Day 35-38: Finishing Up the Internship

These last few days were relatively calm. Every day, Praneeta would have new edits for me, and I would go through them meticulously, trying to see what to change and what not to change. By Friday afternoon, the report was polished. However, it still needs the ultimate stamp of approval from Mr. Ghosh, the CEO of Ujjivan. He will spend the next week editing it, and will send me suggested edits and corrections via email. By this time next week, I hope to have a report ready to publish.

The last day of my internship turned out to be my longest one. After I had finished Praneeta's edits and spoken to Mr. Ghosh, I was supposed to receive my internship certificate. But Barnali, the internship coordinator, was sick for the day. With no other employee able to write and print the certificate, it took three hours before I managed to leave with the company acknowledging my work done there. This is a picture of my certificate.

Day 33 and 34: Polishing

I finished writing the report early on Friday morning. My project manager told me she would thoroughly edit it. She then gave the report to the COO of the company, who also went through it in great detail. Overall, they said the report was "fine," but they felt it was too blunt in the beginning. So my project manager and I spent all of Monday softening up the first 6-7 pages and ensuring it was more "report-friendly." Then, I had to go all over the place to make sure my information about each department was accurate. Physically, it was one of the most tiring days so far; I had to skip lunch, and I was worn out by the time I left at 4:30.

Day 32 Continued: HR Department

The one department whose employees I have not been able to interview is human resources. The department is busy with deadlines and illnesses, so the employees have not been able to sit down and talk to me. However, the HR manager was kind enough to talk to me over the phone after hours. I called him around 6:30, and we spoke for 20-25 minutes. He told me how HR helped reduce Ujjivan's expenses by re-purposing employees, and remodeling branches. He went into great detail about the different incentives Ujjivan implemented to make CRSs and other employees more effective at their jobs. This helped reduce the number of inefficient employees while also increasing the productivity of the remaining employees.

Day 30-32: Continuing Writing

After unsuccessfully trying to get an interview with the Human Resources department, I decided to finish writing up my report. I sent it to my project manager to edit which hopefully will be done soon. I am also trying to get the report published and I am working with the management team to make sure my report does not violate their policy. This picture is of the wall in front of Gangarams book store, a very popular bookstore in Bangalore owned by my father's high school friend.

Day 29: Service Quality

This morning I tied up the loose ends in my report. I made sure it had no errors and polished it. I then realized I needed to speak to Service Quality and Human Resources. So, in the afternoon, I spoke to the head of Service Quality, who talked about its beginning, why it was put into place, and how it is unique to Ujjivan. Service Quality is an entire department dedicated to customer satisfaction and grievances. Service Quality also has Customer Care Representatives (CCR) at almost every branch, and they help resolve any conflicts a client might have. If the client is unsatisfied with the CCR, they can call a toll-free number that connects them with the Help Desk in the Head Office. The Service Quality department is truly unique to Ujjivan, as many other MFIs seem not to care much about customer satisfaction. The picture below is of Indian Oil, by far the biggest gas company in India. In the picture, you can see one of the helpers who provides gas to people.

Day 26-28: Branch Writing

These last three days I have been putting my findings from the branch into writing. Next week I am planning to sit down with Human Resources as well as Service Quality to see what changes they have had to make. The report is now nearing 30 pages and I hope to add a few more. This is a photo of an auto rickshaw, it is an Indian version of a taxi.

Day 25: Interview Cashier

Today I went through an extensive interview with the cashier. I asked him a series of questions about the Ujjivan imposed mandates, the Official Branch Contest, efficiency measures taken by the company such as window repayment extension and lower turn around time. I also asked him about success and problems from cashless loans. In addition I asked him about other processes such as going online, using cash collect for fresh disbursements, etc. The cashier, who handles all of the money, gave me better answers than the clients. His English was much stronger, and I was able to obtain in-depth information. I have finished the last of my research and I will be back at the Head Office tomorrow.  

Day 24: Field Part 2

Today I went back to the field for my client interviews. I went to three separate center meetings again. I asked the same six questions as yesterday, but in more detail and in more depth. Some questions the customers found hard to understand, so I discarded them and asked new questions. However, just like last time I got adequate information. However, the information did not have the breadth or depth I really wanted. I also had trouble translating and really understanding the clients. Again the CRS's English wasn't strong, so I didn't fully understand her interpretations. Despite all these setbacks, I still managed to build on Monday's responses. I was able to gather more information about the effect of the efficiency measures on the clients themselves  After going to six separate center meetings,  the information I need from the clients point of view is sufficient. Tomorrow I will be going to the branch and asking the cashier questions about the changes in branch operations due to the crisis. The picture below is the children of one of the clients. These children were very shy around me, but were genuinely curious about a stranger coming into their home.

Day 23: Back to the Field

Today I went back to the branch to ask the clients questions about post-crisis changes to Ujjivan. I went to three separate center meetings and posed the questions to the entire group. Actually, I asked the CRS, who then translated my questions into Hindi or Kannada. My six questions focused on the new regulations, extended payment schedules, the lack of saving services, quicker loan disbursements, and cashless loans. The responses I received were helpful, but I didn't quite get the depth or breadth I had hoped for. The language barrier between myself and clients is very hard to overcome. It’s difficult to understand what they are saying, and even though the CRS translated for me, her English wasn't particularly strong. However, I am trying, to the best of my ability, to read clients’ facial expressions, body language, and tones. This way I can understand that much more about how they feel. Despite the barrier, I can build on the responses today with the responses I get tomorrow. The pictures below are of clients from two separate center meetings.

Day 19-22: Edits on Edits on Edits

The last few (and next few) days I have been editing my report in great depth. In fact, I have edited so much that I know my entire 22 page report backwards and forwards. I have had fellow interns, my father, and my project manager also edit the report as well. After talking to my project manager, she suggested that I add a case study to my report. So I will be going to the branch next week and ask the branch/clients more about the efficiency changes Ujjivan went through. I will also be asking them how the AP Crisis affected their lives, loans, and growth. 

Day 18: Editing Ujjivan Annual Report

This morning, the Director of Media Relations, Linda, came to my fellow intern Rohin and me and asked us to help her edit the Ujjivan annual report. She likes to work in the Parniaam Conference Room, so we accompanied her there. I was honored to be asked to help Ujjivan edit its annual report, as this is the document that the company presents to potential investors. The report is well-written, and I only caught a few grammatical and spacing issues. The 40-page report took the entire morning to edit, but I learned a lot about Ujjivan and its services by reading it. I learned more about Ujjivan post-crisis and the 2010 Andhra Pradesh Crisis. It has grown rapidly and is quickly becoming one of the most powerful MFIs in India. In fact, it was voted 7th best place to work in all categories for all of India. In other news, I finished my final report, and will spend the next few days editing it! This is a picture of Rohin clowning around as I take a picture of the Parniaam Conference room.