Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FAS) Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Public Relations students, namely Yap Qian Yu, Chin Wei Qi, Kelly Ng Wai Yan and Faculty of Business and Finance academic Dr Tan Chi Hau won a silver medal award and e-certificates for their project titled A Mini CX Model for Courier Service Companies in the Junior Innovator category of the Malaysia Invention and Innovation Expo 2022 (MIIX 2022). Also involved in this project was Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Management student Chan Man Seong.

The competition aimed to nurture the culture of innovation and design in the field of teaching and learning, and other related fields among educators, students and the public. In addition, the competition also aimed to provide a prestigious platform for educators, students and the public to participate and showcase their innovations and designs through a digital platform.

The team leader, Yap said, “This was the first competition I participated in at the university. I was very honoured to join the team and win the award. It was a memorable experience for me to learn something from the competition. This achievement also makes me more intent to participate in more competitions in the future, whether to gain experience or prove myself. While pursuing my Public Relations degree in UTAR, my course has enabled me to learn many skills and knowledge related to video editing and CRM. These skills have undeniably contributed to the project presentation. Once again, I am truly delighted that our team has won a silver in this competition. Thank you, Dr Tan, and UTAR, for giving us this opportunity.”

Highlighting their winning entries, the team said, “The courier, express and parcel (CEP) industry is posting impressive growth across Malaysia, driven by the growth in international trade and rising internet and smartphone penetration boosting e-commerce sales. However, the current feedback collection methods in the CEP industry are ineffective enough to get consumers’ opinions due to less certainty of returned responses, anonymity issues, and email/phone surveys being treated as spam. Therefore, the presentation project employs an innovative customer relationship management (CRM) software known as “HubSpot” to build a mini customer experience (CX) model for Malaysian courier service companies. This model consists of three effective solutions: popup survey, popup survey inputs analysis, and customised helpdesk service to achieve a better CX. Through “HubSpot” CRM software – theoretically – the customer response rates will be increased, subsequently improving marketing intelligence and customer handling process using technology-based solutions.”

The Malaysia Invention and Innovation Expo 2022 (MIIX 2022) held from 1 November 2021 to 29 April 2022 was organised by Laman Teknologi Sdn Bhd, Digital Information Interest Group (DIGIT), Indonesia Scientific Society & Indian Innovators Association, and the Union of Arab Academics.