INTERNSHIP REPORT: situation and solutions to improve customer service of IEI

BÁO CÁO THỰC TẬP đề tài TÌNH HÌNH THỰC TẾ VÀ BIỆN PHÁP CẢI THIỆN CÔNG TÁC CHĂM SÓC KHÁCH HÀNG TẠI IEIINTERNSHIP REPORT: SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF IEIBáo cáo thực tập ĐH Công Nghệ TP.HCM khoa tiếng anhThis paper deals with Internship’s specific tasks and responsibilities, as well as Internship’s purposes and significance. In particular, Customer Service is mentioned as an important part to help maintain and expand business operations. Business competition rate is more and more increasing due to development of globalization and technology, this creates an important role of customer service in competitive advantage of enterprises.In the context of keen competition of a large number of English Language Centers in Ho Chi Minh city, IEI (International Education Institute) is introduced as a fairly successful unit in customer service process. Although IEI institute has to encounter many difficulties which relate mostly to customer service, it still makes efforts to intensify competitive possibilities for existing and developing.Based on practical, the topic “Situation and Solutions to improve customer service of IEI” is chosen for this internship report.

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

INTERNSHIP REPORT

TOPIC

Situation and Solutions

to improve Customer Service of IEI

INSTRUCTOR: TRAN THI NGOC LINH

STUDENT: TRƯƠNG THỊ BĂNG TRINH CLASS: 11CTA06

CODE: 1117010332

July 2014

July 2014

Company’s Comments

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ho Chi Minh City , ……… July, 2014

Signature

Supervisors’ Comments

Supervisor 1

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Supervisor 2

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I INTERNSHIP’S DESCRIPTION 8

1 Internship overview 8

2 Internship’s discription 8

2.1 Internship’s description 8

2.2 Some information of the deparment recruiting internship 9

2.3 Specific tasks and responsibilities 9

3 Purposes and Significance of the internship 10

3.1 Achieved experiences after the intership 10

3.2 Purposes and Significance of the internship 10

II IEI (INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE) OVERVIEW 11

1 Establishment and Development history 11

2 Organization of management 13

3 Functions of each department 13

4 Potentiality 14

4.1 Material facilities 14

4.2 Personal staff 15

5 Some elements affecting IEI’s business 15

5.1 Economic factors 15

5.2 Customer 16

5.3 Competitors 16

III SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

OF IEI 16

1 Results of business operations from 2011 to 2013 16

1.1 Situation of business operations 16

1.2 Assessment of business operations 18

2 Real situation of IEI’s Customer Service 18

2.1 Classification 18

2.2 Activities supporting to Customer Service 19

a Advertisement 19

b Promotions 20

c Workshops, contests and other activities 20

3 Assessment of Customer Service 21

3.1 Obtained results 21

3.2 Several shortcomings need to be improved 21

4 Solutions to improve IEI’s Customer Service 22

4.1 Improving organizational methods 22

4.2 Improving staff qualification 23

4.3 Improving Customer Service quality 23

4.4 Intensifying marketing and promotion 23

4.5 Upgrading equipment and facilities 24

IV RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 24

1 Solutions to improve IEI’s Customer Service 24

2 Solutions to improve IEI’s Customer Service 25

APPENDIX

REFERENCES

Then, I am obliged to IEI institute’s management for their practical help by means

of information offered on the subject matter

Last but not least, I am sincerely grateful to my parents and my sisters for willingness to share housework and supporting side by side while I conduct researches

In the context of keen competition of a large number of English Language Centers

in Ho Chi Minh city, IEI (International Education Institute) is introduced as a fairly successful unit in customer service process Although IEI institute has to encounter many difficulties which relate mostly to customer service, it still makes efforts to intensify competitive possibilities for existing and developing

Based on practical, the topic “Situation and Solutions to improve customer service

of IEI” is chosen for this internship report

I INTRODUCTION:

1 Internship overview

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting

“Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.” – NACE (National Association

of Colleges and Employers)

2 Internship’s description

2.1 Internship’s description

Department: Marketing & Communication of International Education Institute

Duration and Schedule: 1 month, Mon - Sat, 8am – 5pm

Requirements:

- Students who are required by their universities to undergo training or internship program that are credited in majors: Marketing, Foreign Language in English, Business Administration/Management, International Relations, Commerce, Foreign Trade

- Immediate to Advanced English in general Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

- Advanced Computer skill

- Being proactive, self-motivated, and quick learner

- Giving support and being trained in general Marketing and Student Recruitment activities

- Contributing and to be trained becoming key personnel in trainees/interns orientation and development for following internship intakes

2.2 Some information of the department recruiting internship

I apply internship post in Marketing & Communications Office, one of divisions belonging to the IEI Institute Its functions will be described in detail at chapter II, page

14

Marketing & Communications Office is divided into several teams which each of them has seperate functions These teams consist of Consulting team, Communications team, Marketing team and Design team Every team has a leader assuming responsibilities for seperate tasks

I work in Consulting team which has responsibilities for directly contacting with customers

2.3 Specific tasks and responsibilities

- I work as a consultant My main responsibilities are help students who want to register Institutional TOEFL and placement tests complete their procedures When

a customer comes to the institute to ask information of IEI’s programs, I also provide him/her with information and consult him/her to choose a suitable class

- In addition, I make phonecalls to introduce English Training programs and send emails for potential customers Of course after a working day, I have to send a statistical report to my instructor in the Institute to inform her how many phonecalls I made a day (to detail and to clarify them)

