A PSA on Behalf of the Admins…

When trying to get the attention of any given Administrative Assistant, you need to only ring the telephone or instant message or email them. Not in any particular order.

NOT ALL AT ONCE!

Really people.  Is it necessary to demonstrate your attention deficit issues by by using every single method of communication you have at your disposal to get our attention?  We know you exist.  Unless you are the person who signs our paycheck, you will have to get in line and wait your turn with the others.

Waiting 30 seconds is not an acceptable wait time.  Try 30 minutes.  If its not bleeding or an ambulance doesn’t need to be called, it can generally wait.

Thus concludes our Administrative Public Service Announcement.

Have a Nice Day.

What’s In A Name?

In the course of my day I seen a multitude of different email addresses.  Each company has its own email protocol.  First.Lastname@company.com (a classic) or First Initial.Last Name@company.com or Initialsplusnumber@company.com. These examples are just a few ways to skin the email naming cat.

But when you get to the personal side of the email world, all bets are off.  I have a few creative email addresses.  They’ve helped me beat spammers. But when I have to put a professional face on my personal life, I make sure that I have an email address that won’t have people giving me a second look.

When I am applying for a job or trying to grow a business, most potential clients are taken aback by the more creative email addresses.  For example:

1. An experienced IT professional with 12 years experience is putting himself out in the market place, the contact email is badmojojuju@xxxxx.com.  Seriously.  Bad Mojo Juju?  Would I want that person anywhere near my computers? No.
2. I get the Make-up Artist: MUAdiva@xxxx.com. That one makes sense, but I’d like a name to go with the email address.  Do I call the person M-u-a-h?
3. How about the just plain secure?  perfectlygood4U@xxxx.com.  Good for me?  How do they know?

Maybe I’m taking things to far, but the point is that your first impression often is your email address.  Witty can come through in different ways.  Unique does not have to be a flag flying high and proud.

Being proud to just be Jane.Smith@xxxx.com.

Modern Communication Methods

I have ‘sues. Big, red, floppy clown ‘sues with modern day communications methods.  We tweet, text, IM, email but we seldom seem to pick up the phone for some human contact before we fire off some form of electronic communication.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Sometimes it is the only way to get to a person is to drop an email or an IM.  But it shouldn’t be the only way.  I seem to be surrounded by people who are hooked on their crackberries and iPhone (disclaimer: I own an iPhone) as a way to keep in touch without interaction.  They rather type a thousand characters than 7 digits on the telephone for a simple conversation. 

As human beings, we take a lot of our cues from interaction.  We deduce how a person is doing through body language, tone of voice or facial expression.  In the electronic world we have none of that.  The tone of a text, tweet or email can easily misconstrued unless there is a intimate familiarity with the sender or recipient. 

While the advent of modern communication methods is cleaner than messenger pigeons, we lose a lot in translation.

Experiments in Software

Like all companies, in these hard economic times, mine is on the look out for the best deal on anything.  Recently we started taking a hard look at our email delivery system.  We currently use a system that is so half-a#$$ed backwards that no reputable hacker would want to be known for hacking it.  I break the email system on a regular basis. I’m not doing anything special.  Just using it.  But then I am an Admin…

I’m on a first name basis with the third-tier tech support for this software.  In fact, when my name comes up I’m pretty sure the conversation goes like this:

Expert #1: OH NO! It’s HER!  I’m not picking up the phone!

Expert #2: I took her call last time. It’s YOUR turn!

(Picture me on hold, tapping my fingers on my desk!)

The argument continues, fisticuffs erupt. 

FINALLY! Someone picks up the line.

Expert #3:  (who had to break up the fight, answers breathlessly) Hello XXXX, how can we help you today?

But I digress.  We are currently in the beginning of a email pilot.  I and an intrepid group of Executive Admins have been carefully selected to push this system to its limits and beyond.  I’ve spent the last week in training.  I’m bleeding Blue, Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Red. 

The pilot hasn’t even started AND, I’ve already broken the calendar.  The next thirty days are going to be fun!