20 best executive assistant tools & apps you should know about

With task after task to cross off the list, communications and agendas to manage, the working life of an executive and administrative assistant is a very busy one. Here’s where the helping hand of technology can offer game changing possibilities. 

From cloud-based services to apps, staying on top of their deadlines and managing all the different tasks they’re responsible for around the office becomes a lot easier thanks to these tools. 

Ranging from communication tools to time management, project management, file sharing, transcription, expense management and productivity tools, all daily tasks of an executive assistant can definitely benefit from a little help from these services. 

Keep reading to find out what top 20 recommendations you should consider adding to your executive assistant toolbox! 

1. TravelPerk

Travelperk is an executive assistant tool that serves as an all-in-one platform for business travel bookings. With the platform’s easy-to-use interface users can plan, book, manage, and report all of their business travel. 

For all executive assistants planning their companies’ trips, Travelperk is definitely the doorstep to a smarter business travel planning journey.

Top features:

• Users get quick real-time updates.
• Travelperk not only covers flights but also trains, hotels, and rental cars.
• Easy way to keep track of travel expenses, including interface connectivity with some of the most popular expense management software solutions. 
• Give employees the freedom they need to book their travel while you still enjoy full control and visibility.
• Possibility to offset your carbon footprint.

2. Gmail

When it comes to Gmail, no introduction is needed. Gmail is probably one of the most basic tools in any executive assistant’s toolbox, and one of the most loved ones considering it has over 1.5 billion active users.

Top features

• Automatic email filtering and categorization, which makes it easy to prioritize, manage and look for emails without wasting time. 
• The scheduling option has quickly become a favorite, allowing users to write and schedule emails at any time of the day without worrying about inappropriate business hours.
• Assistive smart writing suggestions that can save so much of a user’s time.

3. Google Calendar

With Google Calendar, managing different calendars and scheduling meetings is no longer a hassle. Its interface is very intuitive and easy to use, allowing users to navigate, schedule, share, and modify events quickly, as well as getting notifications at the right time.

Top features

• Users can use the invite option to send and receive invites from other users and add events to their calendar with just one click.
• Being a part of GSuite, it automatically syncs with Gmail and Google Drive, allowing users to easily create events from emails and access their contacts from the calendar. 

4. Zoom  

Zoom is the most popular video conferencing tool that anyone, especially in today’s post-pandemic world, should know how to use. Zoom provides a cloud-based service for virtual meetups, whether it’s video meetings or audio-only calls. 

Top features

• Messaging and video conferencing through Zoom are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring data protection. 
• Their large meeting license offers the possibility to host meetings of up to 1,000 participants.
• A screen sharing option, which users can use to share their screen with the rest of the meeting's participants.

5. Calendly

Say goodbye to all those emails back and forth with this online scheduling tool that makes scheduling meetings and planning events so much easier. Meetings booked on Calendly are instantly confirmed, making the process much quicker. 

Top features

• Users can sync Calendly to their own calendar or update their available hours on the platform directly.
• Calendly generates a link so users can share it with people, so they can schedule the appointment at the most suitable date and time. 
• It automatically syncs according to different users' time zones.

6. Trello

An easy-to-use project management tool which is based on the Kanban method. It allows users to manage and collaborate on different projects. With its easy and creative dashboard, users can create lists, organize work and assign tasks to different team members. 

Top features

• Users can collaborate on projects and manage work using different features such as labels, tags, and comments. 
• Progress meter checklist to help users stay on track. 

7. Monday.com

Monday.com is a useful tool to manage everything in one workspace. From planning to tracking and ultimately delivering the best teamwork, Monday.com provides all the features necessary. 

It works as a centralized platform for teams to create workflows, assign tasks, exchange information, monitor progress, and have a quick glance at everyday teamwork schedules.

Top features

Two different setups, one for individuals and one for teams, making it easier to navigate through the platform depending on the type of user.

• Because of its easy-to-use interface, team members can jump right into the work without learning how to use the software first.
• Every team member can communicate with others and share files, images, updates, and feedback real-time.

8. Expensify

When it comes to expense management tools, Expensify is definitely one of the most popular ones out there. Keep a record of all expenses in one place, automate your accounting, and simplify the monthly closing process thanks to their cloud service.

Top features

• Makes it easier for employees to report expenses by allowing them to upload a picture of their receipts or import them directly from apps such as Uber. 
• Create automatic alerts.
• Allows importing of personal or business card transactions for automatic receipt processing. 

9. Google Drive

If saving 1,000 versions of the same document and sending email attachments back and forth between colleagues sounds like a thing of the past, that’s mostly thanks to Google Drive. 

Google’s file-sharing service is one of the most useful tools for executive assistants, allowing them to create and share different file types, from text documents to spreadsheets, and work on them together with other company members and clients.

Top features

• No risk of losing files, as they’re stored in the cloud.
• Files are saved automatically.
• Option to work on files offline.
• Highly secure.
• Files can be easily shared via a link or email.
• Create and edit different file types using Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.

