Customer Service Apprenticeship
Overview
The role of a customer service practitioner is to deliver high quality products and services to the customers of their organisation, provided either digitally, or going to the customer’s own locality. These may be one-off or routine contacts, and include dealing with orders, payments, offering advice, guidance and support, meet-and-greet, sales, fixing problems, after-care, service recovery or gaining insight through measuring customer satisfaction. You may be the first point of contact and work in any sector or organisation type.
Entry requirements
Customer Service Practitioner (Level 2)
- You would normally be expected to have 4 GCSEs at grade E/2 or above (including maths and English), or a relevant vocational qualification at Level 1 or above.
- Applicants will be offered a place once they have secured employment and subject to a satisfactory initial assessment in maths and English.
Customer Service Specialist (Level 3)
- You would normally be expected to have 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (including maths and English), or a relevant vocational qualification at Level 2 or above.
Those applicants without formal qualifications but who can evidence substantial and relevant sector work experience will also be considered.
Behaviours
You will ...
- Take ownership of keeping your service knowledge and skills up-to-date
- Act on, and seek feedback from others to develop or maintain personal service skills and knowledge
- Uphold the organisation's core values and service culture through your actions
- Demonstrate personal pride in the job through appropriate dress and positive, confident language
- Use communication behaviours that establish clearly what each customer requires and manage their expectations.
Knowledge
You will ...
- Understand who your customers are
- Know the purpose of the business and what ‘brand promise’ means
- Know the appropriate legislation and regulatory requirements that affect your business
- Know how to use systems, equipment and technology to meet the needs of your customers
- Know the targets and goals you need to deliver against
- Understand how to build trust with a customer and why this is important.
Skills
You will ...
- Be able to use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery
- Be able to provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation
- Demonstrate patience and calmness in dealing with customer conflict.
What qualifications will I gain?
Certificate of completion from the Institute for Apprenticeships.
Key facts
Campus: Hereford
Minimum age: 16
Level: Customer Service Practitioner - Level 2; Customer Service Specialist - Level 3
Duration: Practitioner (Level 2) - minimum 12 months; Specialist (Level 3) - minimum 15 months
Typical employment:
From Level 2: opportunities include customer relationship manager, customer support agent, customer service operator and customer relations officer. From Level 3: roles could include customer service supervisor, customer service manager or senior advisor.
Contact
Telephone: 0800 032 1986
Email: apprenticeships@hlnsc.ac.uk