Administrative staff employees play a key role in managing daily tasks that keep everything running smoothly in a business setting. From scheduling meetings and handling records to addressing phone calls and organizing documents, their efficient execution of these functions benefits the entire company. This allows employees at all levels to focus on their priorities and produce the required results.
The Benefits of Using Clerical and Administrative Staffing Agencies
Administrative staffing services support the lifeblood of your organization. Therefore, administrative personnel agencies provide the key component to keeping your business on track and continually profitable. By using the services of a third-party employment staffer, you can realize several benefits. over time
How an Employment Service Can Make a Major Difference
Below are three of the primary advantages you’ll experience by using an employment service:
- Enhanced Customer Service. The administrative team often serves as the point of contact for employment agency customers. With their communications and organizational skills, they can deliver exceptional customer service and support.
- Company-Wide Support. Administrative personnel provide valuable support across various departments within the organization. For instance, they assist engineers with documentation, collaborate with marketing teams on events or work closely with HR during hiring processes and onboarding. Their ability to offer functional support contributes to enhanced coordination and increased productivity throughout the enterprise system.
- Reduced Employment Costs. Although administrative professionals require salaries and benefits, they also help companies save money. By optimizing systems and processes minimizing inefficiencies and avoiding redundancies they contribute towards cost-cutting measures, across all aspects of the business.
Needless to say, in today’s fast-paced work environment, administrative employees play a major role in a company’s success. Therefore, it is essential to invest in top-notch talent for office positions. By aligning your business with the right personnel company, you can enhance business performance, improve customer experiences, drive departmental success, reduce costs and foster sustainable growth.
Selecting an Administrative Staff Support Company
It’s important to make sure you choose the right administrative staff support company for ensuring your company’s continued success. Who you choose to align yourself with can greatly improve your operations, or it may also pose problems.
7 Tips for Choosing a Personnel Agency
Below are some tips for choosing an administrative personnel agency and the steps you need to take to ensure you receive the expected results.
- Ask about their screening process. A good agency will thoroughly vet candidates by conducting interviews, skills assessments, reference checks, and background checks. Make sure you understand their process.
- Inquire about their experience and specialties. Look for an agency that has years of experience in placing people in administrative positions. Some companies specialize in certain fields like healthcare and executive jobs as well. See if they focus on the employment needs of your business.
- Request to see resumes/profiles of some of their current candidates. Any reputable agency should be able to show you samples of resumes and client profiles (with candidate names removed). That way, you can judge if they have the caliber of talent you’re seeking
- Ask to speak to some of their placed candidates and clients. Good agencies won’t hesitate to provide references you can contact. Hearing firsthand experiences can provide helpful insights.
- Understand their placement fees and policies. Ask about how the fee structure works and whether there are guarantees on replacements if you want to hire a temp candidate full-time.
- Look for memberships in professional staffing associations. Memberships show commitment to ethical, quality standards in the human resources industry.
- Consider your resourcing requirements. Do you want specialized attention or a wider talent reach? These are important questions to ask when making the choice for an administrative provider
Take the time to thoroughly vet an administrative staffing agency before deciding on the best fit for your office hiring needs. Having the right partner is important for sourcing great talent and retaining employees over a longer time.
What is Administrative Work? Assessing Your Current Office Staffing Requirements
To determine the number and types of employees needed, an assessment of your current situation is necessary when you’re working with a staffing agency and personnel provider.
Evaluate Individual Workloads
First, evaluate the responsibilities and workloads of your existing team. Are they overwhelmed or underutilized? Create a list of essential daily, weekly and monthly tasks along with their respective time requirements. This will help identify any gaps or inefficiencies.
Determine Your Company’s Short-term and Long-term Work Goals
Next consider your company’s goals and priorities for the year. Are you planning to expand into other markets? Maybe your goal is to launch new products. If so, you may need additional people to support increased operations and workloads. New initiatives often require project-based hires to handle initial spikes in workflows.
Assess Your Company’s Current and Future Technology Requirements
Assess any implemented or planned software systems or processes. Significant changes in technology typically demand extra administrative support and time. Bringing on a short-term team can ensure a smooth transition and integration process.
Adjust and Make Changes
Make sure to gather input from your employees regarding their needs and challenges. Their frontline perspectives can provide insights into workload issues, areas of support that may be lacking, or missed opportunities. It’s also important to have discussions with managers and executives to address any current work concerns.
By evaluating your current and future office staffing requirements, you can develop a well-rounded staffing strategy.
What Is Administrative Staffing? Key Strategies for Choosing Office Professionals
When building an administrative team, pay attention to certain key strategies for hiring. These administrative staffing solutions will assist you in finding talent among customer service representatives and office support and back-up personnel.
Target Applicants with Relevant Skills
Look for applicants who possess relevant degrees, certifications and practical experience in their chosen field. Administrative roles require a combination of business and technical skills as well as soft skills.
Therefore, focus on applicants who have demonstrated abilities in areas such as the following:
- Project management. Applicants should be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously while effectively prioritizing the responsibilities into workable streams of work.
- Communication skills and experience. Strong written and verbal communication skills are necessary for clear interactions with colleagues and clients.
