Module Summary
This module explains the role, importance and functions of a Personal Assistant. It is a varied role that involves a great deal of responsibility and organisational ability.

This kind of work can prove to be very rewarding. A personal assistant must have good communication skills, computer/technical skills and a solid business mind. A PA or secretary needs to be able to work on their own accord, be accountable for their actions and make important decisions.

Summary

Diary management is a critical component and an effective organisational tool. Every successful PA may wish to develop diary management skills so that they are able to manage the boss's work day to the best of their ability.

A well-managed diary helps maximise the time and tasks of senior management. Diary management does not imply scheduling meetings/events back-to-back. PAs should ideally incorporate gaps
between meetings to allow for relaxation, as well as for completing other office related tasks.

Module summary

In this module, you have learned the importance of business letters. Business correspondence forms a critical component of communication between and within an organisation. The best way to write business letters is to incorporate the use of professional, concise and active sentence structures. Keep the language plain and simple and avoid the use of slang and florid phrases.

Business letters are written to achieve certain specific objectives in mind. They should ideally close with a strong and decisive call to action. Well-crafted business letters can help increase sales, respond to customers and address concerns effectively.

In this module you have learned how to compose and send faxes for business use. They are not used as much as in the past couple of decades, but most offices still have a fax machine. Internet faxing is a cost effective, quick and efficient way of sending faxes. Internet faxing is associated with several benefits. It is important as a PA for you to be versatile and skilled in as many different areas of communication as possible.

Composing memorandums and emails is similar to writing business letters. They all should follow a formal yet friendly procedure. Every piece of business correspondence is important as they are stored for the purposes of future reference.

Phone calls are the lifeline of any business. Most important transactions and relationships begin with a single phone call. The initial phone call has the potential to create a lasting impression of your company. The customer perceives your company and brand based on their phone experience with you. Inbound phone calls are the starting point for more than half of the total sales leads.

Phone etiquette includes the right attitude, choice of words and tone of voice. Responding to phone calls may often require thinking on your feet as you may be required to respond to different situations. High quality phone communication skills are a critical part of a PA's skills.

The underlying objective of business travel is to maximise the time spent on travel while achieving business goals at the same time. A well-planned trip can help your boss focus on tasks without worrying about the travel arrangements.

Your boss will need you to help with booking hotels and making business travel arrangements. A personal assistant performs the duty of organising hotels, travel, tickets and more.

You have learned the basics regarding how to plan a successful business trip. A checklist can help plan ahead of time. Successful business travel planning involves preparing a detailed itinerary, checking travel documentation, booking airlines/trains and car rentals and making suitable hotel bookings.

Business travel often involves changes and amendments in the schedule. It's preferable to plan in a way that allows you to incorporate last minute changes.

You now understand the importance of a good filing system. You will need to keep all of your company records in an archive that can be easily accessed and maintained. You will be able to access and retrieve files at any point in time. A good filing system minimises the wastage of time and effort and positively impacts productivity and customer service.

An efficient filing system makes it easier to access legal and finance documentation in the event of litigation or audit procedures. Most importantly, a filing system created with integrity and transparency continues to be used over time, regardless of change in office personnel.

Time management is crucial to successful execution of tasks. It also leaves you with breathing space between office jobs. As a matter of fact, effective time management allows you to maximise your productivity without leaving you feeling drained and stressed out.

Prioritisation is an integral part of time management. All tasks are never urgent and important at the same time. Categorising each task helps you to identify the sequence in which you need to execute the tasks. Time management skills help you to manage your day in a way that results in added accomplishment with less effort.

Module 9 explains the concepts of invoices and petty cash systems used in offices. Invoices are issued to denote a sale of products or services and itemise the transaction between buyer and seller. Invoices are different from actual receipts. They provide details of the product or service, but the receipt is issued after payment has been completed. Invoices often mention the different payment options available to the buyer.

Petty cash is stored in the cash box and is intended to be used for small expenses. Bigger expenses should be sanctioned by the manager or business owner. Petty cash expenses should be recorded along with specific details of the requirement. These records will be used to update accounting ledgers at the end of the month. Petty cash box access should be controlled and restricted for improved security purposes.

Companies that enjoy unprecedented success are those that understand the importance of customer service. Those that fell by the wayside were those businesses that forgot their most critical asset - their customers. As a PA or secretary, you may often have opportunities to communicate with clients and speak to them on different issues.

Although companies may have designated staff members to handle customer service, it's actually the responsibility of each and every one to see that customers are looked after. Clear communication, acute listening skills and a friendly attitude go a long way in making customers feel comfortable.

The ability of a company to handle customer complaints can determine its potential success. Handling customer complaints requires tact, diplomacy, interest and enthusiasm. A complaint can help a business refine and improve its services and products and counts as reliable feedback for further improvement.

A good customer complaints procedure outlines how to deal with complaints, respond quickly and be respectful of a customer's thoughts, needs and concerns. Failing to deal with customer complaints will be bad for the future of your organisation.

A successful work plan includes more than a schedule and budget. They include many factors including details of capital available, number of man-hours and a list of other resources required. Work planning helps prevent a random, reactive execution of work tasks.

A plan of action with strategies is vital for successful execution. Most importantly, the work plan should detail any potential risk factors and problems that may arise and the different ways to resolve them. A successful work plan should ideally be able to accommodate change and incorporate a certain level of flexibility.

You have learned that writing documents is important, but making them look professional is just as essential. Document presentation is a key factor in your job responsibility as a PA. Grammar, spelling, typos, font selection and sentence structures all play a crucial role in the correct presentation of a document. Presenting a document well helps form a good first impression of the nature and quality of communication.You have also learned that proofreading can never be overlooked. You must check all of your work for any errors. This includes grammar, structure and spelling. Proofreading a document helps minimise errors and mistakes before they reach the client or boss. Poorly edited work or letters ridden with mistakes can create a bad impression on prospective customers.

