secretary plus connected

Connected

Connected

“Our mission is to share the expertise in our field with you, to connect you with the best assistants and to exceed your expectations�

Secretary Plus

Index

1

2 4

3 6

5

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

08

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

16

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty what do they have in common

28

Part 4 Customers’ needs and expectations

55

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

68

Part 6 Trends & developments

86

Christine Van den Eynde Vice President Secretary Plus Entrepreneur in heart and soul and people manager, loves running and languages Outside-In, travels for business and pleasure.

“The simple fact that you have received this book and have now started reading it means that we are connected, which is also the theme of this publication.

In most cases it will also mean that we have already been working together for some time as we always strive to achieve long-term relationships. Relationships that last over time are more valuable and allow both sides to know exactly what to expect from each other.

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

In every long-term professional relationship, the manager and

this and regard their assistants as their right-hand person. With

assistant grow closer together. Every partnership is unique

their efficient assistance they can accomplish the remarkable

and grows on the basis of mutual trust and consultation.

achievements that society praises and values them for.

As you know, you can Expect More from Secretary Plus, from my

Assistants engage fully with today’s trend of virtual gathering

colleagues and from our assistants. The results of this survey

of information and using social networks, sharing, asking

also show that it is not just something we pay lip service to,

questions and educating themselves in various subjects: from

but a genuine new reality in the everyday working lives of

what app to use to easily book meetings to understanding

the assistants.

and discussing the enormous possibilities presented by the organisational developments ahead.

Assistants nowadays are highly educated. With valued, specialist skills. They are pivotal people who make an

The in-depth knowledge required in certain fields like sales,

indispensable contribution to the running of the company. Not

marketing and HR is growing in importance. You see this

only do they support the manager, they also keep the lines

reflected in the bachelor studies for management assistants;

of communication with the employees open and ensure that

you can now opt for distinct fields of expertise during your

people work together smoothly.

studies. And the survey shows that once a student has become a management assistant they do not stop working on their further

They have the flexibility to adapt to a wide range of working

development and training. It simply never stops. Enjoy reading!

environments, to take initiative, to think proactively and take on responsibilities. To a large extent they are free to set their

Favourite social medium: I am on LinkedIn and Twitter to be

own tasks, which calls for creativity, autonomy and high-

inspired and to inspire others. I use it for business purposes.

grade competencies. They have grown to become one of the linchpins of the business world. Managers are well aware of

@ChrvandenEynde

06 07

Assistant: a multi-specialist In today’s ever-changing economic landscape of digitalisation new technological possibilities and personal needs and ambitions set the tone throughout society.

This is a key trend for Secretary Plus as an HR company specialising in the recruitment, development and deployment of management assistants. We embrace the challenge of being the innovative point of reference and benchmark company in our niche and constantly strive to improve the image of management assistants. The profession of assistants has received a lot of attention in recent years and looks set to remain in the spotlight as assistants’ duties and requirements continue to change.

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

The survey reveals needs, discovers trends and explores the expectations and ambitions of assistants. Connecting with our clients and building on a first-class level of customer care and closeness, we asked some of our valued clients to present their vision of the different subjects discussed in this book. Expect more of Secretary Plus.

Secretary Plus works with exceptionally dedicated clients and

Nearly 2,000 people took part in this European survey. These

candidates, meaning that we must always listen carefully, read

clients confirmed that assistants operate in specific sectors

between the lines and use crowdsourcing methods to get the

but in a huge variety of areas: construction, healthcare,

opinions and ideas of our stakeholders. This survey was sent

services, industry and ICT - you name it and assistants are

to all Secretary Plus’s clients in the eight European countries

playing a key role. Small and medium-sized companies

in which the international brand operates. We listened,

and large organisations that operate on a local, national or

benchmarked and are now presenting you with the outcome –

international scale all rely on the support of assistants, who

and more‌

are known by different titles depending on who they work for.

08 09

An assistant by any other name...

The Secretary Plus survey was conducted in the European countries where the company operates: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Despite cultural differences, job titles including the word ‘Assistant’ feature in every company. ‘Secretary’ comes in second with 35% of the people surveyed saying this title is used in their company while ‘Office Manager’ was third with 18%.

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

What job titles are used in your organisation for management supporting staff?

Junior assistant 4%

Assistant

33%

Secretary

35%

Office Manager

18%

Executive Assistant

11%

Management Assistant

32% 11%

PA (personal assistant)

1%

Flow Manager Other

Austria:

20% 0%

100%

Assistant: 40%; Secretary, Executive Assistant and Flow Manager each score 20%

Belgium:

Management Assistant: 49%; Assistant: 31%; Secretary: 25% (Office Manager scores 25%)

France:

Assistant: 58%; Secretary: 32%; Management Assistant: 25%

Germany:

Assistant: 49%; Secretary: 28%; Office Manager and Executive Assistant each score 17%

Italy:

Receptionist and Secretary each score 36%; Executive Assistant: 30%; Divisional Secretary

(mainly for legal and sales): 27%

Netherlands:

Management Assistant: 45%; Secretary: 40%; Assistant: 22%

Spain:

Secretary: 41%; Assistant: 35%; Executive Assistant: 18%

Switzerland:

Assistant: 40%; Secretary: 30%; Executive Assistant: 30 %

10 11

How many supporting staff members are currently working at your organisation?

100%

3%

4% 7%

7%

5%

9%

4%

4%

4% 5%

5%

4%

4% 6%

14%

14% 5%

7%

80%

5%

4%

12%

4%

11% 14%

9%

7%

60%

29% 49%

40%

57%

68%

54%

20%

70%

55%

58%

30%

21%

13%

22%

38%

7%

16%

43%

15%

Secretary

Office Manager

Executive Assistant

Management Assistant

PA (personal assistant)

Flow Manager

Other

0%

Assistant

71%

Junior assistant

With or without an assistant?

Number of different types of assistant employed within the same organisation:

> 25 16 - 25 11 - 15 6 - 10 1-5 0

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

Assistants – particularly Management Assistants, Secretaries

The potential for newly recruited staff is also clear as 7% of the

and Personal Assistants – often have a high profile in companies.

companies employ between 16 and 25 Junior Assistants and

The top job is Management Assistant, with people in 93% of

another 7% employ more than 25 Junior Assistants.

companies saying they have at least one Management Assistant.

Secretaries are still being recruited in large numbers across

So we can say that whatever their exact job title, assistants

Europe: the chart shows that 9% of companies employ more

enjoy a high profile. Thanks to their skills, organisational

than 25 secretaries. The job titles Assistant and Management

abilities, languages and proactive approach, assistants are

Assistant are also popular, with nearly one in four companies (24%

in high demand at companies that rely on efficiency and

of respondents) having six Management Assistants within their

smooth organisation.

ranks. In 4% of cases, there are even more than 25 assistants.

12 13

CEO Saatchi & Saatchi | Leo Burnett The Netherlands. Strategist. Advertising.

Online + Offline. Marketing. Branding. @arjankapteijns

Part 1 The Assistant - A multi specialist

Arjan Kapteijns Walk the talk

“Today’s management assistant really is the right hand to the manager. She is increasingly appreciated for thinking along with the manager, at their level and making calls on their behalf as she knows exactly what is important to them or the company. In order for her to get these calls right, she needs to have almost the same level of knowledge as her manager. Secretarial tasks are of course still part of her schedule, but her added value lies more in helping the manager to prioritise. Recently I heard someone say to his management assistant: you are the bodyguard of my time. That’s a good way of putting it.

When we started digging into the world of Secretary Plus we quickly came to understand that behind every great manager is a great assistant. And with the pitch to acquire Secretary Plus as a new account, we decided to walk the talk so to speak: we asked our own management assistant Stephanie to present our campaign ideas to Secretary Plus. She was the embodiment of what later became Secretary Plus’ pay-off, Expect More. When she announced herself at the reception and later on in the meeting room, everyone was slightly puzzled. Shouldn’t we wait for the others? But we, the others were sitting in the parking garage, listening through our iPhones to Stephanie doing a terrific job.

Here was proof that your assistant can be your stand-in if necessary, a concept that lies at the heart of the European campaign we went to develop further. For example, a manager is unable to make it to an important meeting in Tokyo because he has other business to attend to in London. The campaign then shows his assistant in business class on a flight to Japan. The job of management assistants has become so exciting, that the word ‘secretary’ doesn’t seem to do justice to what they do and more. At the same time I believe that Secretary Plus is a great brand name, it says what it is and the Plus says even more. Sometimes in fact I believe that it won’t be long before management assistants will love being called ‘secretaries’ again, as a an honorary title.”

Favourite social medium: I am on Twitter to be inspired and to inspire others.

I use it for business purposes.

14 15

Barbara Stadsbader

General Manager Secretary Plus Belgium Intimacy, nothing less 1) What is your favourite social medium?

3) Who should we be following on Twitter?

LinkedIn is ideal for me to read up on what is happening in

@SecretaryPlusBE, @HRMagazine, Torfs shoes CEO Wouter

the market, what my competitors are doing and connecting

Torfs – he is a good example of a CEO who is able to achieve

with business associates so that you don’t just lose sight of

the perfect mix of personal branding and branding of his

one another. LinkedIn is of course above all an extremely up-

brand. Unizo CEO Karel Van Eetvelt, PWC HR Director Eric

to-date headhunting medium. Passive job seekers who keep

Van den Branden… And also some social media experts like

their resumes up to date are an interesting target group for a

Twittermania and Frankwatching, just to stay up to date. And

specialist selection agency like ours, a target group that you

of course Belgian dailies De Tijd and de Standaard online.

would never see on traditional job sites.

