Logbook: Conversational Business Chair, September, 2021

September arrived and ….. departed, without us even knowing about it

September has arrived and with it all the good intentions that the “rentrees” provide us to quickly land to the challenges of the day to day.

We started with many fronts at the same time and the clear need to incorporate to the team an Executive Director to generate operational professionalism to all the actions to be undertaken and that both the Academic and Strategic Management of the Conversational Business Chair of the University of Valencia (CBCUV) had the confidence that the set of initiatives that were being generated had a professionalized continuity.

This was the sentiment at the beginning of September in the context of the Chair. In mid-September, Dr. Dariya Kanseitova joined the Chair as Executive Director and we welcome her and wish her the best success in her task.

Launching of phase I of the Conversational Business Chair

Let’s review what has happened in the different areas of the Chair during the month of September. The PMV of the Chair has already been consolidated and now in this first Phase of Launching the Chair the following milestones have been achieved:

Integral development of technological logistics

The ERP from the supplier Zoho that we have decided to use is already at full capacity. At the moment, until the end of September the following modules have been activated:

• Zoho Cliq for internal communication.
• Zoho Sheet for provisional database of the Chair’s contacts and connection between vision and actions.
• Mindmeister for mind maps and visualization of situations.
• Zoho Mail for interaction with the Chair’s stakeholders.
• VoIP PBX with telephone number: +34 961 154 221.
• Zoho Creator to create customized applications.
• Zoho Desk as an omnichannel contact center.
• Zoho Meeting for meetings and webinars.
• Zoho WorkDrive to manage online files for the different work teams.

In the next phase we hope to introduce more tools to deal with the volume of information that is increasingly being generated.

Web

Although it is still in a provisional domain, it is fully operational and has a first generation chatbot with whom you can interact to clarify any doubts you may have about the dynamics of the Chair.

The Chair’s website aims to show the objectives, actions and results of its work. The main page explains how you can collaborate with the Chair:

• Students
• Professionals
• Organizations
• Education

This is the reason why we speak of “Opportunities for”. We understand the Chair as a tool for the generation of opportunities that each of the indicated actors will take advantage of in the best possible way. The Chair is a permanent provocation for action. This is how its dynamics must be understood.

During the month of September the focus has been on the consolidation of the management team and we have decided to postpone the realization of events for the coming months.

Internships in companies and organizations

For any student interested in training with real cases in the world of chatbots, you can find your place in the section of internships in companies and organizations. Through the website you can apply for the position and begin the interview and training process to expand your job opportunities in a virtual world that is constantly growing.

If you are a company or organization, by signing an agreement with the Chair, you will have access to the educational platform that will put you in contact with qualified students for internships, TFG or TFM.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the subject of the internship is related to the work of the Chair. Until September, the offer of internships through the Chair is as follows:

Legal: 2 jobs

• Engineer internship: Legal eBook on the chatbot industry in Valencia, Spain.
• Lawyer internship: Legal eBook on the chatbot industry in Valencia (Spain) (Covered for Ecija Abogados Company)

Marketing: 2 offers (covered)

• PPC chatbots internship in Valencia (Spain)
• Content creation and SEO on the chatbots industry in Valencia (Spain)

Technology: 1 Offer (covered)

• TFG Proposal: Communication gateway between WhatsApp and Led Screen in Valencia (Spain).

Blog

We have a Blog where we collect the articles and opinions of the collaborators of the Chair. Specifically in the month of September the article has been published:

• Logbook 3: My experience in the Conversational Business Chair, August, 2021 (Dr. Rafael Lostado). From my point of view, the Logbooks are intended to gather the pulse of the Chair month by month. Anyone who wishes to contribute an idea, suggest a project, make a critique, etc., can do so. My mailbox will always be open and I will pass on to the Chair’s management all the concerns that come to my attention.

Events

There is also a panel with future events scheduled by the Chair, which also includes the option to register. There is also the possibility of accessing past events.

Volunteers

In addition, one of the collaborative options with the Chair is volunteering. Through it, you can participate in those activities necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Chair.

The website explains why it is a good idea to become a volunteer and you can apply by filling out a short form. Until the end of September we still have available:

• 2 Part-time volunteers.
  • Elena Bellido
  • Dr. Rafael Lostado
• 2 volunteer requests (in process)

With the Web at its PMV level, a giant step has been taken in the Conversational Business Chair project. It is a website focused on creating value for each stakeholder in 4 languages.

Partners and Events Department

The mission of this department is to contact organizations and individuals to involve them in the dynamics of the Chair through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

During the month of September we have been able to sign MOUs with the following 6 companies and institutions:

• ByLinEdu (Asociació Bernat y Loli Iniciatives Educatives)
• AEROPLANO LAB
• AMICK COMPANY SA DE CV
• AEMME (Asociación Española Multisectorial y Microempresas)
• Master Propio Transformación Energética Power Electronics
• WOZTELL SANUKER SL

Once the Memorandum of Understanding is signed, the next step consists of outlining with each Collaborator the specific project or projects to be executed in the coming months, which will be formalized through the corresponding contract that will be attached as an Annex to the Memorandum.

In this sense, during the month of September, the second ANNEX has been signed with the Master in Energy Transformation Power Electronics for the development of marketing campaigns that will help to get more and better candidates for the Master.

Goals and objectives

In the following table we recall the objectives of the Chair for the remainder of 2021 and the achievements up to September.

Finally, in September, the first effective results of the Chair’s actions began to take shape.

Personal assessment

Throughout the month of September the different lines of action have been deepened and I highlight three significant things:

1. With the incorporation of Dariya, the objectives and purposes of the Chair have been thoroughly reviewed with the lines of action that were being carried out, finding surmountable dysfunctions.
2. 6 additional MOUs have been added and more importantly, two annexes to the MOUs have been closed in the form of contracts or projects to be executed by the Chair.
3. The increased visibility of the Chair is beginning to be felt, little in terms of followers (65) but much more in terms of contacts with about 400.

In short, a productive and revisionist month of September that leaves the Chair in a position to make a qualitative leap.

Lessons learnt

This month, I would like to highlight two lessons learned this September 2021:

1. The need for reflective pauses in the management of project portfolios. This is an activity that is especially recommended in the launch phase until the vision is as complete as possible. In our case, we are moving forward in unknown territory with no precedents to draw inspiration from. This forces us to take such breaks to ensure progress. To better understand this concept, we must align it with the 1-10-100 rule of project management, which indicates that detecting an error in phase 1 costs 1€, in phase 2, the same error will cost 10€ and in phase 3 it will cost 100€.
2. The importance of feeling part of a project team and the team’s need for feedback from its members. One, it is not a team. Two, it is a team with limitations. Three is already the minimum team to tackle projects of the complexity of the Chair. With three people you can duplicate the work done by two people.