The nationally recognised NVQ Certificate or Diploma in Customer Service will help you to gain the skills you need to:
- make the right impression with customers
- get a better understanding of what your customers really want
- build confidence and a sense of achievement
Is this qualification right for you?
We offer the Customer Service qualification at level 2 and 3.
- The level 2 Certificate is great if you want to carry out your customer service role more professionally and effectively
- The level 3 Diploma is ideal if you deliver and manage customer service, and can implement permanent changes to improve services. It's also aimed at those who work without supervision
We'll help you work out what level suits you best before you start.
How will you learn?
As the Customer Service NVQ is a work-based qualification, you’ll either need to be employed and sponsored by your employer or be doing voluntary work or a work placement.
Only selected centres offer this qualification and work experience, so you’ll need to see whether it’s available in your local area and contact your local centre to find out more.
If they do offer it, you’ll then be enrolled and supported by your tutor, either at your local centre or workplace depending on your circumstances. You’ll then be assessed on the tasks you do at work, learn new skills related to your job and create a portfolio of evidence to show what you've achieved.
Getting your qualification
You’ll achieve your qualification when your portfolio of evidence is assessed and signed off.
How much will it cost?
Thanks to Government funding, your courses and qualification may be subsidised or free depending on your circumstances. Your centre will be able to tell you more about this before you enrol.
How long does it take?
Up to 12 months, but we'll agree a target end date to suit you.
What do you learn?
Depending on the qualification you’re working towards, your job role and experience, we’ll work with you to put the right set of courses together. This could include:
Customer Service Essentials
A professional appearance and a respectful, business-like manner will give customers confidence in you and your company. These courses will help you get the fundamentals of delivering excellent customer service.
You'll learn how to:
- understand your organisation’s approach to customer service
- provide a safe environment for your customers
- understand the importance of your appearance and behaviour in creating a positive impression
- understand your customers' needs and wants
- know how to respond appropriately to customer questions and comments
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Rules and Regulations - a Guide to your Responsibilities
- Creating a Good First Impression
- Managing Customer Data
- Demonstrate and Understand Customer Service
- Giving Good Customer Service
Communicating with Customers
How you communicate with your customers can often be the most effective way of understanding and responding to what your customers want.
If you deal with customers as part of your job, you’re responsible for ensuring they have a positive experience of your company. These courses can help you to:
- prepare clear and concise written communications, and communicate effectively on the telephone and face to face
- adapt your tone, language and style for different customers and situations
- understand the importance of listening to your customers
- build rapport by identifying and responding to your customers’ individual needs and wants through your communications
- recognise and interpret non-verbal communication such as body language
- have a thorough knowledge of your products or services
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Written Communications
- Deal with Customers Face to Face
- Taking Phone Calls
- Deal with Customers in Writing or Using ICT
- Improving your Body Language
- Improving your Verbal Communication Skills
- Effective Communication
- Organise the Promotion of Services or Products to Customers
- Promotion - the First Step to Reaching your Customers
Problem Solving
Even the most successful business doesn’t get things right all the time, so it’s vital that you have the skills to solve customer queries and problems successfully. These courses will help you to:
- identify how and when customer service problems can occur
- respond to customer queries and complaints appropriately, courteously and professionally
- deal with difficult and dissatisfied customers, ensuring a positive outcome and using feedback to improve service
- record and analyse data from customer complaints to identify recurring problems and limit repeat complaints
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Process Customer Service Complaints
- Monitor and Solve Customer Service Problems
- Solving Customer Service Problems
- Complaint Procedures - a Structure for Solutions
- Difficult Situations - a Guide to Dealing with Problems
Relationship Building
Getting to know your customers and building strong relationships with them is a great way to ensure future business. When building relationships with your customers, either new or long-term, you should continue to aim to exceed their expectations. By taking these courses you’ll learn how to:
- improve your communication with your customers
- balance the needs of both your customers and your organisation
- exceed your customers' expectations and improve your customer relationships
- keep your customers informed, respected and reassured
- give additional help and information so they get added value from your organisation
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Building Relationships with your Customers
- Improve the Customer Relationship
- Building Relationships - Aim to Exceed Expectations
Continuing Improvement
Working well as part of a team is the best way to ensure your company is giving consistently good customer service all round. Being able to reflect on your own performance and development over time ensures you’re always giving the best and most competitive customer service. These courses will show you how to:
- carry out a self assessment to identify your strengths and weaknesses
- look at the different ways to improve the service you give and monitor your performance over time
- work with others to improve your performance and address any problems you might be having
- get to know your competition to stay ahead of your competitors on a day to day basis
- review and maintain your standard of customer service and how you can use recording systems to keep your service as reliable as possible
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Use Customer Service as a Competitive Tool
- Organise the Delivery of Reliable Customer Service
- Lead a Team to Improve Customer Service
- Developing your Customer Service Performance
- Gather, Analyse and Interpret Customer Feedback
- Work with Others to Improve Customer Service
- Working with Others - a Guide to Making a Difference
- Reflection and Development - Continuing Improvement
- Promote Continuous Improvement in Customer Service
- Being Competitive - Stand Out from the Crowd
- Organisation - the Secret of Successful Service Delivery
Using Information
Collecting accurate customer service information means your company can use that information to improve its products and services. You'll also need to know how other information like legislation and regulations can affect your job. These courses can help you to:
- gather, store and process accurate customer service information lawfully
- understand the importance of data security and your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act
- identify specific regulations, policies and guidelines that apply to your job
Depending on the level you're working towards, and your individual needs, the courses you could do for this part of your qualification are called:
- Managing Customer Data
- Monitor and Solve Customer Service Problems
- Organise the Promotion of Services or Products to Customers
- Understanding Rules that Impact on Improvements in Customer Service
