Handling Foreign Clients By Phone in English At PT.Centrotech Solusindo.
ABSTRACT
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya akan membahas permasalahan yang
saya alami sewaktu saya magang di PT. CentroTECH Solusindo.
Salah satunya adalah dalam menangani klien asing melalui telefon
dalam bahasa Inggris.
Untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini saya melakukan analisa. Saya
menemukan beberapa penyebab dan akibat dari masalah yang saya
hadapi sewaktu magang di PT. CentroTECH Solusindo. Penyebabnya
adalah karena saya tidak mempunyai pengalaman sebelumnya dalam
menangani klien asing melalui telefon, kurangnya pengetahuan
tentang produk, dan perilaku saya yang salah dalam mendengarkan
klien. Adapun akibatnya adalah saya terlihat tidak profesional dimata
klien tersebut dan klien tidak mendapatkan solusi dari
permasalahannya dengan segera.
Solusi terbaik yang saya pilih adalah perusahaan memberikan
pelatihan secara gratis untuk para karyawannya, terutama yang
bertugas sebagai front liners. Pembahasan alasan dalam memilih
solusi juga akan dibahas secara logis.
iv
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY………………………………………….ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………….. iii-iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………..v
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………1-5
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS …………………………………..6-9
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ………………………..…..10-14
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION …………………………………………15-16
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: FLOWCHART
v
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDIX
FLOW CHART
CAUSES:
PROBLEM:
EFFECTS:
1. My first time experience as a front liner.
I found difficulties in handling foreign
clients by phone in English at PT.
CentroTECH Solusindo.
1. Front liners looked unprofessional in the
eyes of the foreign clients.
2. I was lacking in product knowledge.
2. Clients did not get the solution they
needed for their problem immediately.
3. False attitude when listening to the
clients.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. The theories from the book can be
different with the reality.
Potential Solution I
I read a book about how to handle
foreign clients by phone in English.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can get more knowledge
in handling foreign clients by phone in
English.
2. I will need more time to read the book.
2. I can provide better services by phone for
foreign clients.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. Company spends a lot of money to pay
a professional trainee.
2. The front liners are not serious in
training.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. Spend money to buy CDs and audio
tools.
Potential Solution II
Company gives the front liners free training
in English basic skills especially for
speaking, listening, and product knowledge,
which is used in handling foreign clients by
phone in English.
Potential Solution III
I improve my listening skills by listening to
English business tutorial CD.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can get knowledge about the proper
ways to handle foreign clients by phone
in English and about the products.
2. I can get confidence in handling foreign
clients by phone in English.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can do it at home.
2. I can get improvement for my listening
skills that will help me to listen to my
foreign clients who speak in English by
phone.
2. I can not get correction and suggestion
when I am wrong.
CHOOSEN SOLUTION
Company gives the front liners free training in English
basic skills (especially for speaking and listening) and in
product knowledge, which is used in handling foreign
clients by phone in English.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Nowadays, various international businesses have developed including
e-commerce (electronic commerce). E-commerce is also known as
electronic marketing. It has international and national markets, in the forms
of online stores, foreign exchange trading, and many more.
Online businesses in Indonesia have also grown rapidly. They enable
people to work in their home. As stated in an article entitled “Online
Business Growing Rapidly Among Business Professionals”,
Online businesses become the latest trends in Indonesia, it is grown
rapidly. Researchers have proved that more than ten million people
doing online business. It is very easy to start the online business, the
equipments that you require to use is only an Internet connection and
personal computers or laptops. Therefore, people can do online
business at home. (1)
1
Maranatha Christian University
The success of online businesses cannot be separated from the existence
of Internet Service Provider companies (ISP). ISP companies provide
bandwidth for clients so they can use the Internet.
CentroTECH Solusindo is one of the ISP companies and online stores
in Bandung which provides bandwidth and internet tools. The markets of
CentroTECH Solusindo are individuals or companies, both in Indonesia
and in other countries. Due to many foreign clients, good English language
skills are important for the staff to have. The ability in using English can
avoid misunderstanding and mistakes in handling foreign clients by phone.
