(L to R) Tamara York, Founder and Co-owner of
 Front Office Solutions, LLC.

Services provided by the Front Office Solutions, LLC team give building and construction clients the time to focus on what they are most passionate about—their trade.

Oftentimes, small business owners wear many hats when they first start their companies. When one person juggles the roles of owner, marketing manager, office manager and tradesperson, responsibilities can become overwhelming—even unmanageable, particularly as the business grows. Without proper support, a company’s customer service efforts may become negatively affected.

Tamara York, Co-owner of Front Office Solutions, LLC, recognizes these challenges. Her firm provides the support and structure that companies need to stay productive and successful. Founded in 2010, the Mesa, Ariz.-based company assists businesses with administrative functions, such as answering calls, scheduling jobs and dispatching employees, improves business operations via business reviews and consultation services, and creates standard operating procedure documentation.

Building the Small Business Backbone

Tamara’s customer service and organizational skills were initially developed through her surgical technician experience with the U.S. Navy, and as a post-service civilian contractor. She also worked for a garage door installation company, where she improved the office’s administrative infrastructure and equipped the staff with tools necessary to provide customers with high-level service. It was here that she discovered a common concern for many small businesses—the lack of a proper business structure prevented the companies from being truly successful.

“I noticed a lot of small business owners were going under because they didn’t have systems in place. They had too much work, they were growing too fast, but they were in that place where they weren’t making enough money to hire more people–but they needed more people if they were going to make more money,” explains Tamara. Inevitably, situations like this can negatively impact a customer’s experience, costing companies prospective jobs and clients.

With customer satisfaction at the forefront of her mind, Tamara created Front Office Solutions to establish the organizational foundation necessary for high-quality customer service and to help businesses reach their full potential.

“Our company is unique because we take a genuine interest in our clients’ growth. We love to help them build the foundation and core values upon which they structure and develop their businesses. A lot of small business owners are great at what they do but they have no experience picking software, building systems for daily operations or understanding how to grow without spending a ton of money. We help them pinpoint which items they truly need to spend money on, and weed out which items are not ready to be grown yet,” Tamara shares.

Co-owner Tony Aimonetti joined the Front Office Solutions team about two years ago, bringing with him technical expertise as a software developer. He complements Tamara’s networking strengths by handling the technical side of operations, which often involves vetting or creating internal software solutions. “I manage website development and write programs for anything that can be automated, like for our phone system or data entry, as well as advertising and other things,” he says.

One software program that greatly benefits the firm’s building and construction clientele is its bid-tracking system, which streamlines the bidding process. “When a trade client bids a job, we track those bids and follow up with their customers after a few days. We answer any questions that customers may have about the bid. If a customer is ready to move forward, we will schedule the job on behalf of our client. If the bid is declined, we find out if the customer went with another company and why. If the bid is declined on the matter of pricing, we coordinate between the prospective customer and our client to see if a different arrangement can be made,” says Tamara. Also, to help clients determine where their marketing resources are best spent, Front Office Solutions provides data-crunching expertise using information collected from this program.

In addition to providing clients with office management solutions, the owners at Front Office Solutions are equally dedicated to supporting their own staff.

Caring Motivations Support Unique Work Environment

One thing unique about Front Office Solutions is its nontraditional hiring strategy. Sure, every team member has to have a background check and meet certain qualifications. But unlike some other employers, prospective hires are not automatically written off due to chronic health issues or certain physical disabilities. Not only does Front Office Solutions purposefully hire individuals with these circumstances, they also provide accommodations to support flexible work schedules.

Tony, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and Tamara both share a passion for serving people. Whether it’s their customers or their employees—the latter comprised of either former military servicepersons or individuals with chronic health issues—they understand everyone encounters obstacles that may interfere with the ability to succeed in business or life.

“We have created an environment where the workload is shared with employees who feel well enough to handle administrative work from their homes or hospitals. This arrangement makes it possible for us to employ capable individuals who simply have nontraditional health circumstances, while still giving our clients outstanding customer service,” Tamara says.

Individuals battling chronic illnesses often crash into the same employment barrier—the requirement to work at a specific location. Front Office Solutions eliminates this concern for employees through its virtual office structure. Employees can work from virtually any location using specially modified call-routing software maintained by software wizard Tony. “Calls are forwarded from clients directly to the employees responsible for each account, enabling our team members to take calls from their hospital beds, their homes—basically anywhere where there is an internet connection and a quiet environment,” Tony explains.

Tamara, who personally struggles with chronic health issues, shares her reasoning for hiring these types of individuals. “I want to stop the vicious cycle for chronically ill individuals who cannot work at full capacity to sustain their livelihoods. It takes years to get approved for disability pay; in the meantime, they are forced to work, making their health even worse and making it harder to get disability because they are working,” she says.

Generally, it is not a lack of desire to work or a poor work ethic that prohibits chronically ill individuals from performing their job responsibilities at times. Rather, it’s health challenges and employment complications associated with physical limitations that create stressors within the work environment. “These circumstances create a frustrated individual who becomes depressed, feels useless and isn’t able to enjoy his or her family because of this emotional burden,” adds Tamara.

She and Tony are intrinsically enriched by being able to end the war waged within the employment battlefield for some. They stand together on a commitment to provide a supportive work environment for their employees, and are currently seeking nonprofit status to further achieve this mission.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This quote from Helen Keller, the famous activist and author, truly sums up the heart of what Tamara and Tony are doing through their organization, which brings together a remarkable team of people from all across the nation to help business owners accomplish more.