Apprenticeships

Customer Service Specialist     Level 3     Typical Duration: 18 Months

Provide direct customer support within all sectors and organisation types

The main purpose of a customer service specialist is to be a ‘professional’ for direct customer support. In this role, you’ll train to be an advocate of customer service, acting as a referral point for dealing with more complex or technical customer requests, complaints and queries. You’ll be an escalation point for complicated or ongoing customer problems. As a developing expert in your organisation’s products and/or services, you’ll share knowledge with your wider team and colleagues. You’ll gather and analyse data and customer information that influences change and improvements in service. You’ll use both organisational and generic IT systems to carry out your role with an awareness of other digital technologies. This role could be carried out in many types of environments, including contact centres, retail, webchat, service industry or any customer service point.

Delivery is a blend of:

• Online content supporting the development of relevant knowledge, behaviours and skills, set by the standard
• Workshops and live content to underpin the e-learning resources
• Review meetings with the tutor and manager

Over the course of the apprenticeship, students build an electronic portfolio of evidence that showcases their knowledge, skills and behaviours. If apprentices do not already have Maths and English at level 2 or above, students will also study these as part of the apprenticeship standard. After a minimum of 12 months, when apprentices have completed their portfolio and are meeting the standard required, they progress to the final End Point Assessment (EPA)

Eligibility

People of all ages and educational backgrounds can become apprentices, but there are some restrictions, the most important of which are:

• The employer and the training provider must ascertain that the apprenticeship will allow the individual to gain substantive new skills. The training therefore needs to be materially different from any prior qualification or previous apprenticeship;
• The period of teaching and learning must be at least 12 months and, during this time, apprentices are expected to spend at least 6 hours a week of their time in “off the job” training. This must be part of their contracted working hours.
• Before the learner commences their apprenticeship standard, a functional skills initial assessment in English and Maths will be taken to match the appropriate standard and level.
• An assessment of their recognised prior learning will also take place.