Few employees have more of an impact on the day-to-day operations of your business than your office manager. Whether it’s scheduling travel arrangements, ordering supplies or planning a birthday party, your office manager touches every part of your business. And while he or she genuinely appreciates the occasional meeting “shoutout” or $50 gift card, what your office manager really wants are tools to make their job easier. Office automation tools to the rescue. These apps and online services will have them getting more done with less effort.
Employee Scheduling Apps
Many companies now offer employees the option to work from home or a more flexible work schedule. That’s great for the employees, but keeping track of these hybrid schedules has made it harder on your office manager. Workforce management tools like Robin let office managers control and track which employees require office access and what resources they need. Management platforms take the burden off the office manager’s hands by automating the process, letting employees book their own desks and rooms when needed.
Project Management Software
Office managers wear many hats and manage many projects, and keeping up is a daunting task. Make it easier by getting your office manager some handy project management software. These helpful online tools not only let users track the progress of multiple projects, they also allow collaboration with project team members. PM apps like Trello or Asana are good options, but there are many more out there. Both apps have freemium pricing plans, which puts limits on features like the number of collaborators, but managers at least get to try them out at no cost..
Social Media Management
Does your office manager oversee all your social media pages? Then they need a social media management platform. Apps like Hootsuite are great for managing multiple accounts at once like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter while others like Tailwind work well for specific platforms. With most apps, you can schedule posts, create ads and run analytics on your traffic. Some even alert you when someone mentions your company online. Social management apps are low cost and well worth the time saved.
Travel Planning Software
Even travel bookings and management are a part of today’s automated office. And with lockdowns and flight cancelations a regular hurdle, it helps to have a tool to manage last minute changes. Apps like TravelPerk or TripActions simplify travel bookings, letting your employees schedule their own flights, lodging and transport from their smartphones. Your travel data is centralized and checked, so you know exactly what’s happening at all times. Plus, most travel apps integrate with your expense account software, which streamlines the approval process. Look for time-saving features like platform AI that reschedules canceled or delayed flights automatically. These apps cut down planning time while improving transparency between managers and employees.
Automated Employee Gifting
Any office manager will tell you that recognizing birthdays, new babies and working anniversaries take time to plan and execute. But you can offload that task with employee gifting services like Evabot or Gifted.co. These services make sending employee gifts as simple as a few mouse clicks, and, like most automated platforms, they help manage and centralize all your purchases into one place. So, you’re making your CFO happy too! Employee recognition helps you retain valuable employees, so it’s a critical part of your business. But saying “Thank you!” doesn’t have to include the cost of your manager’s time.
After-Hours AC Automation
When your employees need to schedule after-hours electricity or HVAC on the weekends, it’s likely your office manager’s job to record and schedule it with your landlord—just another spreadsheet they need to manage. Apps like 7NOX automate utility scheduling by letting employees book their own after-hours air conditioning via their mobile phone. The app also cuts down on billing errors by accurately recording each booking’s date, time and duration. No more misunderstandings with your facilities manager or disputed charges. Plus, your office manager can trash their spreadsheet.