- I also work as a receptionist I assume responsibility for greeting people coming to the Institute for private business, for instance, customers meeting employees of other departments, and answer phonecalls

- Sometimes, the Institute holds workshops at weekend, I will make phonecalls to confirm the number of attendants according to the list that people registered online

3 Purposes and significance of the internship

3.1 Specific acquired experiences after the internship

- Applying what was learned during courses (theory, skill development, professionalism) to the workplace For example, having opportunities to apply Secretarial Skills & Office Administration

- Knowing how to use office technical equipment (printer, photocopier, fax machine )

- Improving soft skills (contacting with a lot of people and building good relationships) as well as skills of negotiation and convince, computer skills and Listening-Speaking skills (thanks for contacting with foreign customers and foreign teachers of the Institute)

3.2 Purposes and significance of the internship

There are very few courses at college that provide students with a specific professional qualification Internships will introduce students to potential future work environment and they will be able to decide whether these meet their career wishes and interests:

- Giving students career opportunities If an intern gives his best to the company, he may get a permanent position in the same company after completing the internship program

- Doing an internship is also a great learning experience The entire internship allows students to identify his strengths and weaknesses, and use both of them to the best advantage of his job and company This real life experience allows them to judge and identify their abilitites of completing the given tasks

- It also helps improve skills Several skills and tasks are necessary to accomplish a job effectively and efficiently These skills are imparted to a student during his intern period

In short, Internship is the first ladder to succeed Doing an internship in a specialized field helps students to build up a good basis for future career

II IEI (INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE OF HCM

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY) OVERVIEW

1 Establishment and development history

IEI stands for International Education Institute of Ho Chi Minh National university Through the time over 17 experienced years of associate education programs and English training programs, IEI has created its high prestige and trust to students, parents, organizations, enterprises and other foreign partners

Figure 1 Logo of IEI (source: iei.edu.vn)

IEI was established with its initial name FLC in 1996, the time when English has started to be popular in Viet Nam, by Foreign Language Institute of HCM National University

With its mission enhancing foreign language skills for students, pupils and officers of South area, FLC has affirmed its capability in English teaching field Moreover, FLC has hurriedly controlled most of South area’s market with its IELTS training programs

Since then, it’s started to co-operate with other worldwide partner universities such as Universities of Houston, Truman State, La Trobe, Bronze Cougar, Missouri & St Louis and so on And it has gradually created many undergraduate and graduate programs

as well as study abroad which are associated with above partner universities

Figure 2 Some worldwide partner universities’ logo

2 Organization of management

Organization Chart

Figure 3 Organization Chart (Source: iei.edu.vn)

3 Functions of each department

Beside 4 departments which hold academic programs (Undergrad & Grad Education Program, Research Program, English & Executive Education program and Study abroad Division) are responsible for organizing and performing functions as their names, each of the rest departments has its separate functions:

- Assigning jobs/responsibilities to each department, and prevent internal departments from overlap responsibilities of each other

- Making sure that employees as well as departments work functionally and effectively

 Planning & Financial Office:

- Executing research, management, supervision of projects to make sure these projects run well in a limited approval budget

- Counseling board of directors to govern and administrate finance and accounting

- Dealing with salaries, bonuses, payments in according to government and company’s policies

- Dealing with many other expenses, for instance, commercial expenses

- Assessing results of institutional departments’ operations under ISO standards by getting students’ feedback

- Creating and designing marketing ideas, marketing operations of the company

- Executing research, management, supervision of business operations, revenue of each week/quarter

- Assuming responsibilities for contacting directly with customers in order to consult, provide programs’ information for customers

4 Potentiality

4.1 Material facilities

The Institute has 3 campus places:

- One Head-office at Ward 6, Linh Trung, Thu Duc District

- Two branches in city center:

232/15 Vo Thi Sau Str, Ward 7, District 3

146bis Nguyen Van Thu Str, District 1

IEI equips modern facilities to serve for teaching and learning comfortably:

- 3 LAB rooms which each of them is equipted over 35 computers

- 2 libraries with more than 1000 English book titles

- Every classroom equips projectors, air-conditioners to brings students to the best

Moreover, IEI’s curriculum is always updated in order to find appropriate methods of learning English as well as supplying enough knowledge for students

4.2 Personal staff

IEI’s staff (including teachers/lecturers and officers) is pretty young (ages 20-40 are

up to 75%) It brings more active and creative in working but less experience- the necessary key for business competition The senior staff, otherwise, having ages from 51

to 60 (10%), are veteran employees who have been working in the institute since it started

up

All employees of the institute graduated from reputable universities at home and abroad Beside lecturers of associated education programs have to be approved by foreign partner universities, the teaching staff graduated from international environment with experiences of learning and living abroad to impart and support students to practical knowledge

Teachers are always objectively estimated after every course This task is executed

by Academic Quality Assurance Office via getting students’ feedback Based on these assessments, management board of each specialized division discusses with lecturers to adjust syllabus to suit for students

5 Some elements affecting IEI’s business

5.1 Economic factors

Business factors involving stability of national finance and currency, control of inflation relate to results of business operations Business factors are important issues that most enterprises directly concern, because their operations are usually affected by economic situations: developing, stable or regressive

5.2 Customer

Customer can’t be apart from competitive environment This factor can be considered as the most precious treasure of a company To achieve it, a company should satisfy customer’s demand and liking more than its competitors do