12 Useful Apps for Administrative Assistants

12 Useful Apps for Administrative Assistants If you’re not a personal assistant- or even if you are- you could probably use one for yourself. It’s hard enough to function at your job and in your life without also struggling to keep your resolutions to be super organized this year. But what if you could have help?Did you know you can get a virtual assistant of your very own? Straight to your phone. They’re called SVPAs. You’ll still have to run your own errands, but you can get a little help with the other stuff- and you can yell at this assistant all you want.Here are some of the best.1. Google NowCalled â€Å"the intelligent personal assistant,† Google Now   is available for iOS, Android, and your desktop. It stays with you around the clock and organizes everything into customizable cards- weather, traffic, sports scores, favorite websites, etc. You’ll never see your life the same way again once you see it in all these neat packages.2. 24MeThis one functions kind of like a second bra in. Set yourself reminders for paying bills or other important deadlines and meetings. Sync all your to-do lists, notes, and calendar into one convenient app. It’s free, and currently one of the top 10 productivity apps on the App store.3. QuipThe best endorsement for this one might be that Mark Zuckerberg himself uses it. It’s just like the virtual office Facebook, Quora, and Instagram use, and allows users to collaborate, create, upload, and share documents- even edit them- as a team.4. WunderlistIf you’re a list person, this app is right up your alley. Make all the lists you want, then lump them all together in one sleek package and enjoy. You can even share your lists with family members or pals when you need to plan vacation packing lists or bucket lists.5. SpeaktoitIf you’d rather speak to your SVPA, like you do to Siri, then this app is for you. Speaktoit is like Siri, only its the the CEO version. You can make calls, search the internet for puppy photos, or find the closest dry cleaners. Just give it commands, and the app will remember your preferences for you. It can even answer questions about how best to sort your day.6. HootsuiteThis one is free, too, with paid subscription options available. It’s a desktop/phone tool that helps you update all of your social media platforms from one place. One app, multiple posts. You can even tailor which posts go to which media as you prefer.7. EvernoteAlso free! This app ends up on most people’s favorites lists. Capture, manage, store, and remember everything you need to. Evernote is also good search and sync capabilities.8. Call PleaseHBO producer Gregg Feinberg created this free app to be able to streamline the call log process, making one list for all team members. Never let any calls slip between the cracks again. And your manager will always know exactly what’s going on- and what calls they most urgently need to make.9. IFTTTâ€Å"If This Then That† le ts you make customized recipes based on what you have- and better yet, keeps them simple. Never be stuck without an idea of what to make for dinner again with this free app.10. TinyScanScan any document at any time anywhere and send it to your own email as a PDF. Youll never have to go to Staples again for your document management.11. DropboxOften undersung, this cloud storage program syncs between your computer and your phone. Your documents are securely backed up and accessible no matter where you are. Never be at a loss again in an off-site meeting when asked the location of a specific document.12. LogMeInThis app lets you have full access to your work computer- remotely. Open documents, launch applications basically, do anything you need to do.

Improve Business Writing Skills by Measuring What Matters

Improve Business Writing Skills by Measuring What Matters Business leaders understand the importance of "good business writing" skills and can differentiate good writing from bad. However, in order to improve your team's business writing skills, it's essential to actually measure business writing skills to develop metrics to track improvement. Defining the right measurements allows you to assess the current business writing performance level of your team and helpsimprove business writing skills accordingly. Here are three steps measure your employees’ business writing skills 1. Separate Substance and Syntax Measurement The first step is to measure the substance and syntax of the document separately. These are two distinct aspects of a document that are unique to business writing. The document can have good substance that is poorly worded. Conversely, a poorly worded document can lack substance. Always remember that in business writing, substance precedes syntax. A document that has perfect syntax but meaningless substance is still going to fail to convey information. More worrisome, it may lead readers in the wrong direction, wasting time and potentially introducing risk and cost implications. 2. Analyze Substance of a Typical Document Once you are able to differentiate between substance and syntax, the next step to improve business writing skills of your employees is to specifically analyze the substance of your documents. There are five crucial elements to substance that differentiate good business writing from bad. These include: Awareness of audience Correct content for audience needs Logically categorizing that content Sequencing the content logically And, of course, good style, tone, and grammar. Once you break down the substance according to these 5 elements, it becomes easier to assess the document and the skills of the writer. Using this baseline, you can identify writing gaps and deficiencies, thus informing business writing training emphasis. 3. Analyze Syntax Syntax is the last measurement step in analyzing the team's writing skills. Syntax is actually easier to measure and correct than substance errors. Employees who possess strong analytical skills – who often work in engineering, scientific, and finance positions–are naturally adept at integrating multiple concepts. This typically translates into strong substance. However, not all employees with analytical skills will also have clear syntax skills. But, it's easier for those employees with stronger analytical skills to quickly and easily improve business writing skills because they possess the raw requisite skills. The concept of measurement is just as important in writing as in any other field. Using these steps, you can access the performance levels of your employees' business writing skills. However, do know that measurement alone is not enough. Measurement is just the start to better writing. Once you identify the gaps, you can then start the improvement process. Download my eBook, â€Å"Four Steps to Improve Your Team’s Business Writing Skills"to learn more about helping your employees write better at work. Or, schedule a complimentary consultationwith a business writing expert to receive specific recommendations for your team.