To stay productive in your business, you may need to hire an administrative professional or virtual assistant, who is usually organized and can handle several administrative tasks you may have. However, they can only handle tasks with clear direction. So, if you have an administrative professional, you may want to read some of these Tips to Help Your Admin Professional be more productive. They can only be productive with clear direction from you.
Tips to Help Your Admin Professional
- Help them understand your needs by clearly communicating verbally.
- Clear written instructions
- Make sure tech is up-to-date.
- When describing new projects in an email, use bullets.
- Be clear when communicating through Slack or other apps
- “Sounds good” reply is OK, but…
- Listen to improvement opportunities.
- Admin Professionals have experience.
Help them understand your needs by clearly communicating verbally.
The first tip to help your admin professional involves verbal communication. Meeting with the administrative staff at least a few times a week for no more than 15 minutes will help ensure you are both on the same page regarding tasks. This is especially helpful when you have a new administrative person. Taking the time to train them on what you like or dislike is key to a successful long-term employee or subcontractor.
Clear written instructions
Provide them with written procedures that are already established when they start their position. This will help them get up to speed quicker. Use short paragraphs when describing different tasks.
Make sure tech is up-to-date.
Having older software may take them twice as long to do what you are asking. Ensure they have access to updated software and computers. No one likes to work on outdated systems.
When describing new projects in an email, use bullets.
If you have new projects starting and want to explain them to your administrative professional or virtual assistant, be sure to use bullets to highlight the activities that need completion. Think of it like making a list of tasks. A single bullet row will represent each step.
Be clear when communicating through Slack or other apps
Plan your thoughts before communicating. No one likes a stream-of-consciousness communication from a busy admin professional. Try short statements that start to explain the situation, then get deeper into the conversation in separate entries.
“Sounds good” reply is OK, but…
After a task is expressed and both of you are in agreement, saying sounds good works, but it would be nice to throw in a thank you, or I appreciate you now and again, so they feel valued.
Listen to improvement opportunities.
These amazing administrators know their stuff. They know what works and what speeds up the task process. So, take the time to listen to what they are saying. Yes, it may cost a little more, but you will be saving on the task hours and their frustration. Who better to improve systems than the people who are using them?
Admin Professionals have experience.
Don’t forget these professionals know how to task manage and help you manage your time. If they are good at what they do, they know how to make your work life tasks more straightforward and can even speed up the process. Don’t take that for granted.
By following these tips, your administrative professional will feel more confident in their position and, as a result, improve productivity. I hope these tips help your admin professional and you be super productive.
Need help with your small business? Feel free to explore my suite of administrative support services (marketing, productivity, bookkeeping) designed to support your self-run small business.
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