4) What is the power of social media for an HR company?

2) Have you ever made a blunder on social media?

Important is to have a clear social media strategy and to have

When LinkedIn had just started and only a few of my staff were

your company take a leading role. This has a considerable

active on it, I didn’t view it as a work tool but as something

number of advantages for us. As a company you attract

you’d do in your spare time in the evening. More for the fun of it

innovative employees if you are active on various social

than because you have to. I can tell you that I’ve adjusted that

media. And clients who often do not have the time to search

opinion since then…

LinkedIn or add content to a Facebook page see this as an additional reason to work together. On the other hand clients who do take the time, take you more seriously as a partner.

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

‘Every morning I start the day with a cup of coffee and LinkedIn’ Barbara Stadsbader

16 17

“If you want to be the point of reference in the market, you simply have to offer more.”

5) Which social medium is most important to you for your job?

For me personally it’s LinkedIn, the most complete and fastest way to consult information. This also applies to our sales staff at Secretary Plus. Facebook and Twitter are very important for our recruiters. And for branding we use Facebook, YouTube and more recently even Pinterest. You just have to make sure you use the right medium for the right message.

6) How much time a day do you spend on social media?

That’s hard to measure. Every morning I start the day with a cup of coffee and LinkedIn – always! I definitely don’t spend an hour on LinkedIn at a time but the page is open and occasionally something interesting comes on. I’d say 1 hour a day on average…

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

“If you want to be the point of reference in the market, you simply have to offer a competitive advantage. We call this client and candidate intimacy. It means nothing more than offering the best you can, both for the client and for the candidate.

Every year we publish the books ‘Career coach’ and ‘Management

and recruitment services both for the candidates and the clients

Assistant’ for secretaries in which we provide information on

and to continue to excel in job and candidate forecasting. That

qualifications and salaries as well as insights for secretaries

means that we will be able to immediately see at once which

and for managers. These books are perceived as the book

candidates are available for a new job, what type of training they

for secretaries in Belgium. ‘Management Assistant’ is also

are interested in and what their ambitions are for the future.

available as a retail publication. Young women who aspire to

We can see this in their activities on the portal: which articles

become a great management assistant can read testimonials

they read and what type of content they click on. At the same

of successful secretaries who work for example in the

time we can see from our clients’ activities on the portal just

international environment of Brussels. While reading it they

who they are looking for. Having this knowledge, means we can

will learn what it takes to follow the same path. It is not only

serve both the client and the candidate with the best knowledge,

interesting for secretaries who are already working, but also most

match and services. That’s the path we need to take to keep the

certainly also for young people leaving school and on the verge of

best candidates and have the clients with the most interesting

deciding what they want to become in life. This book helps them

vacancies continue to come to us year after year.”

understand how dynamic it is to be a management assistant. As fewer and fewer young people choose to become an assistant, we need to target them in their last year in school. This will be a new strategy for us in the coming years.

We also take great care in standing side by side with our candidates as their careers develop. Our online portal with over 12000 members provides secretaries with valuable information on how to organise an event or which training or course to follow next. Next year we will integrate LinkedIn, Facebook and our portal into a one-stop-window, making it possible for us to link content

Barbara Stadsbader: General Manager at Secretary Plus & USG Financial Forces, Married & mother of two.

Innovative entertainer. Patience is a virtue and not my cup of tea… No pleaser but a teaser. Little bit dominant but with humour.

18 19

The top scores go to the positions of Management Assistant and Personal Assistant, but 50% of respondents stressed that Junior Assistants are also important within their organisation. This is a key reason for young people to take up office management studies.

Key role for assistants The survey reveals that management support staff play an important role in the corporate sector.

This conclusion confirms that assistants are viewed positively by all corporate stakeholders, who appreciate the value they add to the organisation.

On the other hand, the survey showed that young people who are still in school are totally unfamiliar with the job. People in secondary school and even those starting higher education either have the wrong (often negative) impression of assistants or have no idea at all about what the job involves. That means that the image of assistants needs to be promoted among young people.

Supporting staff members play an important role in my organisation.

Junior assistant

50%

Assistant

63%

Secretary

72%

Office Manager

76%

Executive Assistant

60%

Management Assistant

87%

PA (personal assistant)

83%

Flow Manager

72%

Other

63%

0%

33%

Agree Neutral Disagree

17% 28%

9% 20%

8%

16% 28%

8% 12% 11% 10%

14% 23%

20%

40%

60%

7%

14% 23%

80%

100%

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

Assistants play an important role in companies. This role is not easy to define because managers are constantly travelling or in meetings so assistants have to ensure everything ticks over nicely while they are away. Now, more than ever, assistants are expected to work unsupervised as communicators and coordinators. Assistants have to be the managers’ right arm and

The survey respondents were asked to comment on the

speak their language. And that means being completely familiar

studies completed by management support staff within their

with how the company is organised, its activities and its teams.

organisation. Nearly 50% said assistants hold a degree in higher education but the responses do differ from country to country. For example, the score for higher education in France is 57.6% compared with 38.7% in Germany and 38.1% in Spain.

Assistants with no higher education qualifications have generally completed secondary vocational school or a general education and have then gained on-the-job experience.

A qualification with in-company training The high professional standards mean that assistants must have appropriate training.

The key basic criteria for becoming an assistant include language and computer skills. Apart from being able to work in MS Office, assistants who are able to use Photoshop, SAP or SharePoint have a distinct advantage. Personality and attitude are also important factors.

Many organisations offer in-company training. This on-thejob training lasts on average 2 to 8 weeks. One-third of the people surveyed said training programmes last a maximum of 2 weeks, while 10 to 20% said they can last up to 16 weeks.

Longer training programmes generally apply to assistants of the highest-ranking people in the organisation (Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant or Management Assistant).

22 23

What is the required time to give a support staff member introduction training in your organisation?

100%

3% 7%

5%

7%

4% 7%

9%

7%

7%

8%

11% 14%

7%

8%

80%

11%

14%

14%

7%

11%

16% 18%

24%

60%

18%

20% 24%

27% 30%

43%

40% 50%

27% 34%

14%

31%

20%

18%

13% 26%

32% 23% 22%

16%

20%

17%

17%

10%

13%

8%

11%

29%

23%

Assistant

Secretary

Office Manager

Executive Assistant

Management Assistant

PA (personal assistant)

Flow Manager

Other

16%

Junior assistant

0%

27%

25%

> 16 weeks 8 - 16 weeks 4 - 8 weeks 2 - 4 weeks 1 - 2 weeks < 1 week

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

Increasingly specialised assistants As will be discussed in more detail in part VI, the business world is constantly changing and assistants have to keep up.

In some cases managers now personally take charge of tasks

Social media platforms and other assistantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clubs have made

that used to be the responsibility of assistants (such as diary

it easier for assistants to develop their own in-company and

management). This leaves assistants with more time to take on

out-of-company networks.

other duties and responsibilities. At the same time assistants are expected to develop new skills. That can mean reading up on

It appears that assistants are now getting the appreciation they

the subject they are involved with in books or on blogs or getting

deserve and have excellent perspectives, particularly those who

specific training. Half of the people surveyed said companies

know how to work with new applications and other software.

have a specific budget set aside for training assistants.

We asked Marina Stas, PA to European Council President As a result assistants are starting to specialise in various

Herman van Rompuy, about her experience and perception of

areas, such as web writing or overseeing specific projects. They

her job and field of expertise.

also continue to play a key non-specialised role in fields such as information and knowledge management.

24 25

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In my job it is very important to be honest, trustworthy, discrete and always availableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Marina Stas

Part 2 True ambition: Employer of the future

Marina Stas

PA Mr. Herman Van Rompuy Be honest and trustworthy “Before Mr. Herman Van Rompuy became president of the

in my job. In my current role it is of course a given. Another given

European Council, my working environment was more or less

is that I work long hours; you could even say that the work never

the Flemish region of Belgium. So when he asked me to become

ends. I am at the office about 12 hours a day and the first thing

his personal assistant, I initially declined of course. I could

I do when I get home is start up my laptop again. In this job

not picture myself working in such a demanding international

you have to be 100 percent available. If Mr. Van Rompuy needs

environment. But Mr. Van Rompuy did not take no for an answer

to talk to Chancellor Merkel at night, I have to be available to

and kept asking me to join him. I eventually agreed as I also felt

make that call to her PA. But I love my job, so it comes naturally.

that he needed someone he could trust and rely on in these new surroundings that were also very unfamiliar to him. Now, 2.5

In my job is it very important to be honest, trustworthy, discrete

years later I can say that it all worked out perfectly and that I’m

and always available. I think these are the most important

very happy that I accepted this challenge. You can sometimes

attributes. I also believe that being authentic is crucial.

achieve more than you think. I have known Mr. Van Rompuy for

Ambition is fine, but never at the expense of others. Don’t

over 30 years, most recently as his PA when he was the Prime

step over people, stay human. And never forget to value your

Minister of Belgium. Before that I worked for his brother, at that

colleagues.

time Minister of Economy, Agriculture and Media.

