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15 Essential Tools and Apps for Highly Effective Executive Assistants

15 Essential Tools and Apps for Highly Effective Executive Assistants Featured

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As an executive assistant, you play a crucial role in everyone organized, productive and prepared for whatever the workday brings. But, with so many responsibilities on your plate, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s where the right tools and apps come in. By taking advantage of technology built for the unique demands of the your role, you can simplify your processes, put repetitive tasks on autopilot and achieve peak productivity. 

In this post, we’ll share our top picks for tools and apps that every executive assistant should have in their arsenal.

Table of Contents

  • Top Calendar and Scheduling Apps
  • Must-Have Travel Booking and Management Tools
  • Essential Expense Tracking and Reporting Apps
  • Communication and Collaboration Apps
  • Bonus: Productivity and Organization Tools
  • Executive Assistant Daily Checklist

Top Calendar and Scheduling Apps

Calendar and Scheduling - Essential Tools and Apps for Executive Assistants

Juggling your executive’s jam-packed calendar is no small feat. These apps will help you keep their schedule running like clockwork:

  1. Calendly – Say goodbye to the back-and-forth of finding the perfect meeting time. With Calendly, you can streamline scheduling by letting invitees choose from pre-set availability.
  2. Google Calendar – This versatile calendar app makes it easy to manage your exec’s schedule, set reminders and share availability with the team. Plus, the handy “Find a Time” feature simplifies scheduling across multiple busy calendars.
  3. Doodle – For group meetings and events, Doodle is a lifesaver. Create a poll with potential dates and times, then let participants vote for what works best. Upgrade to a premium plan for extra features like deadlines and calendar syncing.

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Must-Have Travel Booking and Management Tools

Travel Booking and Management Tools

Booking business travel involves a lot of moving parts. Keep everything running smoothly with these essential tools:

  1. TripCase – Our team at Inspired Travel Group uses TripCase to make corporate travel a breeze. This app brings together all your executive’s trip details, including flights, hotels and rental cars, into a single, easy-to-access master itinerary that can be easily shared.
  2. Skyscanner – Need to find the best deals on flights and hotels? Skyscanner for Business has you covered. Set up price alerts, access exclusive rates and get 24/7 customer support.

Essential Expense Tracking and Reporting Apps

Expense Tracking and Reporting Apps

Expense reports giving you a headache? Automate the process with one of these top-rated apps:

  1. Expensify – With Expensify, your exec can snap photos of receipts and automatically generate expense reports on the go. You’ll be able to easily review, approve and reimburse reports with just a few clicks.
  2. Zoho Expense – This user-friendly app simplifies every aspect of expense management, from tracking mileage to handling per diems. Robust reporting features give you full visibility into your exec’s T&E spend.

Communication and Collaboration Apps

Communication and Collaboration Apps

Executive assistants are master communicators. Take your skills to the next level with these tools:

  1. Slack – Slack is a game-changer for team communication. Create dedicated channels for key projects and announcements, or use direct messages for quick questions and updates. EAs will especially appreciate features like reminders and the ability to pin important files.
  2. Asana – For seamless project and task management, look no further than Asana. Create to-do lists, assign tasks to team members, set deadlines and track progress all in one intuitive platform. The My Tasks view gives a handy overview of your exec’s important action items.
  3. Trello – This highly visual collaboration tool lets you organize tasks and projects on user-friendly boards. Choose from pre-made templates designed just for executive assistants, or customize your own workflow. Power-Ups like calendar views and due date reminders make staying on top of to-dos a snap.

Bonus: Productivity and Organization Tools

Productivity and Organization Tools

Round out your EA toolkit with these bonus apps for peak productivity:

  1. Evernote – This versatile note-taking app is perfect for capturing meeting notes, saving important documents and organizing information. The powerful search function makes it easy to find what you need in seconds.
  2. LastPass – Never waste time tracking down a forgotten password again. LastPass securely stores and organizes all your exec’s logins in one place. You can even share passwords with team members without revealing the actual credentials.
  3. IFTTT – Automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflows with IFTTT. This handy tool lets you create custom “recipes” that connect your favorite apps and devices. For example, you could automatically save email attachments to a designated Dropbox folder or post a Slack message when a calendar event starts.
  4. Grammarly – Polish your written communication with Grammarly’s AI-powered writing assistant. This browser extension checks your emails, documents and social media posts for spelling, grammar and clarity. It even offers suggestions to improve your tone and style.
  5. RescueTime – Want to optimize your productivity? RescueTime tracks how you spend your day and provides detailed reports on your time usage. Spot inefficiencies, set goals and make the most of every minute.

Executive Assistant Daily Checklist

While every day brings new challenges and surprises, most EAs rely on a trusty checklist to stay on track. A typical day might include:

  • Reviewing and updating executive calendars
  • Confirming appointments and sending reminders
  • Booking travel and accommodations
  • Reconciling expense reports and invoices
  • Preparing for meetings and events
  • Responding to emails and messages
  • Ordering supplies and managing inventory
  • Handling last-minute requests and fire drills

Conclusion

The right tools and apps can make all the difference in your success as an executive assistant. By automating repetitive tasks, streamlining communication and keeping everything organized, you’ll be able to anticipate your exec’s needs and rise to any challenge.

For many EAs, managing corporate travel on top of your other responsibilities can feel overwhelming. That’s where Inspired Travel Group comes in. We provide tailored travel management that caters to the unique preferences and needs of your executives, taking on the full responsibility so you can focus on your core tasks. Let us handle the logistics while you continue to excel in your role. Contact us today to find out how we can make your role more efficient and your executives’ travel seamless.

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