I choose CentroTECH Solusindo (henceforth, CTS) because CTS is
one of the best ISP companies in Bandung. It can be seen from the clients
using services from CTS. Not only the public in general, but also
governmental projects such as Pengadilan Tinggi, Bandung; Pengadilan
Negeri, Bandung; Pengadilan Negeri, Depok and Pengadilan Negeri,
Bogor use CTR services. Therefore I want to have the best experience by
doing internship in that company. I worked there as a front liner. During
my internship in the company, I found difficulty in handling foreign clients
(clients from Germany and Australia) by phone in English. I could not
provide good services for the clients; I misunderstood the clients; and I
could not give the best solutions for the clients. Providing good services,
understanding clients’ needs, and giving best solutions for them are a front
liner’s jobs. However, I experienced difficulty in doing them. I choose this
problem to be discussed because failure in handling clients can give
disadvantages to the company, and the company can lose clients.
2
Maranatha Christian University
B. Identification of the Problem
This study aims at discussing the following questions:
1. Why is it difficult for me to handle foreign clients by phone?
2. How can I improve myself as a front liner that I can handle the clients
well.
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to analyze the causes and the effects
of not being able to handle foreign clients by phone, to find three potential
solutions to solve the problem, and then to choose the best solution from
all of these three solutions.
There are several benefits of this study. For the company, it is
expected that this term paper will provide useful information, to give some
knowledge for the staff on how to handle foreign clients by phone well. For
the readers, this study can make the readers realize how important having
good English language skills is, because nowadays English is a global
language and it is important for doing business internationally. For myself,
by writing this term paper, I can share my experience to the readers, and I
can also understand the ways to analyze a situation, when I work in a
company. Besides, I also learn the ways to handle foreign clients by
phone in English.
3
Maranatha Christian University
D. Description of the Institution
PT. CentroTECH Solusindo is located at Jalan Batik Kumeli no 80A
Bandung Jawa Barat, Indonesia. It was established in February 2006 and
became a corporation since March 2007. Its vision is to be the best
Internet Service Provider (ISP) and IT solution for individuals and
corporate purposes in Indonesia, especially in West Java. CTS has grown
rapidly since it was established. It has expanded its vision to become the
qualified company that serves and provides telecommunication needs in
Indonesia and internationally.
CTS is supported by professionals that have experiences on the web.
CTS is partnering with DeltaNet in Wireless Internet Service Provider
(WISP) and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). The reason why CTS
become partners with DeltaNet is because it is the biggest bandwidth
suppliers from Jakarta. By having this partnership, we can see that CTS
only makes some partnership with the professional one.
E. Method of the Study
In this term paper, the data were collected through some methods.
First, they were collected in a journal that I wrote during my
apprenticeship. Second, the data were gathered by doing library and
Internet research.
4
Maranatha Christian University
F. Limitation of the Study
The study only discusses about the difficulty that I experienced in
handling foreign clients by phone in CTS. The data were taken during my
apprenticeship in that company. I did my apprenticeship from December,
15, 2009 to February 15, 2010.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper starts with an Abstract, a summary of the whole paper
in Indonesian. It is followed by the Acknowledgements, which contains the
list of the people who have some roles in writing this paper. This term
paper then is divided into four chapters. Chapter I is the Introduction,
which includes Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,
Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution, Method
of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term Paper.
Chapter II is an analysis of the difficulty in handling foreign clients by
phone in English, and discussing the causes and effects of the problem.
Chapter III discusses the potential solutions; there are three potential
solutions, with their positive and the negative effects. Chapter IV, which is
the Conclusion, discusses the chosen solution for the problem. In the last
part, I include the Bibliography containing the list of references and the
flowchart in the Appendix.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
After doing some observation at CTS, I found that my problem is I
cannot handle foreign clients by phone in English well. There are some
causes of this problem, such as first time experience as a front liner, lack
of product knowledge, and lack of listening skills. There are also some
effects of the problem that I have when I do my internship, such as I
looked unprofessional in the eyes of the foreign clients, and the clients did
not get the solution they needed for their problem immediately. To solve
my problem I find three potential solutions. First, I read a book about how
to handle foreign clients by phone in English. Second, the company gives
the front liners free training in English basic skills (especially speaking and
listening) and in product knowledge which is used in handling foreign
clients by phone in English. Third, I improve my listening skills by listening
to a tutorial CD for English listening about business.
After analyzing the causes, effects, and the potential solutions with their
positive and negative effects, I have a chosen solution that I think efficient
and effective for my problem. From all the potential solutions offered, the
most suitable solution for my problem is the company gives the front liners
15
Maranatha Christian University
free training in English basic skills (especially for speaking and listening)
and in product knowledge.
