This summer, I am working with DLL group, which provides asset finance solutions globally. De Lage Landen is headquartered in the Netherlands, but I work in a hybrid role for the Cisco Capital Tech Solutions team. The team leases Cisco products to small-and medium-sized businesses across the country and is based out of the American headquarters in Wayne, PA. As an intern, I have two main projects. The first is supporting my boss in streamlining the onboarding processes that occur through both DLL and Cisco for new additions to his team. Second, I will help refine the use of AI in finding new sales leads that meet certain criteria to create additional revenue.
In the past three weeks, I have learned a lot about the importance of communication in both financial transactions and on teams in a corporation. The simplest way DLL functions is as a bank. DLL lends money or financial assets (in this case Cisco products) at a higher rate than they buy it for (from either Cisco or certified resellers) and thereby makes a profit. This means that DLL must communicate with Cisco on an almost daily basis. In addition, sales representatives on any of the Cisco Tech Solution teams at DLL are contractual workers at Cisco, which surprised me. On top of being a DLL employee, sales reps must also complete an entire onboarding process, with a background check, for Cisco and abide by their standards and regulations to maintain their RedBadge status as a Cisco contractual worker. Another aspect that surprises me is the fact that sales representatives on my team appear to their clients purely as Cisco (with an email address, Cisco ID number, etc.) and rarely do their clients realize they are part of DLL. I think this proves to be beneficial, as it allows the clients to believe that the Cisco products are of the highest quality, which makes them more likely to choose to finance.
Through my internship at DLL, I’ve learned the pros and cons of working hybrid in a post-pandemic world. Because of their American headquarters in Wayne, I was eligible for on campus housing this summer, and I am lucky to already have gone to the office twice. I have met most of my team in-person individually, but have only been on a few big meetings thus far. Additionally, I will not get to be with the entire team in-person this summer, as a couple members live in states other than Pennsylvania. Though I will not get that enriching experience, I am thankful for Microsoft Teams and WebEx, Cisco’s video chat platform, as I will get to travel home to Texas for a few weeks while to still engaging my internship to its fullest.
When it comes to finding a summer internship experience, I would advise other students to make the most of Haverford’s altruistic alumni. When speaking to a recent alum in January, I learned about her experience interning for DLL through the Whitehead Internship Program. If it were not for her gushing about the great experience, I would not have been as focused on applying for this program. Additionally, I would suggest reading the CCPA newsletters because they were extremely helpful when starting my search process for a summer internship. The CCPA includes some really exciting opportunities, and they can act as a stepping stone towards finding other enriching experiences off-campus. Communication is also extremely key for finding and completing a summer internship. In my role, I have found that reaching out to people at DLL on other solution teams has made my ability to complete my projects a lot more efficient while also making connections along the way. I even had a work call with someone in the Netherlands!
Although I have not completed my first project yet, I can already see the impact it has made on my boss as he looks to add more team members. I am excited to see what this summer holds, and how it will prepare me for a future in finance.
