Raising S4S Coachings Public Image - Case Study Example

Individual critical reflection paper for the communication plan Name Institution Date INDIVIDUAL CRITICAL REFLECTION PAPER FOR THE COMMUNICATION PLAN 1: INTRODUCTION Throughout the entire research project we set out a target which was to ensure that various objectives, ranging from the client’s objective, the customers’ objectives and our objectives as a group, are met. We came up with various means through which these particular objectives could be met and actually put them in place. Our client’s objectives included raising S4S Coaching’s public image and increasing and at the same time maintain the rate of conversion of probable customers to stable customers whereby they will be required to pay. Both will ensure that the ultimate client objective of enhancing the relationship between our client and the customers is met. The customer objective is basically to get the ideal tutoring organization for their children. Lastly, our objective is to ensure that we help our client attain what is set in their objectives which is to enhance the relationship between the organization and the clients. Therefore, our chief objective is to come up with the best way through which the rate of conversion of probable customers into permanent paying customers. In order to achieve this, various practical tactics including distributing flyers, creating an online forum, increasing the company’s online presence and conducting workshops had to be adapted. 2: INDIVIDUAL REPORT To ensure the success of this project, we had to thoroughly work ourselves out as a team that consisted of Shikha Jaipuriar who was the group coordinator, I doing the final editing of the report, Ge Pan who was the journal keeper, Pecha Kucha conducted by Natalie Moskovska and Joyce Wang as the researcher. The group members all came to an agreement that each of the members gets his or her share of activity whereby in the long run, all the members would go through the entire research project correcting where necessary and addition any further details that would be of importance. My major roles as far as finalizing the Wiki Page is concerned involved making online tutorial videos and expressing the idea of quality tutoring to the clients. The implementation of online tutoring videos involved issues regarding website construction and advertising. I would make sample tutoring recordings available online, as a substitute to the face-to-face workshops and free lessons which was supposed to provide an extra motivation for parents who are unable to attend workshops or seminars, to join up with S4S Coaching. It is also on this particular online forum where people were supposed to give their feedback to us and discuss matters that concerning S4S Coaching. It is also on this online forum that I was supposed to inform people that the organization would offer free lessons as a reward to lucky users. I was also tasked with the assignment of ensuring that I communicate with the tutor from our client. I would also send the wiki page to the tutor after setting it up. To enable proper communication between me and our client, I had to take time and research a lot on information about our client. I was able to achieve this by going to the social sites and the official website of our client. The tactic of quality guarantee that I was conducting was also successful. However, the one of online tutoring videos that I was undertaking was not implemented. Those particular strategies that were unsuccessful were due to various reasons. As far as tutoring videos are concerned, its implementation involved issues regarding website construction and advertising. The main reason as to why this particular strategy was unsuccessful was because of the time factor. Time was limited so that implementation of this strategy would not be possible within the time ceiling set for conducting the research project. Equally, the strategy of tutoring videos was not a success. However, this proposal was held in high regard by our client and has promised to have it at a latter day after it has been developed further. We as well believe that with more time combined with availability of unlimited resources; these strategies would most definitely fulfill the target for carrying out this research project. (Wilcox DL 2012) 3: CRITICAL ANALYSIS 3.1 Communication Plan Critique We set up tactics that we would apply during the course of our research project. This was supposed to be in accordance to each member’s role assigned. Similarly, the strategies that we came up assimilated well with the tactics that we used. By employing the online forum tactic for example, we were able to ensure that there is an increase in the communication between the client’s tutors, i.e. the university students, and the customers, i.e. the parents and target audience. This strategy was implemented as our research revealed that customers showed concerns about joining a tutoring institute which hired university level tutors. This ensured that there was a form of rapport between our client’s tutors and the customers who made the customers gain confidence in the company. The tactic of workshops and distribution of leaflets and booklets ensured that our second strategy was well met. This was to increase the client’s face-to-face presence to boost company publicity. By increasing the company’s presence in the eyes of the target audience, the client will appear increasingly established and reputable, effectively boosting public image and