Apprentice Achievements

Customer Services Specialist

Business & Management

A Customer Service Specialists main role is to provide professional customer support within all sectors and organisations. A Customer Service Specialist will act as a referral point when it comes to dealing with more complex or technical customer requests, complaints and queries. As an expert within an organisation a specialist will have knowledge of products and/or services and is therefore better capable of dealing with escalated or on-going customer problems. A Customer Service Specialist will gather and analyse data and customer information that influences change and improvements in service. This role can be applied to many sectors and organisations including contact centres, retail, webchat, service industries or any customer service point.

Skills: What you Will Learn

Business Focused Service -

  • Demonstrate continuous improvement and providing recommendations or advice
  • Resolve complex issues by successfully using a wide range of approaches
  • Find solutions to meet the needs of the organisation as well as the customers requirements

Providing Positive Customer Experiences -

  • By listening, questioning and summerising to negotiate outcomes that are mutually beneficial
  • Clearly explain options and solutions to influence and assist customers to make choices and agree on the next steps
  • Make cost effective decisions to meet the needs of the business and the customer
  • Identify positives and negatives within the customer journey
  • Use both written and verbal communications to simplify complex information in a way that is providing a positive customer experience

Utilising Customer Insights -

  • Proactively gather customer feedback to analyse, evaluate and act upon
  • Identify customer types, to help anticipate needs and expectations

Customer Service Performance -

  • Maintain positive relationships, even when unable to meet customer expectations
  • Familiarise historical interactions when managing escalated customer problems

Service Improvements -

  • Analyse the end-to-end service experience, seeking support where required
  • Make recommendations based on findings to enable improvement
  • Implement changes in line with new and relevant legislation, regulation and industry best practice


Knowledge: What you Will Learn

Business Knowledge and Understanding

  • Understand what continuous improvement means in a service environment and how your recommendations for change impact your organisation
  • Understand the impact your service provision has on the wider organisation and the value it adds
  • Understand your organisation's current business strategy in relation to customers and make recommendations for its future
  • Understand the principles and benefits of being able to think about the future when taking action or making service related decisions
  • Understand a range of leadership styles and apply them successfully in a customer service environment

Customer Journey Knowledge -

  • Understand and critically evaluate the possible journeys of your customers, including challenges and the end-to-end experience
  • Understand the reasons why customer issues and complex situations sometimes need referral or escalation for specialist attention
  • Understand the underpinning business processes that support you in bringing about the best outcome for customers and your organisation
  • Understand commercial factors and authority limits for delivering the required customer experience

Customers Needs and Insights -

  • Know your internal and external customers and how their behaviour may require different approaches from you
  • Understand how to analyse, use and present a range of information to provide customer insight
  • Understand what drives loyalty, retention and satisfaction and how they impact on your organisation
  • Understand different customer types and the role of emotions in bringing about a successful outcome
  • Understand how customer expectations can differ between cultures, ages and social profiles

CS Culture and Environment Awareness -

  • Keep current, knowledge and understanding of regulatory considerations, drivers and impacts in relation to how you deliver for customers
  • Understand your business environment and culture and the position of customer service within it
  • Understand your organisation structure and what role each department needs to play in delivering Customer Service and what the consequences are should things go wrong
  • Understand how to find and use industry best practice to enhance own knowledge


Behaviour: What is Expected

Self Development -

  • Proactively keep your service, industry and best practice knowledge and skills up-to-date
  • Consider personal goals related to service and take action towards achieving them

Ownership / Responsibility -

  • Personally commit to and take ownership for actions to resolve customer issues to the satisfaction of the customer and your organisation
  • Exercises proactivity and creativity when identifying solutions to customer and organisational issues
  • Make realistic promises and deliver on them

Team Work -

  • Work effectively and collaboratively with colleagues at all levels to achieve results.
  • Recognise colleagues as internal customers
  • Share knowledge and experience with others to support colleague development

Equality -

  • Adopt a positive and enthusiastic attitude being open minded and able to tailor your service to each customer
  • Be adaptable and flexible to your customer needs whilst continuing to work within the agreed customer service environment

Presentation -

  • Demonstrate brand advocacy, values and belief when dealing with customer requests to build trust, credibility and satisfaction
  • Ensure your personal presentation, in all forms of communication, reflects positively on your organisation's brand


Level: Level 3

Qualifications Required: Organisations will set their own entry criteria and are more likely to select individuals with more advanced interpersonal skills, experience of working with customers in some capacity. You must achieve level 2 English and maths prior to taking the end point assessment.

Duration: Typically 15 months

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