LCA Office Administration & Customer Care cheat sheet

Office administration covers four core functions: information handling, resource management, facilities coordination, and process support for other departments.

The span-of-control rule of thumb: one supervisor can effectively oversee 5-8 administrative staff performing similar routine tasks.

A standard document turnaround benchmark: routine correspondence within 24 hours, formal letters within 48 hours, and reports per agreed schedule.

Centralized administration pools staff for shared tasks (mail, reception, supplies); decentralized embeds staff in departments for specialized support.

Petty cash reconciliation formula: Opening float + receipts issued - cash disbursed = closing cash on hand; any variance must be documented.

Office supply reorder point = (average daily usage x lead time in days) + safety stock.

A visitor log records name, organization, person visited, time in, time out, and badge number for every non-staff entrant.

Business continuity for admin functions requires a documented priority list: which tasks continue, who covers them, and where records are accessible.

Records life cycle has four stages: creation/receipt, active use, semi-active storage, and final disposition (destruction or permanent archive).

Retention periods are set by legal requirement, fiscal requirement, or operational need - whichever is longest governs the record.

Data entry accuracy checks: double entry for critical fields, validation rules for formats, and a second-person review for financial figures.

A records inventory lists record series, location, medium, volume, retention period, and responsible owner for each series.

Version control requires a naming convention (e.g., document title, date, version number) and a single designated master copy location.

Common data-entry error types: transposition (swapping digits), omission, duplication, and truncation of fields.

Destruction of records must be logged with record series, date range, method, authorization, and the person performing destruction.

Metadata for a record typically includes creator, date created, subject, format, access restrictions, and retention class.

Meeting time zone rule: state the time zone explicitly in every invitation; use a single reference zone (e.g., UTC) for cross-region coordination.

Buffer rule: allow 10-15 minutes between back-to-back meetings for transition, notes, and overruns.

Calendar blocking types: hard commitments (fixed), soft commitments (movable), and focus blocks (protected, non-meeting time).

Resource scheduling requires checking three things before confirming: room availability, equipment availability, and key attendee availability.

Recurring meeting series should specify frequency, end condition, and a review point to confirm the series is still needed.

Priority conflict resolution order: statutory or contractual deadline first, then external stakeholder commitments, then internal meetings.

Appointment scheduling for clients should capture name, contact number, reason for visit, estimated duration, and any preparation required.

A scheduling change communicated less than 24 hours before the meeting should trigger direct personal notification, not just a calendar update.

Standard business letter structure: sender details, date, recipient details, reference line, subject line, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature, enclosures.

Minutes must record decisions, actions, responsible person, and due date - not a verbatim transcript of discussion.

An agenda is circulated at least 2-3 working days before the meeting; papers for discussion are attached at the same time.

Correspondence tone rule: one main purpose per message, stated in the first two sentences, with any action request clearly marked.

Meeting roles: chair (runs the meeting), minute-taker (records decisions), timekeeper (monitors agenda), and attendees (contribute and commit to actions).

Confidential correspondence is marked with a classification label and distributed only to named recipients, not to general distribution lists.

Action tracking register columns: action description, owner, date raised, due date, status, and date closed.

Proofreading sequence for outgoing correspondence: content accuracy, names and titles, figures and dates, attachments referenced, then spelling and grammar.

Service recovery sequence: acknowledge the issue, apologize for the experience, take ownership, act to resolve, confirm resolution, follow up.

Response time standards should be published per channel (e.g., phone answered within 3 rings; email acknowledged within 1 business day).

Escalation tiers: frontline resolution, supervisor escalation, specialist or management escalation - each with a defined trigger and time limit.

First-contact resolution rate = issues resolved at first contact divided by total issues handled, expressed as a percentage.

Customer satisfaction measurement commonly uses a 5-point scale; report the distribution, not only the average, to avoid hiding polarized results.

A complaint log captures date, customer, channel, issue category, action taken, resolution date, and whether escalation occurred.

Accessibility in service delivery includes offering alternative contact channels, plain-language explanations, and interpreter or translation support.

