This is a scenario based assessment suitable for ICT Graduates (there is complementary task for Accounting Graduates).
Participants will be assessed as individuals.
Scenario:
Your company, ABC Partners, has been contacted via email by a prospective client (Dr. Paul Simmons – Simmons Medical Practice) who you recently met at a networking function. You do not have any detailed knowledge about his business or his scope of works.
TASK (1):
Reply to Dr Simmons’s email (remember that you have only met him once). Your aim should be to gather detailed information about his business, his needs and his scope of works in order for you compile a proposal report. (200 words)
In the email try to build your relationship further and extract some key information about his business, including: Number of staff (including specialist medical, admin); workstation requirements; specialist equipment and software used; Dr Simmons’s data server and host; home to office links; links with work; What is the current IT support?; Why does Dr Simmons want to change? Etc.
Imagine you received the following information from Dr Simmons:
• The medical centre is owned by Dr Simmons (including the premises)
• Expensive specialist medical equipment is leased and maintained by the respective company
• Three full time General Practitioners use consulting rooms and use a desktop and printer linked to the network
• Support staff consists of 1 F/T and 1 P/T medical receptionist; 1 F/T and 1 P/T nurse. All use a variety of IT equipment
• One visiting Skin Specialist comes once a week and rents a consulting room. She subleases Dr Simmons technical equipment
• Dr Simmons is responsible for all IT maintenance and data storage
• Dr Simmons’s wife is a registered nurse and works in the clinic about 8 hours per week. She is a partner in the business
• Dr Simmons is responsible for all consumables and maintenance of equipment, then gets reimbursed by the other GPs
• There is an IT contract in place, but will come to an end in 1 month’s time.
• Dr Simmons and the other GPs bulk bill their patients but some of the IT network ad equipment is not reliable
• Dr Simmons thinks the current accounting service uses complicated software and is not integrated enough with his patient management system.
• The Patient Management System is not automated enough to trigger reminders of appointment times with patients’ mobile phone
• Dr Simmons believes he does not get enough advice from his IT consultant about ways to invest and improve his technology
TASK (2):
Based on the information above, plan and write a Business Proposal using the template provided (1000 words)
Your final report should provide Dr. Simmons with detailed information about your business’s capability and what services/products your firm proposes to provide to match his needs. Services may include: Network Technology and Data Management upgrades; Systems analysis and proposal for better integration of functions in the medical centre; Investment in higher value client service management; etc.
TASK (3):
Design a second email to Dr Simmons to give him your Business Proposal (for ongoing accounting and financial services). The proposal includes overall service fees (e.g. yearly retainer); further itemised charges; fees and additional services for specific purposes (e.g. Annual reviews and equipment testing; Safety audits). Attach your proposal to this email. (100 words)
Email Assessment Not Competent Competent
Assessment Criteria Explanation of the Criteria Task 1 Task 3 Task 1 Task 3
Linear style The purpose of the information is made obvious and follows a logical structure.
Unity, logic, cohesion All words are necessary. And each paragraph has a specific purpose
Tone is appropriate for audience
The words are the right level of formality. This includes the greeting and sign-off.
The language used must be at an appropriate level for two colleagues communicating. Therefore ‘Hi’ is too informal. Emotive language is not acceptable ‘I’d love to…’ and text language must be avoided.
The following are allowable: Contractions e.g. ‘I’m’/’wouldn’t’
Dashes combine sentences e.g. ‘Harry came over from accounts – he helped me with the payroll’
Grammar
The following grammatical structures are correct – articles, prepositions, tenses, subject/verb agreement
Capital letters are correct (proper nouns, first person singular, first word of a sentence) Capital letters should be used for proper nouns, first person singular, first word of a sentence
Linear style The purpose of the information is made obvious and follows a logical structure.
Report/Proposal Assessment (Task 2) Not Competent Competent
Assessment Criteria Explanation of the Criteria
Report/Proposal answers the question The report shares research findings, explores and makes recommendations
There are no unexplained abbreviations Standard abbreviations such as BAS or ATO are allowed. Any unusual acronyms must be explained by the writer.
There are no word/phrases which are too informal for a business report Informal language which includes slang, emphatic language, emotive language, text language should not be used in business proposals or reports.
Grammar The following grammatical structures are correct – articles, prepositions tenses, subject/verb agreement
Capital letters are correct Capital letters should be used for proper nouns, first person singular, first word of a sentence
No gender specific language or other generalisations Gender specific language might be the use of the word ‘he’ when speaking about both genders. ‘Other generalisations’ means assumptions made to a broad section of society for which there is no evidence to substantiate the claim. An example ‘elderly people do not like living in retirement villages’
Paragraphs have a topic with a topic sentence. Each topic has its own sentence. The first sentence of the paragraph introduces the reader to the idea. The other sentences expand upon this idea.
___________________________________________-
Task 1:
Dear Dr. Simmons,
I hope this email finds you well.
I enjoyed meeting you at the networking event last week, and I’m writing to follow up on our conversation about your IT needs.
I understand that you’re looking for a new IT partner to provide support for your medical practice. I’m confident that ABC Partners can meet your needs.
We have a team of experienced IT professionals who specialize in providing IT services to medical practices. We have a proven track record of success, and we’re committed to providing our clients with the highest level of service.
I’d like to schedule a time to meet with you to discuss your specific needs in more detail. I’m available to meet with you on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of next week.
Please let me know which day works best for you.
In the meantime, I’ve attached a brief overview of our services.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Task 2:
Business Proposal
To: Dr. Paul Simmons
From: [Your Name]
Date: June 8, 2023
Subject: Business Proposal for IT Services
Introduction
ABC Partners is a leading provider of IT services to businesses of all sizes. We have a team of experienced IT professionals who are dedicated to providing our clients with the highest level of service.
We are writing to you today to propose a partnership to provide IT services for your medical practice. We believe that our services can help you to improve the efficiency of your practice, reduce your costs, and improve the quality of care that you provide to your patients.
Services
The following are the IT services that we would provide to your practice:
Network design and implementation
Hardware and software installation and support
Data backup and recovery
Security and compliance
IT consulting
Benefits
Our IT services can provide you with a number of benefits, including:
Improved efficiency: Our services can help you to improve the efficiency of your practice by automating tasks, providing real-time data, and improving communication between staff.
Reduced costs: Our services can help you to reduce your costs by improving efficiency, reducing downtime, and avoiding security breaches.
Improved quality of care: Our services can help you to improve the quality of care that you provide to your patients by providing you with the tools and information that you need to make better decisions.
Cost
The cost of our services will vary depending on the specific needs of your practice. We offer a variety of pricing options to fit your budget.
Call to Action
We would like to schedule a time to meet with you to discuss your specific needs in more detail. We can also provide you with a more detailed cost estimate.
Please contact us at your earliest convenience to schedule a meeting.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Task 3:
Dear Dr. Simmons,
I hope this email finds you well.
I’m writing to follow up on our recent meeting and to provide you with a copy of our business proposal for IT services.
As we discussed, we believe that our services can help you to improve the efficiency of your practice, reduce your costs, and improve the quality of care that you provide to your patients.
The attached proposal provides more details about our services and pricing.
I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
