Have you ever wondered what a well-run office looks like? Imagine business processes flowing smoothly with every member knowing their tasks and having ample time to complete them. Does this all seem unreal? With the right administrative assistant by your side, your dream of a smooth-sailing office can become reality.

So, what does an administrative assistant do, and how can they contribute to an efficient and productive workplace? Let’s take a closer look at this role, from the different administrative assistant responsibilities to the types of skills you need to look for when you’re ready to hire one.

What is an administrative assistant?

An administrative assistant is responsible for tasks aimed at maintaining order and organization in an office or team. As the name suggests, they handle a variety of administrative or clerical tasks, such as appointment setting, call routing, and database management. Administrative assistants have also been called other terms, from receptionists and executive assistants.

Onsite versus virtual administrative assistant

Today’s modern workplace offers more flexibility when hiring staff, including administrative assistants. You can consider the traditional route: recruiting onsite or in-office assistants. But there’s also a cost-effective and optimal alternative: hiring remote talent.

Compared with hiring onsite staff, adding administrative virtual assistants (VAs) to your team can help you cut expenses without sacrificing quality. You can access the same services you need to run an organization efficiently. Aside from lower costs, the main difference would be that a virtual assistant will provide their admin support remotely.

Looking into getting more hands on deck without the heavy costs of hiring onsite staff? Book a free consultation call with a 20four7VA Sales Executive today.

Benefits of working with an administrative virtual assistant

Any office in any industry constantly deals with deskwork, from file management to fielding phone calls. These tasks may seem as basic as they come, but they must be done well and in a timely fashion to ensure an office runs smoothly. Having a highly competent online administrative assistant can help your business in multiple ways. Here are some of the top benefits:

• Save time

Admin tasks are mostly considered routine work but can be quite time-consuming. Taking the usual admin tasks such as email management and data entry on your own can mean using up more than twenty hours a week.

By working with an administrative assistant, you can save time without the foundational parts of your company taking a backseat. An administrative assistant with the right skills can help you keep your path toward business success as clear and efficient as possible while saving you valuable hours you can use for your core responsibilities.

• Boost organization

Administrative tasks are essential in keeping your operations organized. For example, keeping your files organized in your cloud storage helps you and your team find what you need when you need it. You won’t have to spend extra time digging around for the right documents. At the same time, archiving or deleting unnecessary and outdated files will help minimize mistakes.

However, when you wear too many hats to keep your business running, things can fall through the cracks. And most of the time, it’s the run-of-the-mill tasks that will take a backseat. It’s best to work with an administrative assistant to save you from the headache of cluttered files, calendars, and offices.

• Increased focus on core tasks

“You can do two things at once,” shares American entrepreneur and best-selling author Gary Keller. “But you can’t focus effectively on two things at once.” Luckily, you don’t have to let clerical tasks take you away from other duties that need your focus. Hiring admin assistants will help you keep an eye (and your mind) on your core functions. These administrative assistants use their skills and expertise to do what they do best behind the desk, enabling you to do what you do best, too.

• Minimize stress and burnout

Routine tasks should be easy enough, right? But not everyone has the skills and patience to take on these seemingly basic office functions. They require time and attention to detail which can be frustrating for those who prefer to be on the go and active.

This mismatch in skills and work style can cause stress for you and your team. Plus, when you handle administrative tasks on top of your usual responsibilities, it can cause burnout. Your workload may become difficult to manage, causing you to amp up your work hours and negatively impact your overall health.

A talented administrative assistant can take on this part of the business. They have the right skill set to complete admin tasks efficiently, keep your office running smoothly, and help you stay on top of your own to-do list.

• Maximize resources

Hiring someone adept in handling administrative tasks can help significantly cut down costs. They can work on back-office support duties faster and more thoroughly, eliminating extra hours needed for rework. “If you want to take cost optimization a step further, remote staffing is definitely the way to go,” shares Chin Espiritu, 20four7VA Director of Sales.

By hiring a virtual administrative assistant or online receptionist, you can get the high-level clerical support you need at a fraction of the cost of an in-office hire. Your Admin VA will work remotely using their own equipment and stable internet connection. Working with them means eliminating costs like additional office space, new equipment, and other expenses related to traditional hiring methods.

