Customer Service Practitioner
Providing customer service for business and other organisations including customer service products, face to face, telephone, written and digital communications and contact.
Overview of the role
The role of a customer service practitioner is to deliver high quality products and services to the customers of their organisation. Your core responsibility will be to provide a high quality service to customers which will be delivered from the workplace, digitally, or through going out into the customer's own locality. These may be one-off or routine contacts and include dealing with orders, payments, offering advice, guidance and support, meet-and-greet, sales, fixing problems, after care, service recovery or gaining insight through measuring customer satisfaction.
Details of the Standard
The Apprenticeship Standard is a period of training where knowledge is acquired, skills developed and practically applied. When the apprentice has reached the required level, they are entered into the gateway for their end-point-assessment. Once the end-point organisation has completed the assessments and tests then the award will be given. English and maths will also be required.
Duration
Typical duration: 15 months, plus up to 3 months to complete the End-Point-Assessment.
Entry Requirements
Employers will set their own entry requirements in order to start on this apprenticeship.
English and maths
To complete the apprenticeship the employee must pass level 1 English and maths, (or have the appropriate exemption certificate) and work towards and attempt level 2 before undertaking their End-Point-Assessment.
Curriculum, delivery and readiness for End-Point-Assessment
Swatpro Academy's bespoke programme will cover all the mandatory knowledge and skills outlined in the standards, including knowing your customers, understanding the organisation, systems and resources and the customer experience. Apprentices will have access to Swatpro Savvy Learning Centre with courses mapped against the curriculum.
The delivery will include 20% 'off-the-job' training, through a blend of remote, online and in the workplace training. The tutor will review progress with both apprentice and employer at least once every 8 weeks. Those not having L2 Maths and English will attend additional classes. When the apprentice has reached the required level, they are entered into the phase known as 'gateway' for their End-Point-Assessments (EPA) undertaken with an independent Assessment Organisation. For further details please see the explanation overleaf.
End-Point-Assessment
The End-Point-Assessment is synoptic and takes place at the end of the apprentice’s learning and development.
Apprentice Showcase
The Apprentice Showcase enables apprentices to reflect and present examples of their development over the whole on-programme period.
Practical Observation
The practical observation will be pre-planned and scheduled to take place when the apprentice will be in their normal place of work and will be carried out by the Independent Assessor. The observation should enable the apprentice to evidence their skills, knowledge and behaviour from across
the standard to demonstrate genuine and demanding work objectives.
Professional Discussion
The professional discussion will be a structured discussion between the apprentice and the Independent Assessor, following the observation, to
establish the apprentice’s understanding and application of knowledge, skills and behaviours. The professional discussion will need to take place
in a suitable environment and should last for a maximum of one hour.
Completion
Independent End Assessor confirms that each assessment element has been completed. The overall grade (pass or distinction) is determined by the
Independent End Assessor based on the combination of performance in all assessment activities. To achieve a distinction, the Apprentice must achieve a
pass rate of 70% for the Apprentice Show Case, 80% for the Observation and 75% for the professional discussion.
Progression
Completion of this apprenticeship will lead to eligibility to join the Institute of Customer Service as an Individual member at Professional level and progression to the Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Apprenticeship.
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