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Customer Service
Qualification Strategy
Institute of Customer Service
October 2008
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Contents
Page
1.
Executive Summary
4
2.
Overall scope of the Customer Service Qualification Strategy (CSQS)
7
2.1
Customer service in context
7
2.2
Priorities for customer service qualifications and provision
9
3.
4.
Characteristics of the working environment
15
3.1
Special features of the working environment
15
3.2
Trends in the workforce
16
Current qualifications and learning provision
19
4.1
Current learning provision
19
4.2
Current qualification volumes
23
4.3
Employer views on current qualifications and provision of learning
33
5.
Other sector uses of qualifications
38
6.
The future – the ICS
39
6.1
Vision of future qualifications
39
6.2
Customer service and strategic partnerships
42
6.3
Customer service planned actions
45
6.4
Future evolution of the CSQS
48
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section 1: Executive Summary
Customer service requires generic skills which are in demand in wide-ranging job roles
across sector boundaries. Many employers in the private, public and third sectors
now recognise that customer service is a strategic issue which impacts on
organisational reputation and success and that the development and improvement of
customer service requires action in the areas of organisational strategy and culture,
the processes that underpin service delivery and the skills of those involved in
delivering and supporting customer service delivery.
Many employers are placing particular emphasis on the role of staff who are in direct
contact with the customer, recognising that it is they who play a major part in
determining the quality of the customer experience.
A number of developments have stemmed from this:

The growth of customer service as an occupational area in its own right. In the
UK as a whole, employment in customer service in the UK is projected to increase to
well over 561,000 by 2014 with 136,000 extra jobs created in the period 2004 to
2014 (earlier research suggests that these figures are an understatement and
probably a significant understatement1).

In each of the four UK countries, the rate of occupational growth in customer
service occupations outstrips those for all other sub major occupational groups in
the same period;

The growth of customer service as a profession. There is an increase in the
number of people who are identifying themselves occupationally with customer
service, choosing customer service as a career option and transferring across sectors
based on their customer service skills2;

The demand by employers for high levels of customer service skills to enhance
and complement the delivery of technical skills in jobs which are not primarily
categorised as customer service.
In addition, a search of the National Data in England3, Scotland4 and Wales5 showed
that employers have identified “customer handling skills” as the second most
significant skills area which is in short supply both for new recruits and existing
employees (in Northern Ireland6 they are ranked the third most significant).
The overall conclusion of the earlier research by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS)
– itself established by employers drawn from across sectors in response to these
development and with the mission to lead customer service performance and
professionalism - is that, in an increasingly service-led economy in which customer
demand for better and more individualised service is set to continue to increase, there is
a primary requirement to raise customer service standards and to increase the supply of
1
2
3
4
5
6
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008
Ibid
NESS 2005, Shury et al, 2006
Future Skills Scotland, The Scottish Labour Market 2006
Future Skills Wales 2005, published 2006
Northern Ireland Skills Monitoring Survey 2005, Summary Report, October 2006, DELNI
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
people with the necessary customer service skills. To fail to do so would impact on
macro- and micro-economic performance in the UK.
The supply of qualifications and training designed to help individuals develop clearly
defined customer service skills is a relatively recent phenomenon. The first National
Occupational Standards in customer service were developed in the early 1990s by a
cross sector group of employers for application in all sectors. Since that time the
Standards have been regularly updated and the generic and transferable nature of
them has ensured that national qualifications and related training and development in
customer service skills have remained consistent across all sectors and have
provided a vehicle for employment mobility in an economy where increasingly jobs are
no longer ‘jobs for life’.
The generic nature of existing customer service qualifications has led to their
applicability and use across most sectors7 (although initially some users had difficulty
contextualising them within specific sector, sub sector or individual organisation). The
existence of a single suite of customer service qualifications has been of major
importance in preventing a proliferation of such qualifications by sector and subsector
with resulting damage to consistency, transferability and progression (across and
within sectors) and leading to confusion for both employers and learners.
Evidence of the success of existing qualifications in customer service is demonstrated by
the take up and achievement rates across England, Scotland and Wales (Northern
Ireland only introduced customer service qualifications and M/Apprenticeships into
their portfolio in May 2008).
Overall, NVQs/SVQs have been the most successful qualifications with over 660,000
registrations and over 300,000 certificates issued, with an average of some 12,000
registrations per quarter. M/Apprenticeships have also been a major feature of
success with over 170,000 registrations and an average take-up of 20,000 per year.
According to UK wide statistics an average of 17,000 M/Apprentices at any given time
were working in customer service job roles during 2007/2008.
Although NVQs/SVQs dominate current qualifications Vocationally Related
Qualifications (VRQs) also feature strongly in the development of customer service
skills with a take up of over 16,000 in the year 2007/2008 and an overall take up of
over 42,000. Furthermore, over 60 NVQs/SVQs in other vocational skills developed
by Sector Skills Councils and Standard Setting Bodies (SSCs and SSBs) now
include units drawn from the customer service National Occupational Standards.
Evidence from the earlier ICS research8 showed that in terms of qualifications and
training the primary interest of employers is the impact which the use of these have on
individual and organisational performance and the credibility of the qualifications.
Overall, employers judge this to be high though there are some concerns about quality
of provision, flexibility and achievement rates (currently at around 60 per cent).
Funding mechanisms, whilst not the primary focus of employers, do have an impact
on take-up and on employer judgements about cost-effectiveness. Employers are also
concerned about the impact of funding mechanisms on supply particularly in view of
their continued high demand for customer service skills.
Providers expect demand for customer service qualifications to continue to rise as
one means of meeting identified skills shortages. Employers have identified a need for
the development of additional qualifications particularly short accredited courses,
7
8
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
Ibid
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
shorter credit based qualifications and higher-level qualifications which will aid
career progression. Action to enhance customer service understanding and skill among
those leaving full-time education is also favoured for example by appropriate
additions to the curriculum and entry level qualifications. In addition, providers
during consultation identified the need for pre-entry level qualifications for those
individuals who are unable to find work or work placement through behavioural
problems. Seeing a pre-entry customer service qualification as an appropriate vehicle
for improving skills such as communication and working with others providers
believe this would offer more choice and opportunity for this cohort of learners.
In parallel with the development and take-up of qualifications in customer service there
has been an exponential growth in provision of training and development in
customer service both run by and for employers9. Such training and development is
so varied and widespread with myriad providers that it is difficult to provide a fully
comprehensive analysis. However employers cite bespoke training courses, in-house
off the job training, provider off the job training and off-the shelf training courses
as the types of training currently used in their organisations which are outside of the
national system. Much of this training is in the form of half to one day courses although
there is now an increase in on-line courses which employers see as more flexible in
terms of delivery.
From available data it is reasonable to conclude that employers’ primary concerns are
related to quality of provision, credibility and value for money. With increasing
interest in accreditation of training through the Scottish Credit and Qualifications
Framework (SCQF) the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF England and
NI) and the Credit and Qualification Framework for Wales (CQFW) there are
significant concerns about the variability of training content and quality of delivery
and the potential impact this could have on building a pool of generic customer
service skills which are transferable across the UK.
Against this backdrop the Customer Service Qualification Strategy (CSQS) makes
the case for taking customer service qualifications and training to a new level of
development and is based on the successes of existing provision and planned new
provision identified by employers in the ICS research10.
Evidence from this research has identified three key priority areas for the future,
these are to:

continue to enhance and promote understanding of customer service skills and
their importance to organisational and, by definition, UK economic success in a
globalised economy;

continue to enhance the offer and accessibility of customer service
qualifications that meet employer and learner needs, and raise customer service
skills across the UK;

incorporate employer specific customer service training into a broader
framework that is consistent and transferable.
Underlying these priorities, activities have been identified that have an important part to
play in meeting future demand and the development of customer service skills and
qualifications across all sectors. These activities will dovetail effectively with the UK and
devolved Government policies and will include:
9
Ibid, Section 9
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 and Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008
10
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service

reinforcing the overall understanding of customer service skills and their generic
and transferable nature;

developing higher level customer service qualifications to improve progression
pathways and meet the needs of the growing population of customer service
professionals, managers and senior managers particularly with those managing
customer service strategy, processes and procedures

developing ‘meta’ customer service units for importing into existing qualifications
within the school curriculum and pre - entry level qualifications for those unable to
find and/or keep employment

improving the quality and flexibility of existing customer service qualifications and
apprenticeships

offering accredited Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in customer
service



developing short accredited courses and shorter credit based qualifications

working with key funding agencies to ensure that investment in customer
service qualifications is maximised
accrediting customer service training developed and delivered by employers
continuously monitoring and updating the National Occupational Standards in
customer service
The culmination of the CSQS will be the development of Action Plans designed to work
towards these priority aims and to provide appropriate support for all stakeholders who
will make the key contributions to achieving those aims. The ICS is committed to
developing the essential strategic partnerships that will make real progress possible.
These include contact with employer (including ICS’s own large base of employer
members), Government Departments, Awarding Bodies, SSCs, Training
Providers and Funding Bodies as well as through International Benchmarking.
The CSQS will be a living document and the ICS has put in place management and
monitoring processes to ensure that it is reviewed regularly and responds to changes and
trends.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section 2: Overall scope of the Qualification Strategy
2.1
Customer service in context
The ICS is the not-for-profit Professional Body for customer service established and
driven by employers drawn from across the private, public and third sectors with the aim
of leading customer service performance and professionalism. The Institute provides
authoritative knowledge on customer service issues derived from national and
international research and the identification and spread of good practice. ICS is the
Standard Setting Body for Customer Service National Occupational Standards and also
provides the framework for the professional recognition and continued development of
individuals who have demonstrated their ability to deliver customer service to the
national standard.
ICS has developed a model to help organisations in any sector which aim to deliver
world-class customer service. The model, which is based on extensive national and
international research,
encourages the development and improvement of customer service through attention to
three core dimensions: organisational strategy and culture, the processes that
underpin service delivery and the skills of the people involved in and supporting that
delivery12. Progress in each of these three dimensions is being aided by the development
of a shared language and understanding about customer service which ICS is driving.
This Qualification Strategy is aimed at skills development but takes account of the
wider developments which organisations need to address to bring about continuous
improvement in customer service performance. The successful delivery of customer
service overall impacts directly on organisational success and reputation and makes
an important contribution to the strategic positioning of UK organisations in both their
home and international markets.
2.1.1
Occupations in customer service
Employers in all sectors continue to report significant changes in customer behaviour
resulting from enhanced expectations about the standard of service customers expect to
receive. Employers are therefore under pressure to keep up with, and preferably exceed,
changing customer expectations and this applies equally to the public, private and
third sectors. Many employers are putting particular emphasis on the skills of staff who
are in direct contact with the customer, recognising that it is they who play a major role
in determining the quality of the customer experience. This has driven the
establishment of customer service as an occupational area in its own right, with a
growing number of people in jobs where the primary performance requirement is to
deploy customer service skills in meeting customer needs and expectations.
Analysis of the scope and coverage of customer service as an occupational area presents
significant challenges in terms of measurement because it:



stretches very widely across different economic sectors

is often merged with other occupational areas
does not always lend itself to definition through the occupations that it covers
lacks visibility, definition, clarity and consistency in National and local data
collection
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service

is a relatively new and growing occupation that did not feature in historic
employment data prior to 200011
Consequently measurement in terms of customer service occupations continues to
present challenges, and projections found in the National data are deemed to be
conservative in terms of volume by the ICS12.
With more and more organisations seeking customer service as a key strategic
dimension, it is anticipated that the situation regarding occupational definition will
continue to present challenges. Nevertheless, evidence does show that there has been
a steady increase in jobs over some thirty years that are seen as having a service
base13. ICS search of National data is taken as a conservative view but has estimated
that employment in customer service in the UK is currently (2008) at 476,64514 and is
projected to increase to 561,000 by 2014 (England 474,000, Scotland 49,000;
Wales 23,000 and Northern Ireland 15,000)15. In addition the ICS LMI research
has established that customer service occupations throughout the UK have the fastest
growth rate per annum of all SOC sub major groups (England 2.8 per cent; Scotland
3.2 per cent; Wales 3.2 per cent and Northern Ireland 3.4 per cent)16.
Unlike many specific technical sectors where the occupation alone identifies the major
skills set and hence qualifications that are relevant, there are significant difficulties
involved in occupational definition for customer service. Those difficulties can be traced
to two principal sources in that:

in occupational classifications such as the Standard Occupational Classification
there is confusion and overlap between customer service and sales roles17 at major
group level

in addition to customer service professional roles that are clearly defined as such,
an increasing number of occupations which include a technical skills component
also have customer service skills as a very significant requirement.
A further confusion in terminology arises in that there is extensive use of the terms
‘customer handling skills’ and ‘customer care’ among other phrases which are used
interchangeably with ‘customer service’. Identification of the occupational roles covered
by customer service is therefore only partly possible through job title.
The result of this potentially confusing evidence is that the ICS sees the CSQS as
addressing the qualification needs of two occupational groups:

customer service professionals whose whole job involves the development of
customer service systems or the delivery of customer service with limited need for
sector specific technical skills

people involved in customer service delivery who need sound, sector specific skills
but whose occupational performance also depends on the continuing development
of their customer service skills.
These are two of the occupational groups that the CSQS covers and in areas where their
needs differ, those differences are identified throughout the strategy. Both groups have
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
Ibid page 12, 3.2.2.
UK Labour Market Statistics, May 2005, NSO
CE/IER estimates, MDM01R1 Cf1F8A Forecast, SSDACrossRegionalTables.xls (Table R.15) using concurrent growth of 1.8
per cent per annum projected change from 2004 to 2008
SSDA Working Futures, 2004-2014, January 2006
Ibid
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 - Page 12
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
their part to play in the full integration of customer service at a strategic level within
organisations.
2.1.2
Customer service sector coverage
To illustrate the scope and coverage of the use of customer service skills development by
sectors the ICS has analysed data from 16,500 records of customer service qualification
achievers18. The sectors with the highest number of customer service qualification
achievers were:




