Internship as Front Desk Operator-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Explain the learning experiences that you gained during your Internship. Answer: Introduction Front office is the area at which the visitors arrive and come across a staff at the area of business. The staffs at the front office have to deal with the questions of the visitor and they are put into contact with an important person coming from the company. Speaking in a broad manner, the role of front office is inclusive of different roles which has a great impact on the revenue of business. Front office is different from that of the back office because a back office mainly deals with the operations and payroll of the company (KneÃ… ¾evi? et al., 2015). The front office is the department that gets information regarding the customers. It then passes on the information to the other relevant department in the company. Front office also contacts the marketing department if the customers have any question. Internships help in making the candidates more competitive within the job market. It helps one to gain exposure in ones field and provides one with the opportunity to find out wheth er this career is the right one. The theoretical knowledge is provided to a person during the course and the practical aspects are taught to a person with the help of internships. They prepare the candidates for the job and help the person to adjust to the professional world. People are prepared for the real world with the help of this kind of training (Lesser et al., 2015). It also helps the students to mentally prepare themselves for the job. Learning Experience Communication Skills A front desk receptionist serves as the face of her organization. A person working in the front office should serve both as an excellent communicator along with that of the strong administrator. I learnt how to greet the visitors and the code of conduct that should be followed. I have learnt how to welcome the visitors and provide refreshments to the newly arriving guests. I learnt the way customers should be provided with relevant information so that they do not panic and are relieved (Liechti et al., 2016). Pacifying the customers and knowing how to keep them calm is an important part of the job role of a front desk officer. I learnt how to provide friendly service to the clients that is in accordance with the vision of customer satisfaction. I learnt how to respond courteously with the request of guests and in helping the General Manager to maintain a booking service that is smooth. I learnt how to answer the incoming calls of the different people who were asking for information. Knowing the tone of voice and learning the way things should be communicated is an important part of this position and I learnt these essential skills. My course had taught me about the skills but I learnt about the practical aspects with the help of this internship. Art of Co-ordination Handling the telephone system is an important part of this job role and I learnt the nuances of telephone system. I learnt how to screen calls and learnt how they can be routed to the proper recipients. I learnt how to take and relay the messages. Learning how to distribute incoming along with outgoing mails is an important part of this task and I learnt this thing well with the help of my internship. I learnt how mails should be sorted in the order of their importance. Identifying and keeping the mails that are important is an important part of this profession and I learnt how to accomplish this task. I learnt how to distribute the mails on the basis of the prescription of my manager. I learnt when to deliver the mail to the right recipient and how to place parcels in the right interoffice mail slot. I learnt how to attend to the need of guests and ensuring a customer experience that is of supreme quality. I learnt how to build good rapport with my guests and how to stay calm in the middle of an emergency. I learnt how to deal with the clients so that they can have a comfortable stay. I learnt how to instruct the staffs working at the lower level so that they keep the reception area clean (Zampoukos Ioannides, 2014). Administrative Duties I learnt a large number of clerical tasks by pursuing this internship course. I learnt how to draft correspondence and how to prepare the financial spreadsheets with a lot of efficiency. I learnt how to make perfect presentations. I also learnt how to manage the calendar of the senior members of the team and how to organize and arrange business travel. I learnt how to order the office supplies and the file documents. I learnt how to make photocopies and perform bookkeeping tasks. Document Processing Document Processing refers to the transformation of text that is hand-written on paper along with that of electronic document into that of electronic information. I learnt the art intelligent character recognition with the help of my internship. Documents help in the communication of information. I learnt how to co-ordinate the business transaction with the help of document processing. I learnt how to make profile of the guests. In modern times, terrorism is on the rise and keeping a record of the guests is extremely essential for the safety of the hotel. I learnt that the identity cards of the guests should be checked thoroughly and a copy of a photo-identity card should be kept with the workers of the hotel so that any problem does not arise later on (Martinez et al., 2014). I learnt how crucial this thing is for the safety for the organization along with that of the guests. It is a mandatory job responsibility of the front desk operation and should be practiced with a lot of since rity. Training a new trainee After the completion of two months in the hotel, I was offered the opportunity to train a new trainee. Teaching someone who is new to the industry helped me in filling the gaps in my knowledge. I learnt how co-operation proves to be crucial for a profession and how important it is to communicate things effectively for the successful carrying out a job responsibility. I taught him the general office duties in relation to correspondence and e-mail. I taught him how to make the bookings of the room and how to note everything down so that any problem does not arise later on. They should be recorded in the electronic format so that an evidence can be kept in case of any later discrepancy. I taught him that the cancellations have to be processed in an efficient manner. I taught him that the prices of the room should be kept up to date and to remember the special offers so that he will be able to communicate about it over the phone. Outcome I learnt about the different components that are necessary for maintaining a professional image-patience, hard work and application of smart skills. I came