Some of our Partners:
Overview
Upon completing the Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship (Level 3), you’ll gain a qualification equivalent to 2 A-Levels. Taking approximately 15-18 months to complete, this programme is an ideal career progression route into customer service. Typical job roles associated with the programme include Call Centre Manager, Customer Service Team Manager, Customer Service Specialist and many more.
There are no standardised eligibility criteria for this qualification. This means the individual employer will decide if a candidate is suitable.
ATL’s 23/24 Achievement Rate for the Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship Standard is 100% which is above the 23/24 National Averages of 42%
Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship Features
Throughout the apprenticeship you’ll gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for your chosen role and industry. To help you with this, you can expect to study the following subject areas:
- Business Knowledge and Understanding
- Business Focused Service Delivery
- Develop Self
- Customer Journey Knowledge
- Providing a Positive Customer Experience
- Customer Service Support
- Working with Your Customers / Customer Insights
Off-the-Job Training
For 20% of your apprenticeship, you must have time away from your regular duties. This is to engage in training related to your post and programme. Known as ‘Off-the-Job Training’, this should take place at a time convenient for both you and your employer.
The qualification is delivered through a blended learning approach. You will be required to make time to see your tutor via remote or face-to-face sessions.
The sessions will take place roughly once per month, usually lasting around 2 hours. The duration of these can be extended for any additional learning or support you require. Your tutor will also provide support and guidance in between each learning session.
You should also expect to carry out self-study and learning as part of the Off-the-Job Training using your iLearner portfolio.
Functional Skills
Functional Skills maths and English are an essential part of many apprenticeship courses. Apprentices aged 16-18 who have not previously achieved GCSE Grade 4/C (or an equivalent qualification) are required to complete and achieve their Functional Skills qualifications. However, for adult apprentices (19+), Functional Skills are now optional and not a mandatory requirement for completing an apprenticeship. The decision is for the employer and the learner to decide whether to undertake these qualifications.
Benefits of completing Functional Skills:
- Some higher-level roles and further qualifications require maths and English at Level 1 or 2. Completing Functional Skills can open doors to promotions and further education.
- Strong communication and numerical skills are essential in most job roles, helping with tasks like report writing, budgeting, and problem-solving.
- Functional Skills help with real-life tasks, such as managing finances, understanding contracts, and effective communication in personal and professional settings.
- Functional Skills are designed to be practical and flexible, meaning they can be tailored to fit around your apprenticeship work.
During your apprenticeship you will gather evidence as part of a portfolio to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and behaviours.
This will include:
- Completion of workbooks and knowledge questions.
- Virtual observations, carried out in line with data protection and GDPR requirements.
- Recorded professional discussions to capture reflective learning and understanding.
- Witness testimonies from managers to verify on-the-job performance and competence.
Forget about lugging around all your work. The online iLearner e-portfolio system means all your work can be uploaded directly to your account and accessed wherever you go.
The system is easy to navigate and full guidance will be provided through our iLearner handbook and from your tutor through one-to-one support.
The End-Point Assessment
As part of your Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship, an End-Point Assessment (EPA) will be completed to demonstrate your development and growth. You can achieve either a Pass or Distinction based on your final grade.
Practical Observation
As part of the assessment process, an independent assessor will complete a practical observation of you in your place of work. This observation is a chance to showcase your skills in the customer service environment and your knowledge of the customer service industry.
Work-Based Project
Over a two month period, after completion of your portfolio, you will organise and document a project of your choosing to show your knowledge and skills in a practical way. An example of this would be a detailed report on dealing with complaints and difficult situations, what actions you took and how this was affected by policies in the business. At the end of your project, you will demonstrate what you have accomplished through an interview, detailing the initial intentions of your project and what was achieved through this. The interview is completed either face-to-face, or remotely where possible, with an independent assessor.
Professional Discussion
Through this discussion, you will establish further understanding of your knowledge and skills within the customer service industry based on the evidence you gathered in your portfolio. This may cover a number of scenarios you may have encountered in your job role, as well as questions relating to the development of skills. The discussion is completed remotely over the phone.
Go Further
Once you’ve completed your Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship, there are several progression routes available, dependant on your industry and job role:
You can also progress into a variety of job roles, such as Supervisor, Team Leader , Project Officer, and many more!
Contact us for further information!
Call us on 01246 278931, email info@apprenticeteam.co.uk or fill in the contact form below to check availability and for further advice about the next steps.
Our team will be happy to advise you on additional programmes we provide and can help point you in the right direction for any learning requirement not delivered by Apprentice Team Ltd.