Retail
Hospitality
Telecommunications
Travel and Tourism
 Financial Service
 Sport and Recreation
 Hair and Beauty
 Government (National and
 Call/Contact Centres
 Health and Social Care
 Warehousing and Distribution
 Motor Vehicle
Local)
Another 28 Sectors were identified as offering customer service qualifications.
This evidence demonstrates that the customer service footprint applies to all four UK
Countries and across all sectors. Similarly skills gaps and shortages in customer
service are high a priority throughout the UK and throughout sectors19.
2.1.3 Population of learners
This strategy has been produced to steer the development of customer service
qualifications and training for learners from 14 years to retirement.
The customer service learner population is wide and varied and cannot be specified in
totally numerical terms as individuals will come from an extremely wide range of
organisations, sectors and subsectors with an even wider range of job roles,
responsibilities and career paths.
2.1.4 National variations
The ICS operates in all four UK nations and has management structures to deal with the
needs of each. Each country shows a strong growth rate in customer service
employment but this is between 5 per cent and 8 per cent greater in Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales than it is in England. Projected growth rates in
customer service occupations in all four Countries are the highest or near the highest of
all SOC minor groups20.
As a generic skill set, customer service occupations have a common base in all
countries and results show that there is little variation between them. Indeed, ICS
research has shown that organisations which span national boundaries actively seek a
common approach to customer service although making appropriate allowance for
cultural differences.
There is some national variation in relation to qualifications take-up. This results from
population differences and different funding regimes that have prevailed in the past.
The differences which do exist should not impact significantly on the scope of the CSQS.
18
19
20
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – page 27
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Sections 8.5 and 9.5
Ibid – Section 7, pages 34 to 59
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
2.1.5 A broad and varied scope
The CSQS seeks to address the full range of issues represented here. Issues of
classification will not be allowed to inhibit the ICS intention to produce a complete and
rigorous CSQS that will satisfy all sector needs and reinforce the strategic
importance of customer service to many organisations for individual skill sets in the
future.
2.2. Priorities for customer service qualifications and provision
2.2.1 Continue to enhance and promote understanding of customer service
skills and their importance to organisational and, by definition, UK
success in a globalised economy
The ICS sees the raising of overall awareness of customer service skills and their
meaning and scope as a key priority for action. By communicating the strategic
importance of customer service for employers and the growth in customer service
occupations and new career options for learners, this awareness raising will ensure
that all those who make use of them in their employment understand and develop
customer service skills to their full potential. Promoting customer service skills in this
way is necessary to complement and promote the development of qualifications and
broader training provision outlined in this Qualification Strategy.
The priority will be met by a combination of networking, information bases and
development actions outlined in more detail elsewhere in this report. The promotion
of customer service as a high level set of skills and the linking of customer service
with business performance are both seen as a central to the achievement of this
priority. Awareness in this area will rest on actions taken by the ICS to extend its
already successful dialogue with employers.
2.2.2 Continue to enhance the offer and accessibility of customer service
qualifications that meet employer and learner needs, and raise customer
service skills across the UK
The considerable success of existing customer service qualifications does not mask the
need to be continuously responsive to employer needs and desires for improvement.
Above all, the ICS has identified the need by employers for increased flexibility, better
quality of provision in terms of delivery and cost effectiveness as their main
concerns. As shown current customer service qualifications do have credibility, are
successful, and are able to be delivered across all sectors however responses from
employers show that they could be improved to meet the needs of the organisation
and learner in a more effective way21.
These aims fit well with the aims of new frameworks and other developments. Detailed
Action Plans will be prepared to advance these aims whilst ensuring that any
developments draw on features of the existing qualifications that have clearly appealed
to users.
In terms of new qualifications their credibility and ease of use are essential for
employer engagement.
Employers and providers indicate that short accredited
courses and short credit based qualifications are required in the future to keep
down costs and focus more tightly on the employer and employee needs
21
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
In addition, employers and providers believe that higher level qualifications in
customer service are needed to give professional status to those individuals choosing
customer service as a career and progression pathways for managers and senior
managers. Employers also stress that qualifications they use must make a significant
difference in customer service to both individuals and organisations as a whole.
Accredited Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and the introduction of
customer service skills into the National Curriculum is also seen as key priory22.
In terms of the 14-19 curriculum employers stressed the need to address skills
shortages in new recruits and felt that customer service additions to the school
curriculum could better prepare school leavers with important skills needed at work. To
facilitate this the ICS will pursue the issue of placing customer service Meta Units in
vocational subjects within schools. To facilitate this the ICS will enter into a dialogue
with all four UK countries to identify the feasibility and methodology that could be
adopted and identify target qualifications in the curriculum that would benefit from this.
In addition, other identified pre-entry issues involved provision for those individuals
who have left school but are unable to find work or work placement through
behavioural issues. A separate customer service qualification involving ‘role play’ and
‘language in use’ will be developed for use in Government Training Programmes
and other pre-entry schemes.
2.2.3 Incorporate employer specific customer service training into a broader
framework that is consistent and transferable
There is significant evidence of extensive training activity under the customer service
label. However, it is much harder to assemble evidence about the effectiveness of
those activities and the extent of their use. This priority area for action will seek to
ensure that the overall pattern of provision:

encourages courses that are welcomed by employers and brings them closer to using
the National Occupational Standards and quality assurance tools;

fully recognises employer needs and objectives when training staff and helps to trace
a link between that training and customer service performance;

creates an environment in which accreditation of in-house training can be given
serious consideration.
The actions which result from these priorities and activities will respond to employer
wishes for qualifications and training which:

address generic customer service skills that can be applied in the context of any
sector;

are flexible in delivery and especially can be delivered in small blocks through the
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) the Qualifications and
Credit Framework (QCF England and NI) and the Credit and Qualification
Framework for Wales (CQFW is a meta framework of which the QCF will be one of
its three pillars)


are fit for purpose and credible to both employers and learners;
22
make a real contribution to customer service related business aims.
Ibid
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Detailed Action Plans will be prepared to promote ways in which these priorities and
aims can be pursued through support for employers and learners.
2.2.4
Principal policy links
The key links with policy reflected in the ICS priority action areas are as follows:
Principal policy links - UK Wide

The Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme (UKVQRP)
The CSQS is part of Strand 1 of the Sector Qualifications Reform Programme
(SQRP) and begins to address its main aims which are to ensure that the vocational
qualifications and other learning programmes available across the UK are more
effective in equipping people with the skills that employers and learners need to
secure and maintain employment.

Leitch review
The review calls for linking of qualifications more closely with employer needs and this is
central to the qualifications and training actions being planned by the ICS as is
recognition of the need for greater flexibility in qualification delivery. Employers in the
Leitch survey felt that soft skills were lacking (particularly team working and customer
handling skills, each of which was mentioned as lacking in one half of all workers lacking
proficiency).
Principal policy links - England
Within England the ICS has been involved with Strand 2 of the UKVQRP –
Framework Development by working with Awarding Bodies and QCA to develop the
Credit Values and Levels of Customer Service NVQ Units in preparation for the
introduction of the QCF.
In addition the ICS has also been involved the Test and Trials of the Qualifications and
Credit Framework (QCF) and during this process Eleven customer service S/NVQ
units were placed on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)23 . The Test
and Trial was carried out in collaboration with other cross sector bodies and the aim
was to bring a combination of cross sector skills to small businesses. This project
has enabled the ICS to prepare itself for the full introduction of the QCF and ensures the
knowledge and practical experience needed to develop qualifications within the remit of
the QCF.
The ICS is currently working with QCA, LSC and Awarding Bodies to prepare to
populate the Framework with existing and new customer service qualifications
following the LSC’s publication ‘Our Statement of Priorities; Better Skills, Better Jobs,
Better Lives’, March 2007 which is a key driver for the implementation of the CSQS.
The LSC’s ‘Agenda for Change’ has steered the development of the CSQS towards
consultations with Further Education bodies to ensure that they are fully engaged and
provide relevant training in customer service
Following the DfES Education and Skills White Paper (February 2005) and, in
particular the introduction Vocational Diplomas the ICS worked with QCA and the DfES
23
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 - page 38
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
to develop and introduce customer service ‘meta’ units into all Vocational Diplomas.
Following several meetings this initiative had to be ‘put on hold’ until the Diplomas had
been developed and trialled. The ICS plans as a part of this strategy to reintroduce this
concept to DIUS and SSCs with a view to putting customer service skills at the heart of
the 14-19 Agenda. In addition, the ICS plans to enter into a dialogue with all four UK
countries to identify the feasibility and methodology that could be adopted and
identify target qualifications in the curriculum that would benefit from this.
From the latest research it is already clear that employers see customer service skills as
analogous to employability skills and of particular relevance to the age-group. This
action will surely contribute to the raising of customer service skills and help both
employers and SSCs with the problems of skills shortages in customer service identified
in the research.
The Foundation Learning Tier (QCA and the LSC) involves reforms of provision below
Level 2 for all learners over the age of 14 working below this level. These will include:
14 to 19 year olds; adults with skills gaps and adults or young people with learning
difficulties and/or disabilities. This initiative will impact of the CSQS and the ICS will
work with QCA and the LSC to encourage targeted and suitable provision for these
groups.
Principal policy links - Wales
Many of the education and skills policies in England are also applicable in Wales. In
particular this applies to the QCF in England which is planned to dovetail seamlessly
with the CQFW in Wales24. It is intended that the development of the QCF will integrate
seamlessly with the established framework for Wales - the CQFW. ‘Building on
success: the development of qualifications and credit systems’ was the Welsh
Assembly’s response to initial work on the ‘Framework of Achievement’ initiated by
the QCA. The CQFW is implemented by DCELLS and HEFCW (Higher Education Funding
Council Wales) and is a broader framework than the QCF as it is inclusive of all
learning, including Higher Education. It offers parity of recognition for all learning,
whether for qualifications within the current NQF or for other external qualifications.
The Learning Country: Vision into Action (2007) is the Welsh Assembly
Government’s approach to developing education and skills. The plan cuts across a wide
range of provision and specifically focuses on the development of qualification and
learning provision in the FE and HE sector. This document builds on previous work
including Learning Pathways 14-19 Guidance (2004). This detailed the Welsh
Assembly Government’s commitment to transforming provision for 14-19 year olds and
also established the pilot for the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification.
The Skills and Employment Action Plan (SEAP) was previously produced and
proposed significant changes in learning for ages 14-19 with a revised edition of this
made available in January 2005 as Skills and Employment Action Plan (SEAP 2).
SEAP 2 suggested that the position on skills and employment in Wales was improving
but major challenges remained:





24
Reducing the Basic Skills deficit
Providing high quality, joined-up, competitive support for businesses
Creating a more inclusive labour market
Tackling Wales’ entrenched economic inactivity problem
Coping with the continued loss of low skilled jobs in certain sectors
Building on Success: the development of qualifications and credit systems
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service





Helping employers, in particular SME’s to move up the value chain
Helping employers adapt to new technologies and advances
Improving the quality of jobs within Wales
Retaining Wales’ graduates and other key workers, and
Ensuring that there are enough people with Welsh Language skills needed for
certain jobs and sectors.
The Skills and Employment Action Plan for Wales builds on the actions of SEAP 2
and provides renewed focus. Consultation on the new Skills and Employment Strategy
began in early 2008 and will be inclusive of the Welsh Assembly Government’s
response to the Leitch Review. An independent review of the ‘Mission and Purpose of
Further Education in Wales’ – Promise and Performance - was published in
December 2007. Following the consultation process, and in the final report it was
stated that to be a successful bilingual society capable of competing in the global
economy, delivering high quality public services and developing its social and
cultural strengths, Wales must have an educated and well-trained population.
A significant number of challenges were identified including:




The large numbers of people who do not have literacy or numeracy skills

Disadvantaged young people and adults for whom public services do not always
join up, and

Young people who are gifted and/or talented.
Learners aged 14-19 who do not have a full choice of learning opportunities
Employers who do not find the education system responsive enough to their needs
The large numbers of young people and adults who are not in education,
employment or training
With a focus on the 14 to 19 agenda the review also emphasised employability skills
for entry to the world of work and seeks to make transfer between jobs and sectors
easier.
These challenges will be incorporated into the CSQS Action Plan for Wales which
promotes the introduction of customer service skills into the school curriculum thus
improving the basic skills of communication, problem solving and other
interpersonal skills for those preparing for work.
In addition the introduction of customer service as a career option gives additional
choice in an area where occupational opportunities are growing and transferability
between jobs becomes a reality.
Pre-entry qualifications for young people unable to find work are also planned in this
strategy and, at the other end of the spectrum this review highlights the need for
management and leadership skills. and development of higher-level customer
service qualifications will have a part to play in this area.
The Welsh Action Plan for a Bilingual Wales25 highlights the need for to create “the
right conditions and to provide the resources which will sustain the Welsh Language
and allow it to flourish”. The ICS will respond to this by working with key partners in
Wales to identify which products and services (e.g. qualifications, training and
25
Iaith Pawb A National Action Plan for a Bilingual Wales, February 2003
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
assessment) the ICS should translate to move this initiative forward in terms of
customer service.
Principal policy links - Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has embraced the principles of the Leitch report through the Action
Plans enshrined in its Success through Skills (2006) policy. Although there is no
direct reference to specific skills sets the overarching aim is to deliver high
productivity, increased global competitiveness and secure a future in the global
marketplace. These aims align fully with the aims of the ICS for the whole of the UK
and one of the key underpinning principles of the strategy ‘the identification and
articulation of the business need for skills, by employers, must be made more clearly
and must become a central driver of the overall strategy” has been responded to in the
ICS research26 which gives evidence that in Northern Ireland customer service
occupations are growing faster than any other sub major occupational group and
customer handling skills are seen as the third most significant skills gap in addition
to two out of five employers citing these skills as lacking in the existing workforce.
DELNI have already responded to these findings by offering funded Customer Service
Apprenticeships and qualifications in Northern Ireland for the first time (May 2008)
and the ICS believes that this, and the CSQS will help to address some of the aims to
secure a better place for Northern Ireland in the UK and Global economy.
Principal policy links - Scotland
Scotland has a well-developed network of programmes and initiatives addressing skills
development which have been formed outside of the Leitch Implementation Plan
which is not pertinent to Scotland. Most recently, a national policy has been set
through "Skills for Scotland: a Lifelong Skills Strategy (September 2007)." The
strategy lays out a "call for action" which specifies the actions needed from
employers, individuals and learning and training stakeholders. In particular, the
strategy outlines four key priorities which will inform the CSQS Action Plan for Scotland.
These are:

to engage with a broad spectrum of employers by focusing on employer
awareness and engagement;
this is fundamental to the ICS as an employer led membership body

to deliver labour market information that is valid and fits with the nation
information supplied by Futureskills Scotland;
the recent ICS LMI research for Scotland centres around Futureskills Scotland
and other UK wide data

to ensure that employers are involved in the design and development of
learning, not just vocational qualifications;
the recent ICS research about skills development received an excellent response rate
from Scotland identifying employer needs and preferences in terms of customer
service learning for the future. This will be carried forward in the CSQS Action
Plans which will ensure that employers are fully involved in the design and
development of learning including those outside of the vocational arena

