What Does an at-Home Secretary Do?

An at-home secretary provides administrative support to clients from a home office. Typically at-home secretaries work for several clients at once, and may offer a variety of services depending on their specialty. People may pay by the hour for services rendered, or could have a retainer agreement for a set amount of work per month. Some work through agencies that refer and handle clients, while others are independent contractors who interact directly with their customers.

Document preparation, report generation, website management, and telephone calls may all be managed by an at-home secretary. Some perform transcription, document conversation, and related services. They may have a list of services they offer, or could accept any secretarial task, depending on how their businesses are structured. Most set their own hours, and may be willing to perform tasks outside regular business hours by special request.

Employers may send material to an at-home secretary with a request to turn it into a letter, formal report, or other communication. This can include activities like creating employee manuals, writing formal permissions requests to reprint or broadcast copyrighted materials, and generating financial reports. The at-home secretary can also take documents and convert them between formats, including transcribing old printed or typed materials, changing word processing documents to .pdfs, and so forth.

Occasionally, an at-home secretary may offer assistance with conference calls or chats. This can include setting up appointments, checking all participants in, and generating a transcript of proceedings. At-home secretaries may also place and receive calls on behalf of their clients. This may involve the use of a call forwarding system for activities like sending calls to a secretary after hours. Answering services can increase customer satisfaction, as well as allowing a secretary to page for assistance if there’s an emergency after hours.

Some may participate in web development activities. These can include managing a social networking account, updating a website, processing online orders, and helping clients set up online shopping carts and similar tools. The at-home secretary may be familiar with databasing and advanced programming, which can be useful for activities like building and maintaining websites. Additionally, files can be made available digitally on a company website or private server to facilitate rapid communication.

The types of services available from an at-home secretary can depend on experience, skills, and contract. In some instances, a single individual can provide enough work for a dedicated personal assistant, in which case a flat fee may cover a variety of administrative services. People who work with multiple clients may offer a la carte billing, including options that can expand as the secretary takes training seminars and expands a personal repertoire.