More and more businesses are turning to virtual assistants for their administrative tasks instead of employing in-house as business owners realise that this service is not only very affordable but also lower risk and more flexible for their businesses – all very important factors in these changing and uncertain times.
Most people know Executive Assistants as Admin Managers or Office Managers, but a great EA can be all that and more.
So, let’s start at the very beginning…
What is an Executive Assistant?
An executive assistant is someone who provides high-level administrative support to executives and managers in a company or organisation. Like secretaries or personal assistants, our work is mostly clerical. However, a great EA will have many additional responsibilities and higher levels of tasks to perform that can have an effect on the success or profitability of a business.
At times we are asked to represent the executives we support in a meeting, workshop, conference or webinar. The nature of our role means we must be highly organized and able to prioritize work, have good interpersonal and communication skills, and possess managerial abilities.
Which brings us to the most important question of the day…
What does an Executive Assistant do?
An EA is effectively the ‘right hand’ of the person we support – handling everything from personal schedules to executive board meetings. We perform clerical tasks, like maintaining files, scheduling meetings, sending memos, drafting and editing correspondence, reviewing incoming reports and setting the executive’s daily schedule.
We are comfortable working with all standard office equipment and systems and are often asked to recommend and support upgrades in a business due to our expertise and knowledge in this area. We are also excellent with all office computer software programs including spreadsheet, word processing and accounting programs as well as many project and time management apps (as detailed on our Top 5 Apps blog post here).
The executive assistant’s role is that of a ‘gatekeeper’. We manage which emails go through to the executive, as well as what meetings are scheduled. In order to fulfil this responsibility, executive assistants must clearly understand the goals, values and needs of both the company and the executive(s) we work for. For this reason, we go through an extensive briefing and scoping process before any new Smart Assistant Virtual Assistant starts with your business.
How do I find an Executive Assistant?
If you are interested in looking to work with a virtual Executive Assistant for your business then email us and we will arrange a meeting to discuss your goals and current constraints to identify how we can free up your time and add efficiency to your business.
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