to know about the personal behaviours that prevented in the projection of a good professional image. I learnt that telephone communication should be handled with a lot of clarity and courtesy should be revealed in the course of my professional dealings. I learnt the intricacies of verbal communication and how to maintain perfect communicational decorum in the professional realm (Grobelna Marciszewska, 2016). I learnt that body language was important for ones profession and maintaining a good body language is crucial for the carrying out of ones duty perfectly. The listening skills also have to be improved so that it does not lead to any problem later on. The outward signs has to be examined that would lead to great help in creating a professional image that would add to the credibility of their organization. Mannerism and appearance can play a large role in enhancing or destroying the credibility in relation to an organization. Physical appearance in relation to the environment can help to a large extent in creating a positive first impression in relation to an organization. Projecting professionalism over phone is also essential and the employees should be able to create a positive image over telephone. Greetings should be warm and welcoming for the clients (Mansour Tremblay, 2016). I learnt how to devise strategies so that the callers can be put on hold in a polite manner. The alternatives should be learnt that would help in keeping the customers on hold. I learnt how to take the messages quickly and transferring of the calls with a lot of ease. I also learnt how to end the call without seeming to be rude. I learnt the way calls can be transferred with a lot of ease. I learnt how communication skills should be developed and about different communication techniques. Posture and hand gesture reveal important aspects of ones personality and the body signals can reveal important facts about the character of a person and in the same line about the reputation of the organization. I learnt how to deal with the problematic customers and the amount of patience that will be required for dealing with them (Boella, 2017). Self-control is essential at this stage and the safe way of handling this kind of visitor has to be learnt for carrying out the ones job perfectly. There are some who with their harsh and rude behaviour pose a threat for the reputation of the company and they should be dealt with in the right manner for the growth of the organization. Challenges Initially, I found it extremely difficult to follow the new pattern as the environment was completely new and I had to learn about their method of work. The duty managers and colleagues each had their different method of working which made it difficult for me to learn at the initial stage. I was confused regarding which instruction is to be followed and which one would benefit me in the long run. Everyone had opinion regarding how work is to be done and that their method was the best (Nuromahidah, Noer Rusmana, 2016). Since I had just joined as an intern, I had to some of the workers tried to take advantage of this and provided me with dull, repetitive work. Keeping in mind my career goal, helped me to rise over the hurdles and I learnt that one should always stay focussed in order to prosper in life. At the outset, I felt shy and embarrassed to ask questions to my superiors and the management that made things a bit difficult for me. I felt hesitant to clear my doubts which sometimes increased the difficulty for me. The uncertainties not being cleared led to problems with my superiors later on (Swanberg, Watson Eastman, 2014). Supervisors instructed me regarding the maintenance of documents and document processing but I did not clearly comprehend the directions that created trouble later on. They have a tendency to forget that I am new in this domain and that sometimes it is difficult for me to see the big picture. I wanted to clear the doubts but sometimes the supervisors are not available and e-mail is convenient for using but it does not always help in eliminating doubts (Willie et al., 2017). I was hesitant to call up my supervisor in the initial stage and that gave rise to complications. Communication gap hence proved to be a major hindrance during my initial stage. I had to work within a group structure and all the interns had to work in the collaborative manner. We had to team up on projects and some of the new interns wanted to engage themselves in competition with their peers. This made it difficult for me as they wanted to gain an edge over me in the eyes of my superiors (Khiat Montargot, 2017). Some of the other interns were lazy and did not want to work and we had to do their share of work at times that made it extremely difficult for me. I was trying to accommodate myself in the new environment and on top of this, I had to face stiff competition from that of the other interns. The staff in the hotel was short as a new building was being built and cutting of staff was underway. The staff was less in number and as a result the interns had to multi-task. Many works like handling calls from guests, document processing and preparing financial spread sheets within a very short duration of time that made it immensely difficult for me to handle everything together (Jayawardena et al., 2013). While making the reservations in the online made there are some areas that had to be filled but some of the colleagues had ignored things and had asked me not to bother about those things. They told me that filling all the details was not necessary so I went ahead with their idea (Knilans, 2014). Later on, when the operations manager came along and I showed him the documents and financial sheets, he was furious. He rebuked me for dereliction of duty and told me to go about my job in the proper manner. This kind of miscommunication occurred and I had to bear the brunt on account of the advice of my superiors (Andrews, 2013). Educational and Professional support My university coordinator supported me all throughout the internship program. He was always there for me, whenever I needed any kind of help and answered to my work related questions. An intern should have a designated supervisor, whose core responsibility is to provide with full support as well as supervision. Even, my guide was so supportive; he was always available and helped me on a regular basis. At times, when I was sent to different departments to gain more experiences, my supervisor was there for me. He possessed great leadership qualities, patience and strong communication skills. On starting the internship, I was provided with full training programs. Training sessions are important just as supervision. Training programs were established, which helped me gain a clear idea of the whole internship program. It included the