Administrative assistant vs. secretary?

Seriously, isn’t this just a matter of semantics? If you think about it, both provide administrative support in the workplace.

And yet, these roles are still considerably different, which you’re going to find out in just a bit. But first, you ought to know that there’s a third option—a remote administrative assistant.

These days, the remote working setting is quite the craze. Not that we could blame anyone for quickly adopting it. There are simply too many benefits; we had to make a list.

According to a recent survey, a good 56% of companies work with a remote team globally, with 16% of them going full-remote and 40% hybrid. A trend that spikes the demand for virtual assistants, especially virtual administrative assistants.

So, if you’re debating between a secretary or an admin assistant, we’d offer a virtual administrative assistant powerhouse as the best alternative for your staffing needs.

What is an Administrative Assistant?

An administrative assistant takes care of the various administrative tasks in the office. In doing so, they can support the workplace and help the team.

The workload of an administrative assistant depends on the organization and the level of experience required for the role. That’s why some admin personnel hold leadership roles and why others stick to the day-to-day mundane workload.

Here are some of the common duties of an admin assistant:

• Answer phone calls and emails.
• Attend to visitors
• Organize your calendar.
• Create agenda
• Order supplies
• Take notes during meetings.
• Manage and maintain filing systems.
• Make travel arrangements.
• Make reports
• Set appoints
• Handle inquiries

What is a Secretary?

A secretary is often tasked with performing typical clerical functions like answering phone calls and taking notes during meetings. Basically, they mostly cover all administrative-related duties in the office.

Here’s a quick rundown of a secretary’s daily responsibilities:

• Welcome guests
• Provide customer support.
• Answer phone calls and emails.
• Manage and maintain records.
• Run errands
• Manage office supplies.
• Schedule appointments
• Monitor office inventories.
• Make travel arrangements.
• Record meeting minutes.

Administrative Assistant vs. Secretary: How Do They Differ?

Administrative vs. secretary is a thing. In the organization, these two are essential roles that cover almost the exact responsibilities, as you can already tell from the assignments they cover.

But if you look hard enough, you’ll figure that they’re different after all.

Responsibilities

A secretary is mainly clerical, while an administrative assistant’s job extends beyond clerical tasks.

The job of an admin assistant is more complex and requires independence and good judgment, such as supporting executives and managing databases. They manage the responsibilities of a secretary while also looking after projects and the team.

Skills and Requirements

Both an administrative assistant and a secretary don’t have to meet high educational requirements to fit their roles. Yet, it pays that they have a degree and some level of experience.

Here are the skills to look for in your secretary and admin personnel:

• Typing skills
• Organizational abilities
• Detail-oriented
• Time management
• Adaptable
• Computer and technical skills
• Communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Has initiative
• Has a sense of professionalism

Since admin assistants are decision-makers, they need to have a profound understanding of the company’s systems and operations to offer more strategic assistance.

Career Growth and Benefits

This is one aspect where administrative assistant vs. secretary weighs equally. Both share the same advantages for flexibility and career development.

With experience, a secretary may grow to become an administrative assistant or an executive assistant, tackling more complex responsibilities and supporting top-level management.

On the other hand, after they’ve gained more skills, an administrative assistant can be promoted to become an office manager and oversee work procedures.

Salary

Since administrative assistants have more workload weighing on their shoulders, they get paid more than secretaries.

Still, compensations vary depending on education, experience and skills and location. As such, if a secretary has more to offer based on skills and experience, they could earn more than an administrative assistant.

The Modern Way of Operation: Transitioning to Remote

For the third alternate solution (undeniably, the best one), we introduce you to the modern workplace setting, which is going remote.

And at the center of this evolving way of doing business are administrative assistants and secretaries. They are at the heart of this because their tasks have predominantly shifted online. Those days of filing cabinets are long gone, replaced by database management software.

So, when you want to hire someone to run your office with you, you have the option to outsource and invest in a remote worker.

Now, why is a virtual assistant the best person for the job?

Reasons to Hire a Remote Administrative Assistant

You have office woes that make you want to cry for help. Maybe you’re spending an awful lot of time working with no room to spare for other adventures. Or perhaps you have tasks that you don’t have the skills to complete.

Whatever your reason is, when you invest in something, you want to get your money’s worth. In most cases, this means paying for a multi-tasking service that only a remote administrative assistant can offer.

• Event planning
• Sales support
• Bookkeeping
• Email marketing
• Social media management
• Content creation
• CRM management
• Travel management
• Website management
• Telephone answering
• Order processing
• Video editing
• Graphic design

That’s quite a lot of tasks that one virtual assistant can cover for you, right? But besides their immense versatility in handling numerous business-related services, you can explore these advantages as well.

• Reduced Business Costs

  Yes, you can cut costs significantly. Work happens in the virtual sphere, which means no rent, utilities and office supplies. These outsourced professionals provide their own equipment to deliver their service on time.

  Moreover, remote administrative assistants are not actually employees but independent contractors, so they don’t enjoy the same privileges, such as compensation benefits. You’d go 90% cheaper by opting for a virtual hire rather than an in-house worker.

• Enhance Productivity

  Right next to cost-savings is productivity. When you work with a remote administrative assistant, you get higher levels of business productivity.

  Your remote administrative assistants can cover more tasks in less time without neglecting quality.

  And because they have more flexible schedules, remote workers enjoy a work-life balance, which means they are happier and more motivated. This results in better performance, more output and satisfied customers, leading to a brighter future for your business.

• Access to Greater Talents

  You want to hire the best person for the job. However, your local talent pool doesn’t really give you many options, and neither do your limited resources.

  With outsourcing, geographical restrictions will never be an issue. You can scour the entire globe for top-quality people and hire them to work for you within your budget.

• keep Talented and Productive Remote Workers

  Hiring and training new workers costs money and time. So, when a recruit decides to suddenly not show up, you are left in the lurch.

  You and your HR people will have to repeat the entire process and spend money again. It’s a complete nightmare.

  Enter remote work setting. It doesn’t only offer cost-effectiveness or enhanced productivity; it can also reduce turnover.

  The remote work-life experience offers a lower turnover rate of about 25%.
  Due to flexible work schedules, remote administrative assistants enjoy a work-life fit and are, therefore, less stressed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is a Secretary Referred to an Administrative Assistant Today?

Nowadays, a secretary is often referred to as a personal assistant or an administrative assistant because they almost share the same duties. However, these job roles are not the same as you already know, since they cover different levels of responsibilities.

Administrative Assistant vs. Secretary—Which is Better?

It depends on what you need and your budget.

Obviously, an administrative assistant has a higher-level role than that of a secretary. They can cover more work in the office, which will come in handy for a busy boss, such as yourself.

A Secretary is Great, but a Remote Administrative Assistant is a Game-Changer!

A secretary can do all the basic administrative services, while an administrative assistant can take it further. However, remote administrative assistants are transcendent.

With a VA, you are allowing yourself and your business to experience a wide range of support in an easily scalable arrangement without breaking the bank. Back in the day, this was unheard of.

Hey, the world is evolving, and if you don’t keep up with it, you’re going to get left behind.

Book a call today and experience all that virtual powerhouse glory.