Internship report at Customer service activities at new star english center

THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

-🙞🙞🙞🙞🙞 -INTERNSHIP REPORT

TOPIC: CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIVITIES AT NEW STAR

ENGLISH CENTER

Supervisor: Pham Quang Truc Student: Nguyen Thao Van Class: K55N2

Student code: 19D170122

Hanoi, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

LIST OF FIGURES iii

INTRODUCTION iv

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF NEW STAR ENGLISH CENTER 1

1.1 General information 1

1.1.1 History and development 1

1.1.2 Mission and vision 2

1.1.3 Organizational structure 3

1.1.4 Products and Services 4

1.2 Information about Customer Service Department 5

1.2.1 Overview of Customer Service 5

1.2.2 The roles of Customer Service Department 5

1.2.3 The tasks of Customer Service Department 5

CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION ABOUT INTERSHIP PROCESS AT NEW STAR ENGLISH CENTER 6

2.1 The tasks in internship process 6

2.1.1 Course Administration 6

2.1.2 Customer Service 6

2.2 The difficulties and experiences in the internship process in Customer Service of New Star English Center 6

2.2.1 The difficulties 6

2.2.2 The experiences 7

CHAPTER 3: THE REAL SITUATION OF USING ENGLISH AT NEW STAR ENGLISH CENTER 8

3.1 Describe the real situation of using English 8

3.2 Solutions to improve the usage of English in the working environment at New Star 8

CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SUBJECT OF THE GRADUATION THESIS 10

CONCLUSION 11

REFERENCES 12

It is my pleasure to give my gratitude to many people whose encouragement, support and assistance were crucial to the result of my internship report

First and foremost, I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to

my teacher also my instructor, Mr Pham Quang Truc, MA – the teacher in the faculty of Business English at Thuong Mai University for dedicated advisory and suggestions in writing of this report despite his time limitation

Furthermore, I would like to express my special thanks to New Star English Center in general and Customer Service Department staff for facilitating me to observe the company's daily operations and giving me helpful guidance during my internship Mrs Vuong Quynh and Mrs Hoang Hien enthusiastically provided me with not only the key documents, but also the great knowledge and support

Finally, my sincere appreciation goes to my family and friends love and encouragement and their faith in my abilities The completion of my work is the result of their co-operation and moral support Without their co-operation and support, a project like this is difficult at best

Hanoi, February 7 th , 2023

Student Nguyen Thao Van

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: New Star’s Logo 1 Figure 1.2: Ly Dai Loi Education Development Company Limited’s organizational structure 3

1 Reason for choosing the topic:

Based on the current state of globalization, English appears to be a requirement for all nations to attract foreign investment and cooperate with others in order to develop and integrate globally, especially for a developing nation such as Vietnam Recognizing the significant and long-term benefits that English offers, Vietnamese people are in the big race of learning English, which has resulted in the explosive growth of English centers

How can an English center in Vietnam attract and retain customers if its products and services are the same as those of others? An excellent customer service system is not the only factor, but it plays a vital role in the competitive process Connie Edler – CEO of Breck Edge asserted: “Excellent customer service

is the number one job in any company It is the personality of the company and the reason customers come back Without customers, there is no company!”

As a pioneer and the sole organization specializing in English teaching for working people and businesses in Vietnam with more than 9 years of experience, New Star English Center has a complete and professional customer service system The author has achieved an excellent opportunity to complete my internship at New Star English Center In the course of one-month internship, the author gained knowledge about the company's customers, observed their difficulties and complaints as well as learned how customer service officers address issues and please clients Based on the background knowledge and experience gained during

internship, the author decided to write a report on the topic: “Customer service

activities at New Star English Center.”

2 Method of the report

This report was completed based on the information provided by the Customer Service Department of New Star English Center and the author’s observations when the author worked as an intern in this company

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF NEW STAR ENGLISH CENTER 1.1 General information 

New Star English Center was founded in 2014 and was operated in 2015 Up

to now, New Star has five branches in Hai Phong (also known as New Star Quan Toan, New Star Kien An, New Star Thuy Nguyen, New Star An Dong, New Star

An Duong)

Center name: New Star English Center, under the Ly Dai Loi Education Development Company Limited

Address: 3/8 Pham Minh Duc Street, May To ward, Ngo Quyen district, Hai Phong city

Tax code: 0201605439

Hotline: 097.966.6820/ 094.255.8335

Email: ngoaingungoisao@gmail.com

Website: http://nse.edu.vn/

Figure 1.1: New Star’s Logo

1.1.1 History and development

During its 09 years of operation, New Star has gone through various changes The development history of New Star can be divided into three main phases as follows, based on the remarkable achievements in each period

As a pioneer in teaching English for children, New Star spent the first four years gaining customer trust and laying the foundation in the Vietnamese market The company operated and developed strategy with four main departments: Administrative, Academic, Sales and Customer Service

From 2014 to the present is a period of stable development of the company with approximately 300 employees in a complete and professional apparatus New Star not only has been attempting to keep its position as the leading company in teaching English for children but also focusing on strengthening relations with partners and researching profoundly the potential markets In 2019, New Star opened more branches in Hai Phong city More than 88% of New Star's students are satisfied with the results achieved after the course, their English level has improved markedly, especially their ability to communicate

1.1.2 Mission and vision

1.1.2.1 Mission

- Always on the cutting edge of technology

- Professionalism, creativity in education, and parental caring

1.1.2.2 Vision

With the goal of becoming the country's biggest foreign language training center for children aged 2 to 15, New Star is constantly creating new values and offering the best value for its students and clients All activities, ideas, and thoughts

of each member in the center are targeted at establishing an advanced and thriving society in its area

1.1.2.3 Company culture

The characteristic culture of New Star is the harmony between the professional management system and the spirit of openness which respects for individual values In addition, the company encourages the creativity and challenge

with the slogan "work hard, play hard".