26
to maintain strong partnerships with other key players;
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
the ICS has worked closely with the various Scottish stakeholders involved in
skills development over many years and most recently has been involved in Level
and Credit rating of units from the Customer Service SVQs for the SCQF and
planning the introduction of a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Scotland to
coincide with the new opportunities of the Skillseekers Programme.
The approaches implied by the ‘calls for action’ have been noted by the ICS in the
definition of its priorities and are reflected in those priorities. Consequently there will
be a clear fit between the detailed actions that will be planned from the CSQS and the
Scottish Government plans and initiatives.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section 3: Characteristics of the working environment
3.1
3.1.1
Special features of the working environment
Customer service as a career
Customer service skills enable individuals to build and develop a career by allowing
them to cross organisation and sector boundaries. A customer service
professional is somebody whose customer service skills are their core occupational
competence. They are joining a relatively young profession that is at a stage of
development that might be compared with Personnel Management in the early 20th
Century or marketing in the 1950s. Organisations are just becoming accustomed to
seeing a place for customer service professionals as they contribute to corporate
strategy.
Progression in a career in customer service generally starts with active service delivery,
either through delivering a personal service making for direct customer contact, or
through the operation of a customer service system in which customer contact is
indirect.
As a customer service career evolves, direct service delivery is gradually replaced by
responsibility for service systems and for their development and management.
However, at all levels of this progression ICS research shows that people with customer
service skills have the freedom to move easily between customer service roles in
different sectors27.
Above all the research reveals that customer service skills are truly generic and are
transferable across sector boundaries in the same way as the skills of HR or
marketing professionals.
The implication of these special features of customer service occupations for
qualifications relate mainly to the context in which the skills are developed.
Inevitably, the delivery of customer service takes place in the context of an individual
sector. Customer service qualifications must provide the opportunity for those building
a customer service career to major in customer service skills whilst maintaining
adequate technical sector competence for a specific service delivery role.
Qualifications must therefore be designed to be capable of adaptation to any service
delivery context regardless of sector. As a customer service career develops, specific
sector or technical skills are replaced by the need for management skills to complement
the core customer service skills. It is also important for qualifications to appeal to both
the individual seeking to develop a career and an organisation seeking to strengthen its
customer service skills base.
3.1.2 Customer service workforce working patterns and qualifications
design
The demographics and working patterns of the customer service workforce form a
feature of the working environment and hence impact on the requirements for
qualifications design. Less than one third of the workforce are male and the large
proportion of females means there is also a large proportion of part-time employment.
The proportions in England, Wales and Scotland are similar with approximately 25
27
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Page 22
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
per cent full-time males, 40 per cent full-time females, five per cent part-time
males and 25 per cent part-time females. In Northern Ireland there is an even
higher proportion of females and 51 per cent of the workforce are part-time
females28.
The implications of these figures for customer service qualifications are clear. The high
proportion of part-time employees means there may be more mobility between jobs
and sectors and hence that the general and transferable characteristics of customer
service qualifications are particularly important. In addition, the qualifications must be
flexible in delivery patterns to adapt to the varied working patterns particularly of
the part-time female workforce.
In terms of ethnicity, the population available is enormous whereas just 11 per cent of
ethnic groups are currently in customer service occupations29. Although customer
service occupations (coupled with sales) shows the highest ethnic participation of all
SOC Major Groups opportunities to engage with ethnic groups and improve
occupational opportunities is a key part of ICS plans for the future.
3.1.3 Customer service as an enhancement to other occupations and
skill sets
Customer service skills include many generic people skills that are seen by employers
as particularly important. Interpersonal skills, communication skills and team
working are all skills that are expected by employers to complement the other technical
skills that enable people to perform effectively in their jobs. Grouped together as
customer service skills these are seen as an important enhancement to a specialist
skills base that brings benefit to the employer and the employee. This aspect of the
customer service working environment is unique as it is not replicated in other generic
skill sets30.
The ICS Employer Survey 2007 found 92 per cent of respondents stating that
employees in their organisations needed to have high levels of customer service skills.
99 per cent of respondents agreed that customer service delivery is key to
organisational success.
The concern about customer service skills is not restricted to those who are clearly in
customer facing sectors such as retail and hospitality. Similar views are reported in
the financial services, electrical, construction, engineering and transport sectors
amongst others. This results from an increasing recognition in many sectors of
customer service as being of strategic importance to each organisation.
The consequence of these views is that customer service qualifications in the future will
need to continue to be fit for purpose as qualifications and units that will complement
technical skills of different sectors by offering a totally generic and transferable
set of qualifications.
One further feature of the working environment that has been identified by the ICS is
the requirement to pay close attention to the needs of younger and less experienced
groups in the workforce. Sales and customer service occupations have a higher
proportion of employees in the 25 and under age group than any other sector31.
Employers also agree that young people joining the sector are perceived as lacking
28
Ibid – Page 25
ONS, Labour Market Trends, June 2004
30
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Page 27
31
Ibid – Page 25
29
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
customer service and employability skills. Plans for the future will therefore also
need to address this segment of the workforce.
3.2
Trends in the workforce
3.2.1
Customer service occupations in the future - across the UK
A comparison of the percentage total occupational growth rates of sub major groups
shown in Figure 3.132 shows a major difference between customer service growth in
that period and the growth rate for other sub major groups. Indeed, only health
professionals in Wales have a higher projected growth rate at 38.2 per cent than even
the lowest percentage overall growth rate for customer service (31.3 per cent for
England). This is a clear, overall indication of the scale of growth of customer service
occupations over this decade and, importantly, shows the highly significant difference
in growth when compared with sales occupations (a clear illustration of the analytical
problems encountered when sales and customer service data are coupled at major
group level).
Figure 3.1
All sub major groups percentage occupational grow th
by 4 UK Countries and UK overall 2004-2014
England
Scotland
Wales
N.I.
UK Wide
All occupations
Elementary: service
Elementary: trades
Drivers & other ops.
Process machine ops.
Customer service occs.
Sales occupations
Leisure occupations
Caring personal service
Other skilled trades
Skilled cons. & building
Skilled metal &electrical
Skilled agric. trades
Secretarial and related
Admin & clerical
Business assoc. profs.
Culture, med. & sports
Protect. serv. occs
Health assoc. profs.
Sc. & tech. assoc.profs.
Business professionals
Teaching & res. Profs.
Health professionals
Sc. & tech. profs.
Managers / proprietors
Corporate managers
32
Source: SSDA Working Futures
2004-2014:
January 2006
-50
-40
-30
-20
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
Employment in customer service in the UK is projected to increase to 561,000 by 2014
with 136,000 extra jobs being created in the 10 years to that date. The ICS has
concluded that this projection may be a conservative view because of the difficulties of
definition of customer service occupations.33
ICS research shows that customer service occupations are predicted to grow faster than
any other occupational group between 2004 and 2014. With a predicted annual growth
rate of 3.4 per cent, customer service occupations lead teaching and research (2.5 per
cent) caring professional service occupations (2 per cent) and health professionals (1.9
per cent) as the occupational groupings predicted to grow most rapidly.34 The
projections of growth for the UK combined with the current success of customer service
qualifications signalled the importance of the proposals for further development of those
qualifications that are the recommendations of the CSQS.
3.2.2
Customer service occupations in the future - England
It is predicted that between 2004 and 2014, 113,000 new customer service jobs will
be created in England bringing total employment in these occupations to 474,00035.
The annual growth rate of 2.8 per cent exceeds that of any other occupational group.
However, the growth rate varies across different regions. It is highest in the West
Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the North-East. The growth rate is lowest in
London, the South-East and the South-West36.
3.2.3
Customer service occupations in the future - Scotland
It is predicted that by 2014 there will be 49,000 customer service jobs in Scotland, an
increase of 13,000 over 2004. This increase places customer service occupations as
the fastest-growing occupational group at an annual rate of 3.2 per cent ahead of
teaching and research and health professionals. The predicted growth in Scotland is
greater than the UK average and higher than the rate for England37.
3.2.4
Customer service occupations in the future - Wales
Wales is predicted to have 23,000 customer service jobs by 2014, an increase of
6,000 over the 2004 figures. However, Wales is the only nation in which customer
service occupations are not the most rapidly growing occupational group with health
professionals numbers growing slightly faster. The growth rate for Wales is significantly
higher than the UK average and is second only to Northern Ireland among the four
nations38.
3.2.5
Customer service occupations in the future - Northern Ireland
15,000 customer service jobs are expected to be available in Northern Ireland by
2014, an increase of 4,000 since 2004. This prediction makes Northern Ireland the
nation with the highest anticipated growth rate across the UK. It is not surprising
therefore that the predicted growth rate for customer service occupations at 3.4 per
cent per annum is significantly higher than the growth rate for any other occupational
group39.
33
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Page 29
Ibid – Page 130
35
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Page 29
36
Ibid – Page 32
37
Ibid – Page 154
38
Ibid – Page 156
39
Ibid– Page 58
34
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section 4: Current qualifications and learning provision
4.1
Current Learning Provision
National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (NVQ/SVQs) are the primary
qualifications used to develop customer service skills. They are the only competence
based fully generic customer service qualifications in the National Qualifications
Framework and Scottish Qualification Framework (NQF/SQF). They are delivered
through ten Awarding Bodies who are listed below and are available at Levels 1, 2, 3 and
4.
Awarding Bodies offering the Customer Service Scottish and National Qualifications (SVQs and NVQs)
CUSTOMER SERVICE NVQs
CUSTOMER SERVICE SVQs
Qualification
Number
Awarding Body and Title of Qualification
Qualification
Number
Active IQ Level 2 in Customer Service
500/4227/0
City & Guilds Level 2 SVQ in Customer Service
G89N22
Active IQ Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
500/4223/3
City & Guilds Level 3 SVQ in Customer Service
G89P23
ASET NVQ Level 1 in Customer Service
500/2899/6
City & Guilds Level 4 SVQ in Customer Service
G89M24
ASET NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service
500/2894/7
EDI Level 2 SVQ in Customer Service
G87X22
ASET NVQ Level 3 in Customer Service
500/2893/5
EDI Level 3 SVQ in Customer Service
G87W23
EDEXCEL Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
100/4575/2
SQA & HAB Level 2 SVQ in Customer Service
G8AO22
EDEXCEL Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6088/1
SQA & HAB Level 3 SVQ in Customer Service
G89Y23
EDEXCEL Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6089/3
SQA Level 1 SVQ in Customer Service
G8NM21
EDEXCEL Level 4 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6090/X
SQA Level 2 SVQ in Customer Service
G89X22
EDI Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
500/2155/2
SQA Level 3 SVQ in Customer Service
G89W23
EDI Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6092/3
SQA Level 4 SVQ in Customer Service
G8NN24
Awarding Body and Title of Qualification
EDI Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
City & Guilds Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
City & Guilds Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6105/8
500/2029/8
City & Guilds Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6058/3
100/6063/7
City & Guilds Level 4 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6059/5
HAB Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
100/5608/7
IMIAL Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
500/1003/7
IMIAL Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
500/1004/9
OCR Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
500/3273/2
OCR Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6084/4
OCR Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6080/7
OCR Level 4 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6081/9
OU Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
500/1016/5
OU Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
500/1014/1
OU Level 4 NVQ in Customer Service
500/1015/3
VTCT Level 1 NVQ in Customer Service
500/2955/1
VTCT Level 2 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6116/2
VTCT Level 3 NVQ in Customer Service
100/6117/4
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
4.1.1 Levels 2 and 3 NVQs/SVQS core provision
The customer service qualifications base has grown from the development of a level 3
NVQ/SVQ in Customer Service in 1992. Building on rapid success in a favourable
funding climate, this was followed by the development of M/Apprenticeship
Frameworks and a level 2 NVQ/SVQ which generated significant volumes of activity
and enabled the predecessor of the ICS to establish a broader base for the customer
service discipline.
These qualifications and frameworks have remained as the core and backbone of
accredited customer service qualifications and still generate extremely high levels of
activity. In total, over 300,000 NVQ/SVQ certificates have been issued. The
continued volume of activity is demonstrated by current combined quarterly registrations
at the two levels in excess of 12,000 per quarter across the UK and an eventual
success rate of over 60 per cent40.
The characteristics of this qualification type are as follows:

