How to improve office management like a pro

Effective office management is extremely important in order to work efficiently and save costs and time. Therefore, you should focus on implementing appropriate strategies and tools to maximize productivity and efficiency in your business. We’ll look at what office management is, the importance of effective office management and the five keys on how to improve office management, optimizing business travel like a pro.

What is the role of an office manager in business travel?

An office manager, depending on the size of the business, might be in charge of making business travel arrangements, ensuring compliance of travel policies, approving travel and making arrangements with travel providers and managing vendor relations. They also might help compile travel documentation, ensure that travel itineraries are up-to-date, support employees when they’re on the road if any issues in their itinerary come up, contacting emergency assistance if needed.

5 keys to optimize business travel like a pro

Office management opens the doors to effective time and cost management. Business travel can also be streamlined and optimized by implementing the right strategies and tools to maximize productivity and efficiency.

1. Time management strategies

Time is a precious commodity, especially in the office and on business trips. Therefore, you should carefully manage the time you have available. Punctuality, meeting deadlines and working efficiently in your everyday working life are extremely important. And every day there are new tasks that need to be completed. Some of them are exciting, some rather monotonous.

You should therefore be realistic about how much time you need for your tasks. You should also know your processes and work steps. If you are working with colleagues or partners, it is very important that everything is documented so that it can be managed in a comprehensible order.

You should also reprioritize your tasks every day. What absolutely has to be checked off? What still has time? What do you have to do yourself, and what can you delegate to others? This way, you can make sure that all tasks are completed on time.

Delegating tasks is not always easy. Have you found yourself taking over tasks from your co-workers and then getting stressed out? At the same time, do you find it difficult to relinquish control and thus responsibility? By clearly formulating goals and efficiently communicating them, as well as applicable rules and deadlines, you can delegate tasks without losing track of them. Business travel is no different. Check out our guide to business travel planning.

2. Effective communication

Especially in the working world, effective communication is essential. This is where communication psychology comes into play. According to Friedemann Schulz von Thun’s 4-sides model, there are four different facets to communication: the factual level (what is being communicated), the speaker-related level known as the self-revealing or self-disclosure (what is being revealed about oneself), the relationship level (how people relate to each other) and the impact level (what is intended by the message). 

A distinction is also made between verbal and non-verbal communication. Because in addition to the spoken word with content and information, there is a non-verbal level consisting of gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions, body posture and facial expressions.

All of these can be used to communicate effectively with customers and stakeholders. So keep it short, because most of us have a lot on our plate at the office and don’t have time to read long messages or make endless phone calls. Avoid jargon and use active rather than passive language. Use figurative examples and avoid clichés. It is also important to communicate honestly and credibly and to address the other person directly. Whatever you want to communicate, you should always remain authentic.

In the office, it’s often helpful to use technology to stay in touch with colleagues and customers. Digital platforms are great for centralizing communication, especially now that many employees work from home offices. But this technology needs to be embraced. 

When it comes to travel management and organizing business trips, there are digital platforms like GetGoing that centralize all the processes involved in booking and managing business trips. Here you can learn more about how you can support the process of modern business travel with the latest travel technologies.

3. Building a productive and positive work environment

Do you want your company to have a productive and positive work environment? Then you need to make sure your employees are happy and proud to work for your organization. This way you can increase productivity in the company, achieve higher sales and even reduce costs for sick leave.

In the office, for example, you can pay attention to color temperature. People are more productive in cooler light and feel more comfortable and relaxed in warmer light. Therefore, the light in office spaces should be cool, while breakout areas and canteens should have a more warm light. Air quality also makes a big difference in the work environment.

The well-being of your employees should not be overlooked either. Extras such as childcare, yoga classes, lunchtime massages and healthy food and drink can make a big difference and make for a much more positive work environment. That’s why you should definitely implement a wellbeing program.

If your employees travel frequently for business, there are several ways to take care of their well-being and work-life balance (for example, using Bleisure) so they can stay productive while traveling for business. 

And when implemented properly, workplace collaboration can have a positive impact on your teams as well as the company as a whole. Collaboration can improve efficiency and foster both innovation and relationships within the team. So teamwork and digital collaboration technologies should be central to your business.

4. Implementing efficient administrative processes

Many administrative tasks can be digitized and automated, so you should invest time to streamline current processes and responsibilities in your company. This will save your employees valuable time in their day-to-day work, fewer mistakes will be made by avoiding manual processes, and the mountain of paperwork to be completed will quickly become much smaller.

When it comes to travel and office management, a digital platform is recommended here, where all processes, be it booking hotels or flights, or automating travel policies and trip approvals, can be managed quickly and easily in one place.

5. Utilizing the right business travel tools

To manage business travel efficiently in your day-to-day office life, you should use a central travel management platform as a tool to handle all booking and administration processes efficiently. GetGoing, for example, has developed a special software for office managers that automates workflows and makes them more efficient.