In February four students from the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) joined the Customer Success Management (CSM) internship program at Sutherland to gain practical experience in one of the fastest-growing job roles.
Today we meet you with Oksana, a 3rd-year student born in Bolgrad, Ukraine, living and studying in Sofia, majoring in International Economic Relations. Check out what Oksana shares about the internship at Sutherland.
- How did you find out about the CSM Internship?
Oksana: I found out about the CSM internship on the Facebook page of the Department of International Economic Relations, UNWE.
- What caught your attention and why did you decide to apply?
Oksana: My attention was attracted by the opportunity to participate in the internship in this field. After all, this is a great opportunity to learn practical knowledge, communicate with professionals in this field and gain some experience. After a small conversation with the Associate Professor, Monika Moraliyska, about this internship opportunity, I put aside all doubts and realized that I would send my application.
- What were your expectations for the internship?
Oksana: To be honest, I was a little worried before the internship, because this was going to be my very first internship experience. But I was sure that the internship would be interesting and useful for me and for my further career development. What can I say about the result? Just the fact that my expectations about the internship were fully met! I didn’t even imagine that this opportunity would be so cool! I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I can say with confidence that I have acquired invaluable knowledge in the CSM field.
- Share 3 things you’ve found most valuable in the CSM Internship program.
First of all, I want to note that I find the whole program very valuable and it is impossible to single out one thing from the whole program that may seem more valuable. But for me personally, one of the most important aspects of this program was learning about the Onboarding process, I believe that closer cooperation begins with this process, as well as important details are learned and, as a result, there is a complete immersion in cooperation.
I can put the Business review process on second place, because during this stage you can find out how your client is doing, what is bothering them, look at the achieved goals in retrospect, as well as set new ones and, if necessary, amend the existing success plan.
And on third place, I would put the possibility of applying a consultative approach, since in this approach you can use two important techniques like active listening and storytelling, which help to understand better the needs of the customer and thanks to them you will be able to find the best solution for the customer.
- How would you apply what you’ve learned from the internship program in real life?
I believe that the knowledge that I acquired during this internship is very valuable and I am sure that in the future I will use this knowledge. As for applying it in real life, I can confidently say that it will help me to understand better the people around me, as well as better understand my own goals and the possibilities of achieving them.
- What is one thing you liked the most in the internship?
From what I liked most about this experience, it was the opportunity to communicate with CSM professionals, listen to their experience, understand what they value in their work, as well as learning about the difficulties they face working with customers, because there is no way without it. But the most important thing is how they help customers with solving these very difficulties, as they find better resources and contact the best specialists in order to find the most favorable solution to these difficulties for the customers.
- Would you recommend this internship to other students?
Of course! I am sure that students who will try themselves in this internship, just like me, will gain useful knowledge and experience.
- How do you imagine your career after graduation? What would you look for in an employer?
At the moment, I cannot say with 100% how I imagine my career after graduation. In our dynamic world, it is impossible to be 100% sure of something. But I think that thanks to this internship, I will have a better idea of the possibilities of working in this field and it is likely that my career will be connected with this field. In an employer, I would look for stability, but at the same career opportunities growth and a pleasant corporate environment.
If you have any questions about our campus initiatives or internship opportunities drop us a line at earlycareer@sutherlandglobal.com