The job of an office manager at a green industry business is a lot like that of an offensive lineman on a football team. They're the ones in the trenches doing all the dirty work that leads to the team's success. Not only are they responsible for the accounting and payroll functions in the business, but they also serve as the hub for all the day-to-day activity, including scheduling, being the first point of contact for customers, answering field employees' questions, and invoicing customers, among other duties.
Add it all up and it's a daunting job that's not right for everyone. So what makes for a great office manager? Here are five traits we think you should look for when hiring an office manager:
Learns Quickly
Let's face it, if you're hiring an office manager, they're going to be thrown directly into the fire. It's sink or swim from Day 1. Which is why you need someone who can learn very quickly. Because your office manager serves as the hub through which most of your business runs, they need to be able to learn everything about your business very quickly. They need to learn the services you provide, your technicians or crews personalities, your customers, your phone system, your marketing activities, payroll, accounting, your field service software, and a whole lot more.
Even worse, they're going to be on an island when they do that. More than likely your green industry business doesn't have another office manager. As the owner, you're too busy to really spend a lot of time helping them improve. So if you don't have an office manager that can learn quickly, they're going to fail quickly.
Knows Their Way Around a Computer
Your office manager's computer is going to be the hub of your business. From writing emails to customers to viewing and adding to the schedule, to managing QuickBooks, to managing your green industry business' social media accounts, your office manager is going to be dealing with a computer most of the day. Do they need to know how to partition a hard drive or install memory? No. But they do need to know basic to advanced computer skills.
So hire an office manager with some experience using a computer. If you don't, you may find that a lot of time will be wasted trying to learn new software instead of managing the office.
Is A Great Communicator
Ronald Reagan was known as the Great Communicator. Your office manager doesn't need to be on Ronald Reagan's level, but he or she does need to know how to communicate with different people. Whether they're trying to calm down an irate customer, trying to get information out of an introverted technician, or trying to explain to you, the owner, what happened on a customer's property, they need to be able to communicate effectively.
That communication isn't limited to verbal communication, however. Your office manager also needs to be able to convey written messages effectively. In many offices, the office manager serves as the social media manager. Or, they may be responsible for writing the text in email templates for appointment reminders. Or, they may need to respond to incoming emails. So be sure you hire someone with great verbal and written communication skills.
Loves Multitasking
In a typical day, your office manager may need to schedule all of that season's irrigation blowouts. They may need to send out contract renewals. They may need to send past due notifications to customers. In between those tasks, they'll be handling incoming calls from customers and determining what to do. They'll have to check your timesheets to make sure they're ready for payroll. They may need to dispatch supplies out to a service truck. They'll need to write a couple emails and post some messages to social media.
So they need to be able to multitask and get multiple things done in a single day. If you hire someone who can't handle the constant interruptions and changing tasks, they will soon learn to hate being your office manager.
Has Great Organizational Skills
I've talked to enough green industry business owners to know they typically aren't the most organized bunch. They usually get their start in the field and love doing the work. But they hate managing the paperwork in a green industry business. That's why they typically need an office manager in the first place - it's not their strong suit.
So be sure to hire someone that is single-mindedly driven to stay organized. Neat freak might be too strong a word, but you want an office manager who has a well-thought-out filing system, who asks for a lot of paperclips and folders, and who isn't afraid to spend some time at the end of every day writing down the next day's priorities.