Purpose -- Many of the level 2 and level 3 Customer Service NVQs/SVQs are
taken as part of an M/Apprenticeship Frameworks whilst others are chosen by
employers and learners as targeted qualifications which address both their needs.
The qualifications provide a core award for customer service staff operating at
straight forward delivery level and for those providing more complex customer
service;

Interrelationships -- The levels 2 and 3 NVQs/SVQs in Customer Service relate
principally to NVQs/SVQs at other levels. The qualifications provide a progression
route for those who have taken the ‘employability’ level 1 qualification which is
available outside of the working environment to a more ‘work focused’ qualification
involving work-based learning and assessment. Candidates who complete the Level
3 qualification can then seek further progression by moving on to the level 4;

The four nations dimension – The Customer Service S/NVQs and
M/Apprenticeships at Levels 2 and 3 are amongst the most successful in
England and Wales and still feature in the top 10 Level 3 M/Apprenticeship
Frameworks of Scotland. It is expected that with the introduction of a Level 2
M/Apprenticeship in Scotland in December 2008 and the ApprenticeshipNI at
Levels 2 and 3 in May 2008 take up of the NVQs/SVQs will grow significantly in
these two countries. .
4.1.2
Level 1 NVQ/SVQ
Following the success of the NVQs/SVQs in Customer Service at levels 2 and 3, a suite
of level 1 qualifications was developed in 2003. From this late start the growth rate in
the take-up has been increasing between 2005 and 200741.
The characteristics of this qualification type are as follows:

40
41
Purpose -- the level 1 NVQ/SVQ provides both an entry level for young learners
and recognition of competence among the more experienced groups who may be
coming to customer service roles for the first time. The qualification links well with
the employability agenda and is seen by many as having strong parallels with the
ground that would be covered in an induction programme for employees with very
limited employment history;
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Page 16
Ibid – Page 18
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service

Interrelationships -- the level 1 NVQ/SVQ in Customer Service relates in two
principal ways to other qualifications. Firstly, as a progression route, it provides a
path to higher-level customer service qualifications by sharing units with the
Customer Service level 2 NVQ/SVQ. It also complements basic skills and
employability units to provide a grounding in essential work skills;

The four nations dimension -- By far the greatest use of the level 1 NVQ/SVQ in
Customer Service is in England. There are smaller numbers of registrations in the
other countries of the UK but other than its relatively new introduction and funding
differences the reasons for this are not clear. The fact that take-up has been
increasing suggests that the Level 1 may have a more significant place in the
qualification arena as the 14-19 Agenda of in all four Countries becomes more and
more active.
4.1.3
Level 4 NVQ/SVQ qualifications
The level 4 NVQ/SVQ in Customer Service has been available since 2004. Throughout
the first two years this qualification attracted limited take-up and was revised again in
2006 alongside the other Levels. However with a cumulative total of just over 600
registrations by 2007 and fewer than 300 certificates issued42. Given the demand for
higher levels of customer service expressed by employers and learners it is clear that
the current Level 4 is not fulfilling the requirements of these groups. Anecdotal
evidence has suggested ‘learners choice’ as a reason for this as the title of the
qualification does not include the word ‘Management’ which is more powerful in terms
of job seeking and promotion in CV terms. Preference is therefore given to other
generic Management qualifications that don’t have a customer service focus.
Undoubtedly employers and in particular aspiring customer service professionals are
asking for customer service qualifications at this level and the ICS has recognised this
within the CSQS and plans to do an extensive review of the Level 4 NVQ and SVQ
alongside possibilities for the development of other customer service qualifications at this
level.
The characteristics of this qualification type are as follows:

Purpose -- The level 4 NVQ/SVQ in Customer Service recognises service
management roles above the delivery roles served by the levels 2 and 3
qualifications. Its focus is on management of customer service systems and as such
it implies significant management responsibility. It is intended as accreditation for
the customer service professional who has taken on that higher level responsibility;

Interrelationships -- The qualification clearly offers progression opportunities for
those who have completed the Customer Service qualifications at levels 2 and 3.
However, the lower take-up, especially as a very small proportion of the high
numbers completing level 3 indicates that this relationship is not really working.
Perhaps more important is the relationship between this qualification and generic
management qualifications. Once operating at this more senior level, many
potential candidates are believed to favour a qualification which also overtly
recognises the transferability of management skills in the context of managing
customer service systems;

The four nations dimension -- Nearly all of the take-up of the level 4 qualification
is in England. The level of activity outside of England is low although the SQA has
recently accredited this as an SVQ which should initiate more take up in Scotland.
It is expected that a review of the Level 4 and greater promotion within the 4 UK
Countries planned in the CSQS will improve take-up levels throughout the UK and
42
Customer Service Skills Development – Page 20
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
begin to raise customer service skills to a higher level as requested by employers and
learners.
4.1.4
Other nationally accredited qualifications
A range of customer Service qualifications have been developed by Awarding Bodies.
Twenty Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQs) have been constructed by nine
Awarding Bodies serving mainly the market for Technical Certificates associated
with the M/Apprenticeship Frameworks.
The list of customer service VRQs currently accredited in the National system is shown
below with their ‘type’, guided learning hours and country(ies) where the
information is available
Title of Qualification
Qualification
Number
Type of
Qualification
NQF
Level
SCQF
Level
What are
the GLH? (if
Appropriate)
EDEXCEL Level 1 BTEC Award
in Customer Service
100/3030/X
VRQ/Tech
cert
1
N/A
90
2
N/A
90
3
N/A
90
2
5
80
3
6
100
2
5
90
3
6
120
1
4
7
EDEXCEL Level 2 BTEC Award
in Customer Service
EDEXCEL Level 3 BTEC Award
in Customer Service
EDI Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service
EDI Level 3 Certificate in
Customer Service
City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate
in Customer Service
City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate
in Customer Service
HAB Level 1 Introductory
Certificate in Hospitality
Customer Service
HAB Level 1 Introductory
Certificate in Customer Service
(Service sector)
HAB Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service
HAB Level 1 Introductory
Certificate in Conflict Handling
IMIAL Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service for the Motor
Industry
IMIAL Level 3 Certificate in
Customer Service for the Motor
Industry
NCFE Level 2 Certificate in
Retail Customer Service Skills
NCFE Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service for Hospitality,
Leisure, Travel and Tourism
OCNW Level 2 Certificate in
Airport Customer Service Agent
Skills
OCR Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service
OCR Level 3 Certificate in
Customer Service
VTCT Level 2 Certificate in
Customer Service
VTCT Level 2 Certificate for
Service Receptionists
100/3031/1
1003032/3
500/1547/3
500/1546/1
100/3358/0
100/3359/2
100/2750/6
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ
Is this qualification
available in Scotland, N.I.,
Wales, England,
Overseas? (please answer
S, NI, W, E, O as
applicable)
E, W, NI
E, W, NI
E, W, NI
S,E,W,NI
S,E,W,NI
S, NI, W, E, O
S, NI, W, E, O
S, NI, W, E
100/3211/3
VRQ
1
4
7
100/5377/3
VRQ
2
5
45
100/5806/0
VRQ
1
4
45
500/1548/5
VRQ/Tech
cert
2
5
70
500/1549/7
VRQ/Tech
cert
3
6
110
100/5777/8
VRQ
2
5
50
100/4142/4
VRQ
2
5
90
S, NI, W, E
S, NI, W, E
S, NI, W, E
S,NI, W, E
S,NI, W, E
Not Known
Not Known
500/2025/0
VRQ
2
5
90
2
N/A
60
3
N/A
80
2
N/A
75
2
N/A
Not Known
100/6164/2
100/6165/4
500/2900/9
100/6159/9
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ/Tech
cert
VRQ
NI, W, E
NI, W, E
NI, W, E
The characteristics of this qualification type are as follows:

Purpose -- Accredited Customer Service qualifications outside of the NVQ/SVQ
suites serve two purposes. The majority have been designed to satisfy the
requirements of M/Apprenticeship Frameworks for a Technical Certificate.
Others meet market needs for qualifications that do not have the portfolio
requirements of the NVQ/SVQ system.

Interrelationships -- The Technical Certificates clearly relate to the
M/Apprenticeship Frameworks that they serve. This also means that they have a
place in the customer service progression routes. The remaining qualifications in
this group relate to ‘niche markets’ where the Awarding Body has developed a
market for a tailored approach that directly addresses the needs of particular parts of
the working population;

The four nations dimension -- Many of the VRQs taken are used as Technical
Certificates within an M/Apprenticeship Framework. However, they are not
used in Scottish M/Apprenticeship. There is no clear evidence of any specific
differences from the English pattern relating to Wales and Northern Ireland.
4.1.5 Non accredited in-house qualifications and training
ICS research has shown that there is a very high volume of customer service nonaccredited in-house training and certification delivered within a wide range of
organisations in most sectors43. The extent of this activity is evidenced by both the
inclusion of customer service as a major element in strategy and the issuing of in-house
certification of training for display in customer areas. Organisations readily
acknowledge that they see customer service as central to their operations. However,
it is difficult to collect hard evidence regarding the amount of training undertaken or
what organisations see as the outcomes from that training.
The characteristics of this type of non accredited learning are as follows:

Purpose -- As an integral part of an organisation’s operations, the purpose of each
training activity will be different across sectors and specific job roles. Most
frequently employers state that the purpose of this type of training is to build
confidence and to improve adherence to corporate procedures and guidelines.
In some cases a further purpose is to provide recognition of skills by providing staff
with transferable skills that may enable them to move between job roles.
Programmes of this type are often linked with organisational initiatives to raise
awareness of customer service as a strategic tool.

Interrelationships -- The Customer Service National Occupational Standards
have been developed and evolved through extensive research of the procedures and
approaches of a wide range of organisations and sectors. Consequently, much of the
content of in-house training, although it is organisation-specific, should generally
mirror closely the content of National Occupational Standards however to what
extent this happens is unknown as currently these programmes are outside of the
national system. This makes progression through to accredited qualifications
via this route difficult if not impossible it also leaves major questions about
transferability to other job roles or sectors. It is planned that the CSQS will in
some way address this situation by accrediting employer training and offering
smaller accredited training programmes and qualifications that will in some
way replace the ‘ad hoc’ training that is currently being used

