Not everything will go perfectly all the time. Tasks will go wrong and as assistants we need to be prepared to deal with them.
Identifying a potential task failure
There are many triggers I look out for when identifying whether a task has gone wrong. Here are a few examples:
-
If my client is not happy with my work. This is the most obvious trigger. If the client simply says that they are not happy with my work then clearly it has gone wrong. I always tell them I am happy to redo the task and ensure they're happy.
- If I honestly don't feel I am the right person to do the task - in this case I always ask the Time etc team (using the red "HELP" button) to give the task to another assistant rather than trying to struggle on myself.
- If the client has stopped getting back to me. If communication between me and the client has come to a halt then I take this as a sign that the client probably isn't happy. I keep working on the task, keep following up with the client and alert the Time etc team (using the red "HELP" button) when this happens.
- Abrupt client responses. If the client is giving me constant abrupt responses when I reach out to them I start to suspect they may not be happy with my work or service. I always try to set up a call at this point.
- If the client takes the work back themselves. If the client says that they are going to do it themselves after my attempt to do a task then I know my work wasn't up to their standard.
Client Recovery Communication
I've found that it's always best not to be defensive about tasks that have gone wrong - it generally has never helped me to do this. I've found that being proactive, humble and offering ways to fix the task or redo it get the best results.
I've found that passing blame or trying to identify who is at fault doesn't really help put things right and rebuild trust - and can waste a lot of my time. I've also found that not passing blame or being defensive builds trust and keeps my clients coming back.
Penni Pike, formerly assistant to Sir Richard Branson