The reason why I choose it as the most suitable solution for my
problem is because by giving the front liners free training, the front liners
do not need to spend their money to buy books or CD’s for improving their
knowledge about handling foreign clients by phone in English. Then, with
the training, the front liners can directly practice with the experts, as stated
in the article entitled “The Benefits of Training for the New Employees” that
training can help the employees to get knowledge of skills and processes
“directly from the experts” (5). The article further says that getting the
knowledge from the experts will give more satisfaction than getting them
from books or CD’s. The front liners can get correction and suggestion
from the experts if they get wrong. This will help the front liners improve
themselves effectively.
To conclude, I suggest that an Internet service company which is still
developing like CTS gives training for the front liners when the front liners
just start their job in the company. Therefore, the front liners can make
minimum mistakes in handling the foreign clients. In order to make the
front liners able to focus on their daily jobs, the training can be held on
Saturdays because it is an off-day for the employees, so the front liners
can follow the training without taking their working time.
16
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed sources
Lebeouf, Michael. How To Win Customers & Keep Them For Life. New
Orleans: Gary-Tomlinson, 2003.
Lucas, Robert W. Customer Service. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005.
Soenarno, Adi. Front Office Management. Yogyakarta: Andi, 2006.
Electronic Sources
Bristol, Dana. “The Importance of Practice”. 2007. 7 June 2010
Cruz, Osvaldo. “Final Guest Satisfaction and Interrelationship Among
Different Hotel Areas”. 13 December 2008. 4hoteliers. 25 May 2010
< http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=3592>
Elder, Jennifer. “The Benefits of Employees Training”. 2008. 29 May 2010
Gilly, Marry C. “Guest Complaint Handling as a Strategic Marketing Tool”.
2002. Emeraldinsight.com. 12 October 2009
Maranatha Christian University
Jones, Adam. “Why People Don’t Read Enough Nowadays”. 1 July 2008.
8 June 2010
Mcclellands, Susan. “The Importance of Training and Development”. 2002.
7 June 2010
Menguin, Jef. “Why Is Training Important”. 17 June 2007. 5 June 2010
“Six Tips for Handling Customers Complaint”. 2001. 10 May 2010
Terraza, Gery. “Having Training for the Front Liners”. 2001. 2 June 2010
“The Benefits of Training for the New Employee”. 2005. 15 May 2010.
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya akan membahas permasalahan yang
saya alami sewaktu saya magang di PT. CentroTECH Solusindo.
Salah satunya adalah dalam menangani klien asing melalui telefon
dalam bahasa Inggris.
Untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini saya melakukan analisa. Saya
menemukan beberapa penyebab dan akibat dari masalah yang saya
hadapi sewaktu magang di PT. CentroTECH Solusindo. Penyebabnya
adalah karena saya tidak mempunyai pengalaman sebelumnya dalam
menangani klien asing melalui telefon, kurangnya pengetahuan
tentang produk, dan perilaku saya yang salah dalam mendengarkan
klien. Adapun akibatnya adalah saya terlihat tidak profesional dimata
klien tersebut dan klien tidak mendapatkan solusi dari
permasalahannya dengan segera.
Solusi terbaik yang saya pilih adalah perusahaan memberikan
pelatihan secara gratis untuk para karyawannya, terutama yang
bertugas sebagai front liners. Pembahasan alasan dalam memilih
solusi juga akan dibahas secara logis.
iv
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY………………………………………….ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………….. iii-iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………..v
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………1-5
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS …………………………………..6-9
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ………………………..…..10-14
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION …………………………………………15-16
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: FLOWCHART
v
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDIX
FLOW CHART
CAUSES:
PROBLEM:
EFFECTS:
1. My first time experience as a front liner.
I found difficulties in handling foreign
clients by phone in English at PT.
CentroTECH Solusindo.
1. Front liners looked unprofessional in the
eyes of the foreign clients.
2. I was lacking in product knowledge.
2. Clients did not get the solution they
needed for their problem immediately.
3. False attitude when listening to the
clients.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. The theories from the book can be
different with the reality.
Potential Solution I
I read a book about how to handle
foreign clients by phone in English.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can get more knowledge
in handling foreign clients by phone in
English.
2. I will need more time to read the book.
2. I can provide better services by phone for
foreign clients.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. Company spends a lot of money to pay
a professional trainee.
2. The front liners are not serious in
training.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1. Spend money to buy CDs and audio
tools.
Potential Solution II
Company gives the front liners free training
in English basic skills especially for
speaking, listening, and product knowledge,
which is used in handling foreign clients by
phone in English.
