What’s the front desk’s role?

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In the business world, particularly investment, the phrase “front office personnel” most commonly refers to a company’s sales and marketing personnel. These professionals are the people who have the most contact with customers, and it is their departments that generate the majority of the company’s revenue. They are so named because they represent the company to the world, just like a receptionist or other front desk staff member. In sporting contexts, especially professional teams, the term has a slightly different meaning. A sports front office staff usually consists of a team owner, advertising director, and other executives, although in practice any staff member other than players and coaches could be included in the group.

For many businesses, the front office is the first chance for customers and visitors to rate the business. People arriving for meetings and appointments often wait in the office, which is often combined with a lobby. In some small businesses, the secretaries and administrative staff who work at the front desk are referred to as the company’s “front office staff”. In larger companies, however, the phrase applies to professionals who represent the company in the broader “front office” of the market.

The breakdown of employees into front, middle and back office groupings is believed to have originated in the finance and investment banking industry, and remains strongly associated with firms in that field. Other companies have adapted the terminology, but it’s not ubiquitous. A lot depends on the context. Especially in the legal and medical fields, “front office personnel” usually refer to administrative personnel who literally work in a front office.

The sales, trading and marketing departments make up the bulk of an investment firm or a “front office” of other firms. These are the people who actually go out into the field to make sales calls and present products and services at conferences. They work directly with clients, helping them negotiate deals, make investments or allocate funds. The commissions and revenue these professionals generate through their front office jobs often make up the majority of the company’s overall operating budget.

Outsourced employees are sometimes considered front office workers, but this often depends on the contours of the agency relationship and the nature of the work performed. In most cases, the designation is reserved for professionals who work internally and are an active part of the process of defining company objectives. They usually work closely with professionals in what is known as the “central office” and “back office”.

The central office usually consists of risk management, internal strategy and information technology professionals, while the back office typically comprises administrative professionals. Both groups are essential to running the business, but have little interaction with anyone outside the corporate walls. They play support roles for front office staff.

Sports teams are a notable exception. Nearly all sports teams, whether amateur or professional, refer to their executives — their president, advertising director, and chief financial officer, among others — as their “front office personnel.” This separates them from the on-field staff, namely coaches, managers and players. Front office workers in this context include almost anyone who is affiliated with the team but not required to play an active role during competitions.

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