Online Office and Secretarial Services Glossary

We provide here a glossary of some of the technical terms and jargon used in the world of secretarial and office services.

accounts department
where companies deal with the invoicing of clients and the incoming invoices from suppliers

accountant
someone who advises on tax and similar liabilities for companies

virtual secretary
someone, often home based, who performs the roles of a secretary online using email, fax and telephone links

virtual admin
office administration carried out remotely, including diary management, handling calls etc

online secretary
someone who provides secretarial services, such as typing etc via internet links, and using the phone and fax

powerpoint presentation
a presentation created using Microsoft's Powerpoint software, creating slides or displays for tutorials, conferences, seminars, exhibitions etc

export documentation
vital documents that must be included with any shipment of goods abroad to ensure the smooth passage to the customer and payment to the exporter

certificate of origin
certicates issued by a local Chamber of Commerce confirming the origin any sort of goods for export

letters of credit
complex set of instructions issued by the client's bank, specifying the exact protocol that must be followed so that they will make payment when goods arrive with the importer

importing company
the company that purchases the goods

exporting company
the company that sells the goods

digital transcription
method by which people attach audio files to emails and send them across the net to be typed out by a virtual secretary, who then emails back the finished typed file

desktop publishing
the production of artwork on a computer which is then outpot for printing

pdf
portable document format file that is created by Adobe Acrobat

Microsoft Word
The main software that secretaries use to produce letters, documents etc

datas entry
the inputting of basic data into databases