L3 Customer Service Specialist

To support the learner to understand the function of continuous improvement within customer service. To understand the strategy of the business in which the learner works and how their actions will influence the customer experience and their satisfaction with the organisation. To understand and critically evaluate the journey that internal and external customers experience. To understand what drives customer loyalty, retention and satisfaction and to proactively gather customer feedback and critically analyse this to suggest and implement improvements for the organisation.

The learner will be a senior customer service advisor or manager of a customer service team or a specialist client adviser in a sector specific customer service role.

• Organisational business knowledge and understanding
• Customer journey knowledge
• Knowing your customer- customer insight
• Customer service culture, environment and awareness
• Business focused service delivery
• Providing a positive customer experience
• Customer service performance and improvement
• Team Working

To drive quality and consistency through on-programme learning, this may include use of normal performance management processes to monitor the progress of the learner, provide feedback and guide development. The qualification will require reviews of progress at regular intervals, involving the learner, line managers and others with a direct relationship, e.g. mentors, workplace coaches, etc. They should agree how any issues are to be resolved together. Learners may develop and maintain examples of their work throughout the apprenticeship covering the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours. This could be in the form of a portfolio or other tracking method to be reviewed on-programme at intervals agreed by the employer and training provider, for example at 3, 6 and 9 months.

• Customer Service Specialist Standard
• We can add on bespoke customer service units if requested
• Level 2 Functional Skills in maths  
• Level 2 Functional Skills in English  
• End Point Assessment  

The learner will be allocated a qualified Tutor to support the full completion of the qualification and prepare for end point assessment. The tutor will meet with the learner on a regular basis in the workplace to conduct assessments which will be planned with the learner and their manager; assessment will also be conducted through a blended model of e–Learning and face to face delivery. The Tutor will manage the learner’s portfolio of evidence using an online electronic system called OneFile and provide regular updates about progress. The learner can contact their Tutor in between visits to discuss any aspect of the qualification and will have access to their individual learner’s portfolio.

An End Point Assessment will be carried out by staff from an independent End Point Assessment centre approved on the Register of End Point Assessment Organisations (EPAO).

The End Point Assessment will test the entire apprenticeship standard and will be undertaken as follows:

• A work-based project (written report 2500 words) – to focus on a specific high level challenge such as a continuous improvement project, a difficult complaint or situation
• Interview to support the work-based project (60 minutes)
• Practical observation with Q&A (60 minutes)
• Professional discussion (60 minutes) – using evidence from the on-programme portfolio

The End Point Assessment requires apprentices to demonstrate they have achieved the standard.

Before the learner is ready to undertake the End Point Assessment by their employer and learning provider, they are required to:

• Achieve Customer Service Specialist Standard
• Achieve 2 Units from the Level 3 Diploma in Customer service
• Achieve Level 2 Maths and English Functional Skills
• Complete a portfolio work-based project

The purpose of the End Point Assessment is to test (in a synoptic way) the Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours of the learner as set out in the apprenticeship standard

End Point Assessment provides learners with a showcase opportunity to provide oral and documentary evidence of their knowledge, skills and behaviours developed throughout the apprenticeship. This enables the independent assessor to assess the skills and behaviours of the learner by observing them in the course of their normal work. This will help to test the knowledge acquired by the learner throughout the apprenticeship.

The qualification usually takes around 15 months and it is expected the learner is on the programme for this length of time as a minimum.

Completion of this apprenticeship may allow the learner to join the Institute of Customer Service as an Individual member at Professional level.