The four Nations dimension -- The ICS does not have any evidence of variation in
in-house training between the four Nations.
43
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Section 9, pages 39-51
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
4.2
Current Qualification Volumes
To provide a sense of scale for the volume of learners involved in customer service
qualifications, Figure 1 below shows that to December 2007 the cumulative total of
NVQ/SVQ registrations at all levels was over 660,000 and the cumulative total of
certificates issued was over 300,00044. Many of these results come through the
Customer Service M/Apprenticeship route where over 170,000 have completed
frameworks and over 20,000 per year join the programme. According to UK wide
statistics an average of 17,000 M/Apprentices per month were working in customer
service job roles during 2007/2008.
Therefore NVQ/SVQs play a pivotal role in qualification activity for developing customer
service skills and a description of NVQ/SVQ volumes is detailed below. The analysis is
based on Awarding Body data returns for the quarterly periods January to March 2005
through to October to December 2007 and identifies quarterly take-up, certification
patterns and trends.
4.2.1
NVQs/SVQs volumes by joint levels
Analysis of combined Levels and joint UK coverage over the period shows an average
quarterly take up of:
•12,000 in 2005
•12,121 in 2006
•10,736 in 2007
For two years the average take-up per quarter has been around 12,000. In 2007 this
fell to fewer than 11,000 due to the review and introduction of the new NOS and
NVQ/SVQs in September 2006. However, this figure has now recovered to 12,425 in
the final quarter (Oct to Dec 07).
Figure 1
All Levels - UK Wide
Custom er Service S/NVQs Quarterly Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
Accumulated Registration
Accumulated Certificates
646,995
572,527 585,968
621,009
628,132
660,350
613,795
635,255
598,769
277,002
285,121
291,492
308,592
268,790
302,036
258,924
Apr to
June 06
July to
Sept 06
Oct to
Dec 06
Jan to
Mar 07
April to
June 07
Jul y to
Sept 07
Oct to
De c 07
700,0 00
600,0 00
537,674
550,396 561,024
500,0 00
400,0 00
300,0 00
218,422
225,750 235,250
242,896 250,910
Jan to
Mar 05
Apr to
June 05
Oct to
Dec 05
200,0 00
July to
Sept 05
Jan to
Mar 06
Although the accumulated data in Figure 1 above shows the gradual increase in
registrations over the three years, when analysed further the actual quarterly
44
Ibid – page 16
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
registrations usually fluctuates as can be seen in Figure 2 Level 2 and Level 3 have
been chosen as their take-up is significantly higher than the other levels.
The fluctuations in registration for the NVQ/SVQs at levels 2 and 3 shown in Figure 2
illustrates how, following the expiry of the old qualifications on 31 August 2006 and the
introduction of the new ones on 1 September 2006, registrations per quarter fell. The
joint take-up per quarter of these two qualifications was 14,619 in July to September
2006 and 6,331 in October to December 2006. As the diagram shows it has taken over
a year for the registrations at level 2 and 3 to reach their previous levels with joint
take-up in the final quarter (October to December 07) at 12,425.
Levels 2 and 3 - UK Wide
Customer Service S/NVQs Registrations Per Quarter
October 2004 to December 2007
Figure 2
Level 2 Quarterly Registrations
Level 3 Quarterly Registrations
11,730
12,000
11,000
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
9,359
9,907
9,468
New NOS and S/NVQs introduced 1st Sept 2006
10,593
10,026
9,543
8,574
8,177
7,986
5,358
3,635
2,917
2,494
2,960
3,142
4,998
2,815
2,889
1,333
Jan to Mar Apr to
05
June 05
July to
Sept 05
Oct to
Dec 05
Jan to Mar Apr to
06
June 06
July to
Sept 06
Oct to
Dec 06
1,075
1,841
Jan to Mar April to
07
June 07
1,832
1,155
July to
Sept 07
Oct to
Dec 07
The new NOS were introduced in January 2006 in order to give Awarding Bodies and
providers the time to adjust and develop the qualifications and prepare for
implementation. However, the effects of introducing new qualifications are clearly
demonstrated here particularly for the level 2 where registrations increased rapidly just
prior to the expiry of the old qualifications and the new qualifications take-up fell
dramatically on their introduction.
The new NOS and qualifications were very different to previous ones with significantly
more choice of units. The significance of the change could be seen as instrumental for
the drop in take-up. However, the feedback now from employers and providers
regarding the new NOS is positive and the qualifications are seen as preferable.
However, with the introduction of incremental change there is no longer the need to wait
for a five year period before reviewing the NOS and qualifications which will significantly
reduce the change effect in future years.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
4.2.2 NVQ/SVQ volumes by individual levels – UK Wide
Level 1
The Level 1 NVQ/SVQ in customer service is the newest of the customer service
NVQ/SVQs and was first launched in July 2004. The qualification was therefore not
revised at the same time as levels 2, 2, 3 and 4 and the take-up has continued to grow
during 2005-2007.
Figure 3 shows the UK quarterly accumulated take-up and certification for level 1 in the
period January 2005 to December 2007 with a total of 5,581 registrations. An
analysis of the data over the three years shows that the average quarterly registrations
for level 1 has increased significantly year on year with average take-ups per quarter
of:
• 210 in 2005
• 486 in 2006
• 594 in 2007
This represents an increase in quarterly registrations of 183 per cent. A total of 2,788 full
certificates have been awarded since January 2005.
Level 1 - UK Wide
Cust omer Service S/NVQs Accumulated Registration and Cert ification
October 2004 to December 2007
Figure 3
Level 1 Accumulated Registrations
6,000
Level 1 Accumulated Certificates
5581
4670
5,000
4144
3490
4,000
2836
2611
3,000
2788
1979
1622
2,000
1,000
0
174
463
587
894
1228
343
1091
1371
1447
1647
418
268
199
5
7
Jan to Apr to July to Oct to
Mar 05 June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05
Jan to
Apr to July to Oct to
Mar 06 June 06 Sept 06 Dec 06
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Jan to April to July to Oct to
Mar 07 June 07 Sept 07 Dec 07
Level 2
Figure 4 shows the UK accumulated take-up and certification for the customer service
NVQ/SVQ at level 2 over the period January 2005 to December 2007. An analysis
of the data over the last three years shows that the average quarterly registrations for
Level 2 has remained fairly constant with average registrations per quarter of:
• 8,748 in 2005
• 9,045 in 2006
• 8,638 in 2007
Although there is a slight drop of -1 per cent in registration for the level 2 NVQ/SVQ
this is insignificant and the figures for the period October to December 07 is a 10,593
as shown in Figure 2. A total of 187,121 full certificates have been awarded since
January 2005.
Figure 4
Level 2 Accumulated Registrations
500,000
400,000
Level 2 - UK Wide
Customer Service S/NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
338,484 350,214
310,857 319,034 328,941
302,871
293,403
Level 2 Accumulated Certificates
375,954 386,547
355,212 360,570 365,928
300,000
200,000
187,121
169,422 174,235 182,077
149,953 156,988 163,272
144,444
138,935
121,074 126,321 133,270
100,000
Jan to
Mar 05
Apr to
July to
Oct to
June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Jan to
Mar 06
Apr to
July to
June 06 Sept 06
Oct to
Dec 06
Jan to
Mar 07
April to July to
June 07 Sept 07
Oct to
Dec 07
Level 3
Figure 5 shows the UK accumulated take-up and certification for the customer service
NVQ/SVQ at Level 3 over the period January 2005 to December 2007. An analysis
of the data over the three years shows that the average quarterly registrations for Level
3 has slowly declined over the three year period with averages per quarter of:
• 3002 in 2005
• 2545 in 2006
• 1476 in 2007
This is a considerable drop in take-up of -51 per cent which could be attributed to the
introduction to the new qualifications in 2006. However, it is more likely that the slow
reduction and withdrawal in funding for the level 3 qualification and the focus of funding
for 16/18 year olds who are more suitable for the level 2 M/Apprenticeship has
influenced the choice of level of take-up among employers and providers. A total of 118,384
full certificates have been awarded since January 2005.
Figure 5
Level 3 - UK Wide
Custom er Service S/NVQs Accum ulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to Decem ber 2007
Level 3 Accumulated Registrations
Level 3 Accumulated Certificates
264,703 265,858 267,690
255,516 258,331 261,220 262,553 263,628
244,003 246,920 249,414 252,374
250,000
150,000
97,334
118,384
108,426 110,543 112,158 114,034 115,369 117,089
99,404 101,756 103,626 106,026
50,000
Jan to Apr to July to Oct to
Mar 05 June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Jan to Apr to July to Oct to
Mar 06 June 06 Sept 06 Dec 06
Jan to April to July to Oct to
Mar 07 June 07 Sept 07 Dec 07
Level 4
The accumulated registration take-up for level 4 customer service NVQ/SVQ is 532.
Figure 6 shows the UK accumulated take-up and certification for the customer service
NVQ/SVQ at level 4 over the period January 2005 to December 2007. An analysis
of the data over the last three years shows that the average quarterly registrations for
level 4 has slowly declined with averages per quarter of:
• 40 in 2005
• 46 in 2006
• 28 in 2007
This is a considerable drop in take-up of -31 per cent some of which could be attributed
to the introduction of the new qualification in 2006 where registrations dropped by 50
per cent. However, the level 4 qualification has not recovered from this with only 14
registrations in the quarter October to December 2007. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that this is because the qualification does not have ‘Management’ in the title. A total of 299
full certificates have been awarded since January 2005.
Figure 6
Level 4 - UK Wide
Customer Service S/NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
Level 4 Accumulated Registrations
Level 4 Accumulated Certificates
600
513
500
444
382
400
408
332
299
283
300
225
200
100
0
532
480
142
7
Oct to
Dec 04
9
Jan to
Mar 05
241
127
67
18
218
168
166
94
64
201
259
97
25
Apr to
July to
June 05 Sept 05
Oct to
Dec 05
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Jan to
Mar 06
Apr to
June 06
July to
Sept 06
Oct to
Dec 06
Jan to
Mar 07
April to
June 07
July to
Sept 07
Oct to
Dec 07
4.2.3
NVQ/SVQ volumes by country
Scotland
There has been a total of 26,557 registrations for the customer service NVQ/SVQs in
Scotland. Figure 7 shows the Scottish quarterly accumulated take-up and certification
in the period January 2005 to December 2007. The data for the three year period has
mainly included level 2 and 3 qualifications as levels 1 and 4 were only recently
accredited. Level 1 had only 17 registrations in Scotland and level 4 had none by the
final period.
All Levels - Scotland
Customer Service S/NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certificatio
n
October 2004 to December 2007
Accumulated Registrations
Accumulated Certification
Figure7
30,000
25,000
20,000
18633
19798
20463
15,000
10,000
7657
8419
9114
25101
25769
26557
23819
25397
21289
23312
24805
22317
12108
12511
13230
13598
13899
9620
11484
12977
10552
5,000
0
Jan to Apr to July to Oct to Jan to
March 05 June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05 Mar 06
Apr to
Jul to
Oct to Jan to
Jun 06 Sept 06 Dec 06 Mar 07
Apr to Jul 07 to Oct to
Jun 07 Sep 07 Dec 07
The most popular take-up level in Scotland has been level 3 with 19,307 registrations
(72 per cent), as there is only one M/Apprenticeship in Scotland which is at level 3
and this is a primary route for funding of qualifications in Scotland.
Over the three year period average quarterly take-up has been as follows:
• 948 in 2005
• 879 in 2006
• 470 in 2007
However, over the three year period the take-up of customer service
M/Apprenticeships in Scotland has fallen dramatically. The -74 per cent decrease in
take-up for the three year period can be attributed to the continued reduction of funding
for customer service SVQs and M/Apprenticeships and the focus on the under 25 age
group.
A total of 13,899 full certificates have been awarded in Scotland since January 2005.
England
There has been a total of 616,532 registrations for the customer service NVQ/SVQs
in England. Figure.8 shows the quarterly accumulated take-up and certification in the
period January 2005 to December 2007 in England. The average quarterly take-up over
the three year period is:
• 10,540 in 2005
• 10,641 in 2006
•10,130 in 2007
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Overall the average quarterly take-up rates have remained similar year on year although
there is a -4 per cent change which can be attributed to the introduction of the new
qualifications in September 2006 and is not regarded as significant. Evidence that takeup has recovered is demonstrated by the 12,258 take-ups in the period October to
December 07.
The main level of take-up in England has been level 2 with 365,784 registrations (79
per cent).
All Levels - England
Customer Service S/NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
Figure 8
Accumulated Registrations
Accumulated Certif ication
700,000
600,000
506103
517348
526927
536993
548968
205021
211340
219656
226588
233397
Jan to
Apr to
March 05 June 05
July to
Sept 05
Oct to
Dec 05
Jan to
Mar 06
579558
586244
592930
616532
574320
604274
560249
248839
256029
263491
269398
278742
284848
240206
Apr to Jun Jul to
06
Sept 06
Oct to
Dec 06
Jan to
Mar 07
Apr to Jun Jul 07 to
07
Sep 07
Oct to
Dec 07
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
A total of 284,848 full certificates have been awarded in England since January 2005.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Wales
There has been a total of 14,323 registrations for the customer service NVQ/SVQs in
Wales. Figure 9 shows the quarterly accumulated take-up and certification in the period
January 2005 to December 2007 in Wales. Overall the averages for quarterly takeup in Wales have reduced significantly which again can be attributed to the introduction
of the new qualifications. However with a total of only 309 registrations in the last
quarter the previous take-up levels have not recovered. The ICS will target Wales and
talk to awarding bodies, providers and employers to find the reasons for the reduction in
take up and how this can be resolved. The average quarterly take-up over the three year
period is:
• 515 in 2005
• 601 in 2006
• 133 in 2007
A total of 8,439 full certificates have been awarded in Wales since January 2005.
All Levels - Wales
Customer Service NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
Figure 9
Wales Accumulated Registrations
Wales Accumulated Certificates
13859
13990
7046
7247
7458
Oct to
Nov 06
Jan to
Mar 07
13728
14,000
12,000
10065
10,000
10374
10756
11348
11770
12291
14014
14323
8290
8439
12738
9327
8,000
6,000
4176
4317
Oct to
Dec 04
Jan to
Mar 05
4529
5012
5217
5490
5829
6431
4,000
Apr to
July to
Oct to
June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Jan to
Mar 06
Apr to
July to
June 06 Sept 06
April to July to
June 07 Sept 07
Oct to
Dec 07
Northern Ireland
There has been a total of 2,938 registrations for the customer service NVQs in
Northern Ireland. Figure 10 shows the Northern Ireland quarterly accumulated
take-up and certification in the period January 2005 to December 2007. Overall the
averages for quarterly take-up in Northern Ireland has reduced from 7 in 2005 to 3 in
2007, resulting in a -63 per cent reduction. Importantly during the last year there has
been no take-up of customer service NVQs in Northern Ireland however the ICS
expects this situation to change as in June 2008 DELNI added Customer Service
ApprenticeshipsNI at Levels 2 and 3 to their prospectus and this will inevitably lead to
greater take-up of Customer Service NVQs in Northern Ireland.
Figure 10
All Levels - Northern Ireland
Customer Service NVQs Accumulated Registration and Certification
October 2004 to December 2007
Accumulated Registrations
3,000
Accumulated Certification
2873
287 6
287 8
28 97
2 913
2 917
2918
291 8
292 8
293 8
2 938
2 938
1427
146 2
146 8
14 71
1 471
1 471
1478
148 2
148 2
148 2
1 482
1 482
Jan to
Mar 06
Apr to Jul to Oct to Jan to
Jun 06 Sept 06 Dec 06 Mar 07
2,000
1,000
Jan to Apr to July to Oct to
March June 05 Sept 05 Dec 05
05
4.2.4
Apr to Jul 07 to Oct to
Jun 07 Sep 07 Dec 07
Other national accredited qualifications
Twenty Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQs) are offered by nine Awarding Bodies
and delivered in over 2000 centres. Twelve of the qualifications are Technical
Certificates for use in the M/Apprenticeship frameworks. The Awarding Bodies
report take-up of 42,000 qualifications from this list with 17,000 being Technical
Certificates. The biggest take-up amongst Technical Certificates is for those with the
smaller guided learning hour requirements45.
Figures cannot be given for the take-up of individual qualifications here as this would
identify each Awarding Body which would breach confidentiality.
In total there have been 42,000 registrations for customer service VRQs.
During the year 2007-2008 Customer Service Technical Certificates had:
• 11,108 new starts with 5990 certificates awarded at Level 2
• 3,017 new starts with 1949 certificates awarded at Level 3
giving a total of 14,125 registrations and 7,939 certificates awarding during that year
45
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – page 37
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Other customer service VRQs which are not technical certificates totalled 3,881
registrations (certification figures were not available).
4.2.5 Other training and non nationally accredited qualifications
ICS research has shown that there is a high volume of customer service training and
qualifications delivered within a wide range of organisations across most sectors46.
These initiatives have become a major business for providers and consultants who offer
a multitude of awards and courses which are not nationally accredited or monitored. In
