Week two call shadowing, customer experience, and the importance of checking oneself

Week two call shadowing, customer experience, and the importance of checking oneself by Michael Cheary Week two: call shadowing, customer experience, and the importance of checking oneself …Five interns are spending the summer working for reed.co.uk. We’ve already met the interns, and saw how they got on during their first week.Now it’s time to read round two…AndrewThis past week has kept us quite occupied. The other interns and I finally have our roadmap for the remaining six weeks, the whiteboard is rapidly running out of space for our to-do lists, and our schedule is packed to the brim with various projects.From analysing customer queries to taking a look at what the customer experience team deals with on a day-to-day basis, our schedule is certainly filling up fast.I truly love being in London, but being a solitarily explorer in a city energized by connection and interaction becomes lonesome at times, resulting in me signing up to take part in the London Instagrammers weekly meet-up.It was like being transported back to the first day of secondary school, except this time the popular clique was the most eclectic group of people gathered together, ranging from 20 year olds to women in their mid-fifties (although, of course, I did not dare ask their age).After mildly awkward introductions, I was now a part of a group of 25 amateur and professional photographers, ready to storm the British Museum. Our subject matter? Well, let’s just say it involved raising awareness for testicular cancer. All in the name of art, of course.Was I really about to go inside the British Museum (undoubtedly one of the more esteemed galleries in the world), and start taking strategically framed shots of its statues?   Although the occasional glare was uncomfortable at first, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s an interesting but effective way to break the ice between strangers… as was the mandatory post-meeting pub session.Back at reed.co.uk, I found myself engrossed in my work to the point where Friday came unexpectedly. No doubt due to the fact that, for once, this lost American is finally starting to find his bearings in London.StephanieAfter an amazing weekend with friends, I started work buzzing with energy for the week ahead.The week has flown by and my American accent is stronger than ever thanks to the other interns! Also, we have started our new projects and planning ahead has helped a lot. Everything from creating our own ‘quote of the day’ to uploading daily plans and scheduling meetings has helped a lot in terms of the planning and delivery of projects.As we’re becoming more familiar with all the different software, we have also delegated tasks for our first project.The general concept of managers and team leaders being those scary people tucked away in hidden offices, who only come out for food, water and the occasional conversation with other managers, is definitely not the case here at reed.co.uk. The interaction between employees within all the different departments is a crucial aspect of working h ere, and it’s really enhanced my experience so far by creating an environment where I feel free enough to ask questions and learn more effectively.Whilst shadowing other employees I took the time to also ask about their history working at reed.co.uk and their roles within the company. I must say, they either pump something in the air or everyone genuinely does love their role and growth within the company thus far. I will definitely feel that it’s the latter.As project deadlines draw closer, our work rate is definitely increasing. Fingers crossed all goes well with our presentation.To be continued…AllyLast week saw a densely packed schedule of what’s known as ‘call shadowing’. It feels quite intrusive to be creeping in on calls unbeknownst to caller and handler, but it’s an absolutely vital tool in understanding the customer experience.Other bits of the week saw our dedication to the whiteboard. We now have our own little slice of white to mark down our plans, to-do li sts and quotes of the day in erasable ink. Probably a good idea, too, seeing as our plans tend to shift a lot with the hubbub of the office. Might have to tick for a new whiteboard eraser on the office supply list; this one’s getting worn to a stub.Next week we’ll be going up to the Customer Experience team that’s ‘CX’ to the layman (or lazy) for some more hands-on experience.Long-term plan is to get involved with the company’s development team and their Scrum method, a means of development so revolutionary (not to mention slightly confusing) that a mere blog post won’t cover even the basics. One thing I have learned, however, is call it a ‘process’, and you’ll risk incurring the wrath of several score of passionate developers. So I better watch my mouthTill next week.ConnorThis week was definitely a change from last week. I spent less time attending induction meetings and more time actually working. Don’t get me wrong, ice-breaker exercises are efficient and necessary when becoming a new member of a team I was just anxious to actually begin working on something relevant to my career. This week I was instructed a daily task and was assigned various projects by different members of the finance team.One of my concerns when starting this internship was that I would be completing various administrative tasks without actually having any grasp of the bigger picture. I was wrong. Every time I was assigned something, I received a brief on why I was doing it and how it contributed to the company. Although it took extensive instructions (and, undoubtedly, lots of patience on their behalf) it was nice to feel as if I had an impact on some of the company’s core functions.On the social side of things, I’m getting closer to several of my co-workers, and was able to play tourist a little more this weekend. While spontaneously roaming around the streets and visiting various sites, I realised one important thing: just how crowded, and humid, free m useums can become.I got around to going through the famous Hyde Park, which I honestly expected to just be a highly populated field of grass, and was delighted to find out that the crowded field of grass had a pond.No, but in all seriousness I’m coming to the realisation that there is a reason for all the crowds of people everywhere you go… and that’s because every site in this city is worth going to.YaseenI cannot believe my second week in London town has already come to an end.   I’m happy to report that with every passing week my diary is exponentially growing.   I am however, quite sad to report that the opposite effect has been taking place in the depths of my pocket…I am currently sweating (and still panting) from my twenty five minute commute to the office, which I now make on foot, courtesy of the lovely dollar/sterling exchange rates. Luckily, my first reed.co.uk payday is in two weeks, at which point I can resume my daily underground journeys and give my poor lim bs a rest.From board room meetings to giving presentations to the directors, I must admit my confidence is at an all-time high.   I love that I am asked to give presentations on my findings regarding my peers and their online behaviour, as well as being able to play what seems to be an integral part in gathering data regarding the entire customer experience.   As the weeks come along, this little intern is starting to find his rhythm.Finally, I have something inspiring to share this week: I’m truly excited to announce that I’m officially planning a ‘eurotrip’ (If I were reading this I would have stopped at that last sentence as well, so I sincerely appreciate your commitment if you’re still with me).   I plan to take the coach all across Europe, trying to hit as many countries as I can. And it all started with three weeks in London…That’s all you get for this week, but I hope I have left you with a suitable amount of suspense to come back. Same time next week.Missed ou r introduction to the interns? Meet them now. The interns have finished week two. Stay tuned to see how they get on in the coming weeks.