A back office assistant assists with business administration tasks, usually under the supervision of a back office manager or, in small offices, directly under the professional or professionals who provide services. The work of this assistant is largely determined the type of company for which he or she works. An assistant in many back offices may be in charge of basic or even advanced office administration and bookkeeping tasks. Assistants may perform basic lab work, prepare specimens for testing, or code medical records for insurance billing in medical or dental offices.
Some employees may be responsible for interacting with clients and customers, as well as the general public, in many businesses. This group is frequently referred to as being in charge of the front desk. Back office employees are those who focus on providing support and administrative services to keep the business running smoothly but have few interactions with customers and clients. Every back office has a different number of employees, as well as a different variety and complexity of duties. When there are multiple employees in a single office, at least one of them serves as a manager, overseeing the work of others. A back office assistant may perform a relatively narrow range of tasks within a department if the back office consists of several different departments, each reporting to a different manager.
Each back office assistant may focus on assisting the department in performing these necessary tasks in situations where a back office performs administrative, IT, and accounting functions. He or she may, for example, be in charge of maintaining spreadsheets for all or part of the company’s finances. The assistant’s manager, who could be an accountant, comptroller, or head bookkeeper, would then report to him or her. Other, more general types of office tasks may be delegated to an office manager.
The requirements for working as a back office assistant vary depending on the tasks performed and the nature of the office. A back office assistant who works in office administration is often required to have at least a high school diploma and experience with various types of standard office software. Those who perform more specialized tasks, such as bookkeeping, may need to have some type of spreadsheet management certification or education. In areas such as lab work or medical billing, medical office workers typically require even more specialized skills and training.