How Administrative Professionals Can Help Your Business Move Ahead

What if one move could amplify the potential and impact of your most valuable employees and high-performance teams? An administrative professional might be the superhero you need!

Administrative Professionals Week runs April 23-29, 2023—a time dedicated to celebrating everything these organizers, implementers, and communicators do to help organizations move forward.

Take a look at mid-level managers as an example. A recent survey by McKinsey found that middle managers spend nearly one day of every week (18%) doing administrative work. With an administrative specialist to partner on organizational requirements, a manager can focus their efforts on the valuable strategic and talent management activities they’re positioned for.

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“I work the backend so my clients can stay productive and focus on the most important things in their business.”

Adaeze Nnamdi-Udekwe, Independent Administrative Assistant

We asked administrative professionals at Upwork, as well as top independent experts on Upwork’s work marketplace, to share how they help teams succeed.

Administrative expertise is more than great organizational skills

People who offer administrative services have a diverse skill set that includes communication, time management, strategic planning, and tech savviness. But what they bring to the table is more than the sum of these parts. More than 90% of people who’ve worked with administrative professionals agree that they’re “essential to the success of a team.”

What makes them so valuable? For many, it’s how they thrive when faced with something new.

“I love being the ‘go-to’ person and someone the team can consistently count on. I get to be a strategic partner and a contributing partner, not just a support person.”

Manuela Dominguez, Executive Assistant, Upwork

Every day brings a different challenge in a dynamic environment that equips administrative professionals with a broad knowledge base, sharp problem-solving skills, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Working with multiple clients, independent professionals can magnify that experience across different industries and organizations.

When added to your business, learning to navigate so many different situations means administrative professionals can add flexibility and insights that can strengthen your project.

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“I help clients manage complex projects—each project is similar in task, but incredibly different in personality and I LOVE that. I get to know everyone from various teams and help them come together in a cohesive way. It's a great way to understand different perspectives and ideas when it comes to overcoming project obstacles.”
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Kirsten Ebey, Project management consultant

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How can your business leverage administrative professionals?

If you don’t have a virtual assistant in your corner already, consider that some of the most in-demand skills are firmly within their area of expertise, including marketing and customer service support.

They’re also often able to bring an insider’s frame of reference to your work. Half of administrative professionals work in healthcare, education, or professional, scientific, or technical services, often receiving industry-specific training and experience.

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Debra Fields, an independent administrative assistant who also offers services as a medical biller and patient representative, uses her personal experience to add value for her clients.

“I've been a virtual assistant for many years and have worked with a variety of clients,” Fields said. “This perspective helps me bring new ways of thinking and new ideas to any project. If I see ways for a client to improve on or create a different workflow, I will let them know.”

Businesses lean on specialists to sustain internal and stakeholder communication, project management, creative work, processes and procedures, management support, tech support and other task-driven activities. If you’re looking for a project to start with, consider some of these predefined services available through Upwork’s Project Catalog^TM.

Prepare for events

• Custom-made booth for a trade show or exhibition
• Tech support for your next virtual event
• A website for event promotion and ticket sales

Get support for operations

• Hands-on bootcamp to help your team adopt agile processes
• Qualified leads to assist your sales team
• Social media strategy and day-to-day management
• Customer service expertise

Track ongoing progress and metrics

• Project management support in Asana
• A custom setup for your team using leading project management software
• A sales, revenue, and lead management dashboard
• A marketing dashboard to help you make better-informed decisions

Organize administrative services

• Broad support when you’re out of the office
• U.S. tax-related preparation services
• Email organization so you can get to Inbox Zero
• Presentation design for your next pitch or proposal

Ready to see what’s possible?

When you aren’t wrapped up in the minutiae of keeping your business running, you can focus your energy on what comes next. This is the perfect time to consider how having a virtual assistant in your corner could change your business and help it grow.