I started my career directly after graduating from high school,

I’m not on any social medium.

working in several administrative and assistant jobs. These were mostly in governmental settings and slowly but surely I learned everything on the job. Back then in the seventies and eighties I did not need to practice English and French that much

26 27

Secretary Plus customers and prospects spontaneously use the following words to describe the organisation:

Brand image All companies trigger perceptions from their customers and prospects: value for money, outstanding after-sales service, friendliness of staff, quality, innovativeness, contemporarity of products and services.

From a list of qualities suggested to them as part of the survey, the respondents chose the following ones to define Secretary Plus: 1. customer-oriented

6. driven

2. quality

7. businesslike

3. reliable

8. dynamic

4. friendly

9. with style

5. personal

10. honest

It is good to see that the qualities selected by the customers [≥ WordCloud in the light of the following words:]

and prospects coincide with the in-company values defined by

Positive – Efficient - Professional - Pink - Female - Good

Secretary Plus:

contacts – Proactive – Quality – Reliability – Good candidates – Stylish – Added value – Management Support

• Commitment to results

– Rapid – Customer-oriented – Skills – Multilingual –

• Passion

Elegant - Friendly - Excellent selection – Specialist –

• Professionalism

Many applicants – Modern – Young – High level

• Involvement • Progress

Dishonest

Businesslike

4%

Distant

1%

Unfriendly

0% 1%

Unreliable

Reliable

3%

Surprising

Innovative

60%

Friendly

26%

Dynamic

20%

Honest

With style

Quality

80%

Customer-oriented

52%

Driven

Personal

Daring

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Which five terms characterise Secretary Plus?

77% 71% 66%

60%

50%

40%

28% 31%

19%

8% 3% 0%

28 29

Customer confidence The company image, brand and product determine the perception consumers have of the business.

That means that brand image has to be the main focus of

part in forums. The relationship has been reversed and the

attention regardless of a company’s line of business or size.

consumer now takes the lead when dealing with companies.

A positive brand image drives demand and customer loyalty and paves the way for new market opportunities. This is what

The approach is different when it comes to business relations

helps a company stand out from the competition. It is also an

between professionals. The trend is towards cooperation,

excellent way to gain the trust of customers and prospects.

partnership, with the service provider having to provide added

All companies have to discuss ways of gaining customer trust:

value to customers while finding ways to stand out from

transparency, availability, quality, after-sales service, etc.

the competition.

However, keeping promises is even more important. Companies

With this in mind and in response to the question why

have to respect customers and engage with them to avoid any

customers choose Secretary Plus, the survey participants

negative consequences. This is particularly important now that

listed the following factors:

customers have the technology to make themselves heard.

• Firstly, the qualifications of the candidates.

In the past consumers were seen as just a marketing target.

• Secondly, the fact that Secretary Plus is a specialised

Nowadays they enjoy a completely different status – they

and reliable agency.

are well-informed and they make demands, consult and take

• Other key criteria: expertise, service and responsiveness.

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Reasons for doing business with Secretary Plus

Quality of the candidates Expertise

7.7

Trustworthy

7.5 7.6

Speed of delivery

7.2

Personal contacts/relationship

7.0

The brand/our reputation

6.8

Swift response

7.3 6.0

Geographic distance

7.4

Service

7.6

Specialism Rates

5.6 6.1 0

10

Other

32 33

Making a difference Being different helps to create competitive advantages and innovative concepts.

Looking at Secretary Plus’ niche market, the respondents named a number of criteria that make the difference between an outstanding agency and one that performs less well.

According to them, a good agency should: • Select relevant profiles, provide high-quality candidates and have an excellent database; • Offer a small number of candidates (2 or 3) whom they handpick; • Provide an efficient, fast, high-quality service; • Listen to and know the customer, their needs, values and business culture, and help them pursue various lines of enquiry; • Genuinely take into consideration the customer’s requirements and the skills needed; • Be open and honest, while keeping the customer properly informed; • Focus on a one-on-one approach, and stay in regular contact with the customer; • Have an in-depth knowledge of the candidates and the market; • Guarantee continuity and the competence of the agency’s contact person; • Offer advice and be able to think creatively.

The question focused on the difference between working with a specialised or a non- specialised agency; 19% of respondents said they thought there was no difference.

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Do you experience a difference when working together with a specialised agency as compared to the cooperation with a generalist agency?

Yes

28%

No

19%

Maybe

53%

The participants surveyed who prefer to work with a specialised agency say they do so for the following reasons: ‘You are not treated like a number’, ‘You are not forgotten’, ‘Specialists have a better understanding of your needs’, ‘The candidates match the requirements better‘, ‘The partnership is more pleasant’, ‘As a result of their tailor-made approach, they are perfectly aware of the abilities required and the job content’, ‘The applicants are better supervised’, ‘Less time is lost’, ‘There is a better selection’, ‘Specialised agencies are more responsive to the customer’s expectations’.

We are identifying various needs in the different European markets in which Secretary Plus operates by listening well and asking clients the right questions ….

34 35

Enthusiastic worker, open to new challenges, always looking for new opportunities. Energetic and imaginative. Always positive! @yolandalvarez

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Yolanda Álvarez Girón

General Manager Secretary Plus Spain Creativity sells “In a country where 25 percent of the active population is

period of time. This is a great new opportunity for our assistants

unemployed it is clear that recruitment and selection is a tough

to work and gain experience in a new country. Poland is not the

business to be in. Nevertheless, we keep our spirits up and have

only country to which Secretary Plus Spain deploys management

developed new ways of providing service to our clients. The first

assistants. We found out that in Brussels for example there is a

thing we did was to move away from offering the complete

need for top-level multilingual management assistants. And so,

recruitment and selection package at a fixed price, instead,

we have expanded our job offering outside of Spain in order to be

dividing the various aspects of the process into separate

able to fulfill the changed needs of our clients.

services, such as filtering cv’s or evaluating of candidates.

Clients value this and have come back to us for this reason.

Where we also make a difference, is in the training possibilities we offer. I refer especially to the current demand for e-learning.

We have also detected a new need for secretaries with specific

In Spain companies are legally bound to spend 7 per cent of the

capacities. In Spain there are many Japanese, Chinese, Korean

social security cost of every employee on training, every year.

or Polish companies for example. These companies need

We have successfully brought the Secretary Plus Open Academy

management assistants who are fluent in Spanish and Polish,

to the attention of our clients and many of them are now

Japanese, Chinese or Korean. Needless to say those people are

choosing to invest in one of our training programmes. Although

not easy to find, but we have invested time and energy in tracking

the circumstances have been grim these past years, we have

them down. We have developed a new expertise in this field and

become even more creative. We listen even better to the needs

are now able to offer this type of profile. And not only for Polish

of the client and continue to offer interesting positions and

companies in Spain, but sometimes also for positions in Poland,

projects to our management assistants. We are harvesting the

meaning that our candidates then move to Poland for a certain

benefits of our hard work which feels good of course.”

Favourite social medium: YouTube is by far my favourite channel.

Videos are so powerful. I go to YouTube for music, funny clips and news. But also to show my children a series that I watched when I was their age. It is an endless archive.

36 37

The right price Apart from the brand image, the price the customer is willing to pay for a product or service is a key factor for any company.

This price has a bearing on the quality of the service, as well as on the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of the company and the product or service it offers.

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

How do you feel about the price/quality ratio of our services

4

5

3

6 7

2

8

1 0

9 7

10

The value-for-money approach involves weighing the content of a service or the quality of a product against its cost. Secretary Plus asked the participants to rate its value for money. The score was 7/10 - a fine achievement considering that participants say Secretary Plus is expensive and, according to 43% of the people surveyed, more expensive than any of its competitors.

38 39

Secretary Plus offers tailor made solutions

• Price partly determined by the duration of deployment;

when it comes to pricing. The survey looked at

• Price partly determined by how well the candidate

the willingness of customers and prospects to

matches the required profile;

pay a different price based on certain variables.

• Price partly determined by the complexity and the

Most respondents are not completely in

number of hours worked for the customer;

favour but say a partly variable price might be

• A price based on the success fee.

considered in the following cases:

How do our rates relate to those of our competitors?

Higher

43%

The same

28%

Lower

1%

Don’t know

28% 0%

100%

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Are you prepared to pay a different price for the service depending on the following variables?

Price partly depending on time of application (early bird discount/last minute surcharge)

31%

Price partly depending on the season

10%

Price partly depending on the duration of the deployment

52%

Price partly depending on scarcity of the profile

39%

Price differentiated according to the extent to which the candidate matches the proposed profile

43%

Price differentiated according to complexity and hours worked for the client

46%

Price differentiated according to the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s payment terms

32%

Price partly depending on exclusivity of the application (submitted only to S+)

39%

Price based on success fee

50%

0%

Yes No

69% 90% 48% 61% 57% 54% 68% 61% 50%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

42 43

Customer loyalty We are proud to say that Secretary Plusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; customers are extremely loyal: 82% of the survey respondents confirmed that their company had called on the services of Secretary Plus in the last five years.

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

When these respondents want to hire an assistant, they tend to go to Secretary Plus more than any other agency.