addition, these initiatives are particularly difficult to specify as they span all sectors and
subsectors and come in every shape and size.
For example, web searches for ‘customer service training’ and ‘customer service
consultants’ elicit over 400,000 search results for training and 9,000 for
consultants!. These results do not include programmes developed and delivered ‘in
house’ by individual employers which they tend to keep to themselves as a competitive
advantage.
In terms of the variety of provision available and costs incurred in customer service
training the list below gives an indication of the breadth of content and value of these
initiatives (costs are a snapshot and may vary over time as charges are increased or
reduced).
Name of organisation
Title of Training Course/
Development
Programme
Activia Training
Exceptional customer
service
1 day course
Public = Max £229 pp
Private = Max £599 pp variable rates depending
on numbers and venue
None Mentioned
BE Training
Exceptional customer
service training
1 day course
£295+VAT pp
Training Manual &
'Certificate of
Attendance'
Big Time Learning
and People1st
Customer service online
2.5 hours - on-line - e-learning
Free - Funded by the EU
Certificate endorsed
by People 1st
City Speakers
International
Customer Service
2 day course
£3500 per course
None mentioned
Customer First
International
Award for customer
service professionals
6 or 10 weeks part time on-line
course with tutor support
(depending on 5 hrs or 3 hrs per
week involvement) or 2 week
intensive, all online, with proactive
Online Tutor support
£345 pp or ranging from
£345 to £245 for
companies dependent on
number involved
ASET Certificate
Customer First
International
Award for customer
service managers
7 or 10 weeks part time on-line
course with tutor support
(depending on 5 hrs per week or 3
hrs per week involvement)
£345 pp or ranging from
£345 to £245 for
companies dependent on
number involved
ASET Certificate
Gamethingy
Customer service
training
Board Game for team building in
house
£99 + optional extras
None mentioned
Hemsley Fraser
An Introduction to
customer service putting the customer first
1 day course - tailored in company
£529 pp
None mentioned
46
Type and Length of programme
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Section 9, pages 39-51
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Cost of course
Outcome
ICS Communications
Award
ICS
ICS
ICS Solutions Award
ICS
ICS Innovation Award
ICS
ICS Continuous
Professional
Development (CPD)
Workbased and internally coached
competence based professional
development with an average
completion time of 4-6 months.
Assessed by ICS accredited
assessors.
Workbased and internally coached
competence based professional
development with an average
completion time of 5-8 months.
Assessed by ICS accredited
assessors.
Workbased and internally coached
competence based professional
development with an average
completion time of 8-12 months.
Assessed by ICS accredited
assessors.
For corporate and council
members of the ICS only,
not available generally
ICS Professional
Award certificate and
achievers are eligible
for ICS individual
membership
For corporate and council
members of the ICS only,
not available generally
ICS Professional
Award certificate and
achievers are eligible
for ICS individual
membership
For corporate and council
members of the ICS only,
not available generally
ICS Professional
Award certificate and
achievers are eligible
for ICS individual
membership
Availableto qualified ICS
individual members at
different levels - free of
charge
ICS Achievement
Certificate
On successful
completion individuals
receive a certificate
and one year's ICS
Foundation
membership.
On successful
completion individuals
receive a certificate
and one year's ICS
Foundation
membership.
ICS
ICS First Impressions
20 hours including 2 day workshop
(or 4 half days) attendance + 120
page participant guide + self
assessment; workplace assignment
and final multichoice assessment
ICS
ICS Service
Management
30 hours - including 2.5 days
workshop (or five half days) + 12
hours self study leading to
workplace assignment
Cost varies depending on
delivery arrangements
Impact Factory
Open Customer Service
Skills Course
1 day course
£395+VAT pp
None mentioned
Innovatory
Customer Service
Half day workshop
£100 pp - free for those
on train to gain
None mentioned
Learn Direct
Steps to success professional customer
service
1 day course
£69.99
None mentioned
Reed Learning
Handling customers
professionally
1 day course
£499 pp
None Mentioned
T&T Training
Great customer service
1 day course
£325+VAT pp
None mentioned
Welcome Host
1 day course
Welcome Host for Local
Authorities
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
Certificate of
attendance
Certificate of
attendance
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome All
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
Certificate of
attendance use of
Welcome to
Excellence Logo
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome International
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
Certificate of
attendance & use of
Welcome to
Excellence Logo
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
Certificate of
attendance use of
Welcome to
Excellence Logo
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
Certificate of
attendance use of
Welcome to
Excellence Logo
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome Host Plus
Welcome Line
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Cost varies depending on
delivery arrangements
Welcome to
Excellence
Welcome Management
1 day course
£35 to £125 pp depending
on region
You: unlimited
Customer Service
1.5 day accelerated workshops
followed by post course - prompts
and buddy coaching
£1950 per course - on
employer premises - 1
trainer
Certificate of
attendance use of
Welcome to
Excellence Logo
As stated many employers develop their own in-house customer service training to try
to fill the skills gaps and shortages within their organisation. Again, little is known
about the content, quality and success of these courses but many employers see
them as a cost effective route to customer service training particularly where they judge
there is nothing suitable for their particular needs in the nationally accredited
market.
Employers in most sectors train staff in customer service skills either as an add-on to
their technical skills and/or as a main skill needed for individuals with a dedicated
customer service role. The key driver of this training is to improve customer service for
the organisation through raising the skill levels of individuals. Evidence shows that the
motivation is not always to gain accredited qualifications for employees although this is
seen as a useful by product if the qualification is credible, flexible in terms of delivery
and is cost effective.
Under the new SCQF/QCF/CQFW employers may be encouraged to develop even more
sector specific customer service qualifications and training leading to large numbers
of additional customer service qualifications and training programmes. The risk will be
to the consistency, comparability and transferability of customer service skills.
This is a challenge for the ICS and the CSQS has been developed to provide more cost
effective customer service qualifications and training for employers and learners which
are delivered in smaller portions and have rules of combination that give greater
choice and flexibility. The aim of the CSQS is to bring non accredited qualifications
and training into the National Arena by offering credible and meaningful alternatives
that employers and learners want and that meet business needs.
4.3 Employer views on current qualifications and provision of
learning
4.3.1
Employer use of qualifications
Customer service NVQs/SVQs are used by employers more than any other customer
service qualifications. The success of these has provided valuable skills training and
assessment for entry to employment at all levels and to fill skills gaps experienced with
existing employees.
Funding patterns for M/Apprenticeships with the associated S/NVQs/VRQs and
Technical Certificates has led to take up being higher in the under-26 age group.
However, at the time of the ICS Training and Qualification Survey47, ‘Train to gain’
schemes had begun to offer funded access to these qualifications for older age groups.
Responses to the survey (described more fully in 6.2 of this document) indicated clearly
that employers see customer service qualifications as important for the development of
suitable behavioural patterns among staff and the integration of generic skills with
corporate systems and goals. Above all, comments in the survey stressed the
benefits of being able to measure and assess performance against defined standards
47
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Section 10
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
that the available qualifications bring. Where the qualifications are used extensively
their importance is strongly linked with the strategic importance of customer service
for the whole organisation.
Employers see the quality of training and qualifications as being marginally more
important than the availability of funding. They want assurance that any
qualifications used will make a significant difference with regard to both individuals and
the organisation of the whole. Those that outsource training and development
understand that government support is needed to ensure a continued supply by high
level, quality, providers. Of equal importance to employers is value for money, the
credibility of the qualification, ease of use and relevance to the work job
role48.
Nevertheless feedback from both providers and employers has shown how funding
changes can affect the take-up of qualifications and M/Apprenticeships. Although
employers do not always see funding as their primary objective, when funding is
suddenly withdrawn or diverted, provision naturally becomes affected and some
providers/colleges cease to offer the product, hence the dissatisfaction experienced by
employers when the qualifications are no longer available despite employer engagement
and ‘buy in’. Often these qualifications are embedded in an organisation’s overall
strategy for improvement and to have their availability withdrawn lowers employers
expectations of the qualification network and encourages employers to move
outside of the national framework for satisfaction.
These issues are raised as part of the CSQF and planning includes raising the awareness
of the funding agencies regarding of the importance of customer service skills to
employers and the growth of occupations in customer service.
4.3.2 Entry qualifications and ongoing accreditation of staff
NVQs/SVQs and M/Apprenticeships with their funding support are used for a large
amount of entry learning as they provide opportunities to grow and learn for those
joining customer service occupations. These programmes and qualifications are used by
employers often as part of an induction programme, and by providers using work
experience as the vehicle for assessment of competence. However, further
consultation has also highlighted a need for a pre-entry stage for a large cohort of
young learners who are having difficulty finding jobs or work placements due to
behavioural issues and are who are not ready to attempt a full Level 1 qualification
or Apprenticeship. The pre-entry qualification would need to be preparatory,
before work placement/experience and in a workshop situation with role play
and simulation a key feature. It is felt that this initiative could help with the skills
shortages experienced by many employers at preliminary interview for work experience
and beyond. This work is a major part of Priority 2 and will involve working with key
partners particularly from schools, colleges, other providers, awarding bodies and
government training programmes. This will form the basis for a clear progression
route based on achievable qualification units that are smaller than a full Level 1
qualification yet are credible and feasible in terms of delivery and engagement for
this cohort of learners.
There is a growing interest in customer service as a skill set for learners in schools. In
anticipation of the new 14 to 19 curriculum and the introduction of Vocational
Diplomas, schools and colleges have increasingly shown an interest in customer
service qualifications. The ICS holds that its inclusion in areas of the National
Curriculum will emphasise the importance of customer service to employers and
national competitive positioning. However, rather than have a plethora of new
48
Ibid – Page 55
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
qualifications in the market, and to maintain the standard of customer service skills the
ICS will plan and consult on the development of ‘meta’ units in customer service that
can be imported into existing Vocational Diplomas and added to any sector specific
diplomas and/or other areas of the curriculum.
When asked to predict the demand for this type of qualifications needed for the future,
significant emphasis was also placed on learning and qualifications which offer further
development for the existing workforce. Short accredited courses and short credit
based qualifications that are measureable and have clear progression
pathways, professional/higher level qualifications and accredited CPD are ranked
as the most important learning and qualification types for the development of existing
staff as seen by employers and training providers49. There is remarkable agreement
about these priorities and as described in 6.3 the ICS aims to manage the future
development of these initiatives in a way that is satisfactory to both employers and
learners thus avoiding the proliferation of courses currently being developed.
A further area of agreement about the importance of future qualification types is in
relation to higher education level qualifications. Higher M/Apprenticeships,
foundation degrees, graduate and postgraduate degrees were also seen as
important to be pursued although these were given lower priority.50
4.3.3 Customer service training
A considerable amount of customer service training takes place whether or not it is
linked with accreditation and/or qualifications. The preferred methods for this training
among employers include in-house training, and work-based assessment51.
It must be assumed that employers are expressing their preferences according to the
overall effectiveness they perceive in the different types of training. However, it is also
clear that factors such as cost and time commitment off-the-job also affect their
opinions in these areas.
Training providers and employers share a preference for bespoke training courses
which are developed by and for employers. The development of these courses will
continue as they are the main business stream for many consultants and providers. In
these cases employers are likely to present their own ‘badged’ certificates to their
attendees.
Following the Qualifications Recognition Scheme being launched by QCA “We believe
that bringing employers' and providers' training into the QCF is a critical part of the work
to develop a skills base built on high-quality training”,52 the CSQS aims to give the ICS
the tools to manage this initiative within customer service. The ICS has continued to
voice major concerns about a proliferation of customer service qualifications appearing
on the QCF however by actively taking part in this initiative the rationalisation of the
number and type of qualifications may be more manageable and will give the ICS the
opportunity to influence volume and accreditation.
Unlike the employers providers also rank open courses used by a mixture employers
much more highly than do the employers but this is probably affected by the importance
of the income streams that these courses produce for them.
49
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
Ibid – Page 66
51
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – page 68
52
QCA Website, Employer Recognition Programme, July 2008
50
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
When asked about the effectiveness of different training methods, answers match
almost exactly the preferences expressed above. Employers believe that training
directly linked with the workplace is most effective. This should be noted for future
development of customer service short course accreditation schemes and/or
qualifications since, if they are to succeed as other customer service qualifications
have, they must be capable of delivery and assessment in both a sector and organisation
context whilst maintaining the integrity of generic customer service skills.
Respondents to the ICS Training and Qualification Survey 200853 also believed that
these same types of training were the most successful for meeting the needs of learners
or employees. Employers are naturally concerned about the cost-effectiveness of
training activities but there is nevertheless a close correlation between the methods that
are seen as most effective for learners and most effective for employers. Once again,
placing generic customer service skills in context is seen as the most important
feature of the training method chosen54.
There is significant disparity between the views of employers and training providers
regarding the cost effectiveness of different training methods. Employers maintain
the line that short in-house training courses and work based assessment are the
most cost-effective as well as serving the needs of employers and employees. The
CSQS builds on this by planning and developing a system for accrediting existing
employer courses and developing new short accredited courses that will meet
employers needs.
Training providers believe that off-the-shelf training courses and online distance
learning are more cost-effective. This contrast is important since design of future
qualifications must once again take proper note of employer preferences while still taking
account of the likely benefits of scale to be gained especially from an online option55.
4.3.4 Perceived benefits of customer service qualifications
Consultation from the ICS research into skills development56 showed that the number
one benefit of customer service qualifications for employers is;