information of the duties and responsibilities of the interns. Orientation programs were conducted, which was also beneficial for me. It helped in establishing the objectives and goals as well as clarifying the mission and vision of the organization. Some interns require more help and guidance from the supervisors (Gerken et al., 2012). However, I was completely new to the organization and required full support. I got all kinds of professional help from my supervisor. Interns always appreciate any kind of opportunity, in order to increase the knowledge or learn new skills or gain experience. In my opinion, developing new and innovative plans for training purposes, all throughout the internship project will help in keeping the students interested and engaged in their position. It will also make them capable for handling new kind of challenges (Tocco et al., 2013). Hence, the internship program helped in developing my skills. There was a need for making reservations and cancellation, handling calls, creating and replying to general emails and more. My supervisor helped me with all these, handling office equipments and more. Without his help it wouldnt have been possible for me to complete my internship program successfully. Even bright students, who have great potential, struggle in this phase, if they are not being supervised well by their supervisors (Southgate, Reynolds Howley, 2013). I am lucky enough to get such professional support and help f rom my supervisors. Moreover, while interning with the company, I was given the opportunity to participate in all kinds of meetings and activities. This helped me in gaining leadership skills and qualities. In addition to this, I was also able to understand clearly the organizational culture and policies (Johnson Kaslow, 2014). My supervisor was always there to educate me. Initially, I was a bit scared as I did not know when and where to speak as well as how to ask questions. However, my supervisor assisted me in this completely. He always encouraged and motivated me to speak and ask questions. He explained and clarified each and everything. He suggested me to ask questions in appropriate times. It helped me in gaining useful insights and clarified my doubts. At times, I was offered with the opportunities of attending the networking events as well as professional conferences. It helped me understand the overall mission and vision of the organization. At the same time, it made me feel special and understand my value for the organization. Valuable experiences are not only about effective supervision, it also includes the mentoring component. Most of the interns seek internships for developing the career goals (Parveen Mirza, 2012). Same was my case and without mentors guide, it wouldnt have been possible. I was always allowed and encouraged as well, to participate in all kinds of events, like staff meetings, work related events and client consultations. However, these jobs were not directly linked to the specific job duties of the intern. It benefitted me on a broad scale and helped me gain an overview of the organization or business. I got all kinds of support from my university coordinator and professional guide. However, I was a bit disappointed with my universitys department of the internship provider. This is because, I was unable to intern at the company where I was supposed to do. This happened due to the last minute cancellation, which left me no choice and I had to work extra hours in order to complete the program on time. Improvements and suggestions regarding the internship The internship experience is regarded as one of the most integral part of laying a successful career. According to my experience, the professional world is different from the university life. It is very necessary to have a clear idea of the differences. However, because of the cancellations made, my internship got delayed and started late. The length of the internship was not too much, although, I managed to gain much experience from the internship. There are still some improvements and suggestions which the organization can make. The internships are the valuable experience, which a student can have. However, there are several ways the whole process can be improved and made better for the organization as well as the intern (Matthew, Taylor Ellis, 2012). There are some interns who have the mindset of getting into a specific practice and think that they know enough about that subject. It is the duty of the supervisors to be open to the interns and train them in each and every field. My supervisor was supportive and told me to learn every single thing. However, due to less span of time, the experiences which I gained were limited. I got trained in each and every field, but not with much detail. In my opinion, if the length was a bit more, I could have learnt more things related to my field. A good experience is one of the most priceless assets for the future career (Lee Chao, 2013). There are certain improvements which the organization can make in their internship procedure. In my opinion, they can extend their internship tenure and be selective in the interview process. This is from the experience I gained while I was training a new trainee. The internship program is an investment for the companys talent of next generation. One needs to be very selective during the interview procedure. This stage must be viewed as an investment to the business (Kim, Kim Bzullak, 2012). Moreover, a communication plan must be conducted among the interns, which go beyond the daily tasks. The interns who are new to the city must be provided with housing allowance and proper insights regarding the company, including tips of transportation, advices regarding city navigation, weekend events and more. This will make them feel special and valued (Scicluna et al., 2014). Moreover, the company should extend their internships time period, which would benefit them on a long run. In addition to this, the interns must be offered with remote and flexible work arrangement, which should be a part of internship programs. They must be provided with right and clear expectations, the technology for accomplishing the tasks as well as the framework in order to succeed (Chinomona Surujlal, 2012). The organization must work with the managers for establishing a consistent communication checkpoint and processes among the interns. All the interns are accountable for the results. Encouraging and motivating the interns are the major tasks an organization should perform (Hon, Chan Lu, 2013). However, I was completely encouraged by my supervisor, in this whole internship project, thus I have no issues regarding this. In addition to this, the interns should be encouraged to refer their classmates and friend. It is to be kept in mind that future candidates are