When the respondents themselves were asked about their loyalty and satisfaction in their dealings with Secretary Plus, 46% of them said they are loyal, 16% said they are not loyal, and the other 38% did not know or were neutral on the subject.

As for business services, 6% said they are dissatisfied, 22% did not know or were neutral on the subject, and 73% claimed to be satisfied customers.

Did your organisation do business with Secretary Plus in the period of 2008 - 2012?

Yes

82%

No

18%

44 45

We are a loyal customer

Totally agree 15%

Agree

31%

Neutral

32%

Disagree

16%

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know

6% 0%

100%

We are a satisfied customer

Totally agree 27%

Agree

46%

Neutral

16%

Disagree

6%

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know

The loyalty factor is of key importance for any company because the continuing success of an organisation depends on the customer coming back time after time. That is why it is so important to identify the customer loyalty rate and see where there is room for improvement.

6% 0%

100%

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

The customer’s reasons for being loyal It is important to discover what makes customers loyal.

Is it the price, satisfaction, customer-friendliness or something else?

1) The customer feels important A customer who feels neglected is more likely to end the relationship with a supplier. This is why regular contacts should be maintained with customers, both during as well as after the project.

2) The customer feels understood You need to be actively attentive to your customers and find out about their companies so that you know and understand their lines of business. They will notice your interest, and the products or services you offer them will be more in line with what they need.

3) The customer is impressed: you exceed the customer’s expectations Every customer is unique and it is vital to identify the customer’s needs. You have to respond to these needs effectively and continue exceeding expectations so the customer is not tempted to look elsewhere.

4) The customer has confidence in your company Most customers want to have a long-term relationship. The stability of your staff, a smooth organisational structure and

Good value for money, meeting requirements and a pleasant

a strong business culture are just some of the factors that

partnership are all positive factors but other, vaguer reasons

should inspire confidence in your customer. You may ‘expect

also play a key role in customer loyalty. These include:

more’ of this company

46 47

Loyalty programmes You cannot talk about loyalty without talking about the loyalty programmes that have been widely adopted in recent years.

The loyalty cards we know from stores and supermarkets are now also being used by companies from other lines of business in an attempt to retain customers. This B2B (business-to-business) trend involves encouraging customers to save points when they place an order and then allowing them to choose and order a gift using a login and password to connect to a website. Big name companies are also specialising in this area.

Secretary Plus customers would be interested in a loyalty programme, with only 19% of respondents saying they would have no interest in such a programme. Secretary Plus endeavours long-term relationships with its customers and is constantly looking for ways to achieve this and so a loyalty programme is now being looked into that would live up to customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations.

Which approach works best? For a partnership to be effective and successful various parties have to speak the same language. Showing an interest in the company and sector is important, while personal aspects and having a click are crucial.

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

If Secretary Plus were to introduce a customer loyalty program, would you be interested?

Yes

28%

No

19%

Maybe

53%

48 49

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Quality is what we strive for in everything we doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Anna Relle Stieger

Part 3 Brand image & customer loyalty

Anna Relle Stieger

General Manager Secretary Plus Austria Frühstück (in Vienna) “In Vienna it is a tradition to go out for breakfast. Over coffee,

certainly also the quality of the relationship we have with our

Semmel and fresh fruit we work on our personal relationship

clients. Personal contact is just as important when it comes

with clients. We treat our clients like friends. Personal contact

to our management assistants. Relationships are an ongoing

is what keeps clients with us. Knowing the names of their

process that never stops and you have to keep working at them.

children, where they went on holiday and how things are

So, for example during the matching process we are on the

evolving at their company are important building blocks for a

sides of both the client and the candidate. Candidates tell us

long lasting relationship. It is more valuable to keep an existing

afterwards that they really appreciate that personal contact,

client than to acquire a new one, so that shows you where you

someone they know quite well and to whom they can ask

should invest your time and effort.

questions. At the end of the day it’s all about mutual respect.

We have to pro-actively show how much we respect each other.

There is a nice German proverb: "Kleine Geschenke erhalten

After all, without our clients we wouldn’t have a business.”

die Freundshaft" – which translates as ‘Small gifts keep friendships alive’. We put this into practice by paying surprise visits to our clients. At Easter we dropped by with a pink – the Secretary Plus’ corporate colour – Easter Bunny, on Valentines

Worst mistake on social media: Not checking a candidate’s

Day we bring a small pink cake, when autumn comes we bring a

picture before the client did. The photo was not professional

Secretary Plus umbrella. We make ourselves relevant and find

enough. She quickly replaced it but the client had already seen it.

thoughtful ways of keeping in touch with our clients.

Quality is what we strive for in everything we do. Not just the quality of our service, our management assistants, but most

52 53

Dutch with a twist of Italy, don’t go anywhere without tripadvisor and e-reader, no guts no glory, Amy Winehouse forever, favorite city Palermo.

“A client is loyal as long as he is satisfied. And an issue is as big as your relationship with the client. These might appear to be two fairly simple statements, but they are very true. In Italy the relationship you have with a client is extremely important. You need to do your job in the best possible way and practice what you preach. But staying in touch regularly is the most important factor for having a successful business relationship in this country. I always try to find little excuses to make a call. Ask them if their baby has been born, if it was easy to assemble the IKEA cupboard, etc. I’ll call the client if I read in the paper that the company has acquired a new business to ask if they need something or someone. I’m always looking for a reason to stay in touch and understand the needs or questions a client may have. It’s all about calling at exactly the right time. There are many fish in this small pond. You need to stand out in the crowd and be the person they prefer to work with. If there is an issue, always keep the lines of communication open. And reassure the client that you are on it - until it’s resolved.

Judith Lehmann

Business Development Manager Secretary Plus Italy Intelligence work In fact keeping a relationship going requires a bit of intelligence work. I keep a database with all the useful and relevant information on the person and the company. That helps me keep my facts on the people and organisations straight. Italians want a confidant as their business contact, someone they trust and open up to. That’s what I try to be for them.”

What bothers me on social media? I look on LinkedIn a few times every day. It is a great platform for me to keep in touch with people, see what companies do, gain knowledge and exchange it with other business professionals. But when I see that a petrol station employee also has a profile on LinkedIn, I wonder what he’s doing there.

People often do not realise that what they post in cyberspace stays there forever. I have a background in IT so believe me I know. People should be far more discerning and conscious when it comes to sharing personal information on the internet.

Part 4 Customers’ needs and expectations

For an organisation to become a sustainable company it needs to offer products or services that meet a current or future need and also keep up with the market. Customers’ needs and expectations develop in an economic, social and technological context.

No further requirements The survey was a perfect opportunity for Secretary Plus to investigate the needs of its customers and assess its services and options.

The respondents’ reactions were relatively subdued because, to quote them: “there are no further requirements because Secretary Plus fulfils my requirements and offers the anticipated solutions.” Others said they want Secretary Plus to continue finding professional qualified profiles, to deliver a fast response, to consider the customer’s requirements and business culture and, lastly, to be reliable and responsible in terms of customer follow-up and the feedback provided. In short, customers want a partner whose qualities they have come to expect from a specialised agency such as Secretary Plus. That means that Secretary Plus has everything to gain from focusing on its main lines of business and using technological developments in particular to innovate in the areas where it excels, in order to provide an increasingly effective support system for its customers. The trusted employer.

54 55

22 years in the temping business.

Content, Start People and now focuses as a specialist. Sailed around the world for 4 years with my family.

Part 4 Customers’ needs and expectations

Maggie Dobson

General Manager Secretary Plus The Netherlands Strategic partner “These times of economic turmoil are tough on everyone, we

the other, we come up with creative and innovative solutions,

see that every day of course. The good thing, though, is that

all based on the expertise and knowledge we have built up

it is in situations like this that you can actually live up to your

in the past 22 years Secretary Plus has been operating in the

pay-off: Expect More. That you can show clients your added

Netherlands. With our new business unit Consulting Solutions,

value, expertise and agility. Some clients currently have

we find answers to questions like: Can we work more efficiently?

different challenges and questions. Secretary Plus always

Are we going to centralise our secretarial colleagues? Do we have

tries to be ahead of the trends. In the Netherlands, where

too many or not enough employees to do the work required?

we have a long history, we have grown to become a strategic partner for companies.

When it comes to recruiting, training and consulting, we are your partner. Our core business is still to get the person in

Companies are feeling the effects of the crisis and many are

the right place. But it has evolved to so much more now. We

using this period to take a closer look at their organisation. We

believe that business growth can go hand in hand with personal

are happy that we are often invited to the table as an expert on

growth. That’s the beauty of it – it’s all about people. With all our

how to structure a company’s management assistants. With

colleagues, the Direct Teamers and the Plus Teamers, we go to

knowledge of the role, tasks and responsibilities of management

great lengths to take that next step, to ask the questions behind

assistants on the one hand and the needs of the company on

the question and to deliver more than our clients expect.”

Worst mistake on social media: I had two accounts on LinkedIn for a while and it took me months before I could merge them.