10. Grammarly

A second pair of eyes is always appreciated when it comes to writing documents, and that’s exactly what Grammarly does. This writing tool checks your spelling while you’re writing to make sure every message or document has no grammatical or spelling mistakes. 

Their technology is one of the most precise out there in this niche, performing over 400 types of checks. The Grammarly extension can be added to your web browser, and a mobile app is also available. 

Top features

• It highlights all sorts of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and issues with sentence structure.
• Not only does it highlight, but it also provides suggestions. 
• Option to generate plagiarism reports.

11. Evernote

Take your notes to the next level with Evernote! This app is much more than a regular note-taking app, and it helps users organize ideas as well as write down information. Evernote is also useful for managing daily tasks and offers different plans for individuals and teams.

Top features

• With Evernote, users can digitalize physical notes through a simple process.
• It also works with pictures, videos, and audio files, allowing your notes to gather much more information.
• Integrates easily with different browsers and email services.

12. Dropbox

Dropbox offers a powerful cloud-based storage service that allows teams to collaborate and share large volumes of files easily. In fact, Dropbox offers up to 2 TB file storage, including a free plan of up to 2 GB.

Top features

• Option to restrict access to sensitive data
• System backup feature, so there’s no risk of losing important files. 
• Users can sync files across different devices.

13. Slack

Handling communications, managing tasks, staying on track with due dates… Those are tasks that take a lot of an executive assistant’s time. Simplify them using Slack, a collaboration hub with useful features such as search, shared channels, chat rooms, and file sharing.

Top features

• Conversations are organized in channels.
• Ideal for teams of all sizes, including large groups.
• Other apps and software such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Asana and Trello can be integrated with Slack.

14. Outlook

Microsoft’s email service remains a classic, used by companies of all sizes around the world. Every executive assistant should definitely know about this tool and its features, which include email management, calendaring, taking notes, contact and task management, and much more. 

Top features

• The interface can be customized to fit a company’s needs.
• Send similar emails quickly using the Quick Parts feature (template blocks).
• Use its many keyboard shortcuts to make navigation and text processing faster.
• Rules can be set up to process email more easily.

15. Asana

Another efficient tool for executive assistants to manage teamwork and projects is Asana. The features available help increase team productivity and manage deadlines easily, to ensure tasks are performed in time. Automated collaboration, task assignment, activity feeds, notifications and email integrations will make teamwork run smoothly.

Top features

• Project management tools that can be adapted to the needs of large companies too.
• Dashboards can be customized according to individual needs.
• High security standards, which ensure that the data of its users remain safe and secure.

16. Otter.ai

Say hello to your new assistant, which will make note-taking easier by transcribing speech to text in the form of smart notes. Very popular for transcribing audio notes from meetings, Otter.ai is a fast tool that relies on artificial intelligence to take a huge task off your shoulders.

Top features

• The notes created in Otter.ai can be shared, searched, edited, and organized.
• The AI system has a speaker ID feature which can distinguish between different speakers.
• Compatible with other platforms such as Google Meet, Dropbox, and Zoom.

17. Cabinet

Cabinet is an all-in-one executive assistant tool that will help you stay productive and organized. It’s specifically designed for executive assistants to keep everything in one virtual “cabinet”, such as executives’ information and preferences, as well as manage calendars and to-do lists. 

Top features

• Can be integrated with Outlook and Google Calendars.
• Its automated scheduling tool is great for sharing availability.
• To-do list with useful functionalities, such as customizable labels.
• Time-tracking and analytics that help you optimize your time.
• Create a file for each executive which includes their details, preferences, and other important information to keep in mind.

18. Boomerang

Take full control of your inbox and become an email pro with Boomerang, an email integration that allows you to schedule emails, snooze messages, track when your emails are read and much, much more.

Top features

• Get notified when your emails are not answered by setting follow-up reminders.
• Use artificial intelligence to help you write and assess the probability of your email getting a reply.

19. Time Zone Ninja

If you work with a remote team or remote collaborators, you know how annoying it is when time zone issues get in the way of your planning. Make coordinating global meetings easier with Time Zone Ninja, a website-based tool that identifies a time that suits all users from different time zones. 

Top features

• Users enter all the participants’ dates and locations, and the tool then suggests the best time according to everyone’s time zone. 
• Possible times are categorized into “working hours”, “doable hours”, and “insanity hours”.

20. Lastpass

Executive assistants do have an incredible ability to remember information, but passwords? That has become nearly impossible nowadays, with all the different passwords an average person uses—not to mention a company. 

Lastpass helps users manage and track their login information and passwords for all of their accounts. 

Top features

• Users with admin roles can give login access to other employees without revealing the password to them.
• Users can autocomplete their login info with just one click. 
• Secure password sharing within groups.

Conclusion

Keeping up with the working pace of today’s world is not an easy task. Companies rely on executive assistants to be on top of different calendars, deadlines, projects, files and information, which requires multitasking and using different skills. By using the tools listed in this guide, these workplace superheros finally have someone to rely on to stay efficient and productive.