‘If you want to get something done, do it yourself’ is one of the biggest lies they’ve told you. If you run a business, doing everything on your own will only bring down the quality of the output.
In this post, we’ll show you what’s the best way for delegation to your secretary, and how can you keep a close eye on the task as well as the secretary — all of this without even having to leave your Gmail inbox!
Traditionally, businesses and institutions use Gmail accounts like [email protected] and [email protected]/org, from where emails are forwarded as tasks to the inbox of the secretary.
The problem is these kinds of Gmail accounts are meant for communication, not collaboration. All it was designed for was sending and receiving emails, delegation was never part of the deal. That’s why as tasks increase, you’ll start noticing some red flags.
- Secretary losing or forgetting tasks. Forwarding emails as tasks will result in a cluttered inbox. Searching for tasks in such a mess is like finding a needle in a haystack.
- Tracking tasks are demanding. Getting task updates through email, phone calls, and personal visits will consume a chunk of your productivity.
- Distraction from core activities. You will have a bunch of pending tasks which require too much of time and effort.
The good news is you can save yourself from the tyranny of such Gmail accounts. There is a way to use Gmail for better delegation to your secretary.
Make delegation effortless
Hiver is your go-to-tool for effortless delegation on Gmail. Instead of wandering off to multiple apps with unfamiliar interfaces, simply install Hiver. Here’s why:
- Built within Gmail. You can assign tasks to the secretary right from Gmail. No need for purchasing additional system or struggle with a new interface.
- Zero learning curve. With a familiar interface, you don’t need to put in much effort to train your secretary or yourself.
Here’s a sneak peek into how delegation with your secretary will look like once you have Hiver up and running:
1. Delegation becomes a one click process
Hiver’s Shared Inbox lets you assign tasks to the secretary without forwarding emails — all with just one click. No forwarded emails mean a cleaner Gmail for your secretary, a step closer to achieving inbox zero.
2. Manage delegation without sending emails
Gmail labels are tags under which you can store email messages. They are similar to Gmail folders except you can apply the email to multiple labels. Hiver takes Gmail labels from good to better by allowing you to share them with your secretary.
Shared labels can help you manage delegation without having to send or receive an email. You could start with breaking down tasks into labels.
Say, the two kinds of tasks you expect your secretary to carry out are scheduling meetings and following up on emails.
Create labels under the name:
- Schedule. Emails which deal with setting up meetings, interviews, and events will come under this label. Your secretary will immediately know the nature of the task even before opening the email.
- Follow up.You don’t have to go through the trouble of updating your secretary to follow up on important emails.
3. Automatic delegation to the secretary
Tasks which are repetitive or generic in nature can be delegated automatically from the shared inbox to secretary’s inbox. Taking yourself out of the picture reduces the cost and time to complete such tasks.
You can start by creating:
Conditions – Create conditions based on addresses and subject lines. Any email which meets these conditions will perform a specific action.
Action– You can decide what actions should take place once an email meets the conditions. For instance, emails which have a specific email address or a subject line can be directly sent to the secretary’s inbox.
4. Catch hold of pending tasks
In the chaos of completing tasks, certain emails might get overlooked. It’s only a matter of time these lingering emails will turn into a cluster of pending tasks. As a result, both you and the secretary will be forced to leave the task at hand and work on the pending ones.
Avoid going back and forth to work on older tasks by detecting such emails promptly. Get an overview of all the pending tasks, call out your secretary, and ensure each of the tasks are addressed so you can close them for good.
5. Don’t have to wait for the secretary’s reply
Every time you need feedback from your secretary on a specific task, you have to shoot an email. Then you anxiously wait and wait for a reply — more stress, less productivity.
Hiver lets you pull off a full-fledged conversation from a simple ‘hi’ to discussing detailed nuances without sending a single email. A simple note right next to the corresponding email allows the secretary to give instant feedback, cutting down the wait time to ‘0’.
6. Be on top of every conversation
The secretary might respond to certain emails on your behalf so you don’t have to. In case you are not CCd, you will be clueless about the conversation. On the other hand, if you are CCd for every little conversation, things can get really messy for you. That’s quite a dilemma, eh?
Hiver enables you to view conversation for every task without having to CC emails. You are actively part of all the conversation while being ‘clutter-free’.
Finally, do delegation the right way
Babysitting your secretary at the expense of your core tasks is not the right way for delegation. It has to be a win-win situation where both (you and the secretary) can finish up their respective tasks without breaking a sweat.
Hiver lets you assign and manage emails with the same ease, ensuring all tasks are completed. Ultimately, using Gmail for delegation becomes smoother than ever.
Do you want to delegate tasks to the secretary the right way? Click here to begin a new chapter in your delegation story.
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