There’s no escaping the future of work, where technology and optimization play a major role in how you do your job. As assistants, this can be daunting. There is so much to learn — and you’re often one of the first in the company who needs to learn it.
Keep reading to learn how you can effectively leverage technology in your Executive Assistant role to enhance your skills, stay ahead of the curve, and maximize your impact in the workplace.
How can Executive Assistants future-proof their skillset?
In our recent Base Live panel at Admin Week Summit 2023, our expert panelists shared how Executive Assistants can build a future-proofed skill set by integrating AI and technology into the role:
- Christina Romein, Executive Assistant, Office of the CEO at Zapier and Chair, BIPOC of Zapier ERG
- Jessica McBride, Founder of Tech Savvy Assistant and Fractional Chief of Staff
Watch the full video below or keep reading for the highlights from the conversation!
3 ways Executive Assistants can integrate new technologies into their role
Here are the three biggest takeaways from our panel discussion. Got any to add? Join our Executive Assistant Community and share with assistants across the globe who are learning from one another and shaping the future of the EA role every day.
Cut down on research time 🔎
One area where technology can really support you is in research. When you’re managing new and unfamiliar tasks, rather than spending hours on Google, Jessica recommends using tools like ChatGPT to significantly cut down your research time.
While these tools are not the most reliable for factual information, they do have the capability to scan through various sources — such as databases, websites, and even internal documents — to pull out the most relevant information. They can sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, sparing you the tedious manual search and letting you spend your time analyzing and polishing instead.
Minimize multitasking and redundancies 🔄
Another area where technology can help is to minimize the burden of multitasking and eliminate redundancies. For Executive Assistants, multitasking often feels like a necessary evil — but it doesn’t have to be!
There are many automation tools that can help streamline your workflow and prioritize tasks more effectively. For example, Christina shared that she used to spend so much time going between her CEO’s inbox, Slack messages, and other platforms to consolidate their to-do list. Now, she uses Zapier to pull in certain Slack messages and tagged emails into one place, enabling her to assess, organize, and prioritize all these tasks in one central place.
There are so many tools that can help you organize and automate routine processes, saving you tons of time and allowing you to focus on high-value activities that require your expertise.
Write drafts of copy and communications 📝
Finally, technology and AI can be great writing companions. Whether it’s tools that offer grammar and style suggestions, or AI-powered language models that can analyze vast amounts of text — there is tons of technology at your disposal to generate content with speed and accuracy.
Moreover, AI can help maintain consistency in tone and voice across various communications. Christina shared that she uses AI to produce email copy, Slack messages, and more in her CEO’s tone of voice. While review and polishing is always necessary, technology can take out the difficult work of creating something from complete scratch, which helps you deliver better communications in much less time.
Technology built specifically for Executive Assistants
Base’s all-in-one workspace for Executive Assistants combines the tools you use every day so you have one go-to place to organize, communicate, and take action. Sound interesting?
