How to Be a Data-Driven Executive Assistant

When thinking about what you’d need to become a better executive assistant (EA), you probably think of hard work, networking, and learning. While these elements undoubtedly help, for many superstar EAs, the secret weapon for success is data.

Having access to reliable data is one of the most useful tools at an EA’s disposal. Data arms you with the insights and information to make better, faster, more accurate decisions. It also provides strength and proof to your decision-making, bypassing some of the more complicated elements of signing off or getting approval.  

The key, of course, is understanding the data that you’re working with. The better you can read and understand your data, the easier it is to spot trends and anomalies, and confidently draw conclusions or make decisions. It also makes it easier for you, in turn, to present that data to key stakeholders when needed.   

In this blog, we’ll be exploring how you can harness and understand the power of data as an EA.

Harnessing Data

Now is a particularly crucial time to become data-driven, both as an EA, but also as a wider organization. The global rise in AI is putting more data into the hands of the masses, making it easier to access and work with. In short, if you’re not making the most of data, prepare to get overtaken by those who are. 

AI and technology take away the manual side of capturing and evaluating data, so it really is a case of working with the right tools. Doing so can save you and your company both time and money, especially for processes that involve organization, number crunching, and research. Every year, increasingly smart tools are being utilized by businesses, taking away the need for guesswork or manual work, and allowing for more efficiency.

Tools for a Data-Driven Approach

When considering what tools and technologies to rely on for data and insights, there are some that specialize in certain functions or processes, like Trello for project management, and others that can be used more broadly, like ChatGPT. There are pros and cons to using both types of tools, depending on your need. 

Specialized tools for accurate data on a specific function are a good option, especially when evaluating your company’s usage or performance in a specific area, as this will be tracked. For example, using Trello to track common blockers in projects. Often these tools automatically generate useful analytics important to their primary function plus some, saving you time from digging into it manually. When evaluating new specialized tools, see what tracking and insights they provide.

For information that is not unique to your company’s usage, say for finding the best project management tools for EAs, AI tools can be a great option as they have access to robust data from many sources. However, it is important to remember that while large AI models are gaining in popularity and usage, it is still the early days and often there is still a need for human assessment of generated results. Keep this in mind when using tools like ChatGPT or Gemini.

Yet, regardless of the tool that you use, make sure you can manipulate the data so that it is useful for your company’s unique needs. This can include the ability to track important metrics and compare them over time. Use a tool that can create an easy-to-read chart to compare data or that can provide the raw numbers to create a chart on your own.

Making Data-Backed Decisions

This time of year, many businesses are forecasting for the upcoming year when it comes to sales, campaigns, hiring, budgets, and more. When backed by robust data, planning and estimations become substantially easier and more reliable.

Take planning for in-person meeting budgets as an example. Using current spending data for meetings allows you to predict next year’s venue, accommodation and travel costs with far greater accuracy.        

By contrast, a lack of data also opens up the doorway for poor planning, mistakes, and complications. For example, if you are planning that same in-person meeting budget but have no historical spending data or accurate prices for venues, flights, or accommodations, you could estimate way under budget for what you’ll actually need. This could greatly impact the number of meetings you can execute, and the quality of them.    

In addition to making better decisions, data also helps EAs to impress and succeed. An EA that is consistently informed with data-driven insights, or makes decisions that are backed in facts is going to be ahead of EAs who leave things up to chance. 

How Data Can Help You With Planning In-Person Meetings

As mentioned, a great example of data-driven efficiency is for planning in-person meetings. With a tool like TROOP, EAs and meeting planners are better able to make informed, data-backed decisions with the following: 

• Travel and Accommodation: Meeting planners can compare meeting destinations, attendee flight routes, and overall costs side by side. This saves time and ensures that meetings are cost-effective and convenient for all attendees. 
• Budget Planning: By providing clear comparisons of all expenses, from travel to catering to venues, TROOP’s data helps EAs keep budgets under control, forecast more accurately, and build stronger estimates year over year. 
• Post-Meeting Analytics: Users get a holistic view of all of their meetings in one place, helping to identify trends. This could be how frequently a particular meeting takes place, how much lead time you have to plan them, how much they cost, and the average number of attendees. Data like this can help you to forecast accurately for the future, show your savings, and plan faster.

In Summary

As an EA, data doesn’t only give you the information—it gives you confidence. Actions like making better decisions, streamlining processes, and saving your company money are all enabled by robust, reliable data and resources.    

If you’d like to find out more about how TROOP can arm you with the data to help you plan for in-person meetings: book a demo.