1.1.3 Organizational structure

Figure 1.2: Ly Dai Loi Education Development Company Limited’s

organizational structure

(Source: Human Resources Department of New Star)

The director is the company's highest commander She is in charge of the company's overall management and all business operations; therefore, all the strategic decisions for the company must be approved by him Besides, her duties also include guiding and mentoring subordinate managers, as well as formulating the organization's vision and mission

Business System includes Marketing Department, Sales Department, and Customer Service Department They take on many tasks directly related to customers such as giving customers information about the courses, addressing their questions, dealing with returns or complaints, receiving orders, determining charges, supervising billing or payment, locking the final enrollment number and setting long-term strategies to build up the brand of the company These

departments is considered the face of the company since interacting directly the most with clients

The Training Department has responsibility for not only training teachers and teaching assistant teams, demonstrating their working efficiency but also for researching and preparing the most appropriate lesson plans for learners

Other functional systems such as the Human Resources Department, Technical Department and the Accounting Department also greatly contribute to the complete apparatus of New Star They are responsible for recruiting talent, paying for the company's customer, taxes, and financial planning, ensuring technological system running smoothly

1.1.4 Products and Services

New Star has a team of Vietnamese and foreign teachers who are qualified, experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated to teaching learners Currently, the company has offered three types of training courses named English for children New Star's products and services are well positioned between mid-end to high-end market

The English for children course is clearly aimed at children who want to improve their English skills, no longer enthusiastic about studying or forgot all English have learned The course offers learners the opportunity to practice English communication through real work situations such as welcoming guests, building relationships, making phone calls or appointments, giving a presentation, introducing about job or products, New Star uses the Business Goals curriculum, which is compiled based on Cambridge Professional English specifically for children, with high applicability In particular, students are trained to standardize pronunciation and practice English reflexes according to the New Star Natural method

English for on-demand private learning (also named VIP course or customized course) is developed from English for children course, customized and supplemented with practical and suitable content to the characteristics of the profession, and the actual needs of learners Being a one-to-one class with a personalized study plan and a flexible schedule, this course is suitable for busy

children who often have unexpected homework, the young who hesitate to study with the elder, and who are willing to pay for the best service

1.2 Information about Customer Service Department

1.2.1 Overview of Customer Service

1.2.1.1 Definition

Customer service is the assistance sellers provide to consumers both before and after they purchase and utilize products or services, allowing them to have a simple and joyful experience with your business However, customer service involves more than just resolving problems and closing tickets

1.2.1.2 Channels

Today, customer service entails providing proactive and quick help to clients via their preferred channel, such as phone, email, text, chat, and more

1.2.2 The roles of Customer Service Department

The success of today's businesses must be regarded as being significantly influenced by the customer service department An enterprise requires a strong customer base for its new product to succeed in the market Having loyal consumers undoubtedly assists the company increase monthly revenue The customer service department is essential to having big existing customers and is the foundation for fostering user confidence in the product

1.2.3 The tasks of Customer Service Department

- Answering questions about products or services

- Updating and manage student information

- Filling up classes with students to meet the minimum number of students in each class

- Managing class information and schedule: open, cancel, delay, start date, end date, final test

- Preparing and do customer survey via hardcopy form and telesales

- Supporting with organizing events, activities for students

- Managing transfer fee, transfer class, save fee document

CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION ABOUT INTERSHIP PROCESS AT NEW

STAR ENGLISH CENTER 2.1 The tasks in internship process 

2.1.1 Course Administration

 When students attend class, we manage class information, schedule such as open, cancel, delay, start date, end date, term/final test

 After courses, we will update parents and students with course progress

 Before new course, we prepare, upload and maintain class folders

 At the end of the month, there will be a monthly test, and we will grade, report student’s learning results to their parents Simultaneously, we comment on their learning process and offer suggestions to assist pupils achieving better performance

2.1.2 Customer Service

 We will support with organizing events or activities for students during the course

 After class, we will ask and handle students’ requests or complaints on a daily basis

 Monthly, we have to prepare and do customer survey via hardcopy form and telesales

2.2 The difficulties and experiences in the internship process in Customer Service of New Star English Center

2.2.1 The difficulties 

To begin with, before internship, I think I have had enough office abilities, such as utilizing Word, PowerPoint, and Excel However, when I am exposed to the actual workforce, I recognized that my skills were insufficient As a result, I had various challenges in putting them into practice and had to learn how to handle supplementary management Therefore, I discovered that I lacked a broad range of skills in the use of administration applications

Secondly, I've realized I lack basic communication skills, especially with the elderly, since I frequently interact with my colleagues at university As an intern, I need to communicate with the parents of the students who are older than me

Consequently, I'm at a loss for how to communicate with them about the student's learning in a logical, concise, and appropriate way

In general, I had difficulties because owing to my self-doubt and closed-mindedness, I had not adapted to the changing environment Thanks to my internship, I've had several opportunities to reflect on the shortcomings in my professional understanding of language as well as the soft skills I've obtained These challenges have provided me with the most valuable lessons and the ideal preparation for my future employment

2.2.2 The experiences

After a one-month internship at New Star, I have gained a lot of experience and skills for myself:

- Applying theoretical knowledge and skills learned at university to work

- Improving my English skills, especially speaking skills

- Being exposed to the modern, dynamic and professional environment in the workplace

- Learning more about Western culture thanks to being exposed to foreign teachers

- Knowing more about how to build good relationships with partners and customers

- Being more confident in communication

- Having a general understanding of current popular occupations in the job market

- Learning more soft skills such as using office softwares, being excel at technology

- Reading the psychology of other people in a quick and timely manner