Potential Solution III
I improve my listening skills by listening to
English business tutorial CD.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can get knowledge about the proper
ways to handle foreign clients by phone
in English and about the products.
2. I can get confidence in handling foreign
clients by phone in English.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1. I can do it at home.
2. I can get improvement for my listening
skills that will help me to listen to my
foreign clients who speak in English by
phone.
2. I can not get correction and suggestion
when I am wrong.
CHOOSEN SOLUTION
Company gives the front liners free training in English
basic skills (especially for speaking and listening) and in
product knowledge, which is used in handling foreign
clients by phone in English.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Nowadays, various international businesses have developed including
e-commerce (electronic commerce). E-commerce is also known as
electronic marketing. It has international and national markets, in the forms
of online stores, foreign exchange trading, and many more.
Online businesses in Indonesia have also grown rapidly. They enable
people to work in their home. As stated in an article entitled “Online
Business Growing Rapidly Among Business Professionals”,
Online businesses become the latest trends in Indonesia, it is grown
rapidly. Researchers have proved that more than ten million people
doing online business. It is very easy to start the online business, the
equipments that you require to use is only an Internet connection and
personal computers or laptops. Therefore, people can do online
business at home. (1)
1
Maranatha Christian University
The success of online businesses cannot be separated from the existence
of Internet Service Provider companies (ISP). ISP companies provide
bandwidth for clients so they can use the Internet.
CentroTECH Solusindo is one of the ISP companies and online stores
in Bandung which provides bandwidth and internet tools. The markets of
CentroTECH Solusindo are individuals or companies, both in Indonesia
and in other countries. Due to many foreign clients, good English language
skills are important for the staff to have. The ability in using English can
avoid misunderstanding and mistakes in handling foreign clients by phone.
I choose CentroTECH Solusindo (henceforth, CTS) because CTS is
one of the best ISP companies in Bandung. It can be seen from the clients
using services from CTS. Not only the public in general, but also
governmental projects such as Pengadilan Tinggi, Bandung; Pengadilan
Negeri, Bandung; Pengadilan Negeri, Depok and Pengadilan Negeri,
Bogor use CTR services. Therefore I want to have the best experience by
doing internship in that company. I worked there as a front liner. During
my internship in the company, I found difficulty in handling foreign clients
(clients from Germany and Australia) by phone in English. I could not
provide good services for the clients; I misunderstood the clients; and I
could not give the best solutions for the clients. Providing good services,
understanding clients’ needs, and giving best solutions for them are a front
liner’s jobs. However, I experienced difficulty in doing them. I choose this
problem to be discussed because failure in handling clients can give
disadvantages to the company, and the company can lose clients.
2
Maranatha Christian University
B. Identification of the Problem
This study aims at discussing the following questions:
1. Why is it difficult for me to handle foreign clients by phone?
2. How can I improve myself as a front liner that I can handle the clients
well.
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to analyze the causes and the effects
of not being able to handle foreign clients by phone, to find three potential
solutions to solve the problem, and then to choose the best solution from
all of these three solutions.
There are several benefits of this study. For the company, it is
expected that this term paper will provide useful information, to give some
knowledge for the staff on how to handle foreign clients by phone well. For
the readers, this study can make the readers realize how important having
good English language skills is, because nowadays English is a global
language and it is important for doing business internationally. For myself,
by writing this term paper, I can share my experience to the readers, and I
can also understand the ways to analyze a situation, when I work in a
company. Besides, I also learn the ways to handle foreign clients by
phone in English.
3
Maranatha Christian University
D. Description of the Institution
PT. CentroTECH Solusindo is located at Jalan Batik Kumeli no 80A
Bandung Jawa Barat, Indonesia. It was established in February 2006 and
became a corporation since March 2007. Its vision is to be the best
Internet Service Provider (ISP) and IT solution for individuals and
corporate purposes in Indonesia, especially in West Java. CTS has grown
rapidly since it was established. It has expanded its vision to become the
qualified company that serves and provides telecommunication needs in
Indonesia and internationally.
CTS is supported by professionals that have experiences on the web.
CTS is partnering with DeltaNet in Wireless Internet Service Provider
(WISP) and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). The reason why CTS
become partners with DeltaNet is because it is the biggest bandwidth
suppliers from Jakarta. By having this partnership, we can see that CTS
only makes some partnership with the professional one.
