Company Secretary: Does Your Small Business Need One?

Company Secretary: Does Your Small Business Need One?

Did you know that over 30 million businesses exist in the United States?

Some small businesses think that because of their size, they won’t need a company secretary. In truth, a secretary’s help is invaluable regardless of your business size. Without a secretary, you may become overwhelmed with their responsibilities.

Not sure if your business needs a company secretary?

With this guide, you’ll learn the company secretary job duties. That way, you’ll know what responsibilities you can relegate to them to make your work easier. Read on and find out more:

1. Answering and Directing Phone Calls

Part of a secretary’s responsibilities is to answer your office phone lines. They must direct each call to the right person. In most cases, they also handle calls for solicitation, as well as client calls and messages.

A legal office secretary will take calls from clients asking for casework details. This means they must have the skills to direct each client to the right attorney handling their case. They must also take and distribute other messages and correspondences.

Regardless of the industry, secretaries must know how to determine the importance of calls and messages. That means they must distinguish between urgent and less important topics and clients.

2. Organizing and Distributing Messages

Another essential task performed by secretaries is organizing and distributing written messages. This includes notes, memos, and other forms of messages. This means they must have excellent communication and analytical skills.

With that, they have the means of taking on various communication tasks. For example, executive secretaries must organize and distribute memos.

They must bring only the most important and urgent communications to their CEO. A type of urgent message might be a modification in a client’s current contract.

3. Maintaining Company Schedules

Over 20% of small businesses fail each year. One of the root causes is an inefficient company schedule. With a secretary, you’ll have someone to keep track of your employees’ schedules and agendas. If you’re busy handling other important matters as the business owner.

Does your business has various departments with multiple teams? With a capable secretary, you’ll have someone to set appointments with clients or shareholders. They keep your employees in line by using reminders for upcoming meetings.

4. Organizing Documents and Files

Your secretary can keep documents, records, and files organized in your company. They could maintain your company’s filing system and organize client records. They’ll also manage important documents like expense reports and procedural documentation.

You need an internal computer database to store your company’s documents, files, and records. This means a secretary must possess the necessary technical skills. That way, they’ll know their way around these filing systems.

5. Greeting Business Clients and Guests

Depending on your business, your secretary might also take on the duties of a receptionist. It’s an add-on to their other administrative responsibilities. This means they can greet your top clients as they arrive for conferences or meetings.

Your secretary can help help your visitors settle in and feel comfortable. As the meeting progresses, they can bring in the refreshments. You may even assign them to take notes of the important parts of the meeting.

In general, they work to maintain a professional atmosphere. A company secretary helps to maintain your company’s brand image to your visitors.

6. Documenting Financial Information

Secretaries may also document your company’s expenses, earnings, and other financial data. For example, if you have a sales corporation, your secretary will document your sales team’s reports. They will extract especially important information like expenses and operating costs.

With that, you need not pore over mounds of data to find what you’re looking for. A highly-skilled company secretary has the technical skills for using spreadsheet software.

This allows them to organize your company’s financial data into specific reports. All you need is to analyze these data before approval.

7. Maintaining and Ordering Office Supplies

Secretaries take some work off your back by keep track of inventory records. It helps them maintain your office supplies. They may put in orders for specific office supplies whenever your company is running low.

For example, a secretary with office administration duties can make monthly spreadsheets. This allows them to keep an updated record of the number of supplies. This includes the following:

  • Copy paper
  • Filing folders
  • Pens, and
  • Toners

Take note; these are only some of the many supplies a secretary might be tracking. Regardless, their responsibility is to see whether a specific item is sufficient. If not, they immediately place an order to replenish it.

8. Organizing and Conducting Meetings

Secretaries often take on the job of organizing and conducting company meetings. Take note, your secretary is responsible for these conferences. This means that a successful meeting depends on other parties outside your company.

For example, your business might meet some clothes designers and other industry professionals. In this situation, your secretary might discuss the conference’s important points. They can take notes for you and other decision-makers in your business.

Company secretaries may also serve as vital team members. Executives and other high-level professionals might have other engagements.

9. Assisting Executives with Project Tasks

A highly-skilled secretary is invaluable when they can assist supervisors. It’s because they can finish small tasks that serve as components of larger projects. For instance, secretaries of a lead marketing director can assist with these tasks:

  • Organizing reports
  • Printing documents
  • Preparing presentations

These secretaries have a wide range of tasks they can perform. To become successful, they must have a compendium of both soft and hard skills. That way, your supervisors can have an easier time overseeing more urgent tasks.

10. Supervising New Employees and Other Staff Members

Some secretaries have mentorship skills that allow them to collaborate with your staff. This results in the implementation of procedures that help train newer employees. Many secretaries have broad knowledge and experience with companies.

This allows them to lead new hires and other staff members to develop better skills. Aside from this, competent secretaries will also help new employees follow company policies.

A company secretary is in charge of educating new recruits about the company culture. For example, legal secretaries can mentor new paralegal employees to help them learn the firm’s filing systems. At the same time, they’ll teach how to organize casework and documents using the firm’s guidelines.

11. Coordinating with Other Organizations

Another great secretarial function is coordinating and forming meaningful relationships. This may involve other organizations and businesses.

A secretary within an engineering business may also help connect contractors and designers. That way, you have an efficient method of setting up conferences. They ease the burden of buying resources and forming various business partnerships.

12. Implementing Administrative Procedures

As your company grows, you can let your secretary help in developing and enforcing company policies. They may also help with various administrative procedures within the business. A company secretary will help you compose the right procedures and company protocols.

They can also collaborate with you and other executives to implement these procedures. These secretaries can be in charge of training your employees. That way, they can carry out the policy’s directives.

What to Look for in a Company Secretary

There are over 3.6 million secretaries and administrative assistants in the US. This number might feel overwhelming when you’re looking for a company secretary. To make it easier, here are some things you can consider:

1. Communication Skills

An experienced secretary must have effective communication skills. Your secretary may be the first point of contact for your clients and business partners.

If you have a professional secretary, it ensures nothing gets misunderstood. This gives other companies a strong impression of your business.

2. Independence

It’s crucial to note that your secretary is not your personal assistant. You may need to turn to your secretary with company matters. A company secretary with strong independence may help you the most with collaborations.

An independent secretary knows how to make their own decisions. A secretary with the ability to say “no” will help you stay grounded with big company decisions.

3. Commitment

The best secretaries are those who exercise great loyalty to their employer. Some could even go as so far as to travel with them when going to overseas meetings. With this, get a secretary you can trust for years to come.

4. Planning Skills

As said before, secretaries can organize important meetings. If you have no time to plan, having a secretary with planning skills is invaluable. That way, your meetings are efficient and can impress both internal and external stakeholders.

Why You Need a Company Secretary

Are you looking for someone to help you manage your employees and clients? Here’s our guide about everything a company secretary does. Now you know what to look for in a company secretary once you start hiring one.

Thanks for reading our article! Want to learn more about managing your business and getting maximum profit? Check out our other blog posts for more business-related guides!

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