subject: The Role Of The Office Supplies Manager [print this page] The role of the office supply manager is vital to the successful running of any business, but one that gets overlooked and dismissed as minor more often than not. Consider however what would happen if the office supplies were not brought in and stored neatly in the supply cupboard. Even the most basic components are important. How can messages be taken without pens to write them, how can papers be held together without a stapler and staples. It might sound rather futile but actually most offices rely heavily on small stationary products. Notepads, paper clips, folders and copier paper are all used on a daily basis, but their perceived importance and monetary value means they are a commodity which is taken for granted, yet the frustration when they run out unexpectedly can be immense.
Another example is the business that does a lot of shipping work, whether the items to be posted are documents or goods, the correct packaging materials must be appropriate and plentiful. It doesn't promote a high customer service level if items are delayed and cannot be dispatched because there are no envelopes left on the shelf, and it is not good business sense to be sending the office junior to the nearest town to purchase off the shelf, as this will cost more. For businesses that send out good, the list can grow rapidly, boxes or bags, protective packaging materials, tape and labels soon create quite a list. Just one of those products running out can lead to a temporary halt in progress, and a potentially dissatisfied customer who then chooses not to bring any return business back to the company.
For the SME the role of office supply manager is likely to fall within the remit of another job, whether the office manager or the personal assistant. The employee will have many other tasks to undertake and it is therefore not going to be practical for office supplies to take a large percentage of time. For that key business reason purchasing office supplies online makes good business sense, the ability to browse hundreds of products with a few clicks of the mouse is far simpler than having to trawl catalogues and fill out order forms. One of the benefits of online shopping is the exponential speed that goods can be dispatched to customers. Should an item run out of stock, it can normally be delivered within the next business day, certainly the day after, and because there is no actual store front to support the prices can be that bit more competitive; saving both money and the valuable time of the employee. Good supply management should form part of a top rate customer service policy. It dates right back to youth when the Guides and Scouts had the motto be prepared, how right they were. If a company is disorganised even at an office management level the service standards can easily slip, and in the current cut throat world of every business for itself poor customer care can see the competition triumph.
