Institute of Customer Service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Institute of Customer Service | |
 |
|
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Colchester |
| Website | ICS |
The Institute of Customer Service is the professional body for customer service which seeks to lead customer service performance and professionalism and which advises organisations on how to improve customer service. The ICS runs a National Customer Service Week every October.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The ICS is often referenced by the journal (Edge) of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), most recently in a February 2007 article, 'Love thy Customer - Customer Connections'.
[edit] Skills & qualifications
As the professional body for customer service, ICS's defines what customer service skills look like at different levels of complexity and promotes different ways in which individual candidates can acquire them. ICS:[2]
- have defined National Occupational Standards (NOS) at Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 within the national framework.
- offer ICS Professional Awards for candidates in customer facing roles
- provide the frameworks, including the general principles for assessment and quality control, for National Vocational Qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications in Customer Service
- provide the frameworks for Apprenticeships in Customer Service and quality assure outcomes
[edit] N/SVQ's in Customer Service
ICS does not award the NVQ/SVQs in customer service. This is done by the Awarding Bodies who are accredited to offer these qualifications.
[edit] Membership
The Institute has over 350 organisational members and 6000 individual members.[3]
[edit] Organisational members
Organisational members include:
- Abbey
- Alfred McAlpine Group
- AXA Group
- Balfour Beatty Utilities Ltd
- Barclays Bank
- British Airways
- British Gas
- Chartered Quality Institute
- City & Guilds
- E.ON Energy
- Ford Credit
- Institute of Directors
- Merseyside Police
- Nestlé Consumer Services
- Ofsted
- RAC
- Royal Mail
- RWE Power International
- Sony United Kingdom Limited
- Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
- Tesco Stores Limited
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- Virgin Group
[edit] Individual membership
[edit] ICS Bronze membership
The following NVQ/SVQs at Level 3 are recognised for Bronze Membership provided that two or more units in customer service have been achieved:
- Distribution, Warehousing and Storage
- Call Handling
- Retail Operations
- Insurance Standards - General and Intermediaries
- Footwear Repairs
- Local Land Charges Function
- Investigations
- Clinical Laboratory Support
- Vehicle Parts Operations
- Amenity Horticulture
- Floristry
- Hospitality Supervision
- Local Taxation
- Housing and Council Tax Benefits
[edit] ICS Foundation Membership
The following NVQ/SVQs at Level 2 are recognised for Foundation Membership provided that two or more units in customer service have been achieved:
- Retail Operations
- Call Handling
- Clinical Laboratory Support
- Vehicle Parts Operations
- Amenity Horticulture
- Floristry
- Treework
- Hire and Rental Operations
- Operational Services
- Land Registry
- Hairdressing and Beauty Dispensation for RWE
[edit] ICS Management Membership
The following qualifications are recognised for Management Membership:
- Warwick Diploma in Service Leadership. This new qualification - developed by Warwick Business School with ICS and the Customer Service Network. Successful completion of the programme enables participants to join ICS as Management Members.
- N/SVQ at Level 4 in Customer Service
- Open University Professional Certificate in Management
- ILM Certificate in Management
- Certificate in Management Studies
- Diploma in Management Studies
- HNC in Business & Finance
- HND in Business & Finance