more likely to trust the reviews and experiences of their friends. Therefore, the companies should create such referral programs which will further help in encouraging the interns and refer to their friends. It is better to avoid handing off the interns to the hiring managers, in the beginning of the internship. Regular check-ins must be scheduled during the duration. Many companies still lack this facility for the interns. However, this must be taken care as it provides the interns with complete guidance as they are expected to succeed in their current roles as well as future endeavors (Pereira-Moliner et al., 2012). My overall internship experience was good, but there are still some segments where the organization can improve their performance. Moreover, the organization can conduct exit interviews and make it as a part of their internship program. This will further help the organization to gain feedback from the interns. It will benefit the organization in gaining the interns experience with the company. This feedback gathering process helps the organization to gain an idea of the interns expectations from the company, which will benefit them in future. In addition to this, it also helps in getting a clear idea whether the intern is interested in working with the company in the future or not. Suggestions for the organization The Comfort Inn Bel Eyre offers its customers with a wide variety of accommodations, which are affordable and designed for meeting most of the consumer requirements. Most of the rooms are located at the ground floor with parking facilities. It also provides each and every customer with a feeling of privacy and space. However, the hotel needs to improve its services for attracting more and more customers. The company should look out for innovative and new methods for hiring, training and developing their workers as well as interns. The company has gained much appreciation from their customers and media acclamation. In addition to this, it can implement further strategies as well as policies for their improvement (Raub Robert, 2013). The employees must receive at least fifteen minutes training everyday for checking their efficiency and effectiveness. During their training sessions, each employee must be specified with a common goal for the improvement of the organization. In addition to this, a categorical developmental program must be introduced amongst the workers, who are eligible for moving into the upcoming stages. Customers should be provided with feedback forms, which will help the organization to know their merits and demerits. In order to reach a wider section of the market, the company can also introduce and implement new strategies as well as services for different segments of the society (Kapiki, 2012). Moreover, the company needs to change its old equipments and renovate their rooms as most of the rooms are old with less equipments and commodities. Customers love surprises; hence, the hotel industry can implement new ideas and strategies for surprising their customers. Proper equipments must be available at all the hotel rooms, to meet the customers desires and demands. Trainings must be given to the staff members in accordance with that. However, employee satisfaction is also a major factor in running a hotel business. They must have a perfect and balanced work life as well personal life. The workers must be paid extra if they serve the organization for extra hours, with proper home drop services (Kang et al., 2012). Furthermore, in this era of digital marketing, promotional activities have become easier. The company should make full use of it and market their services. However, the company still has no social media presence. Therefore, the company should have a page on every social networking site and promote their events. It would benefit the company on the long run. By posting their updated events, they will gain brand recognition in the international market and more target customers. Many people will become aware of the hotel industry, which will prove advantageous for them. The industry should also focus on their business conduct, employee policies, supply chain practices, manpower planning and environmental programs as well as practices (Raub Robert, 2013). Furthermore, the hotel services must also be taken care. It has prepared its extension plans in the future. New hotels are being built, therefore, the food is served in the bar section. As a result, most of the families do not prefer to dine in. This must be taken care in the future. Additionally, vocational training as well as education must be given to the employees and staff members. Staff meetings must be conducted on a regular basis for communicating the existing issues and problems. However, the industry should also make commitments regarding the human rights and social responsibility factors. It must focus on global issues such as, community workforce development, global diversity as well as its inclusion, childrens well being, environmental development and lastly, poverty alleviation (Pereira-Moliner et al., 2012). Conclusion To conclude, this internship program has helped me gain a variety of experiences. I am really grateful to my university coordinator and professional guide, for providing me with all kinds of help throughout the program. The internship helped me to explore my career field, hence, developing my communication as well as leadership skills. In my opinion, it is an experience which enhances the students career, academic as well as personal development. I have learnt different skills and gained experiences. Moreover, I have also gained confidence in my abilities, learnt coordination among team members and also the industry knowledge in which I am going to work in future. There were several challenges, which I managed to overcome and accomplish the given tasks. In addition to this, I got to meet new people, which in turn, established a strong network of many professional contacts, references and mentors. The overall experience was great and I would recommend my friends to take part in this w onderful journey References: Andrews, S. (2013).Hotel front office: A training manual. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Boella, M. J. (2017).Human resource management in the hotel and catering industry. Taylor Francis. Chinomona, R., Surujlal, J. (2012). The influence of student internship work experience on their self-improvement and professionalism in Sport Management: sport management.African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance,18(Issue-4_2), 885-899. Gerken, M., Rienties, B., Giesbers, B., Knings, K. D. (2012). Enhancing the academic internship learning experience for business educationa critical review and future directions. 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