56 57

Services available to customers As an agency specialised in assistant profiles Secretary Plus offers services tailored to markets and local requirements in the countries in which it is based: Austria

Temping

R&S

Total outsourcing

Virtual outsourcing

Project outsourcing

Consulting services

Belgium

France

Germany

Italy

Spain

Switzerland

The Netherlands

Part 4 Customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs and expectations

Services that fit the needs of our clients

Temping 59%

Outsourcing

18%

Recruitment and selection

64%

Minute-keeping

5%

Training

12% 9%

Coaching

4%

Organisational consultancy Other, namely

5% 0%

100%

The survey revealed that the service that is most in demand is Recruitment & Selection (64% of respondents), closely followed by Temping (59%). 18% of the people surveyed confirmed Outsourcing solutions are also in demand.

58 59

In addition to the services Secretary Plus offers in specific countries (the ones mentioned above plus coaching and consultancy), the participants surveyed also expressed an interest in training and development and flexible job tasking. The flexible assignment of duties is in line with the ‘Virtual Outsourcing’ concept that Secretary Plus offers in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and involves assistants providing their expert knowledge to companies for a few hours a week and teleworking on specific projects. This trend is also reflected in the ‘Freelance’ assistants - individuals who work through Secretary Plus providing their services on a freelance basis. They work for the customer on a flexible basis, both in terms of the number of hours they work and the type of activities they perform.

The following chart shows the services chosen by Secretary Plus customers across Europe. The Temping option is the most popular with 51% of respondents using or requiring it.

The Recruitment & Selection option is becoming more and more popular and was chosen by 38% of the people surveyed. This trend is probably a direct result of the ‘war for talent’. Highly qualified candidates are very difficult to find so companies are quick to offer the one-in-a-million candidate a fixed contract straight away. Another 11% chose the Outsourcing option, which was virtually unknown 10 years ago.

Part 4 Customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs and expectations

Preferred services

Temping

51%

Outsourcing

11%

Recruitment & Selection

38%

Expectations towards Secretary Plus in terms of availability

Business hours

78%

Both on line and off line

21%

24/7

1%

The survey also investigated customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations in terms of availability. This showed that 78% of respondents want to be able to reach Secretary Plus contacts during business hours, with 21% of respondents saying they prefer to do so both online and offline. And 1% of the survey participants want Secretary Plus to be available around-the-clock.

62 63

Why choose an agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s services?

Small or young companies often assign the operational responsibility for human resources to a multi-skilled assistant, an office manager or a member of the management team.

These people do their best to carry out this task on top of their other priorities. When companies start to grow, however, HR duties are assigned to one or more individuals. Larger companies have an HR department, whose employees are often responsible for specific duties. Secretary Plus customers and prospects include both small and large organisations that sometimes have an entire team of recruiters. You may therefore expect that the entire candidate recruitment process is managed in-house, but this is not the case. To get a clearer picture of the situation, the people surveyed were asked to state the three main reasons why their companies turn to an agency to find new staff.

Part 4 Customers’ needs and expectations

1) Recruiters do not have the time.

This is the main reason why customers and prospects do not undertake the hiring of new members of staff themselves, with 50% of respondents saying they prefer to assign this responsibility to an agency because they do not have the time. Using an agency such as Secretary Plus means that the candidates have already been selected, so there is no need to spend time testing their language or computer skills. Instead, a small number of candidates that match the job and company requirements are presented in a confidential report that includes the results of tests, a personality assessment and recommendations from a consultant based on an in-depth analysis of the person’s skills and qualities.

2) Recruiters do not have enough candidates.

Even though they have their own recruitment list and advertisements placed on job boards, 32% of the people surveyed said they use the services of an agency in order to have access to high-quality shortlisted candidates. Secretary Plus has a large number of applicants thanks to its network of agencies and the reputation it enjoys among assistants.

3) Recruiters are keen to make use of a specialist’s expertise.

The services provided by the agency were named as the third reason. According to 18% of the respondents, it is recommended to hand the recruitment process over to an agency whose core business is recruitment. The customers and prospects that were surveyed said the tests are more professional and the agency’s consultants have a much better understanding of their needs in order to propose the right candidate.

The reasons given by respondents for not using an agency when recruiting are firstly the price, secondly an in-house solution being found by the management, and thirdly the agency being unable to provide adequate candidates.

64 65

Assistants: all equally motivated and competent Customers and prospects were asked if they think insourced assistants work better than assistants on a fixed contract within their company.

The answer was a resounding â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The respondents agreed that it is not a question of employment status but of personality. They said that insourced assistants do not perform better but just as well as assistants on fixed contracts. According to the respondents, the assistants all have the same drive and enthusiasm for their work. Assistants taken on by a company sometimes have a better understanding of the organisation, which makes the relationship easier, but insourced assistants tend to have a broader view and sometimes more relevant knowledge which they have built up while working for other businesses.

Part 4 Customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs and expectations

I am of the opinion that deployed assistants (permanently employed by an agency) do their jobs better than permanently employed assistants.

Agree

4%

Neutral

53%

Disagree

43%

66 67

Social media has earned a dominant position in our professional and personal lives. This becomes clear just from hearing the figures or seeing how people around us behave. Someone you know just had a baby so you quickly log in to Facebook to see the pictures of the newborn. One of your close friends is travelling abroad so you stay in touch using Skype. You are attending a conference that is relevant to your professional contacts so you send an endless stream of tweets. If you want to see a clip of your favourite song you go to YouTube. If you get in contact with a new agency for an upcoming Employer branding campaign you invite these people to join your LinkedIn networkâ&#x20AC;Ś

Whether we are looking for general information or details about a specific company, want to read what a friend has posted on their wall or check what the weather will be like tomorrow, many of us go to the virtual world.

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Digital contacts rather than personal contacts Digital technology is speeding up everything in the business world.

Think about the various applications or intranet systems used to share information or manage processes, or emails which have largely replaced traditional post and fax. And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not forget pads and smartphones. Our way of working has changed drastically and continues to develop in line with technological progress.

The question is: are virtual contacts enough when it comes to creating team spirit among colleagues, getting staff involved or showing an interest in customers?

68 69

Harriet Aans Loves to travel and meet people and experience different cultures. Likes running, singing and going to the cinema.

Montfoort www.secretary-plus.de @HarrietAans

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Harriet Aans

General Manager Secretary Plus Germany

most often on a job for a longer period of time. Even then you need to stay in touch regularly, every few weeks or so. Email alone simply isn’t enough. You have to call or visit your network.

An actual conversation gives you more information, a better relationship and more feedback. Is someone enjoying herself at a company? What type of projects is she running? How is she developing new skills? What could be a possible next step? What will change in her resume?

Every town in which we have an office organises quarterly Secretary Lounges. Secretaries have said that they value meeting each other, exchanging experiences. For us, these are also valuable moments to meet assistants, employees,

“Communication is taking place more and more by email. The

candidates and potential candidates. Meeting each other

interesting thing is that I view email as a written piece, whereas

face-to-face remains important. The same applies for clients.

the next generation uses it as if it were a conversation with a

In addition, in Germany references are essential in order to get

more personal tone. I see the difference and the evolution. So,

to meet a potential new client. Being a member of a network

I may be old-fashioned in some aspects, but I do see that email

therefore is crucial. Being a member of EUMA (the European

can be used in a more personal way. And on Facebook, LinkedIn

Management Assistants) and the bSb (Bundesverband

and Xing you sometimes get to know a person better than you

Sekretariat und Büromanagement e.V.) – an international and

would if you were to meet them in real life.

national network of assistants – allows us to stay in touch with the right people and continue to grow our business and our

I do believe that personal contact by phone and through visits

client portfolio.”

is very important too. You need to meet and talk regularly, both with clients and candidates. In Germany our secretaries are

Memorable post on social media: the death of Stephen Covey.

72 73

The Secretary Plus survey asked customers and prospects to state the way they prefer to be offered candidates. 65% of them said they wish to be contacted by email. 15% want to discuss it over the telephone and 8% want to make an appointment over the telephone. It is, however, unlikely that 65% of Secretary Plus contact persons only want to be in contact via email. Of course emails have several advantages: you can consult them when it suits you and decide how much time you should spend on them.

Plus the information in emails can be kept, filed and read again later on.

Preferred communication channel for presenting candidates

Personal visit (unannounced) 1%

Call to make an appointment

8%

Call to discuss the proposal/candidate

15%

Email

65%

Regular post

1%

Twitter

0% 0%

Xing

0%

LinkedIn

9%

I would prefer not to be contacted Other

0% 0%

100%

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Active on social media platforms: a job in itself?

If you want to be active on social media platforms you have find a way to be visible online.

However, personal contact is needed to propose a candidate

Here are a few ideas:

who matches the job requirements. The consultant first of all has to recognise the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, have a feel for the

1. First of all, you have to pick the social networks that

business culture, discover the department looking for a new

are interesting and useful to you. There is no point in being

employee and have a precise idea of the profile the customer

everywhere. Next decide on your strategy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly if

is looking for. It is impossible to get this kind of knowledge

you use social media for professional reasons.

through emails alone; it has to be discussed with the customer

2. If you are interested in several social media platforms you

in order to prepare a profile. A shortlist of candidates is presented

should be aware of the tools that enable you to publish

in person and followed up with emails containing more details

messages on several channels at the same time.

for customers.

Check out www.seesmic.com or www.hootsuite.com for example, to find out more.

