Management Trainee Review

My daily tasks at work revolve around Enterprise’s three core groups of customers:
1. Retail – these are your everyday holiday-goers and casual renters which I often have the most interaction with. I learnt to tailor my sales pitch according to their different needs which enabled me to master selling excess protection and upgrades.
2. Insurance/Replacement – a slightly more complicated customer to approach as they have often come from 1st/3rd party accidents. Developing a concrete understanding of insurance claims as well as clear and effective communication with customers, body shops, dealerships and insurance brokers is a must here in order to efficiently switch customers into their like-for-like courtesy vehicle as soon as possible, offering the right protection policies where suitable.
3. Corporate – my branch’s main corporate clients work for the likes of BBC, ITV, and BT. It was important to drive corporate account growth through efficient customer service whilst also spotting opportunities for local referrals and other corporate leads

Yes, massive amounts. Day-running seems fancy at first – you sit at your own big desk on the other side of the office ‘pulling the strings’ and coordinating all daily operations. However, the responsibilities of this job, to name a few, include:
a. Controlling vehicle returns and matching them up with upcoming reservations; thus, requisitioning vehicles from other branches when you’re short on cars
b. Organising your team to pick-up/ collect vehicles on time from corporate clients throughout the day; dealing with any technical/logistics difficulties that arise (e.g., parking restrictions in London)
c. Being directly responsible for driving sales and customer service; thus, providing upgrade options and ensuring all cars are clean, safe, and fuelled.
d. Planning ‘missions’ and employee lunch breaks around peak times of customer walk-ins and being the first point of contact for any queries and complaints customers may have.
e. Running the day to a tight schedule to make sure you maximise your Days Earnt % (no. of vehicles you have on rent) whilst keeping an eye on tomorrow’s reservations and finally making sure you finish on time!
The job was stressful, to say the least, but I got a real taste of what it was like to be a manager and I loved it. I’m not too sure many other placement students can say the same given the level of responsibility you are usually given on placement schemes.

Becoming the youngest ever day-runner at Mercedes-Benz Chelsea and Enterprise’s largest Home City branch in the UK (250+ cars) allowed me to enhance my organisational skills, problem-solving and time management.
I also honed my ability to influence, negotiate and persuade through constant sales training (selling excess insurance packages).
Finally, there is a big emphasis on mastering your customer service skills, whether that be on the phone or in-person, as you would be rewarded by receiving positive reviews for your service.

It varied. I worked in a very fast paced environment where customers were always put first, before anybody else. Some days you may struggle to find the time to complete your training folder but other days you may get the chance to have PDM (Personal Development Meeting) with a Manager of some sort which allowed you discuss your goals and/or any challenges you were facing at the time. I was lucky to have a manager that put his colleague's progression first but I know of other interns that weren't so lucky.

The work you did became your life, essentially. I would be up at 6 in the morning and sometimes back home as late as 8:30pm (thuis depended on customers, traffic when picking up/dropping off vehicles etc). I worked weekends and my social life took a big hit but for an internship, it was worth it. You learn so much, work with great people and earn a respectable amount of money as placements go.

There isn’t much I regret about my placement year. At first, the idea of working in car rental didn’t seem too glamourous, but a year on, after all the responsibility, skills, friendships, and confidence I have gained (and the nice cars I have driven!) this year has been one like no other and an opportunity I have made the absolute most of. Of course, there has been ups and down; times that I have questioned the job role and my work-life balance, for sure, but just like any job, you get on with it.

Yes