Keeping Track of Both the Schedulers and Your Calendar
If you and your assistant both handle scheduling, take this simple step to make it clear which one of you made each appointment on the calendar. This avoids the: “Who scheduled that meeting for the same time?!”
The fix: The person scheduling the appointment can include their initials in parentheses after the meeting title. For example: Budget Meeting, All Staff (CS).
You’ll be able to easily figure out what the misunderstanding was because you will both know for sure who made the overlapping appointment.
Email Signatures Work Best Both Ways
Just as every executive (or any professional!) needs an email signature with their complete contact information, so does their assistant. Especially if your assistant is handling matters for more than one boss!
Your assistant needs to set up a separate email signature for each of the people for which he/she handles email correspondence.
The example email signature includes:
Rebecca Sunnybrook (name), Executive Assistant to Lou Abbott (boss name)
Vice President of Sales (boss’ title), ABCASEFA EFASEFAX (company name)
X 337455 (Internal phone number)
(222) 555-8888 (External phone number)
Rebecca.Sunnybrook@ABCASEFA-EFASEFAX.com (Live link email)
Optional: company website URL here
Company wide email signature protocols help to keep communications flowing more clearly with fewer mistakes.
Plus, signatures tell people you do want them to be able to be in touch with you. Even if it is through your assistant rather than directly to you!