Secretary Plus has a more customised approach, so digital

3. Visit the social network sites every day but do not spend

contacts do not replace human ones but they do supplement

more than 20 minutes: it should not take a lot of

them extremely well. The trick is to strike the right balance. To

time to take a quick look at the relevant information, post

make customers feel important and feel their best interests

an update and check any new messages you have received.

are being taken into account they have to be offered first-

4. Participate in discussion groups from time to time to boost

class profiles, even unrequested, that are a perfect fit with

your visibility.

their companies.

5. Lastly, another tool to be aware of is www.netvibes.com.

This dashboard collects any information that is important for your needs. A great time saver!

74 75

board IAB, marketing, advertising, media, innovation, speaker, jury, running, yoga, golf. #dsv dailyseaview, thestyle.nu, @Lot

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Lot Keijzer

Director Marketing Solutions LinkedIn Benelux LinkedIn (as your business platform) “Many people see LinkedIn as a kind of digital Rolodex, where

Saturday night is not necessarily something you want to be

you can look up business contacts and keep track of their career.

reminded of in a business setting on Monday morning. That’s

Of course this is still the core purpose of our platform, but at the

why we advise against linking content from other networks like

same time LinkedIn is evolving into a more all-round business

Facebook and Twitter. The same goes for your profile picture:

platform. You can now bundle and personalise news headlines

better not to use a summer holiday picture or one showing your

and combine them with the status updates on LinkedIn Today for

kids. It is not the appropriate environment for that.

example. We are a social platform that business professionals can use to extend their network, for business purposes and to

Lot Keijzer does feel you should add personal information to

become more successful at what they do. We want to connect

your profile on LinkedIn: “It works best if you fill in the profile

the world’s professionals to make them more productive and

with ‘100 percent’ information. For example, telling what you

successful. Knowing what someone reads, shares and does

did in between jobs or during a sabbatical, adds colour to your

through LinkedIn enriches your business network. Since the

profile and probably gives a better picture of the type of person

launch of LinkedIn Today you see people spending much more

you are. Do not hesitate to add this type of information. Also,

time on our platform on a daily basis. This is something our

ask people to enrich your profile with recommendations. It

members were waiting for.

spices up the facts.” Lot also suggests writing your summary highlighting the aspects of your talents, experience and

Complete honesty about your career and the jobs you have had,

passions in your own words. “This gives a recruiter or a business

is key to the platform. You can’t go around making stuff up. As

contact a better understanding of what makes you tick.”

LinkedIn is strictly professional, what you have been doing on

The strength of Twitter: It is a great way of getting in touch with people you don’t know, getting to know them better and even meeting up in real life. It enhances your personal relationship and makes it easier to connect efficiently to a large number of people.

I lost my Viktor and Rolf shawl while checking in at London City Airport. I did a post on Twitter with all the right hashtags and the next day someone contacted me through Twitter. He was at Schiphol Airport and returned my shawl to me. How powerful is that?!

76 77

Top 10 LinkedIn marketing tips 1) Build a company page Increase your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility by making a company page.

Company profiles are a way for members to view information on every company including a description, the number of employees and the industry in which the company operates. Post a photo and location in the profile, and use the blog to provide information.

2) Post company status updates

3) Use groups to expand your network

Posting company status updates is a good way of sharing your

LinkedIn groups are communities where people with similar

company news. This can be anything from product releases to

interests meet and talk about certain subjects and interests.

promotions and relevant articles. LinkedIn users can use the

Creating your own custom group enables your company to

Overview tab of the company profile to view the posts. Anyone

provide custom media. Groups can be used for discussions

who follows the company will be able to see the update straight

with members, sharing content and positioning the company.

away on their homepage. LinkedIn members can like, share or

Starting a group requires a bit of focused effort, but it is a great

comment on posts.

way to expand your existing network. Every time people in your network join the group it can be seen in their own networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newsfeed, which can in turn generate new members.

4) Do market research via polls or insights The Analytics tab on your company page can only be seen by administrators. The tab contains an array of information about the people visiting your Company Page and allows you to compare your own company to similar companies. You can use the group page to set up polls in order to get important information from group members.

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

5) Combine your social media channels Integrate your Twitter account into your LinkedIn profile. If, for instance, someone asks a question on Twitter, provide a detailed answer on LinkedIn and refer back to it on Twitter.

6) Share business presentations and demos and

9) Create a LinkedIn ad campaign

make the most of events

Spread your message to millions of professionals with an ad

Post relevant corporate presentations on your profile using

and use one of the many selection options. For instance, you

special presentation tools such as Slideshare.

can target your ad audience based on experience, industry, job function, company size, and much more.

7) Promote your profile

You can also use social ads to make your advertising even more

Promoting your profile is important if you want to expand your

effective. These ads enable you to show how many LinkedIn

network. This can be done by placing a link to your profile on your

members recommend your company, for example. Or they can

corporate website, blog, email signature and business cards.

be used to highlight certain topics that are being discussed in your LinkedIn group, which will attract even more members to your group.

8) Search engine optimisation There are three ways of adding web links to your LinkedIn profile. In addition to showing ‘My blog’ and ‘My website’

10) Answer questions in Q&As

buttons, you can click the ‘Edit’ button and then ‘Other’. Type a

Answering frequently asked questions is a way of informing

key word that people might use to find your company.

members and showcasing your expertise.

78 79

Recruitment channels in the spotlight The survey made it possible to learn more about the recruitment channels companies use to publish job vacancies when the recruitment and selection process is managed in-house.

Subscription-only or free job boards, the use of a personal

Many applicants registered with Secretary Plus refuse to have

network and the grapevine are the most popular in-company

their CVs published on job boards because they want to be

recruitment management channels. As with the previous

selective about who gets in touch with them and do not want

question, the people surveyed favour online channels as these

their own employers to see their names when consulting job

are generally fast and user-friendly. But can they be relied on to

boards. Secretary Plus can offer them complete discretion.

find that one-in-a-million employee?

Preferred channels when doing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own recruiting

Free job boards Paid job boards

40%

Job boards specialising in Assistants

40% 0%

Social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing)

20%

Community sites

0%

Printed media (daily/weekly)

20%

Grapevine

40% 0%

Open application

0%

Traineeships

40%

Networking Not applicable

20% 0%

100%

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Would you - when doing your own recruiting - consider using Secretary Plusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; database for available assistants at an interesting rate?

Differentiated services

Yes

45%

No

15%

Maybe

39%

Job boards attract a lot of people but the survey participants realise that they are not a quick fix. Instead, recruiters may rely on a database of qualified, interviewed and tested assistants.

Would you - when doing your own recruiting consider receiving only resumes (without intermediary services) from Secretary Plus at an interesting rate?

Yes

35%

No

23%

Maybe

42%

Secretary Plus has surveyed how interested customers and prospects are in having a database of available assistants. 45% of respondents are interested and 39% said they might be interested. They were also asked whether they would be interested in receiving CVs (without any other services). The respondents were quite enthusiastic and only 23% of them said they were not interested.

80 81

Twitter, video and mobile enthusiast.

Loves travel, evolution, photography, India and running. New media specialist. @paulusveltman

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

Paulus Veltman

Public speaker, innovation manager, service designer.

No social media. No job. No career.

“If people can’t find you on Google, it’s not very likely that

Companies looking for new employees use video to communicate

you’ll be hired for a job. It’s as simple as that. Your internet and

the company culture and the job on offer. The most powerful

social media is part of your positioning nowadays. 70 percent

way of doing this is to let people in comparable jobs explain why

of companies now use social media to find candidates for a

it is fun to work for that company. The closer you can get to the

vacancy. It cuts costs, speeds up the process and you can target

real deal, to the real feeling, the more powerful it is. If you let

specific groups if you wish.

the CEO present the company it will simply not be as effective.

The more you can relate to someone, the better. Peer-to-peer

Social media are now an integrated part of your career, whether

communication rules in the social media era. You value the

you are looking for work, looking for someone fill a vacancy,

opinion of a peer more than that of someone you can’t relate to.

keeping track of your career or want to stay informed about things relevant to your job.

Recent Dutch research* shows that 22 percent of job seekers use social media to look for opportunities, in the US** this is

Social media are the only growing platform when it comes to

even higher – 54 percent. Not surprisingly the job seekers in

job search. Your profile on LinkedIn has in fact become social.

their fifties still look for jobs in newspapers. They are highly

What you reveal on social media about your life, interests and

trained and well versed in writing resumes, application letters

personality on social media is a useful tool for recruiters to get

and interview techniques, but they are looking in the wrong

a better picture of a candidate. Video is increasingly important.

places for job opportunities. They need to catch up quickly or

I see the trend shifting towards video/image, with people

they might never find a job again. Catching up is important

starting to use videos on YouTube as an intimate and personal

for everyone. Social media cannot be ignored any more.

way of presenting themselves. The other day I saw someone

Management assistants in particular have an important role to

sending a resume using the Facebook Timeline style: visually

play in advocating social media within companies. As they are

powerful and very 21st century. Some people are also starting

so close to the decision makers and are trusted by them, they

to use Pinterest to create a board that reflects their personality,

are well placed to help their managers get involved in social

experience and education in images and quotes. We have

media and see the added value of these channels.

entered a new era with social media.

* Research done by the Intelligence Group.

