Personal Assistants & the benefits to your business & family
There is little doubt that we are all so much busier than we used to be and we also expect to be able to achieve so much more in a day. You only have to take a quick look at your diary and how you juggle your schedules in order to fit in work, business, family and friends to realise that a Personal Assistant could have a huge impact on your life.
We source & provide talented Personal/Executive Assistants to business leaders & owners throughout the world and as a business owner (either running your business from home or a larger operation externally) you will know how important it is to respond quickly and efficiently to customers. Additionally, you recognise the importance of being well organised and professional, but let’s face it, you can’t be everywhere at once!
In the same way, you may be a busy family/household with complex diaries and appointments and need to be well organised and on the ball in order to stay on top of the day!
A Personal /Executive Assistant could be a great solution to these issues to smooth out your time management challenges.
Imagine being able to delegate to your PA/EA all those tasks that never quite seem to get done; imagine your diary being up to date, well managed and prioritised; imagine not forgetting important calls/meetings/events and above all imagine being able to concentrate more of your time on things that really matter to you.
There are so many different ways in which a PA can make a valuable difference and a good PA will always make a positive contribution to your business, personal and family life.
Definition of a Personal Assistant
A PA is a professional, career person, who works directly with you/your family on a day to day basis, managing professional/business and/or personal tasks. A PA is competent in a vast array of skills that will be uniquely suited to each employer’s particular requirements.
A professional PA is a person of integrity and discretion (able to keep confidential information, confidential) and will be competent and flexible in dealing with the changing demands of the role.
What Will They Do?
It would be virtually impossible to list everything that a PA might be expected to do/asked to accomplish for an employer, as each role is of course totally unique. There are however a number of tasks that most professional PA’s will typically be involved in:
Tasks in a Business/Office Setting (this could be an office at the employer’s home):
- Diary/Administration Management: answering the phone, taking messages, co-ordinating the diary/scheduling appointments, preparing reports, updating spreadsheets, managing budgets and bookkeeping, maintaining websites and managing/booking travel arrangements, liaising with clients/guests for lunch/dinner meetings, minutes of meetings and preparing meeting documents
- Client Liaison/People Management: nurturing and maintaining positive relationships with clients and people within the company on behalf of the boss. A skilled PA will be capable of emulating the style, philosophy and persona of the company/boss
- Research/Larger Projects: examples of this could be running a conference/training workshop, booking venues & speakers, arranging catering, flowers, guest lists
- Personal Matters: collecting dry cleaning, post, gift purchases, booking tickets, making reservations & other similar tasks
Tasks in a Personal Setting /At home (this could just be the employer or employer plus family)
- Household Management: dealing & liaising with other staff within the household and visitors such as security, child carers, cleaners, gardeners, dog walkers, contractors/decorators
- Scheduling Events: helping plan & book family celebrations/events
- Diary Management: manage and maintain the family calendar regarding appointments, holidays and travel
- Arranging Travel and Entertainment: booking flights, hotels, cars, restaurants, theatre tickets and so on
- General Errands /Driving: a countless number of tasks which will be client specific
Every PA’s role will of course be slightly different and your PA will customise their skill set to suit your requirements. Whatever the particular focus of the role, however, it is evident that there are many, many benefits to hiring a professional PA and as well as seeing to it that your life runs more efficiently and smoothly, there are other benefits too:
An effective and trusted PA can optimise your ability to focus on your business objectives, allowing you to grow your business whilst they skilfully manage the everyday demands of an office.
An effective and trusted PA can also facilitate and help maximise the amount of time you get to spend with your family and may additionally free up some of your time to allow more opportunities to develop your own skills, interests and hobbies.
For lots more excellent advice and information regarding hiring a Personal Assistant (or indeed any other Household Staff) please call the Eden Team on 0207 471 6000.
