Executive Assistant tips and tricks – week long series

Day two of my week-long blog giving everyone a few tips and tricks on how to be a better assistant. If you have any tips, please add them to the comments section.

For most people emails have become the primary way of contact. Here are a few tips on using it for good, not evil:

• One of my biggest pet peeves is when people reply all for no reason. You can save us all the annoyance of seeing those 50 unnecessary emails come in by using BCC in the first place when sending out mass emails. If it is necessary for all recipients to know who received the initial email, you can easily put an asterisk in the body of the email letting them know who was on the list.
• However, sometimes reply all is okay if everyone needs to stay on the same page! When replying to an email that was sent to more than one person, if you are choosing to not reply all make sure you reply to the correct person. After one person has replied all and then you just hit reply, your email will not arrive in the original sender’s inbox. Double check recipient’s email before hitting send!
• Think twice before sending that dreaded two word email (“Thank you”). I don’t need yet another email clogging up my inbox. I will assume you were gracious and thought the words. OR even better, when you ask for something, include “Thanks in advance.”
• When trying to schedule a meeting, give all the information in the first place – who will be invited, when you are looking to schedule it for, how long it needs to be, if breakfast or lunch is included (if early morning or mid-day), how much of a priority the meeting is, etc.
• Take an extra moment to ensure you spelled everyone’s name correctly. Since I have an uncommon spelling of a common name, I go through this A LOT! It really shows me who cares enough to make sure they address me properly. More than once, I’ve emailed people back pointing out that they spelled my name incorrectly. And no, I shouldn’t just let it go: People should be more respectful!
• Don’t use your business email to send jokes and pictures or worse, to apply for other employment! Everything is stored forever these days. Keep your business inbox professional.
• Lastly, stop being so sensitive. Not everything in email is meant to be taken in the worst way possible. If you get an email that annoys you, just roll your eyes and talk smack behind the person’s back 🙂  Don’t reply in anger. Always look like the better person – especially because you may have taken the words in the email the wrong way.

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