Customer Service Practitioner
Customer Service Practitioners are hugely influential in the delivery of a good customer experience and their satisfaction with an organisation.
Customer Service Practitioners need to demonstrate excellent customer service skills and behaviours as well as product and/or service knowledge. They will provide service in line with the organisation’s customer service standards and strategy and within appropriate regulatory requirements. Customer interactions may cover a wide range of situations and can include; face-to-face, telephone, post, email, text and social media.
Apprenticeship Information
Entry Requirements
A minimum of two GCSEs at Grade 3/2 (D/E) or above, including English and maths.
Where and How Will I Study?
- Online learning
- Regular one-to-one online meetings and workplace observations with your Skills Coach
Duration
- 17 months
- At least half a day per week dedicated to ‘off the job’ training/work
English and Maths
You will only need to complete English and Maths Functional Skills if you are unable to provide evidence of your GCSE qualifications or if your existing grades are just below the required entry requirements.
Apprentices who began their apprenticeship training when aged 19+ will no longer be subject to the mandatory requirement to study towards and achieve English and maths. However, for apprentices aged 19+, the apprentice or their employer can still choose for the apprentice to study towards an English and maths qualification.
The Functional Skills programme runs as an addition to the time you are already required to spend doing your off-the-job training. Following a thorough assessment process, we will select a learning plan suitable for you, which will be either 2-weeks full-time or 12-weeks (one day per-week) each for English and/or maths.
If a subject needs re-sitting, this will be additional time in the classroom on top of your learning plan.
Apprenticeship information
- Knowing your customers
- Understanding the organisation
- Meeting regulations and legislation
- Your role and responsibilities
- Customer experience
- Product and service knowledge
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication
- Influencing skills
- Personal organisation
- Dealing with customer conflict and challenge
- Developing self
- Being open to feedback
- Team working
- Equality – treating all customers as individuals
- Presentation – dress code and professional language
- ‘Right first time’
At the end of your Apprenticeship you’ll go through an end-point assessment (EPA) and be graded a pass or distinction based on a:
- A portfolio of work which you put together throughout the duration of the Apprenticeship followed by a question and answer session
- A practical workplace observation to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and behaviours
- A professional discussion to assess your knowledge and competence
Next steps
On completion of this course you may want to consider the following options to further your career.
Where can you progress to?
Frequently asked questions
This relates to evidence collected by the learner to ‘prove’ they have met the Apprenticeship standard. This could be examples of work completed, positive feedback received from customers/managers or a written statement detailing the steps taken to resolve problems, for example.
We make use of an online portfolio system, which means everyone has access 24/7 whether working in the office or from home.
Absolutely – we support all learners to develop their Maths/English skills throughout the programme and deliver Functional Skills qualifications at the appropriate level where applicable.
The minimum duration for all Apprenticeships is 12 months. Apprenticeships can be completed at any point from month 13 depending on progress made throughout.
Your assessor will conduct monthly meetings, where learning and development will take place as well as assessments.