Hiring VAs also means avoiding long-term commitments like hiring permanent full-time onsite staff. You can opt to hire someone part-time or full-time, depending on your organization’s specific needs. This option offers flexibility, allowing you to scale up when your business starts to grow and require more admin support.

Ready to reap the benefits of remote staffing? Schedule a free consultation call with our Sales Executives and hire a 20four7VA virtual administrative assistant today.

Responsibilities: what do administrative assistants do?

An administrative assistant can work on a wide variety of office support tasks for you. They get these tasks out of your way, ensuring a more organized and efficient office. Here are some of the day-to-day duties you can confidently delegate to an admin assistant:

Internal and external communications

• Answering and redirecting phone calls
• Drafting internal memos
• Customer relations
• Distributing company newsletters and announcements
• Managing meeting agenda and minutes

Calendar organization

• Making reservations
• Travel management
• Appointment setting
• Calendar management
• Coordinating meetings
• Setting and communicating deadlines

Document management

• Maintaining digital filing systems
• Tracking revisions and file labeling
• Creating and filing virtual business documents
• Collating and formatting reports
• Online document routing
• Document disposal

Office management and others

• Office supplies management
• Data entry
• Database management
• Coordinating repairs and maintenance
• Managing office budget
• Disseminating office policies and announcements
• Monitoring and maintaining software and tools

Administrative assistant skills and qualities to look out for

Once you’ve decided on the tasks you plan on delegating to your administrative assistant, it’s time to identify the skills your administrative assistant should have. The final list of skills may vary depending on the specific tasks they’ll work on. But here are some of the foundational qualities every good administrative specialist should have:

• Strong organizational skills

You need someone who can manage multiple administrative tasks and prioritize well. A highly organized administrative assistant can contribute to orderly and seamless daily operations.

• Good communicator

Admin assistants handle communications on behalf of your company. They should represent your business well across all communication platforms. Look for an assistant that can communicate in a professional and clear manner.

• Detail-oriented

As a leader, you may prefer to focus on the bigger picture. But you still need someone to focus on the details. An administrative assistant should be meticulous enough to ensure every task is completed accurately, from organizing files to database management.

• Technical proficiency

The modern workplace needs someone comfortable with modern tools. Your admin assistant should be proficient in the basic office software, including Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. It’s also best to look for someone who can easily navigate your preferred tools of trade, such as project management apps (e.g., Asana, Trello, ClickUp) and CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Zendesk, Zoho).

• Calm and collected

While admin assistants are mostly there to ensure things move along smoothly, there will be days when you need them to fight fires. They must be able to think and act level-headedly, even in an office in disarray.

• Customer-centric

Your admin assistant must be committed to providing the best customer experience possible. Not only should they be good at solving problems, but they should also accomplish this with a positive and helpful demeanor.

• Adaptable

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing work environment, the ability to adjust to new situations and challenges is essential. As the American Society of Administrative Professionals highlights, administrative assistants must be flexible and able to change course when necessary. This adaptability allows them to handle unexpected tasks effectively, learn new procedures or tools, and work with diverse teams to ensure the organization’s smooth operation.

The above are some of a good administrative assistant’s top qualities and skills. However, some admin assistants in select industries may need more specialized skills and experience. For example, those in the real estate industry may need experience in lead generation to understand how real estate agents work on their sales pipelines.

Hire a Virtual Admin Assistant with 20four7VA

The process of finding a top-tier virtual assistant can be difficult. Fortunately, you can work with a leading remote staffing company like 20four7VA. We have over a decade of experience helping businesses like yours grow with our scalable, cost-effective remote staffing solutions.

Our end-to-end services help ensure you get access to global remote talent without overshooting costs. We also do more than pairing you with top-tier virtual assistants. We assist with every part of the process, from recruitment and VA onboarding to performance management and payroll processing. Our expert team will ensure you can focus on growing your business while making the most out of remote staffing.

Start boosting office productivity and organization with a skilled virtual assistant. Clain your free, no-strings-attached consultation with a 20four7VA Sales Executive today.