exposure. The major objective which is to ensure that conversion of probable customers into stable paying customers is effectively met by assimilating these tactics into the strategies that we employed. (Ernestina GS 2011) As a group, we decided to go through our objectives and evaluate them. We all came to an agreement that to a larger extent, the general objective of the carrying out this research project was met. This is because we observed reasonable shift in the customers’ views in regard to S4S Coaching. Most of them were actually able to recognize the importance of our ideas and actually appreciate them according to the comments that they made in a survey that we conducted. This is despite the fact that some of the strategies that we used were not successful. For example in Social Networking, it was observed that in the future, we think we can make posts on other pages to really let the potential customer see our message. Equally, the tactic of tutoring videos was not a success. However, this proposal was held in high regard by our client and has promised to have it at a latter day after it has been developed further. We as well believe that with more time combined with availability of unlimited resources; these strategies would most definitely fulfill the target for carrying out this research project. The research was conducted with so much care and we delved so much into it as far as collection of data, materials and anything to do with it is concerned, hence the belief that it would be of great help to our client for now and in future. In regard to resources, it is evident from the budget allocated for this research project that it is limited. Our client proposed a budget of $100 that is supposed to cover the entire project including printing and distribution of booklets and leaflets to various shopping centers. Equally, in regard to time it is imperative to note that S4S Coaching runs concurrently with school terms. This is a period of 10 weeks, four times per year. A year consists of 52 weeks which means that there are 12 weeks when schools are not running. It is in this period that workshops and flyer distribution will take place. Tutoring contents will run concurrently with the school calendar since school work is of great importance as far as what children learn in these tuitions are concerned. The idea behind this is so that parents feel persuaded to let their children join the tutoring at the same time when schools are opening. Similarly, that particular period is ideal for promoting the organization’s brand. This way, the image of the organization is boosted to the public hence anchoring the relationship between the company, who is our client, and the customers which was the major reason for carrying out this research project which is to increase and subsequently maintain the rate of conversion of probable customers to stable customers. (Ernestina GS 2011) 3.2 Communication Within The Team Critique In the course of our research project we ensured that we held several meetings as group members so that we would keep in touch with each other’s assignment and be up to date with whatever each of us was doing. In addition to this, we kept several journals which were 8 in number for purposes of future reference. The journals were also important in ensuring that we build a collective knowledge base as a group since they were our reference points. All the parties involved ranging from the client, customers to us as the group members were all able to read from the same script which would ensure the success of this research project and its objectives. This ensured that communication among all the three parties was enhanced and made easier. Journals were our major mode of communication on top of the internet as they would ensure more validity in as far as the research is concerned. Maintaining a certain level of standards was critical in regard to how we conducted the research project so as to meet its objectives. (Carol Tenopir 2010) So as to assess whether our research project’s objective had been met, we decided to conduct interviews on both the previous customers and the current customers. It was mainly to establish why children dropped out of school or why they think that they might drop out in future. An important fact to note is that we encountered so much difficulty trying to locate and interview previous customers and indeed if we found them, whether they would tell the true story is another issue. This led us into conducting an online survey. These surveys were conducted mostly on parents since they are the ones who decide whether their children remain in school or drop out. 3.3 Communication With The Client & Tutor Critique The number of interviewees in the survey was about 70 to be precise, a number that we all as a group thought was reasonable for a sample group. For the purposes of generating data as regards customer objectives and at the same time open the survey to the general public, we decided to create survey on SURVEY MONKEY. We also encouraged our friends and their parents to take part in the survey. This way, we will help our client to boost and at the same time maintain the customer rate of conversion of probable customers to stable customers. For purposes of the survey question, we decided to come up with 5 possible questionnaires. These questions were all based on the general public’s interest which is a very important factor in this research project. These questions ranged from; whether the organization’s fee was too high, whether the