You have learned the importance of growing your self-confidence. Self-confidence is the ability to believe in yourself regardless of external situations. You can use your self-confidence to grow professionally as well as personally.

Lack of self-confidence can prevent you from attaining visibility at the workplace. You may not get the chances that you deserve to display your talents and skills. Shyness and timidity will prevent you from communicating effectively with clients. By developing self-confidence, you improve your chances of career success and conduct yourself with poise in stressful situations.

Confident individuals are more likely to be considered for positions of leadership and responsibility.

You have learned what touch typing is and how to improve on it. You have read and learned the basics, format and our general tips that can help you improve your typing skills at any level. You know how to position yourself and we have validated how important touch typing is in your job role as a personal assistant.

Touch typing is an evolved version of traditional typing. It involves typing without peering down at the keyboard to search for keys. Touch typing technique is preferred for its combination of efficiency and speed. As you practise, you gradually learn to type without looking down at the keyboard at all. Touch typing helps maximise productivity and saves time.

Transcription is the conversion of audio files into text formats. The technique involves listening to speech and typing it at the same time. This is a specialised skill and involves training and experience. A pair of high quality headphones is necessary for accurate and precise transcription.

Meetings are an integral part of the growth process of any organisation. Contrary to popular belief, meetings can be made to be effective and productive. However, inadequate planning can derail the primary purpose of the meeting and it can turn into an expensive and fruitless exercise.

As a PA, organising meetings will be part of your job role. Start with the objectives of the meeting and decide the list of attendees. The choice of venue plays an important role; ensure that you choose a venue of the right size and suitable location.

For in-house meetings, inform staff of the meeting beforehand and prepare a detailed agenda. Prepare a single page summary of the topics to be covered in the upcoming meeting.

Make sure that the timings, duration and objectives are circulated to attendees well before the commencement of the meeting. Keep the discussions relevant and useful while maintaining a friendly and interactive environment. Meetings can be extremely purposeful and productive depending on the way they are planned, conducted and organised.

Record and document all discussions, assignments, deadlines and projects covered in the meeting. PAs should ensure that copies are sent out to all attendees to help minimise the likelihood of misunderstandings and miscommunication.

You have learned how to use the features of Microsoft Outlook and how to maximise its productive value for your purposes. There are numerous features of Outlook that make it one of the most popular interfaces. Millions of people use Outlook in the workplace environment.

Microsoft Outlook is a versatile tool for sending and storing emails, along with Calendar, among several other tools and applications. You can download emails and messages more quickly by disabling the 'Download Pictures' mode. You can also sort messages and emails by order of date, sender, flag or subject. Alternatively, you can open different windows and switch between tasks for easy navigability. Learning to operate the different features of Outlook can help you save on time and repetitive typing jobs.

You have learned how to navigate Excel and can use the basics to make your experiences easier, successful and efficient. Excel is a popular spreadsheet application that helps users to manipulate, analyse and manage data. Excel knowledge is extremely useful in making decisions and creating efficiencies that have a direct impact on the bottom line of a business.

The benefits of Excel are comprehensive and varied. You can institute comparisons and identify trends and patterns. In addition, Excel helps users to represent data visually and graphically for better clarity. Users are also able to sort and summarise large amounts of data using the sorting, filtering and search tools available in Excel.

The ability to integrate Excel with other applications and cloud computing software allows users to work together on Excel. This further helps by streamlining processing times and improved brainstorming sessions with the collective sharing of data. The versatility of Excel is enhanced by its usability on mobile devices like Smart phones and tablets.

Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to create outstanding presentations for audiences worldwide. PowerPoint presentations breathe life to budgeting sessions, planning and yearly review meetings. The availability of designs, colours, layouts, font types and sizes make PowerPoint the ideal choice for users.

The inbuilt flexibility and versatility make PowerPoint one of the most popular presentation tools. New users can learn the ropes easily and you can create slides according to your preferences and inclination. The presentation of information in bits helps boil down ideas and suggestions into a series of innovatively prepared slides. Moreover, PowerPoint lends itself to enhancement by the process of embedding videos, images, charts and graphics, as well as audio in the slides.

The utility of PowerPoint is not restricted to workplaces and offices; it's an extremely useful learning tool in schools and colleges all over the world. The underlying purpose of using PowerPoint is to communicate your ideas effectively and stir audience interest in your subject.

The truth is that, despite the availability of several alternatives in the market, Microsoft Word is still the most sought after word processor. The secret of its success lies in its user friendliness and versatility. You can create documents, edit them, delete them and save them with ease and speed. In addition, you can share them, keep track of changes and add aesthetic layouts to staid and boring documents.

Microsoft helps users save time and effort by offering an array of useful and innovative features. You no longer have to re-type entire documents or use white-out to hide unsightly errors. With online features like a thesaurus, dictionary and a grammar checker, you can now create documents with minimal errors.

Regular, clear and courteous communication with customers is key to success in business. Communicating with customers helps built trust and establishes a relationship based on mutual loyalty. Customers are more likely to trust companies that have upheld customer service. As a PA, you are often the first point of contact between a customer and the company. Therefore, it becomes a priority to treat each customer well and establish clear lines of communication.

Communication with customers may be conducted over the phone, email or face-to-face. With each type of communication, the primary objective must be to listen to what the customer has to say. Thereafter, you must offer assistance and guidance in the best way possible. Customer feedback and communication is an excellent source of ideas for the company.

Effective reception skills play the role of competent marketing abilities. Your body language, appearance and demeanour play an integral role in making a customer feel comfortable and at ease. As a receptionist, you are the face of the company and the customer is liable to make their first impressions based on your treatment of them.