Hands-on Skills
Many first jobs are in small businesses. Most of them run on a few tools nobody teaches.
A small business may track enquiries in a CRM or a shared sheet, raise invoices in accounting software and keep everything else in a messaging app. A new hire is often expected to keep these records accurate from week one. This session shows what the tools are for, what good records look like, and the mistakes that cause real trouble later.
Explore this page7 sections
In a small business, the records are the business.
When a team is small, each person's data entry matters. A missed follow-up is a lost customer; a wrong invoice is an awkward phone call; an unrecorded payment is a problem at the end of the month. For an owner, a new hire who keeps records carefully is worth a great deal.
The tools vary: some businesses use dedicated CRM or accounting software, others a spreadsheet and a notebook. The principles do not vary, and they transfer from one tool to the next. That is what this session teaches, using a free or trial version of a common tool as the example.
What the session covers
29 topics across 6 areas. Six parts, from the first enquiry to the end of the month.
What a CRM Is ForRemembering every customer, so nobody has to.5
- Contacts, companies and leads
- Stages from enquiry to sale
- Notes from each conversation
- Follow-up tasks with dates
- Simple reports an owner looks at
A shared sheet with the right columns can do this job well for a small team.
Keeping Customer Records CleanSmall habits, large consequences.5
- Checking for a record before creating one
- Consistent names, numbers and spellings
- Writing notes a colleague can understand
- Updating the stage the same day
- Respecting customers' personal information
How Money MovesQuotation, invoice, payment, receipt.5
- What each document is for
- What an invoice must show
- Recording a payment against the right invoice
- Credit notes and corrections
- Following up an unpaid invoice
Accounting Software BasicsWhat a junior is usually asked to do.5
Many small businesses in India use accounting software such as Tally or Zoho Books, or work with an accountant who does. The aim here is the logic of the entries, not one product's menus.
- Entering sales and purchase bills
- Recording expenses with receipts
- Matching entries to the bank statement
- Understanding a simple ledger and report
- What to leave to the accountant
Tax Is for the ProfessionalsKnow what you do not know.4
- Recognising GST details on an invoice
- Why tax fields must not be guessed
- Who in the business decides tax treatment
- Asking before changing a tax setting
Tax rules change. A junior's job is accurate entry and a good question, not tax advice.
Working Across ToolsWhere things fall through the gaps.5
- An enquiry on a messaging app that never reaches the CRM
- A payment received but not recorded
- Exports, imports and duplicate records
- Who owns which record
- A weekly check that catches the gaps
Practised in the room
- Moving three sample enquiries through a CRM
- Raising an invoice and recording its payment
- Finding and fixing a deliberately planted mistake
- A short end-of-week checklist
Who this suits
- Students heading for jobs in small businesses
- Young people applying for office, sales support or accounts roles
- Small-business owners and family members starting to use these tools
Who teaches it
- Small-business owners
- Accountants and bookkeepers who work with small businesses
- Sales operations and CRM practitioners
How the session runs
The practitioner walks through how a small business they know records an enquiry, a sale and a payment, using sample data. Participants then do the same in a free or trial version of a common tool, or a prepared spreadsheet where software is not available, and find the errors in a set of planted mistakes. The session teaches principles that transfer between tools and does not promote any product.
What your students leave with
- A clear idea of what a CRM is for and how a lead moves through it
- Hands-on practice entering and updating customer records
- The basic flow of an invoice, a payment and a receipt
- Why accurate, timely records matter to an owner and an accountant
- The habits that prevent duplicates, lost follow-ups and wrong invoices
- Pointers on learning a specific tool further
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Accurate records, kept on the day, are what a small business needs from a new hire.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.