office skills

Skilled office workers are always in demand. Make sure you have the edge! Develop the skills and knowledge necessary for the efficient and productive operation of an office with an office administration course. Our Office Skills and Practicescourse will improve your prospects of working in an office or help you to make your own office more efficient.

You will learn about the modern office – from serviced office space to hot-desking and meeting rooms for hire – and how to operate and improve equipment, technology and office processes. Also, discover phone, business writing and computer skills and learn important workplace health and safety practices. Plus, study standard office communication systems and processes, including email, Chat, shorthand, audio-systems and voice recognition technology, and interpersonal communication in the office environment.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes achieved by undertaking an office administration course include:

• Learning about the modern office, the scope and nature of office work, where to work and having an office at home
• Exploring how to lease an office and serviced offices
• Gaining an understanding of hot-desking, meeting rooms for hire and the functions of an office
• Studying common jobs within an office, departments within an organisation and office equipment
• Examining information technology and office processes
• Understanding communication systems, email, chat, the internet, telephones, mobile phones and fax machines
• Attaining knowledge of 2-way radios, courier services, rail services, shorthand and audio systems
• Gaining insights into using audio recordings, electronic dictation and voice recognition software
• Learning about electronic communications and modes of electronic communication
• Exploring voice and image communication equipment
• Gaining an understanding of communication networks, electronic mail and email norms
• Studying the kinds, modes and pathways of communication and how to communicate effectively
• Examining the factors affecting interpersonal communication, awareness and intent, reactive patterns and how to become an effective communicator
• Understanding client relations, interpersonal workplace relations and the communication process
• Attaining knowledge of strategies for better communication, communicating with clients and different kinds of communicators
• Gaining insights into email and electronic communication
• Learning about giving and receiving instructions and how to handle complaints
• Exploring phone skills, telephone techniques and telephone answering when an office is unattended
• Gaining an understanding of office stationery and good business writing
• Studying memos, memoranda, sample memos, business letters and letter structure
• Examining sample letters, letter formats, business reports and report formats
• Understanding editing, proofreading and language
• Attaining knowledge of computer applications, word processing programs and spreadsheets
• Gaining insights into databases, communication and graphics
• Learning about multimedia and new media and the types of computers and software
• Exploring computer specifications, viruses, virus protection and optical drives
• Gaining an understanding of CD-ROM / CD-R / CD-RW, DVD-ROM / DVD-R / DVD-RW / BD-ROM / BD-RW.
• Studying peripherals, printers, modems and scanners
• Examining office organisation and procedures and how to organise data and classify information
• Understanding filing, designing and using a filing system and saving a Word document
• Attaining knowledge of record keeping, filing systems and filing procedures
• Gaining insights into active and inactive records and organising office space and work.
• Learning about the considerations when planning work schedules
• Exploring how to establish priorities, improve results and time management strategies
• Gaining an understanding of health and safety in the office
• Studying power leads, outlets and VDU equipment
• Examining lifting and manual handling, fatigue in the workplace, stages of fatigue and fatigue between work sessions
• Understanding recovery from strenuous mental activity, stress management and ways to avoid unnecessary stress
• Attaining knowledge of office security,legal restraints and legal risks
• Gaining insights into legal risks, copyright, defamation, privacy and law and the internet

And more!

Office Skills Employers are Looking For

When employers are searching for potential office administrators, they are looking for specific skills to help the office run smoothly and thrive. Here are a few important skills you will learn in our office administration course that will enhance your CV.

Basic computer literacy skills

Much of an office administrator’s position involves working on a computer. Google Docs or Microsoft Word can also be essential for those who need to draft important notes, write reports, and record the minutes from meetings. In order to input clerical information and data like company performance data, office inventory and customer information, they will often need knowledge of Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. If office administrators are required to perform minor accounting duties, financial tracking software like

QuickBooks may be expected.

Organisational skills

Office administrators are responsible for the organisation of many projects and documents, and these are often confidential . Hence, having basic organisational skills in order to file, source and store items is vital.

