Customer Service Specialist

On a customer service specialist apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to provide direct customer support within all sectors and organisation types.

In this role, you will be taught to be a customer service advocate who acts as a point of contact for dealing with more complex or technical client requests, complaints, and inquiries.

You will be the point of contact for complicated or recurrent customer problems. In addition, as a developing specialist in your organisation’s products and/or services, you will share knowledge with your broader team and peers.

You will gather and analyse customer data that will affect change and service enhancements.

You will use organisational and general IT systems and be familiar with digital technologies to carry out your duties.

This work may be done in several contexts, including call centres, retail, online chat, the service industry, or any other point of contact with customers.

What you’ll learn

On a customer service specialist apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Demonstrate a forward-thinking, never-say-die attitude toward customer service delivery, including decision-making and providing recommendations or advice.
• Resolve complex issues by being able to choose and use several approaches.
• Find solutions that meet your organisation’s requirements as well as the needs of your consumers.
• Negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes via smart questioning, listening, and summarising.
• Manage challenging and complicated problems within your scope of authority, and make recommendations to enable and execute service or strategy change.
• Investigate and analyse the client experience to educate and impact a positive customer satisfaction result.
• Demonstrate a cost-conscious attitude while addressing the needs of consumers and the business.
• Utilise written and verbal communication to simplify and convey complex information to support positive customer outcomes.
• Collect customer feedback proactively by using a variety of methods. Analyse, analyse, and act critically on the meaning, implication, and facts.
• Analyse your customer types to find or anticipate their future needs and expectations while providing your service.
• Consider past interactions and challenges when managing referrals or escalations to determine next measures.
• Analyse the whole service experience, gathering input from others as required and helping develop solutions.
• Make recommendations based on your findings to aid with future improvements.
• Make recommendations and, where possible, make changes in line with new and relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and Maths, for an advanced apprenticeship.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises two distinct assessment methods: 

• Practical observation with Q&As. 
• Work-based project, supported by an interview.  
• Professional discussion supported by portfolio evidence. 

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.