Improved levels of customer service delivery.
This was followed closely by:







Increased customer service knowledge
higher staff morale
longer term customer service skills improvement
reduction in service related complaints
increased staff retention
improved attendance levels and
improved customer service retention
These perceived benefits show that employers are prepared to trace a direct causal link
between customer service qualifications and improvements in performance57. The
added value brought to an organisation by using qualifications is becoming more widely
53
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Section 10 Page 52
Ibid – page 71
55
Ibid – Page 73
56
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – page 79
57
Ibid - Page 76
54
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
recognised as a result of this and the ICS role to disseminate these results to more
employers through case studies and forums is central to Priority 1 of the CSQS
involving raising the perceptions of the benefits of using credible qualifications to
raise customer service performance and underpin customer service strategy.
4.3.5 Employer perceptions of gaps and future needs
The ICS has identified significant customer skills gaps and shortages across most
sectors in its LMI Research58 These rate as either the first or second priority
gap/shortage areas in England, Wales and Scotland and third priority in Northern
Ireland.
Employers report that the effects these gaps and shortages have can be severe and
include:




difficulties meeting customer service strategic objectives
difficulties meeting quality standards
delays in developing new products or service
loss of business or orders to competitors
Primary to employers future needs is a knowledge of what customer service
qualifications and training are available and the implications for delivery in terms of time
commitment, cost effectiveness, credibility and appropriateness in terms of the
needs of the organisation and the strategy which it serves. In addition the quality of
delivery is key and fundamental to this that providers from both private organisations
and colleges understand their business needs, products and services, and the
sector context.
These concerns and the consequences of skills gaps and shortages translate into
requests for changes in style and approach for existing qualifications and a request for a
focus on shorter more flexible accredited qualification and training offers for the
future. In addition particular emphasis is made on the skills shortages experienced in
new recruits often alluding to schools and changes to the National Curriculum and
lack of customer focus in existing programmes.
There are also obviously issues here about the net value that can be derived from time
and financial resources invested in training and assessment activities. The CSQS
will address these issues in the forward action planning stage. Undoubtedly employers
have experienced the effects that good customer service training and well delivered
qualifications can have on their overall organisational performance, however currently
the quality of provision can be patchy and employers find it difficult to identify suitable
provision when choosing between providers from the wide and varied number that are
available.
These perceptions and opinions of employers have driven the plans and priorities of the
CSQS. Research has made it clear that there is an ongoing need to inform employers
and potential learners constantly about what is available. Hence the CSQS has
prioritised the improved quality of provision and guidance on the future qualifications
that are required to meet both their needs.
58
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section 5: Other sector uses of qualifications
In many sectors qualification use is driven by sector specific regulations however there
are no specific regulations for customer service.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Section : The future – The ICS
6.1
6.1.1
Vision of future qualifications
Establishing priorities
The ICS in its Labour Market Information report "Customer service employment
and skills - now and in the future, 2008" and its report "Customer service skills
development - now and in the future, 2008" has sought to establish the conditions
of supply and demand for customer service qualifications and training. This research has
led to the conclusion that there are three priorities for action which now form the basis
of this strategy.
The priorities are to:
1.
continue to enhance and promote understanding of customer service skills
and their importance to organisational and, by definition, UK economic success
in a globalised economy;
2.
continue to enhance the offer and accessibility of customer service
qualifications that meet employer and learner needs, and raise customer service
skills across the UK;
3.
incorporate employer specific customer service training into a broader
framework that is consistent and transferable
These priorities are different in nature and they are not listed in order of importance or
in the sequence in which they should be addressed. They will also seek to reinforce the
importance of customer service as a strategic tool for many organisations and as a way
of establishing the international position of the UK in many global markets where
competition is based on service levels.
Priority 1 Continue to enhance and promote understanding of customer service skills
and their importance to organisational and, by definition, UK economic
success in a globalised economy
Customer service is a key performance issue for the UK and its prosperity within the
global economy and there is wide agreement that customer service skills are in short
supply in different parts of the UK and in different sectors.
The aim of the CSQS is to address these supply needs and develop new ways of
thinking about customer service skills by raising standards that are aligned to
employer preferences and demands. However, this work cannot be carried out in
isolation of the wider employment and skills agenda and the ICS believes that there are
four fundamental key issues that need to be addressed to ensure the successful
implementation of the Customer Service Qualifications Strategy.
Priority 1 has been developed to address the key contextual issues which are outlined
below:
1.1
inconsistency in the language of customer service that affects the perceptions
and understanding of the skills involved and the related measurement of
effectiveness through national, local and sectoral data;
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Partly influenced by extensive research and consultation with stakeholders, the term
‘customer service’ is defined by ICS as embracing the totality of actions needed to
be taken by organisations and individuals to deliver service in line with
customer expectations and needs. Defined as such, use of the term helps to focus
the debate about core service issues at a strategic as well as an operational level. This
is seen as essential in influencing those whose decisions impact on customer service
performance. Other terms which are used in some quarters imply a narrower focus
and are thus less helpful in this regard, for example ‘customer handling’ (suggesting a
one-way relationship with customers) and ‘customer care’ (with its undertones of
altruism rather than mutual advantage).
In order to build a clear, transparent approach to customer service skills development
and to ensure consistency in both delivery and underpinning research, the CSQS is
based on the use and understanding of consistent terminology and the need to
promote this.
1.2
the perception that customer service skills, as ‘softer skills’, are less important
than technical skills, often indicated in National data collection leading funding
bodies to reflect this thinking;
The demand by employers for higher level customer service qualifications and the skill
shortages evidenced in the ICS research demonstrates how difficult these skills are to
obtain. Increasingly employers are rating customer service skills as high priority and
of strategic importance and they are beginning to give parity of esteem to customer
service with technical qualifications. The ICS therefore needs to influence
Government departments about their perceptions of customer service to align their
thinking more to those of employers and those working in customer service job roles.
1.3
unclear categorisation in the SOC Major Groups and Qualifications
Classification System where customer service is either coupled or subsumed in
other occupational and qualification areas for example alongside ‘sales’ in the
SOC Major Groups and under Business and Administration in the
Qualification Area Codes;
When carrying out customer service research or measurement, this masks customer
service in terms of both occupational and qualification performance. Although these
classifications are well established they do have an impact on ICS researchers however,
they could have less of an impact if SSCs/SSBs and Government Bodies were to ask
targeted ‘customer service’59 questions in their consultations and data collection. As a
cross sector body the ICS relies on national data and sector specific information
regarding customer service performance, if this could be accessed via SSCs/SSBs and
smaller government research projects the national results would have less of an impact.
1.4
the proliferation of qualifications and training in customer service reinforcing
the need to maintain consistent Standards across sectors and their generic
base;
The success and take up of existing generic standards and qualifications is well
recognised and these are currently being used across most sectors60 demonstrating the
appropriateness of generic sets of standards and qualifications. However, a minority of
organisations want these qualifications focused more towards individual sectors, sub
sectors and job roles underlined by the new Employer Recognition Scheme developed by
QCA. The rationalisation of the number qualifications in customer service is of major
importance and underpins this strategy. By managing a potential proliferation of
59
60
see priority 1.1
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
qualifications by sector and subsector and becoming involved in the Employer Training
Recognition Scheme customer service skills will remain consistent and transferable
and will lead to real progression and consistency across and within sectors.
To facilitate the issues raised in Priority 1 detailed Action Plans will be developed
which will require a wide range of actions involving close cooperation with other
stakeholders and partners as indicated in Section 6.3.
Priority 2 Continue to enhance the offer and accessibility of customer service
qualifications that meet employer and learner needs, and raise customer
service skills across the UK;
The ICS recognises that ongoing actions are needed to develop qualifications that truly
meet employer and learner needs. Most engagement with employers and learners is
through Government funded programmes but employers are known to favour
improvements in both quality of provision, flexibility and choice in this area.
The volume of engagement with current nationally accredited qualifications and training
is primarily driven by funding; the availability of providers to offer the training;
and/or the ability of employers to deliver the training and assessment in house.
However, many employers do seek accreditation and training outside of the national
arena and the main reason for this is higher quality training, greater flexibility in
terms of delivery and cost effectiveness in terms of time taken ‘off the job’.
With a review of current qualifications and training and the development of new
qualification routes from pre-entry through to higher levels the ICS aims to bring
more choice, flexibility, credibility and quality to the whole nationally accredited
customer service skills arena. In the light of the new SCQF/QCF/ QCFW this is now a
new, exciting opportunity which reflects the requests of employers and learners for
new customer service qualifications that are shorter and credit based.
As a part of this the ICS plans to reintroduce the concept of the development of ‘meta
units’ in customer service for introduction into existing qualifications within the school
curriculum. In particular the ICS aims to reinstate meetings with the DIUS and the
SSCs to discuss the introduction of these units into all Vocational Diplomas in England
with a view to putting customer service skills in schools and therefore at the heart of
the 14-19 Agenda.
In addition, consultation has highlighted a need for pre-entry level qualifications at the
pre Level 1 stage for a large cohort of young learners who are having difficulty finding
jobs due to behavioural issues. Usually they are neither in school or in work and
some are on Government Training Programmes. Qualifications in customer service
for this cohort could engage individuals who are undecided or have rejected
traditional career options giving them more opportunity and choice. It is felt that this
initiative could help with the skills shortages experienced by many employers at
interview and beyond and encourage some potential learners to return to the
employment market with a marketable qualification.
Another related issued for employers and learners with the current funding focus is the
narrow age-group within which current training is concentrated and a further goal of
this strategy is to develop plans that will seek to extend participation in all age
groups. This is especially important when combined with the vision of extending higher
level qualifications in customer service which include clear career progression paths
for school leavers and the emerging customer service professional, managers and
senior managers.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
The ICS is also clear that its plans will continue to develop generic qualifications that
are delivered in the specific context of a sector and an organisation but are
transferable in order to provide genuine adaptability within the workforce.
To facilitate the issues raised in Priority 2 detailed Action Plans will be developed
which will require a wide range of actions involving close cooperation with other
stakeholders and partners as indicated in 6.3.
Priority 3
Incorporate employer specific customer service training into a
broader framework that is consistent and transferable
The difficulties of defining the limits of customer service training result from the issues
of role and function classification already identified. The ICS recognises that developing
approaches to customer service training in parallel with the development of qualifications
is very important. Customer service training spans all sectors and sub-sectors
and comes in every shape and size.
Alongside structured training which complements accredited assessment programmes
there is a vast range of organisation-based customer service training delivered in-house
by company trainers or by external providers. Monitoring of these activities is driven by
commercial considerations and much of the activity is not accredited or even routinely
recorded.
Data on this type of activity is impossible to assemble and impressions of its
effectiveness may be subject to subjective prejudice depending on anecdotal evidence.
Nevertheless many employers freely admit that customer service training can be in the
form of short and "quick-fix" events which raise awareness short-term but whose
longer-term effectiveness is unknown. ICS research reveals that generally there
are no clear links between training of this kind and National Occupational Standards
leaving concerns over consistency and transferability.
Employers support short in-house courses because they simultaneously address
organisational and individual learning needs and because the employers can retain some
control over the time commitment. The ICS aim is to ensure that more of this type of
activity is based on generic standards, simultaneously fits with corporate strategy
and is measurable in terms of outcomes and future training and progression needs.
New approaches to accreditation will offer opportunities to employers who wish to
accredit in-house training. The ICS will seek to ensure that training developed for this
purpose is based on generic standards and placed in an organisational context.
To facilitate the issues raised in Priority 3 detailed Action Plans will be developed
which will require a wide range of actions involving close cooperation with other
stakeholders and partners as indicated below and shown in 6.3..

identify employer needs and objectives when training staff in customer service in
order to find practical solutions for bridging the skills gaps and shortages;

develop customer service courses for employers which meet their needs and are
credible, consistent and transferable across all sectors because they are based
on National Occupational Standards;

accredit customer service training developed and delivered by employers providing it
is credible and based on National Occupational Standards so that the learning is
transferable and is measureable in terms of outcomes and future training and
progression needs.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
6.2
Customer service and strategic partnerships
6.2.1
Reaching our customers – the consultations
To ensure that the research underpinning the development of the CSQS and the draft
strategy itself reached as many key partners as possible the ICS carried out a range of
consultation opportunities shown below:
Labour Market Information - Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS,
2008
Secondary data used in the LMI research was extracted from an analysis of national,
regional and sectoral data available from the year 2000.
Management data was identified from a search of reports and articles (e.g. as
published by the Harvard Business School)
Primary data
was collected from

research carried out by UK Business Schools for the Institute of Customer Service as
part of the ICS Breakthrough Research programme

a survey61 of employers distributed via:
 five touch screens made available at the ICS Annual Conference 2007
 postal service
 link made available on ICS website and promoted through:




ICS enews
ICS CPD enewsletter
through direct email
link promoted at ICS run events, e.g. customer service forums for
organisational members
 copies inserted in customerfirst (the ICS magazine and leading publication for
Customer Service Professionals): distribution approx 10,000
 online poll

ICS employer focus groups
Current provision and future development -
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS,
2008
The main data sources for this research include:








61
The ICS LMI Report Phase 1
The ICS qualifications and M/Apprenticeship databases
Results from a survey of Awarding Bodies about qualifications in customer service
National data about customer service M/Apprenticeships
SSC Phase 2 Reports
ICS Employer Survey, 2007
ICS Provider Training and Qualifications Survey, 2008
ICS Employer Training and Qualifications Survey, 2008
The ICS Employer Skills Survey 2007
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
The ICS Training and Qualifications Surveys 2008
Separate training and qualifications surveys were developed for employers and training
providers.
Both surveys were distributed via:
 postal service

Awarding Bodies who circulated these to their centres and employers on our
behalf
 link made available on ICS website and promoted through:



ICS enews
ICS CPD enewsletter
direct email.
The ICS enewsletter has a circulation list of 10,000. Apart from ICS organisational and
individual members, the enewsletter was sent to all customer service M/Apprenticeship
Centres, all SSCs, LSCs, Scottish Enterprise Companies, Regulatory and Awarding
Bodies, SSDA, DELLs, DELNI, Professional Institutes, etc.
Customer Service Qualification Strategy
A draft CSQS with associated research documents and feedback forms was sent via
email directly to all SSCs/SSBs/Awarding Bodies/Accreditation Bodies and SQS
Gatekeepers of all UK Governments. In addition all documents were placed on the ICS
website with front page access links and the ICS Newsletter (10,000 readers) promoted
the consultation with available links.
In addition the ICS held:

two Awarding Body/Regulatory Body Forums62 - London and Coventry

five consultation panels – Southern England, Northern England, N.I., Scotland
and Wales

four one to one meetings with key personnel from the four UK Governments

one to one discussions and telephone interviews with key employers
6.2.2
Seeking representative coverage
As noted throughout this report, the generic nature of customer service and its cross
sector appeal makes it very difficult to evidence partnership working which covers all
possible links. It is therefore particularly important for the ICS to maintain a broad
range of contacts so that it can be seen as truly representative of customer service
interests across the economy.
As a membership organisation, the ICS has always nurtured very close links with
employers and this is reflected in both the LMI data already collected and plans for the
future. This section of the strategy seeks to demonstrate the extensive consultation
network that has been established over the last 10 years and the way in which that
network has resulted in a framework of partnerships and associations which provides the
62
Note: the ICS has eleven Awarding Bodies to liaise with
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
ICS with confidence that its links are truly representative of all customer service
interests.
6.2.3
ICS employer links
The ICS has a standing Council of some 12 members drawn from its corporate
membership base of over 360 organisations. The Council does not have a specific remit
relating to qualifications but its mere existence provides a direct conduit to an important
group of organisations who seek customer service as being of strategic importance.
Important links with employers are also demonstrated by the annual Employers
Surveys carried out by the ICS. Both the 2007 Employers Survey63 and the 2008
Employer Survey64 made significant contributions to the ICS understanding of
employer views and priorities. Producing 296 and 191 responses respectively, the
surveys covered all sectors and included answers from people working at different levels
of contributing organisations.
The ICS intends to continue and build on its consultative links with employers updating
its survey methods and ensuring coverage reflects emerging wishes and needs.
6.2.4
Links with Government Departments
Government Departments are of course employers with a very particular focus on
customer service. As such, links have been formed with Departments as customers of
the ICS. However, numerous consultation activities bring the ICS into contact with
Ofsted, Ofquals. QCA, SQA, DELLS, DELNI, CCEA, DCMS and DIUS, UKCES, LSCs,
Scottish Enterprise, RDAs and other relevant Government Agencies. Consequently
strong links have been formed with all of these key partners and they are maintained
whenever new developments occur.
It is anticipated that many of these links will be particularly important during the coming
period as the CSQS comes into play.
6.2.5
Maintaining an international perspective
Customer service has been identified as being of strategic importance to the UK
economy. ICS research has demonstrated that key features of customer service are
clearly recognised across international boundaries. The contacts established through
the International Benchmarking research covered some 19 countries and the
intention is to build on those contacts when future developments are pursued. These
key partnership links provide a valuable additional dimension to ensure that the
international perspective is not ignored when developing UK standards and
qualifications and in addition many of ICS member organisations operate
internationally in a global environment giving extra insight into customer service in
an international perspective.
6.2.6
ICS Awarding Body partnerships
Customer service qualifications are of interest to a wide range of Awarding Bodies.
The ICS therefore maintains ongoing partnership with some ten different Awarding
Bodies and in many cases this link has been active for over ten years. An Awarding
Body Forum meets on a regular basis and is also convened when there is a specific
consultation process to be completed.
63
64
Customer Service Employment and Skills, ICS, 2008 – Page 111
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 – Page 99
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
The success of these partnerships can be gauged by the number of customer service
qualifications that Awarding Bodies continue to offer and by the interest now being
shown in the introduction of more units into the SCQF/QCF/QCF/QCFW. It is the firm
intention of the ICS to maintain and build on Awarding Body relationships by
maintaining the forum activity and by continuing to provide informal advisory support to
those developing qualifications within the these Awarding Bodies. The Awarding
Bodies provide a vital commercial link with the qualifications market which some see as
the ultimate arbiter of the success or failure of individual qualification designs65.
6.2.7
The key SSC relationships
As with any Pan-Sector Standard Setting Body, the relationship between the ICS and
the SSCs is critical. The National Occupational Standards developed by the ICS
continue to be imported into the National Occupational Standards of the Sector
Skills Councils and are included in many of their sector specific qualifications66. This
activity confirms that customer service generic units are practical and credible for the
employers represented by the SSCs and the process required means that the ICS has
extensive contact with many SSCs and expects to continue to do so in future.
In addition the ICS will work with SSCs during the development of customer service
qualifications and training to ensure that approaches, through contextualised assessment
of generic standards, continue to meet the needs of employers across sectors.
6.2.8
Customer service and the funding authorities
The mixed relationship between customer service and the funding authorities has been
characterised by:

significant allocation of funding periodically as market forces drive take-up of
customer service NVQs/SVQs and M/Apprenticeships;

periodic withdrawal or reduction of funding following the diversion of funds to more
traditional M/Apprenticeships e.g. plumbing, engineering, construction, motor
vehicle etc.;

considerable variation between the approaches of funding authorities in the four
Nations.
Much of the contact between the ICS and funding authorities is indirect as an adjunct to
more direct relationships between training providers, SSCs and funding authorities.
Nevertheless the ICS has, wherever possible, consulted funding authorities on
developments and will continue to do so especially during the period when credit
frameworks are being established.
65
Customer Service Skills Development, ICS, 2008 Page 14
Ibid – Page 94
66
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
6.3
Customer service Action Plans
The priorities identified below will inform the development of the next phase of the CSQS
and will be followed through in the CSQS Action Plans. Each priority is seen to present
a number of challenges and discussion around target outcomes and confirming these
outcomes will require full consultation and support. The detailed Action Plans will be
produced by the ICS for implementation by 2010.
Priority 1 - Continue to enhance and promote understanding of customer service skills and their importance to organisational
and, by definition, UK economic success in a globalised economy
Challenges
To change perceptions
across the UK about the
importance of customer
service performance to
employers and the UK
economy
Potential Solutions





To clarify with key players
the role of the ICS in the
SfBN



To raise perceptions of
customer service as high
level skills





To reinforce the generic
nature of customer service
skills and its transferability
across sectors





develop effective communication channels
engage key employers to promote the customer
service case
engage key government personnel who are
‘champions’ of customer service
develop a business case for all UK funding
agencies
Key Partners
Employers
DIUS
DCSF
UKCES
DELNI
DELLS
Scottish Enterprise
LSCs
RDAs
Short Term ( 2 years)
or Long Term (5 years
Short Term
take part in all Government consultations
raise Awareness with the UKCES of the issues
surrounding customer service
Employers
The UKCES
Short Term
Development
Employers
Customer Service Staff
Presentation to:
SSCs and SSBs
Employers
Providers
Government Bodies
Educational Bodies
Short Term
Employers
Customer Service Staff
SSCs and SSBs
Employers
Providers
Government Bodies
Educational Bodies
Short Term
engage key employers to promote the customer
service case to the UKCES
develop communication channels to the UKCES
develop case studies for all sectors both from
employers and customer service staff
develop higher level qualifications and training
for employers
communicate with employers and customer
service staff through workshops/expert groups
to identify how higher level customer service
skills are used in working situations
develop and deliver presentations on customer
service skills as ‘higher than expected’
distribute the presentation to all bodies for
independent use in their own field
gather and promote evidence of individuals who
have crossed sector boundaries based on their
customer service skills
gather and promote evidence of employers in
different sectors using the customer service
generic National Occupational Standards,
qualifications and training programmes
monitor the take up and use of customer service
generic National Occupational Standards by
SSCs and other bodies
develop and deliver presentations on customer
service skills as generic skills
distribute the presentation to all bodies for
independent use in their own field
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
To award professional
status to those individuals
in dedicated customer
service job roles





To encourage SSCs/SSBs
and Government to bring
customer service skills and
qualifications into
consultations and research
wherever possible


develop a clear accredited progression route
develop higher levels of qualifications and
training
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation Bodies
Employers
Customer Service Professionals
Experts in the field
Funding Agencies
Short Term
Government bodies
SSCs
SSBs
Long Term
raise the profile of customer service
professionals through Award Ceremonies
develop a databank of customer service
professionals
develop case studies of customer service
professionals and their route to professional
status
work with SSCs/SSBs and Government Bodies
to encourage questions regarding customer
service occupations and skills to be put in
appropriate sector specific consultation
documents
work with SSCs/SSBs and Government Bodies
to agree standard terminology when consulting
on issues involving customer service
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Priority 2 - Continue to enhance the offer and accessibility of customer service qualifications that meet employer and learner
needs, and raise customer service skills across the UK
Challenges
To improve:





quality of current provision
employer satisfaction
achievement rates
employer engagement
flexibility of delivery
Potential Solutions






To ensure that customer
service qualifications are
available and accessible to all
individuals regardless of age,
gender or ethnic group.




Develop a clear, progressive,
skill pathway based on credible
and innovative qualifications for
individuals working or preparing
to work in customer service and
for those who are undecided







work with key partners to identify strengths and
weaknesses of current provision
use COVEs to promote best practice in customer
service delivery
Key Partners
Employers
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation Bodies
Ofsted
COVEs
Providers
Short Term ( 2 years)
or Long Term (5 years
Short Term
develop guidelines regarding best practice
delivery methods and improving retention rates
accredit providers with recognised high quality
delivery and achievement rates
develop guidelines to improve customer service
qualification delivery and assessment methods
develop a model for pre and post evaluation for
employers and candidates and gather random
data on the success, or not, of the qualification
meeting the organisational and individuals
objectives
monitor the take-up of qualifications and work with
key partners to identify best practice models for
improving ethnic take-up
work with funding bodies for focused targeting
towards older age groups to alleviate the problem
of skills gaps
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation Bodies
Government funding
bodies
SSCs
Employers
Providers
Ofsted
Short Term
DIUS
Employers
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation Bodies
Schools
FHE
HIE
Providers (particularly
working in Government
Training Programmes)
SSCs
SSBs
Long Term
investigate the needs of part time workers and
their accessibility to qualifications
work with key partners to make a customer
service career more attractive to males
work with key partners to develop a clear
progression route for customer service
qualifications
work with key partners to develop pre entry and
entry level qualifications in customer service
work with key partners to develop ‘meta’ generic
customer service units for inclusion in other
qualifications in the school curriculum
work with key partners to develop higher
apprenticeships and foundation degrees
work with key partners to develop higher level
qualifications to accredit individuals as they work
towards managerial and/or professional status
encourage employers to recognise the
importance of CPD for employees
work with key partners to develop accredited CPD
for customer service staff
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
Priority 3 - Incorporate employer specific customer service training into a broader framework that is consistent and
transferable
Challenges
Potential Solutions
To clearly identify employer
needs and objectives when
training staff in customer
service in order to find
practical solutions for bridging
the skills gaps and shortages
experienced by employers

To develop customer service
courses for employers that
meet their needs and are
credible, consistent and
transferable across sectors.




To accredit customer service
training developed and
delivered by employers






6.4
6.4.1
liaise with key partners to identify the most successful methods
of customer service training
Key Partners
Employers
SSCs
SSBs
Providers
Short Term ( 2
years) or Long
Term (5 years
Short Term
identify specific features of customer service training including
content, length of process, cost , off the job/on the job balance
and evaluation methods
work with key partners to develop a template for customer
service training with different levels of participation
raise awareness of employers regarding the need to maintain
consistency across customer service training whilst
acknowledging the depth of knowledge and delivery required
Employers
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation
Bodies
SSCs
SSBs
Providers
Long Term
Employers
Awarding Bodies
Accreditation
Bodies
SSCs
SSBs
Providers
Long Term
develop practical, accredited and credible courses for
employees designed to meet the diverse needs of employees
in different job roles and working at different levels of delivery
supporting and working with the Employer Recognition Scheme
raising awareness of employers of the National Occupational
Standards in customer service and their role in helping to
develop qualifications and training
raise awareness of employers regarding the need to maintain
consistency across customer service training
work with key partners to develop a Template for Accreditation
of in-house customer service training
work with key partners to agree accreditation criteria and how
this will be measured
put in place pre assessment and post evaluation processes for
individuals taking part in the courses
Future evolution of the CSQS
From development to implementation
Development of the CSQS has been overseen by a Project Board of four senior managers and the
Chief Executive representing every aspect of the ICS operation. The importance of the CSQS to the
organisation is well recognised and the Project Board will therefore continue to oversee the transition
through approval and endorsement of the CSQS to Action Planning and early implementation of the
first actions.
The scrutiny of the Board has provided the research and writing team with a valuable independent
view and has initiated original lines of enquiry which have extended the scope and vision of the
strategy. The post-implementation monitoring structure that has been devised is intended to provide
comparable support into the future. This will also mean that the stakeholder networks especially of
employers, providers, SSCs and Awarding Bodies that have evolved during the CSQS research
and THE development phase can provide a solid foundation for ongoing consultation during the
monitoring and incremental development phase which will follow.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service
6.4.2
Post-implementation monitoring
The CSQS Review Group will be formed as soon as the strategy has received official endorsement.
The core of the CSQS Review Group will be provided by some or all members of the CSQS Project
Board and it will include representation from the ICS Board, thus also covering representation of
employers. Network contact with SSCs and Awarding Bodies will be provided through other Review
Group members who regularly convene Awarding Body Forums and other meetings to cover all
stakeholder views. This of course also means that the separate perspectives of England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland will be identified through representation especially from qualification
regulator representatives in those four Nations.
The ICS also plans to continue with its annual employer survey and to include enquiries relevant to
the CSQS in other periodic consultative activities such as that carried out when National
Occupational Standards are reviewed. The CSQS Review Group will report annually on progress
made with existing Action Plans and the need for revision of Action Plans. The recommendations of
that report will feed into the wider ICS exchanges with Government about the ongoing development
of customer service at a national level.
© 2010 Institute of Customer Service