Strategic planning and scheduling skills

In order for an office or company to run smoothly, someone must be in charge of scheduling and strategic planning. Office administrators typically schedule events, meetings and customer appointments for managers, and often for the entire organisation. This requires excellent strategic planning skills to make sure schedules align and do not overwhelm scheduled participants.

Time-management skills

Office administrators should be equipped to handle troubleshooting and flexibility in dynamic environments as they are often assigned several tasks regularly, often unexpectedly. Some tasks may also have strict deadlines, and time-management skills can help prioritise these tasks.

Verbal and written communication skills

Office administrators are often the first point of contact for employees and clients. They greet customers, answer phones, schedule appointments and address questions. Therefore, employers often demand potential candidates have a positive attitude and top notch communication skills.

Critical thinking skills

Offices are prone to the unexpected and critical thinking and problem-solving skills can help office administrators overcome each challenge as it occurs. This includes organising maintenance and navigating employee issues. If a problem occurs and they can’t find an immediate solution, it’s up to them to think critically and find a creative solution to the problem.

Quick-learning skills

If a manager needs a project completed using an unfamiliar software or the office switches to a new scheduling system, the office administrator may be expected to adapt and learn t to this new method or technology. Therefore office administrators should be quick learners that are flexible and can easily develop skills to increase productivity and efficiency.

Attention to detail

Mistakes happen, and office administrators are often charged with flagging any issues and correcting them before clients see them. They should also be detail-oriented and able to ensure any company documents are factual and error-free.

2022’s Best Business Software

When you undertake an office administration course, you will become familiar with a range of business software that will enhance your skills and your organisation’s efficiency. Because there is so much competition in the market, smaller and cheaper packages can be just as good – although, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for! However, some of the more expensive software suites sometimes have a free tier so you can try it out and see if it is suitable. Here are some of the best small business software currently available according to Tech Radar.

Microsoft 365

There are many rivals, but Microsoft Office is still the best office software suite, and Microsoft 365 delivers a cloud version you can use on the go as well as in the office or at home. If you’ve used Microsoft Office before you’ll easily find your way around this platform. Many suppliers and contractors also use it, so it’s easy to swap, share or send send files without any issues.

Sage Accounting

The top Sage Accounting plan offers decent value and there is also a 30-day free trial. This allows you to manage invoices and quotes, handle and submit tax online, and perform reconciliation and cash flow (to name a few) from your desktop or via a mobile app. If you run into trouble, video tutorials and detailed web help is only a click away, with the offer of “free unlimited 24/7 telephone and email support”.

Asana

If you have multiple projects to manage, Asana can help you work out who should be doing what at any moment which maximises the chances of everything being completed by deadline. Asana integrates well with more than a hundred other products and services, including Slack, Gmail, Dropbox, Salesforce etc. so is flexible enough to fit into whatever workflow you have currently set up.

Slack

This communications platform has helped transform the way a lot of small business teams keep in touch. It offers real-time messaging in mobile apps, web browsers and desktop clients. Team members can chat one on one, in groups, or in channels based around topics (finances, sales, products etc).

Avast Business Antivirus

This is an excellent business endpoint security software suite, giving you various tools such as Firewall, antivirus, anti-spam and email protection. The free version of this security package has long been considered one of the best, but if value for money and simplicity are key factors, Avast Business Antivirus Pro could be a sensible choice.

Hubspot Marketing Hub

This is a platform that provides a range of tools for sales and market, content management and social media advertising. It has a wide-ranging toolkit to help improve conversions by offering options for content hosting, split testing along with targets and goals that can be tracked using Hubspot’s analytics software.

Bitrix24

This software provides a vast suite of powerful business tools from collaboration, telephony, instant messaging, document handling, project management, employee management, scheduling and more. If you prefer to keep things simple, then you can concentrate on the excellent customer relationship management (CRM), which is a capable system all on its own.

 

Feel confident to pursue office administration roles or improve your own business’s office operations and practices with an office administration course.