A home-based secretary handles a variety of administrative tasks for another person or company. Some companies provide secretarial services from home, and these companies hire a large number of experienced secretaries or administrators on a contract basis. Self-employed individuals who are not affiliated with secretarial firms do other work from home.
A home-based secretary typically takes calls and handles customer service issues on behalf of a client. The client’s phone line may be forwarded to the secretary’s home line, but in other cases, the client provides the secretary’s own phone number to customers. A secretary from home, like any other administrative assistant, must take messages and forward important calls to the client. Typically, the client communicates with the secretary throughout the day, giving instructions to the secretary on which customer calls to forward and when the client will be unavailable.
Clients’ emails are also accepted and responded to by home-based secretaries. Urgent emails, like phone calls, can be forwarded directly to the client, while less important messages can be saved and responded to later. Some clients may schedule conference calls with their secretary during which the client dictates emails to be composed and sent to clients. A home secretary may also be required to compose and mail letters on behalf of a client.
Secretaries are also needed by some small businesses to handle administrative tasks related to company websites. The client usually hires a programmer to set up the site, but the secretary may be given login information and asked to update the information on the website on a daily or weekly basis. When a company holds a promotion, the secretary may be responsible for posting information about the promotion on the company website as well as writing and sending promotional emails.
Small business owners are frequently required to schedule face-to-face meetings with clients in order to negotiate sales and service contracts. In many cases, a home-based secretary can set up these meetings by communicating with the client’s business partners and potential clients. Secretaries usually have access to the client’s online calendar or planner so that they can keep track of the meetings.
The qualifications for a home secretary vary depending on the client’s needs. A secretary should be able to type quickly and provide excellent customer service. Some companies that hire secretaries require that their employees have completed some type of vocational training at a college or secretarial school. Clients who deal with international clients may require work from home secretaries who are fluent in a second language.