** Research done by Jobvite

82 83

Celine Culinas

General Manager Secretary Plus France (A visit is) gold

“It is in the nature of the role of a management assistant that in addition to the objective criteria required for a job, there are also a set of crucial subjective criteria that are very important too. “ These subjective criteria can only be measured or evaluated in person, by face-to-face contact. It is essential that you have a good knowledge of both the client and the candidate. For management assistants we need to be able to answer questions like: will I be working for a big company or a department? What’s the manager like? Will my desk be placed in an open-plan office

Must-have professional social media:

or will I have my own office? What’s the business culture like?

Viadeo – similar to LinkedIn, in the

In order for us to answer these questions, we need to know

French speaking European countries.

the working environment really well. And this can’t be done by phone or email.

After all these years of experience, we know that this one visit is gold. Once we can present ourselves at a meeting and start a personal relationship, we know it’s only a matter of time till we start working together. Seeing someone in person makes all the difference.

Our clients get a visit at least once every three months, but many of them see us every month. If you do not maintain that contact, you lose the client. In Paris time is money and diaries are full, everyone is pressé. Clients often say that they do not have time to see us. But funnily enough, if we drop by, they never complain that we did. That helps keep our spirits up.”

Part 5 Have we all become virtual?

84 85

The way people work has gone through a major transformation

They said they see assistants getting a higher profile and the

helped by technological progress and the digital era. Many

ideal assistant should be more highly qualified (in marketing or

tasks have been automated to enable employees (and that

communication in particular). In order to meet the constantly

includes assistants) to work faster and more efficiently. As we

growing requirements of the job, they said assistants will

have seen, assistants are now focusing on new tasks. And this

increasingly attend more training courses and workshops than

is just the beginning.

they do today.

Languages will remain key as assistants continue to be responsible for communication and coordination. They will still have to know several languages and maintain in-company and out-of-company contacts both nationally and internationally.

The new assistant Customers and prospects were asked what direction they think the role of assistant is going to take.

With regard to computer skills, assistants should be able to master new software being used in the company and stay on top of technological developments. As the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s virtual representative they will be the face of management on Facebook or Twitter. They will be perfectly comfortable with digital tools and other online applications (Internet Cloud).

Assistants must also be able to see the big picture within an organisation and be all-rounders and key company employees.

Assistants will likely also become real experts in some subjects through being involved in or heading up projects. All in all assistants are going to see their role change and grow and they will act as genuine business partners for management. They will be assigned a large number of tasks and perhaps even be required to help prepare company strategies.

Part 6 Trends & developments

New skills Apart from the existing skills, which are still seen as extremely important by the people surveyed

(particularly the following top 5: reliability, adaptability, discretion, a sense of responsibility and resistance to stress), the changing profile obviously means gaining new skills or building upon existing skills which have so far been less in demand.

How will current developments impact the competencies set for the position of assistants?

More independence 58%

The ability to work on a more executive level

27%

The ability to work on a more operational level

9%

The ability to work in a team/in pools

36%

The ability to offer more support

42%

More organisational talents will be required

42% 36%

A higher level will be required

33%

More knowledge of various areas of expertise (HR, Sales, etc.)

Other

6% 0%

100%

86 87

New job opportunities Looking at career development, do assistants stay with a company for a long time and what is the outlook for the turnover of management support staff?

Roughly 50% of the people surveyed said assistants stay

turnover is starting to stabilise. Assistants are becoming more

at the same company for an average of 2 to 8 years. 25% of

demanding and attach great importance to their personal

respondents claimed they stay with the same employer for 0

development. They want a position that allows them to use and

to 2 years and 22% of the companies surveyed said assistants

strengthen their skills. If their employers are unable to offer

stayed on average for longer than 8 years. Staff turnover has

them the right prospects, they are ready to switch to another

speeded up in recent years but the survey showed that the

company and a job that is more in line with their wishes.

Average period during which an assistant works in the same position (job rotation)

0 - 0.5 years 7%

0.5 - 1 years

7%

1 - 2

years

11%

2 - 4

years

27%

4 - 8

years

8 >

years

26% 22% 0%

100%

Part 6 Trends & developments

New world of work The new world of work concept appeared back in 2005 when Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, signed a memo called The New World of Work (NWOW).

This memo described how new technologies would drastically change the working environment. The aims are to promote the creativity, independence and

Do you see any change in this respect?

wellbeing of staff. In the new world of work employees are assessed based on results and not the number of hours they work. This approach helps employees to balance their careers and home lives and to be freer and more flexible.

Job rotation is more frequent

17%

Job rotation remains the same

55%

Job rotation is less frequent

28%

88 89

The New Ways of Working at Microsoft Kelly van Keijzerswaard:

Frank Verlaan:

Executive Assistant at

Marketing Manager New World

Microsoft, likes her job and

of Work. Personal Leadership.

loves her life. “Laughing,

Family man with a passion for

running and doing my

football and skiing.

workouts give me energy.”

“Everyone at Microsoft can see when I have a hair appointment, as

included. There are places for making phone calls, answering

our personal diaries are also open to everyone as well”, says Kelly

emails, meeting someone. In this day and age where we all have

van Keijzerswaard. As the management assistant to the Dutch

laptops, smart phones and the internet you are always connected

CEO, I still spend a lot of time in the office. I do take time to go

with each other. No matter where you are.”

running in the morning or leave the office at 3.30 pm on a beautiful day so I can join my friends on a terrace. With all the technology

“I wasn’t used to this flexibility when I joined Microsoft”, recalls Van

out there you do no longer need to be in the office anymore to get

Keijzerswaard. “The fact that you could be connected with each

your work done.

other 24/7, made me feel I should be connected all day. After six months my manager said: Kelly, you’re always available. That’s not

“We don’t go to work anymore, we just work”, says Frank Verlaan.

the New Way of Working. Van Keijzerswaard also needed to adjust

“The activity determines where you actually work. No one in our

to other aspects of The New Ways of Working. “We communicate

office has their own workstation. That goes for everyone, the CEO

through an internal chat system, called Lync. A conversation by

Part 6 Trends & developments

chat is different from a conversation

interested in. As I enjoy organising parties

inspire other businesses and people to also

by phone. At one point I thought my

and get-togethers, I am now responsible

start implementing New Way of Working.

boss wasn’t happy with me anymore.

for several internal Microsoft events.”

Forty thousand visitors come to the office

His answers were often really short, he

at Schiphol Airport each year. These

would answer with just an ‘OK’, or ‘fine’.

Microsoft started implementing New

include many management assistants.

This made me feel insecure, but after a

Ways of Working in 2005. Employees felt

Verlaan also sees that the secretarial

while I understood that it was simply the

there was a lack of work-life balance,

department is crucial in advocating the

efficient chat language. Efficiency in any

giving it a rating of a 5.5. “Now we score an

New Ways of Working. “Because these

case goes hand in hand with New Ways

8”, says Verlaan. “Do we work fewer hours?

people often have a central position in the

of Working. Verlaan: “We don’t organise

We don’t measure this, but our guess is no.

organisation, between the management

as many meetings and have a rule of

But we can be where we feel we need to

team and colleagues, they are important

engagement that you should always offer

be when we want to be, whether it’s your

influencers.” Van Keijzerswaard often

the opportunity to join a meeting online.

child’s ballet performance on Tuesday

detects a fear of change amongst visiting

In our view a meeting is only meant for

afternoon or an important meeting

secretaries. “Some do not want to give up

making decisions. So we no longer hold

with a client somewhere in town. Young

their office on a certain floor for example,

meetings simply to exchange views or

generations consider their personal life

anxious that they will lose their position.

share information. There are other ways

and working life to be equally important.

Or they feel indispensible. I always tell

of dealing with that.”

We don’t want to make choices. And with

them to embrace New Ways of Working. It

New Ways of Working we don’t have to.”

will only make your job more interesting.”

“The whole idea behind New Ways of Working is to give responsibility and

Verlaan continues: “Before 9.00 – 9.30

ownership to the employee” says Verlaan.

am and after 3.00 pm, you don’t see many

Frank Verlaan

“At the beginning of the year you commit

people in our office. 70 percent of my

Who should we follow on Twitter?

yourself to delivering certain results.

colleagues avoid the rush hour. If you are

@HNWbijMicrosoft, that way you stay up

How, where and when you do this is up

not feeling well in the morning, you sleep

to date with the latest about Microsoft

to you. Make no mistake, we are an

in and start working later in the afternoon.

and New Ways of Working.

American company. So the business

If people call in sick, that means they will

and the results are very important.”

probably be off for a while. Short periods

Van Keijzerswaard has seen her job

of sick leave are something we hardly see

Kelly van Keijzerswaard:

become more interesting. Thanks to

here anymore.”

How much time per day to you spend on

new technologies and time management there is room for other projects she is

social media: MSN and Facebook are Microsoft operates an open-door policy to

always open.

90 91

Now that traditional secretarial duties are being replaced by

meetings, personal contacts with colleagues or to work on

support tasks and a growing level of independence, customers

projects with others but the office is set to become more of a

and prospects said they think assistants are gradually

place for meetings and social interaction.

becoming ready for the new world of work. Duties can often be performed at home, a few days a week or on a monthly basis.

