An Admin of a Different Color (like that horse in the Wizard of Oz….)

POSTED BY Jennifer Gniadecki on Dec 12 under Blog Yumminess

Many of you already know that I’m not big on that whole “administrative” thing. I have many years of experience as a secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant and office manager…but just because I can use and make some nifty things in the Microsoft Office Suite of programs, it doesn’t make me an expert. There are many facets and layers to that program that I just do not feel the need to learn. Knowing how to apply styles to a document is not going to make me wake up tomorrow feeling fulfilled.

This is why I have others do it for me. I’ve seen people talk about doing all the administrative work but having a partner for web design or programming…but I’m not seeing anything about virtual assistants that aren’t so hot at the administration.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do administrative work for my clients every day. I’m referring to the MS Office suite of programs that most people picture when someone says they do “administrative work”. You know–that really intricate stuff that you really have to log serious hours working on a program to achieve proficiency at. I mean, there are so many layers of STUFF you can do with Word and Excel and the other programs in the Office Suite…it really boggles the mind and the experts in these programs should be treated as such.

I think there are some people who just have a gene that makes them think that what I consider the utter tedium of knowing too much about MS Word gets them all excited. This is also one of the main reasons I don’t advertise customer service assistance. Herds of people do not interest me. When people talk to a customer service representative, it seems most people bring that weird crowd/herd mentality right along with them on the phone. That sprinkle of anonymity makes some people mean. Being called “you people” has, on me, the same effect that calling an adolescent boy “chicken” can in some circumstances. My individualism and personal identity are quite important to me, as such, when I am made invisible by a phrase like “you people” I react by doling out quick, swift verbal retribution. I don’t yell, I’m not rude, I just say that my name is Jennifer and I would appreciate being recognized as a human being, and not a faceless, emotionless entity.

Really, for the reactions I get to that simple sentence, I might be better off just yelling and being rude. People generally react very badly, and no one comes out the other end satisfied. As much as I’d like to be able to “grin and bear it” there’s just no place for it in my makeup. I didn’t get the “fake it and be someone else to make the customer happy” chromosome. My respect for people that can perform customer service tasks is very high. I don’t know how they do it.

There are not many virtual assistants I find online that specialize in customer service. Well, they might but just aren’t listing it on their website…but I’m not so sure about that. I’ve heard many virtual assistants say outright, “I hate doing phone work, talking to people is not fun for me.”

Didn’t you know that every virtual assistant is striving for a balance? Not just a work/life balance and not just an entrepreneur/family balance…but a work/fun balance as well? If not, you might want to think on that before starting your search for a virtual assistant.

I mean, isn’t that why you’re an internet marketer? So you can make money and have an absolute blast at the same time? There is no rule that says hard work can’t be fun.

I live in the “and” world. Hard work and fun. Deadlines and enjoyment. Money and a good time.

If you’re still in the “or” world, you may want to do a little soul searching on that as well.

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