By Nancy Friedman, Keynote Customer Service Expert; President, Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Grandparents Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Christmas Day, well, you get the picture. There’s another day that gets overlooked sometimes and I wanted to share why it shouldn’t.
You see, before I was the Telephone Doctor, I spent a few years as a secretary and then as an administrative assistant.
What’s the difference you ask? It all depends on who you ask. Either way, it’s a day that sadly gets overlooked. Admin folks, good ones, work hard. They’re usually very loyal and very good. Good ones don’t watch the clock. They take a great deal of pride in doing their job. Being someone’s administrative assistant is a good thing. A special thing.
It was fun being an admin. I loved being one. When the caller asked for my boss I would say, “Jim is at lunch, he’ll be back around 2:30 pm; my name is Nancy, I’m his administrative assistant and I do all the work anyway, how can I help?” I always got the information I needed. It always got a laugh and melted any rough edges of the caller. I normally was able to help the caller or find someone who could.
Fact is, I was very proud of being an excellent administrative assistant. Most are. So, if you have an administrative assistant, remember please, they don’t ask for much; perhaps some recognition on that special day would be super. A box of candy is nice or flowers. And lunch with the boss is always a plus. A note (handwritten please) of appreciation speaks volumes and even stopping at their desk to say, “Hey, I really appreciate all you do for me” is well received.
You might find a card or two at Walgreen’s or CVS, and surely online, you can find something. Point is, come Wednesday, April 24, please remember your admin, somehow, with something.
Administrative assistants do a lot that you might not even be aware of. A special thank you will be appreciated.
Thank you, Valerie for all you do.
For your information:
Administrative Professional’s Day: April 24, 2019; April 22, 2020; April 21, 2021; April 27, 2022; April 26, 2023
Administrative Professional’s Week: April 21-27, 2019; April 19-25, 2020; April 18-24, 2021; April 24-30, 2022; April 22-28, 2023