E. Method of the Study
In this term paper, the data were collected through some methods.
First, they were collected in a journal that I wrote during my
apprenticeship. Second, the data were gathered by doing library and
Internet research.
4
Maranatha Christian University
F. Limitation of the Study
The study only discusses about the difficulty that I experienced in
handling foreign clients by phone in CTS. The data were taken during my
apprenticeship in that company. I did my apprenticeship from December,
15, 2009 to February 15, 2010.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper starts with an Abstract, a summary of the whole paper
in Indonesian. It is followed by the Acknowledgements, which contains the
list of the people who have some roles in writing this paper. This term
paper then is divided into four chapters. Chapter I is the Introduction,
which includes Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,
Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution, Method
of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term Paper.
Chapter II is an analysis of the difficulty in handling foreign clients by
phone in English, and discussing the causes and effects of the problem.
Chapter III discusses the potential solutions; there are three potential
solutions, with their positive and the negative effects. Chapter IV, which is
the Conclusion, discusses the chosen solution for the problem. In the last
part, I include the Bibliography containing the list of references and the
flowchart in the Appendix.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
After doing some observation at CTS, I found that my problem is I
cannot handle foreign clients by phone in English well. There are some
causes of this problem, such as first time experience as a front liner, lack
of product knowledge, and lack of listening skills. There are also some
effects of the problem that I have when I do my internship, such as I
looked unprofessional in the eyes of the foreign clients, and the clients did
not get the solution they needed for their problem immediately. To solve
my problem I find three potential solutions. First, I read a book about how
to handle foreign clients by phone in English. Second, the company gives
the front liners free training in English basic skills (especially speaking and
listening) and in product knowledge which is used in handling foreign
clients by phone in English. Third, I improve my listening skills by listening
to a tutorial CD for English listening about business.
After analyzing the causes, effects, and the potential solutions with their
positive and negative effects, I have a chosen solution that I think efficient
and effective for my problem. From all the potential solutions offered, the
most suitable solution for my problem is the company gives the front liners
15
Maranatha Christian University
free training in English basic skills (especially for speaking and listening)
and in product knowledge.
The reason why I choose it as the most suitable solution for my
problem is because by giving the front liners free training, the front liners
do not need to spend their money to buy books or CD’s for improving their
knowledge about handling foreign clients by phone in English. Then, with
the training, the front liners can directly practice with the experts, as stated
in the article entitled “The Benefits of Training for the New Employees” that
training can help the employees to get knowledge of skills and processes
“directly from the experts” (5). The article further says that getting the
knowledge from the experts will give more satisfaction than getting them
from books or CD’s. The front liners can get correction and suggestion
from the experts if they get wrong. This will help the front liners improve
themselves effectively.
To conclude, I suggest that an Internet service company which is still
developing like CTS gives training for the front liners when the front liners
just start their job in the company. Therefore, the front liners can make
minimum mistakes in handling the foreign clients. In order to make the
front liners able to focus on their daily jobs, the training can be held on
Saturdays because it is an off-day for the employees, so the front liners
can follow the training without taking their working time.
16
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed sources
Lebeouf, Michael. How To Win Customers & Keep Them For Life. New
Orleans: Gary-Tomlinson, 2003.
Lucas, Robert W. Customer Service. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005.
Soenarno, Adi. Front Office Management. Yogyakarta: Andi, 2006.
Electronic Sources
Bristol, Dana. “The Importance of Practice”. 2007. 7 June 2010
Cruz, Osvaldo. “Final Guest Satisfaction and Interrelationship Among
Different Hotel Areas”. 13 December 2008. 4hoteliers. 25 May 2010
< http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=3592>
Elder, Jennifer. “The Benefits of Employees Training”. 2008. 29 May 2010
Gilly, Marry C. “Guest Complaint Handling as a Strategic Marketing Tool”.
2002. Emeraldinsight.com. 12 October 2009
Maranatha Christian University
Jones, Adam. “Why People Don’t Read Enough Nowadays”. 1 July 2008.
8 June 2010
Mcclellands, Susan. “The Importance of Training and Development”. 2002.
7 June 2010
Menguin, Jef. “Why Is Training Important”. 17 June 2007. 5 June 2010
“Six Tips for Handling Customers Complaint”. 2001. 10 May 2010
Terraza, Gery. “Having Training for the Front Liners”. 2001. 2 June 2010
“The Benefits of Training for the New Employee”. 2005. 15 May 2010.
Maranatha Christian University