- Proficiency with technology. Candidates should be well-versed in using productivity software, online tools and business software systems.
- Attention to detail. Meticulousness, accuracy and the ability to multitask are needed to support various operations in a company.
What is the Job Description of an Administrative Assistant?
An administrative assistant is a support person who handles the distribution of info to co-workers, handles administrative requests, plans meetings, and organizes schedules.
Interviewing Office Professionals for Clerical and Administrative Support Jobs
Follow a step-by-step approach when assessing job applicants.
1. Initial phone screening
Evaluate qualifications and discuss salary expectations.
2. Face-to-face interviews
An applicant should have one in-person interview with a manager and, in some cases, another interview with a panel of peers. During these interviews, have candidates showcase their skills. Observe how well they interact with team members or how they communicate one-on-one.
3. Reference checking
Speak with an applicant’s former managers and colleagues to gain a comprehensive understanding of a candidate’s strengths, work style and areas for potential growth.
How to Attract the Best Employees
To attract the best administrative talent, it is vital to offer competitive compensation and benefits. Whether you are considering agencies in Dallas or are working with a Los Angeles or Houston office staffing agency, you need to consider the following perks. Doing so will help you capture the interest of stronger job applicants.
1. Competitive pay
Ensure that the salary offered meets or exceeds industry standards based on the candidate’s experience and credentials. Also, remember that the pay rates for Plano administrative professionals will not be the same as they are for job applicants in Dallas, given the cost of living requirements.
What a job applicant seeks in a salary then is contingent on where they choose to work and reside.
Also, remember, it’s essential that you offer higher compensation to your administrative personnel who have significant responsibilities. These tasks may include the handling of confidential data or a workload that involves detailed spreadsheets or IT responsibilities.
2. Flexible work options
If suitable for the position, provide opportunities for workers to work flexible schedules or to participate in a job sharing program. That way, you can widen your talent pool.
3. Comprehensive benefits package
Offer health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off and benefits that demonstrate your commitment to valuing your employees.
4. Growth prospects
Discuss a career progression plan so that ambitious job candidates can work toward when climbing the ladder and advancing in their skills.
Investing time and resources in the development of your employees will yield positive results – results that translate into increased productivity, reduced turnover rates, and a more favorable workplace culture.
Providing the Proper Resources and Training
Ensuring that your administrative staff receives training and has access to the necessary resources will give them more self-confidence while increasing efficiency. You can do this in one of several ways.
1. Initial onboarding and training
Take the time to guide your assistants and secretaries through their roles, Introduce them to important contacts and the tools they will be using on the job. Encourage questions. Provide job aids or checklists to facilitate a smooth transition.
2. Continuous learning opportunities
The business landscape is ever evolving, so it’s essential to offer resources that allow your admins to stay updated on their software needs, compliance regulations and industry best practices. Consider providing a stipend for courses or workshops.
3. Appropriate tools and technology
Equip your personnel with premium hardware, software and customized tools that cater to their specific needs. Examples include project management platforms, shared calendars, video conferencing systems and secure document storage solutions. Make sure these technologies are regularly updated.
4. Foster open communication
Encourage an environment of dialogue where administrators feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, concerns or suggestions regarding their work or working environment.
Investing in training, tools and compensation for your administrative team will result in a highly capable, motivated and loyal support staff. Their increased productivity and efficiency will lead to better financial results for your company.
What Does It Mean to Work Through a Staffing Agency?
To assess the effectiveness of your staffing strategy, it’s important to measure its impact on company performance. Here are some key metrics you can track:
1. Productivity
Are your employees able to focus on their core responsibilities? Evaluate performance indicators such as:
- Sales or leads generated per employee
- Customer service tickets resolved
- Projects completed within deadlines
If you observe an increase in productivity levels, it indicates that your admin support is working effectively.
If there is a decline in performance, it might be necessary to make adjustments to the staffing levels or responsibilities. Major agencies in Phoenix, LA, Chicago, and all throughout the US support these objectives.
2, Cost Savings
Calculate the amount of time and money saved by using a support staff. For instance, if an engineer takes two hours to complete a task while an admin only takes 30 minutes , that reveals a gain of 90 minutes in productivity. Multiply this number by the engineer’s rate to determine the cost savings.
3, Revenue Growth
By using a third party to help you hire administrative talent, you can focus on tasks that drive growth, such as strategic planning, product development and client services. Measure year-over-year revenue increases, which are often a result of time saved and productivity gained through administrative support.
4, Employee Satisfaction
Gauge how supported and empowered your employees feel through surveys and one-on-one meetings. Ask questions, like:
- Do you have administrative resources to excel in your role?
- How much time do you spend on tasks that could be handled by an administrator?
- What other responsibilities could be taken off your plate by an administrative support person, so you can prioritize effectively?
Use the feedback received to implement improvements that enhance satisfaction and employee retention.
By measuring the above four areas, you can demonstrate the impact that administration staffing has on your company’s performance, productivity and overall success.
That’s why you need to make data-driven decisions and adjustments when it comes to staffing your company.
Final Thoughts
If you regularly hire people, you can make significant progress by working with a third-party agency to support your staffing needs for administrative personnel. Not only will you lower your costs, you’ll have easier access to top applicants.