Service level agreement (SLA) terms should state scope, response times, resolution targets, exclusions, and review frequency.

Active listening components: attending, paraphrasing, questioning, reflecting feeling, and summarizing before responding.

The 7-38-55 guideline (Mehrabian) applies to communication of feelings and attitudes: 7% words, 38% tone, 55% nonverbal - it does not apply to factual content.

Assertive communication formula: describe the situation, state its impact, make the request, and confirm agreement.

Open questions begin with what, how, or why and invite detail; closed questions elicit yes/no or single-fact answers.

Feedback should be specific, behavioral, timely, and focused on observable actions rather than assumed intentions.

Cross-cultural communication adjustments include avoiding idioms, confirming understanding by restating, and allowing longer response pauses.

Conflict handling modes (Thomas-Kilmann): competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating - chosen by importance of outcome versus relationship.

Written channel selection rule: complex or sensitive matters use a synchronous channel; routine confirmations and records use written channels.

Confidentiality applies to personal data, commercial terms, employee matters, and client information - and continues after employment ends.

Data protection principles commonly include lawfulness, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and accountability.

A subject access request is a request by an individual for their own personal data; it must be logged and handled within the statutory deadline.

A data breach response sequence: contain, assess risk, notify per legal threshold, record the incident, and review controls.

Conflict of interest rule: declare the interest, withdraw from the decision, and record the declaration in the meeting minutes.

Gifts and hospitality should be recorded in a register with value, source, and business justification; thresholds are set by organizational policy.

Whistleblowing channels must allow confidential reporting and protect the reporter from retaliation.

Confidential waste must be destroyed by an approved method (cross-cut shredding or certified destruction) with a certificate of destruction retained.

Calendar sharing permission levels typically include free/busy view, view details, and modify - choose the minimum level needed.

Email rules for distribution lists: use bcc for large external lists to prevent address disclosure and reply-all storms.

File naming convention example: YYYY-MM-DD_project_document-type_version; dates in ISO format sort correctly.

Access control principle of least privilege: grant the minimum permissions required for the role, reviewed at defined intervals.

Password and access hygiene: unique credentials per system, multi-factor authentication on remote access, and immediate revocation on role change.

Backup rule 3-2-1: three copies of data, on two different media, with one copy off-site or offline.

Shared drives versus collaboration platforms: shared drives suit stable file storage; collaboration platforms suit co-authoring and version history.

Video conference readiness checklist: test audio and camera, mute when not speaking, share only the intended window, and confirm recording consent.

Telephone handling sequence: greet with organization and name, identify the caller's need, confirm details by repeating them, state next steps, close courteously.

When a caller is upset, lower speech rate and volume, allow the caller to finish, then summarize the concern before proposing options.

Holding a call requires asking permission, stating the reason, giving an expected wait time, and checking back at that interval.

Message-taking fields: caller name, organization, contact number, time of call, subject, urgency, and required action.

Written customer replies should restate the customer's issue in one sentence to demonstrate understanding before giving the answer.

Avoid jargon and internal codes in customer-facing communication; if a technical term is unavoidable, define it in plain language.

Difficult conversations should separate the person from the problem: address the process or outcome, not the individual's character.

Confirming understanding with a customer uses a closed check question (e.g., 'Does that answer your question?') before closing the contact.

Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual; pseudonymized data remains personal data.

Sensitive categories (health, biometric, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation) require a higher lawful basis and stricter controls.

Retention schedules must state the trigger event (e.g., end of contract, end of financial year) from which the retention period is counted.

Access requests from law enforcement or regulators must be verified, logged, and routed to the designated compliance contact.

Confidentiality agreements should define scope of confidential information, permitted use, duration, and return or destruction obligations.

Audit trail requirements: who accessed a record, when, what action was taken, and from which device or location.

Records subject to legal hold must be suspended from normal destruction until the hold is formally released in writing.

Remote working with confidential data requires a secured network, locked screen when unattended, and no printing to unsecured devices.