An administrative assistant should also be trained in how to hookup and disconnect the office machinery that the small business uses. This may include copiers, computers, shredders, fax machines, postage machines, and sorters. This basic set of skills will save the company time and money by not having to wait for a private technician to have time to come to your company to move, disconnect, and connect the company’s old machinery or new machinery. This could potentially save hundreds of dollars per incident. If the administrative assistant is trained in these basic duties, then proper disconnects and hookups can be done as needed for at no extra expense.
Basic maintenance and troubleshooting skills are also beneficial skill for the administrative assistant to have. This does not mean that they should be trained in advanced mechanical engineering, it simply means that they should be able to replace toner cartridges, clear jams, follow an operator’s manual for common problems and solutions, and be able to put everything back together after performing maintenance function. These skills can save the small business hundreds of dollars on service calls and repair bills, and therefore training in these areas is a good investment of the administrative assistant’s time and of the company’s training resources.
There are several low and no cost ways for an administrative assistant to gain these skills. The first way is to ask the company where the machine was purchased if they have a training program for the use of the machinery. Most companies offer this service free of charge, especially if the machine in question is a large ticket item like an industrial copier/printer. These training sessions can be scheduled to take place either at the company or at the showroom. The administrative assistant should come prepared to take notes and ask questions regarding how to perform common maintenance tasks such as replacing toner cartridges, how to run the machine, how to read and understand the display codes, how to clear jams, and what situations should they be able to handle and what situations should they always call the service department about.
Another way that an administrative assistant can acquire basic maintenance and troubleshooting skills is to read through the service/owner’s manual that came with the machinery. The troubleshooting pages should be marked so that the administrative assistant can locate the pages quickly when they are needed. Important information such a serial number, account number, model number, and service department phone number should all be written on the front of the manual and kept with the machine so that they are available when a problem arises that requires technical support.