – offering a truly well-rounded project solution!

For Travel

Booking travel and making travel plans is stressful for any office administrator. Platforms like Hipmunk and Travelperk make planning for travel much simpler, offering resources to help you compare flights and hotels from different providers to make the best decision for your team.

For Digital Storage

Keeping your digital files safe and secure is critical to protect your business. Solutions like Dropbox allow you to organize all your files in a centralized location and safe environment.

Discover More With WellsGray

Tools for office administrators are crucial to making life at work easier. WellsGray can help you find the perfect office administrator job that has all the tools you need to make your work life better.

Contact WellsGray today to learn more about the WellsGray solution!