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Full-time Education
School of Business and Services

higher nitec in business studies (customer contact services)

Entry Requirements

For GCE 'O' school leavers, you need to have at least Three GCE 'O' level grades:

Grade 1 - 6 in English Language,
Grade 1 - 8 in Mathematics (Elementary or Additional), and
Grade 1 - 7 in one other subject.

For GCE N(A) school leavers who applied during the January intake under the Direct Entry Scheme with 10 weeks of preparatory programme followed by 2 years of Higher Nitec training, Mathematics and 3 other subjects (ELMAB3) in the GCE 'N(A)' examinations.

For the ELMAB3 aggregate score, you must get:

Grade 1 - 3 in English Language
Grade 1 - 4 in Mathematics
Grade 1 - 5 in the 3 other subjects.

For ITE graduates, you must have obtained at least a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.8 for your Nitec in Business and Services qualifications.

 
Course Synopsis

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

Manage inbound/outbound channels and calls.
Manage sales calls.
Obtain and maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.
Manage customer issues.
Provide customer hardware and software support.
Manage e-business activities.
Support call-centre applications development.
 
Campus(es) Offering This Course

The duration of this course is two years and is conducted at ITE College West (Clementi Campus).

 
Videoclip on Learning Environment
Currently unavailable.
 
Progression Opportunities

ITE training has become a very practical and viable alternative route to tertiary education. At every course level, ITE has created opportunities for graduates to progress to higher level training both internally and externally.

 
Career Prospects

Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Customer Contact Services) graduates are employed as customer support personnel in various industries like telecommunications, banking and finance, transport, IT and retail and other corporate businesses. Examples of job titles held by Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Customer Contact Services) graduates are Customer Service Representatives, Customer Service Agents, Contact Centre Agents and Customer Care Representatives.

 
Course Structure

To obtain the Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Customer Contact Services) certification, you need to accumulate at least 72 credits.

CERTIFICATION

Credits required for certification

Core Modules
54
Life Skills Modules
10
Elective Modules
8
Total
72

CORE MODULES

- Business Communication (7 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to communicate effectively and handle both oral and written communication required in a business/workplace environment. Students should also be able to apply the use of language in various business settings as well as in social and cross cultural situations.
- Business Environment (4 credits)
On completion of the module, student should be able to provide an overview of the general environment in which businesses operate as well as be able to explore a range of contemporary issues relevant to each environment such as the changing public sector, corporate social responsibility and ethics and globalization.
- Office Applications (3 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to produce office documents, process and organize data as well as create presentations using commonly used software packages.
- Customer Service (4 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to provide quality customer service, with awareness to cultural diversity and customer behavioral styles. 
- CRM Process and Applications (7 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to have a basic understanding of the concepts used in customer service relationship. Students are also trained to provide pre-and-after sales support functions, target marketing to attract and retain customer base using customer relationship management software. - Contact Centre Systems and Operations (6 credits)
On completion of this module, students should be able to manage various contact centre equipment and applications.  Students would also be well versed with the various technologies used in a contact centre environment to provide sales and/or support to customers.
- Principles of Service Marketing (7 credits)
On completion of this module, students should be able to cultivate good customer service quality, customer contact and rapport through various service marketing tools and techniques. 
- Data Analysis and IT Applications (6 credits)
On completion of this module, students should be able to provide basic computer troubleshooting and installation.  Students would also be able to do basic analysis of data using available customer information
- e-Business Applications (6 credits)
On completion of this module, students should be able to manage an e-business application; to be able to provide products, promote services, facilitate payment and deliver goods and services through on-line facilities.
- Industry Attachment (4 credits)
Students are provided with the opportunity to work in an actual business environment.

LIFE SKILLS MODULES

- Life Skills for Personal Development (8 credits)
Life skills in broad terms are the foundation skills and personal qualities that an individual can transfer from one job setting to another to manage and adapt to changes in technology and work environments.
- Sports and Wellness I (1 credit)
On completion of the module, students should be able to maintain a fit and healthy body and develop an appreciation of sports and games.
- Sports and Wellness II (1 credit)
On completion of the module, students should be able to maintain a fit and healthy body and develop an appreciation of sports and games.

 

ELECTIVES

Electives (Course Specific)
 
 
- Banking and Financial Services (4 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to identify the different banking and financial services provided by private and government financial institutions.
-
Principles of International Commerce
(4 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to apply the knowledge and skills acquired from the course to identify a business opportunity and to develop a business plan for launching and operating a small enterprise. The training also covers market and competitor analysis, and fundamentals of business finance.

   
Electives (Inter-disciplinary)  
   

- Entrepreneurship (4 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to apply knowledge and skills acquired from the course to identify a business opportunity and to develop a business plan for launching and operating a small enterprise. The training also covers market competitor analysis, and fundamentals of business finance.
- Tourism Products and Services (4 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to give an overview of the tourism industry, the importance of tourism, popular tourist destinations, as well as attractions and events.
- Web Publishing (5 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to lay out web pages, create and update basic HTML documents; incorporate images, links and anchors, lists and tables, forms, web-based animation and multimedia elements into HTML documents; create HTML documents with frames; connect website with web hosting service provider; and register website with directory services providers and search engines. The training also covers issues relating to ethics and intellectual property protection.


   
Electives (General)  
 
- Business Mandarin (3 credits)
Students should be able to converse in Mandarin in the business environment and be able to develop skills in interpreting business correspondence. The scope of training covers brief introduction of business environment, business etiquette, communication techniques and business correspondence.
- Overseas Experiential Programme (2 or 3 credits)
On completion of the module, students should be able to develop leadership qualities, self-confidence, independence, cross-cultural interaction skills and other life skills.
 
Quick Links
Entry Requirements
Course Synopsis
Campus(es) Offering This Course
Videoclip on Learning Environment
Progression Opportunities
Career Prospects
Course Structure
 
Last updated on 8 Jan 2009