Customer Service Managers come from a variety of  backgrounds but unlike other professions, such as Accounting, there has been no formal industry body recognition. Anyone may call themselves a customer service manager but few have any qualification other than experience to prepare them for the role.  Despite job titles such as customer service director, customer relationship manager, call center manager, manager - customer experience, national manager customer satisfaction and consumer relations manager, few people holding these positions have any customer service qualifications. They come from diverse backgrounds - some have undergraduate degrees from a wide variety of disciplines, others have completed more generalized post graduate study such as an MBA. A significant component of America's customer service managers and professionals have no formal qualifications instead gaining considerable experience at a variety of levels in the organization before working their way up 'through the ranks'.

Professionals in other roles study their chosen discipline and then are recognized by their professional association.  For example, despite studying a recognized accounting degree, an accountant is not 'Certified' or 'Chartered' until they have worked through their professional body's course requirements and are recognized as qualified in the field.  The CSIA believes it is time American organizations treat service as importantly as finance.

The Customer Service Institute of America has worked with leading organizations and foundation members of the International Council of Customer Service Organizations to develop a training, assessment and certification program leading to our Certified Customer Service Manager Course and America's only formal and internationally recognized "Certified Customer Service Manager" designation. 

The Certified Customer Service Manager qualification has two levels:

Level 1 - CSIA Accredited Certificate in Customer Service Management

Level 2 - CSIA Accredited Diploma in Customer Service Management

The CCSM program includes a workbook, lectures, and work-place based activities and assignments.

It is time for all those in industry and the government sector with customer service management and leadership responsibilities to gain formal professional qualifications and for CEOs and human resource departments to insist on only employing customer service leaders recognized by America's peak professional body for Customer Service - the Customer Service Institute of America.

Contact us today to learn more about the course and our customized frontline course offerings.
 

• From June 2006 the CCSM program is the formal professional qualification required for immediate full Membership status of the CSIA.  The CSIA is the peak customer service body in America and the only customer service organization for professionals in America which is a Member of the International Council of Customer Service Organizations
  

• Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are awarded a free year's membership of the CSIA at full Member status and recognition of member's professional standing through a certificate and use of the CSIA's designatory post-nominal letters: CCSM. 
  
• Becoming a 'Certified Customer Service Manager' opens many doors both domestically and internationally.  The 'CCSM' designation is your passport to a leadership career in customer service.  The CCSM program has been developed with a mix of technical rigor and practical workplace  based projects with a focus on developing leaders in the customer service discipline able to quickly contribute at the organization's most senior level including board membership
  
• Experiencing the satisfaction of completing a demanding and rigorous course
  
• Soon all employers will look for the Certified Customer Service Manager qualification when seeking to hire customer service personnel or promote from within

• The goal of this professional qualification is to increase the level of customer service in organizations across America
  
•  Employers will have access to customer service leaders with more confidence.  This confidence will be developed through increased job skills and a greater understanding of customer service management methods, tools and techniques
  
• The practical, work place based projects will enable your CCSM graduates to tackle problems relevant to your customer service management system while they learn
  
• Only two days away from the job - the bulk of the 100 hour program is self-paced learning electronic workbook, internet and projects - only two days of lectures and assessment are held off-site
  
• Because CSIA is a membership based organization designed to support the customer service industry, the fees are modest and competitive when compared with other disciplines' professional qualifications and even ad-hoc customer service training, 'seminars' and 'workshops'

Customer service is increasingly becoming a vital business issue as organizations realise the benefits of an integrated, strategic customer service management system for providing effective customer support. Professionals working within customer-focused businesses, or those managing their organization’s customer service function, need to keep informed about the latest techniques and experiences. From small customer service departments to large call centers, the importance of developing a valued relationship with customers via a Customer Service Management System is an essential foundation of long-term business growth.

Course Features

• To really motivate and inspire candidates the course has a full day of lectures and interaction with some of America's service leaders and is finalised with a further day of assessment, review and feedback

• Students can work at their own pace with only two days of  off-site lectures and assessment - the workbook and projects can be completed over time to fit in with existing work commitments

• The work book is comprised of seven modules, each covering a vital aspect of service excellence and includes readings, case-studies, exercises and projects

• The course has been designed  to remain up to date and is subject to ongoing review by some of the world's most senior customer service executives and CEOs

Course Outline:

By the end of this course, graduates will be able to:

 1. Understand the value of a customer service philosophy for business growth and service excellence

• Identify and define a diversity of attitudes, knowledge and skills required to focus on customers and customer needs
• Address diverse customer needs and values
• Describe how leadership, vision/mission statements and application of resources influence an organization's customer service focus 

2. Develop and assess the success of a Customer Service Management System including the International Customer Service Standard and Certification Trustmark Program

• Develop an integrated approach to customer service process management
• Understand implementation, assessment and compliance with the International Customer Service Standard
• Explain how to use best practice methodology to increase market share and customer retention

3. Display Service Leadership

• Identify key customer service leadership principles and skills
• Apply customer service management principles and models to your work
• Nurture your own leadership skills and identify opportunities for self-improvement
• Develop leadership skills for influencing, correcting and leading a customer-driven organization

4. Manage Service Personnel

• Recruit and select excellent customer focussed employees
• Develop teamwork systems
• Assess the attitude, skills and competencies of employees with regard to providing high quality service centric outcomes
• Effectively monitor employee performance and satisfaction levels.

5. Understand and Develop Infrastructure and Technology

• Develop operating systems that support excellent customer service
• Identify relevant technology solutions and how to effectively benefit from implementation
• Improve service delivery and process management
• Effectively assess outsource providers and the impact on customers of these strategic partnerships
• Devise a strategic system which handles customer inquiries and billing as well as retaining and growing clients

6. Effectively Utilize Measurement Systems and Tools

• Develop and implement a balanced scorecard to measure and predict customer service performance
• Describe the means of measuring and analysing both internal and external customer satisfaction
• Design and implement a compliant and feed back monitoring system able to feed into continuous improvement

7. Ensure Integration and Operationalization

• Drive exceptional customer loyalty through best practice customer service
• Develop a plan for implementing and integrating an customer service management system in the workplace
• Expand, strengthen, and improve your organization’s customer service processes