kids were interested or not, whether the timetable would fit well into their schedule or not, whether they would rather look for a more established or cheaper organization and the issue of transport accessibility. However, it is important to note that not all the tactics proposed were actually implemented. Of those tactics that were successful included that of the workshop that was carried out by Shikha Jaipuriar, implementation of all press releases and the writing of these press releases carried out by Natalie Moskovska on the online forum, newsletters via email that was conducted by Joyce Wang, leaflets and booklets which was also done by Joyce Wang and use of posters which was also done by Ge Pan. The tactics of free seminars was conducted by Shikha Jaipuriar was rejected. The tactic of quality guarantee that I was conducting was also successful. However, the one of online tutoring videos that I was undertaking was not implemented. Equally, the tactic of social networking that involved putting up posts on Facebook pages, which was done Ge Pan was also deemed unsuccessful. Time was limited so that implementation of this tactic would not be possible within the time ceiling set for conducting the research project. The tactic of social networking was also unsuccessful. This was mainly due to the fact that our target audiences are not regulars in social networking sites. Most of them are parents who are not social networking users therefore most of the posts on these social networking sites went unseen. For this reason, it was not possible to generate so much recognition as far as the organization’s brand is concerned. However, these communication plans as far as the tactics and the strategies are concerned were of good aide to our client. The survey we conducted gave us an idea of what people actually needed as far as a tutoring organization is concerned. This is what we subsequently gave to our client in order to ensure that the project’s objectives are met. 4: COMMENTS We majored on three chief tactics which included distribution of leaflets, creation of an online forum and conducting workshops besides increasing the company’s online presence. High drop-out rate of probable to actual customers of S4S Coaching had become an issue of concern and thus the need to carry out the research so as to resolve the matter. All these strategies and tactics were adopted so as to ensure that the client’s objectives, our objectives as a group and the customers’ objectives are all met. Noting that coaching for students had become central to their education, there was need to delve into the matter thoroughly, once and for all. The aftermath presents issues of enormous interest and for which in-depth research becomes imperative. The research is thus a process informed by the need to put in place balanced and beneficial strategies that would ensure that S4S Coaching’s potential customer retention rate is either increased or at least retained. All these objectives have been posted to our wiki. Of great importance to note is the fact that in order to achieve the best results from our research project in future, we had to make various adjustments in different parts of the project. One of the main targets of adjustments is our target in as far as the clients are concerned. We make our targets specific and in this case the final version is to target parents with children who are between years 5 and years 12 in western suburb area who are interested in tutoring as opposed to the general public. In addition to this, we decided that we will increase the probable customer to tutor communication in the hope to company professional standard, as a tactic that we are going to use so as to achieve the objective of the rate of conversion. 5: CONCLUSION We were able to come up with strategies and tactics to meet the objectives of the research. However, not all of them have been met in an ideal manner. As a result, reference was made to certain ways through which all these could be achieved in the best way possible. These recommendations on how the entire process could be improved have borne fruits as Jessica, a now paying customer confesses. ‘I really like that the tutors are university students because I know they have gone through the same experience as me…they can relate to my experience and that is something that makes this tutoring centre different from others'. My communication skills as an individual were sharpened and so was my ability to work with other people. My relationship with the group members, our client and the customers was impeccable which enabled me learn and at the same time offer help where necessary. New ideas together with the ones we came up with within the course of the research will be of much help to our client. This will impact positively on not only our client but the community in general. Generally speaking, the project was an excellent tool that sharpened not only my communication skills but also teamwork. 6: REFERENCES: 1. Australian Teacher Magazine: tutoring. Can student afford not to have a tutor? 2011. 2. Ernestina GS.  10 reasons why people get tutors for their children 2011: 3. S4S Coaching. About Us 2010 4. Wilcox DL. & GT. Cameron. public relations: Strategies and tactics, Pearson, Sydney 2012, 10th ed. 5. www.s4scoaching.com.au 6. Carol Tenopir journal keeping,University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee, USA 2010. 7: APPENDIX Original copy of email List of Team roles Team Journal List of tactics Portfolio of All Tactics Read More