50% of respondents said their companies allow assistants

Their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;home officesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and smartphones will make assistants

to be available during business hours by telephone or email,

accessible and perfectly able to provide the same excellent

compared with 46% who prefer them to be at the office. What

services as they do in the office. In order to hold on to their

we are seeing here is a shift towards the new world of work and

one-in-a-million assistant, companies are ready to give them

teleworking systems.

this flexibility. Assistants do of course still visit the office for

Expectations towards assistants in terms of availability

Business hours at our office location

28%

Office hours both online and by telephone

19%

24/7 online and by telephone

53%

Part 6 Trends & developments

New needs Let us take a closer look at how often companies will need a team of assistants to carry out one or more specific tasks.

50% of respondents said that their organisations could require the services of assistants for specific projects one to four times a year. More flexible ways of working are changing the needs of human resources. Companies rely not only on permanent staff but also on staff with specific expert knowledge. Assistants are also made available to companies for shorter assignments or on a project basis.

As we said in part IV, Secretary Plus has responded to this demand by providing freelance assistants and assistants hired by a company who are then seconded to companies for

Secretary Plus is also focused on job content change, because

specific projects. Secretary Plus also makes virtual assistants

the new professions now emerging are affecting the assistantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

available to companies that need specialists working a few

job profile. These include application developers, marketeers

hours a week on a teleworking basis. Secretary Plus is closely

specialised in social media, and conversation managers. It is

monitoring market trends and anticipating the requirements

up to Secretary Plus to identify the future requirements of its

of its customers and applicants to be able to continue to offer

customers and to take a proactive approach to training project

flexible, innovative solutions geared to these new requirements.

assistants and coordinators to meet these requirements.

92 93

Laurence Dejumné

Business development manager Secretary Plus Switzerland Independent women

Business Developer, Entrepreneur, Mother

career on hold for quite some time.

of two, Positive thinking, Self improvement,

costs increasing. That is when women, with 20 years of experience, often decide

Team Spirit, Open Mind, Fun at Work, loves

But the fact that they stay at home does

to become independent workers. Along

theatre and badminton, chocolate eater

not mean that they are not looking for

with the mothers of young children

(Belgian and Swiss)

more creative ways to earn money and

this is another group of experienced

do some work anyway. There is a trend

management assistants who are able to

“In a country where the unemployment

towards these women being available to

handle projects for our clients. Secretary

rate is only 3.3 percent and the economy

work from home for a limited amount

Plus has been active in Switzerland for

is still going strong, reality on the ground

of hours a week. During these hours

a year now and so far we have mainly

in Switzerland is very different from

they work on projects and activities at

focused on recruitment and selection.

many other European countries. Here

which they are very experienced in. We

But I see our activity around independent

the problem is that there aren’t enough

offer them projects such as creating

professionals growing over time as we are

people in the country to do all the work.

Power Point presentations, calling

the only player in the field who is capable

A complicating factor is that many

all newly acquired clients or sending

of offering this service.”

women, or more specifically mothers

out mailshots. Clients are also aware

of young children, opt to stay at home.

that we offer these services and

Not always because they have a choice:

frequently ask for them. The labour

childcare costs are 2,000 euros per

market is very flexible. Social security

child per month. For many women this

contributions are low, at least until the

is a reason to stay at home and put their

age of around 40. Then you see these

Part 6 Trends & developments

Negative aspect of social media: never think that social media can replace real-life personal contacts in real life.

94 95

Who should I follow on Twitter? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow too many people. Only follow people who are relevant to you. Be selective to avoid a stream you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep track of.

Part 6 Trends & developments

Jo Caudron

Thinker, innovator, strategist / media, digital, social, mobile, connected TV / consultant, entrepreneur, speaker, writer / President IAB Belgium Just another tool

What we are seeing is the services around matching, like consultancy, expertise and training, becoming more important.

This is where you need to make the difference, where you can stand out from the competition. Your connection and relationship with candidates is of great value these days. If someone tweets that they are nervous about their first day in their new job, you can get back to them with some comforting words and include a link with some handy tips. All without being too overwhelming. Just being there at the right time at the right moment and connecting.

Social media are simply one of the communication tools that you use. You will still meet people at the agency, send emails, call people and also use social media in the way they were intended. They are just part of the greater picture. LinkedIn works really well as your business career resume, but the community is not very active. In my opinion Facebook is a richer platform, and better for getting your organisation’s soul and the culture across. Secretary Plus does a great job on their page

“Social media strengthen the human side of services. As a tool

where they show who they really are. This is the place where

they help you to get closer to the world out there, to stay in

human interest kicks in. Twitter is the telex of the 21st century.

close – almost intimate – touch with your community. Not with

Extremely efficient and a great place for communicating which

the large anonymous crowd, but rather on a one-to-one basis.

positions are vacant.

Until the arrival of social media your most important asset in the matchmaking business was your database. And then

Worst mistake failure on social media: I posted a picture of a

suddenly the traditional way of finding a candidate for a job

traffic violation, with the name of the company that owned the

was outdated. You no longer necessarily needed the middle-

truck. In doing so I triggered a huge national debate in Belgium

man as the network of social media and the publicly available

around privacy and the vulnerability of the individual.

profiles meant that ‘anybody’ could start matching. Thankfully the database is not the only asset for recruiting and temping.

@Jcaudron

And the fact that two people find each other on social media does not necessarily mean that the match will work.

96 97

Lucian Tarnowski

Founder and CEO of Brave New Talent. On a mission to democratise the professional education system.

Generation Y. Take Heart India. Public speaker.

Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Continuous learning “Right now schools and universities around the world are

so-called ‘war for talent’ started years ago. Secretary Plus

failing people. The demand for talent is not meeting the supply

understood even then that attracting, developing and guiding

of talent from the educational system. There is a huge skills

management assistants in their career is vital in their relationship

gap. The educational system is just not preparing people for

with the assistants. A few years ago we started working together

the requirements of the workplace. BraveNewTalent.com has

to see how Secretary Plus could bring this to the next level and

created a parallel model that doesn’t rely on teachers, schools

excel even better in this ‘war for talent’ that continues to go on.

or universities, but lets companies, and people who work at these companies train and develop people.”

Companies that already use BraveNewTalent at this moment can train people before they hire them and get to know them

On BraveNewTalent you will find talent communities. It is a place

before they meet them in real life; these are the real talent

where organisations can engage with talents. Employees, alumni,

brands, the early adopters, the thought leaders. “But, I predict

clients and external people who aspire to work for that company.

that in the next five years online talent communities will

The great difference between a platform like LinkedIn and Brave

become mainstream.” BraveNewTalent allows you to follow

New Talent, is that the latter is focused on learning content on

an organisation or person by viewing the stream of content

how the organisation can contribute to a group. Who are the

they share. It is more about following what someone is learning

users of Brave New Talent? Typically members of Generation Y.

than what they are doing. For a corporation like Microsoft it is

Tarnowski: “Often labelled as the generation born between 1980

interesting to reach out to distinct communities. They need a

and 2000, but I see it differently. Gen Y has a certain attitude to

different type of person to work on X-Box than for their Office

the workplace. They are digitally native and embody the future of

product. BraveNewTalent allows them to reach out to the

work, the workplace 2.0. Main common factors: lifelong learners,

talents and professionals they are looking for.

careerist: people who continuously want to develop themselves.”

Brave New Talent is a talent community platform operating At Secretary Plus given the scarcity of excellent management

across Europe, in the UK, the US and India. “But, we can build a

assistants and also considering the economic crisis, the

talent community anywhere. @LucianT

Part 6 Trends & developments

98 99

Our mission is to share the expertise in our field with you, to connect you with the best assistants and to exceed your expectations.

Knowing the needs of your stakeholders and doing your best to meet these needs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; preferably with foresight. @marionvanhappen

Part 6 Trends & developments

Marion van Happen

Brand Manager Secretary Plus Expect Moreâ&#x20AC;Ś Brands are about customer experience. How do we communicate

We ask our audience. The purposes of polls, crowd-sourcing and

with our clients and candidates and how is our services level

surveys is to have the opportunity to ask our audience questions

being rated? The complete package must be right before you can

outside of the regular meetings we have with them, and without

actually proof that you are a strong brand. Today we use different

having to speak to each other face-to-face. Feedback received has

ways to connect with our peers.

revealed on the one hand that our audience appreciates having the chance to answer questions objectively and confidentially. On the

We use social media, traditional media such as Vision Magazine

other hand the responses to the survey outside the questions have

and our brochures but we see that we are increasingly managing

also proved valuable. We have noticed that people like to provide

to combine all media channels and connect these different

feedback including compliments and tips on how to improve, also

ways of communication via our owned media: our website,

on a personal level. The feedback was received via email but in

Digital Magazine and via PIPAÂŽ, the assistantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistant: the

the future it could be heading our way via social media. Media

Secretary Plus app that helps you manage your tasks, contacts,

channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest make it

reminders and more! All these different ways of communication

possible for Secretary Plus to show even more of itself. Especially

create our brand experience. How it all starts?

when it comes to the people who are Secretary Plus.

100 101

Colophon

Managing editor: Secretary Plus Editor: JT Communication Survey by ISIZ Interviews: 7N60 communicatie Translation: abacus translation Design: most remarkable Printing: Zwaan printmedia Volume: 10.000

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