Female employee getting a promotion at work

Customer Service Upskilling in 2023 – How Online Courses Can Help Advance Your Career 

Professionals in the customer service field know how important it is to stay informed and up-to-date with their customer service skills. As our business landscape continues to change with the evolving needs of consumers – especially in this digital age – customer service upskilling and adjusting our product and service offerings is important to stay competitive.

However, finding the time to take classroom-based customer service courses while in a full-time position is often neither possible nor feasible. It would mean taking time off work – which reduces productivity – or sacrificing time with your loved ones by taking classes on evenings or weekends. 

Benefits of Online Customer Service Courses

An online customer service training course is a perfect solution for anyone who wants to upskill without interrupting their work or reducing quality time with family. Online courses offer many advantages such as having a flexible and self-paced learning schedule, being able to take courses where there is access to the internet ( eg: workplace, home office, hotel, or café) as well as the ability to continue working while learning. Online courses are also typically more affordable than in-person courses, giving the participant the most ROI on their educational investment. We’ll go into the career benefits later but first, let’s go over how online training works.

How Do Online Customer Service Courses Work?

Online courses use Learning Management Systems (LMS) to deliver course content in the form of sections or modules, allowing students to submit assignments, complete their modules, and communicate with their designated tutor or assessor with any questions. After logging into their LMS portal, course participants can see their course progress and read any feedback or communications from their course assessor – all in one place. 

What Happens When an Online Course is Successfully Completed?

Upon completion of the course – which usually entails completing all the course modules and assignments and successfully passing the course quizzes – the graduate receives a digital badge, certificate, or both. In this digital age, learners enjoy sharing their professional accomplishments on social media which is why more or more training institutes offer digital badges in addition to certificates. Depending on the course level, participants are also given a designation such as CCEP (Certified Customer Experience Professional) or CCSM (Certified Customer Service Manager) that they can add after their name. 

Woman taking an online training course on a laptop
How Online Customer Service Courses Can Help Boost Your Career

Now that we’ve gone over how online customer service courses work and the advantages they offer, let’s take a deeper dive into how taking online training can help advance your career:

  1. Competitive Advantage – Demonstrating that you have current customer service knowledge and skills in the form of certification gives you and the organization you work for a competitive advantage.
  1. Respect in the Workplace – When you demonstrate authority and thought leadership in your field, you are not only better at your job, but you also gain respect from your co-workers and managers.
  1. Career Opportunities –  Taking online certification courses gives you an external ‘stamp of approval’ that puts you in a better position to be considered for a new job, promotion, or raise.
  1. Access to a Professional Network – Course graduates are typically added to a graduate directory and invited to online forums where they can connect with other professionals with the same certifications and designations. 

The list goes on…since the advantages are many! If you are looking at ways to upskill without taking time off work or you simply prefer the convenience and affordability that online customer service training programs offer, then this is a great option. In summary: Wherever you are on your career path, online customer service training courses can help you advance your career!

Click here to learn more about the online customer training programs offered at the Customer Service Institute of America

Additional Resources

For Customer Service Professionals:

Do I Really Need Certification? How Customer Service Training Will Help Your Career

Need Customer Service Training for Your Teams? Consider Online Group Training

For HR Managers:

Management Certification Programs to Improve Customer Retention

How to Choose the Best Online Management Courses for Employees

Why Customer Service Should be Included in Leadership and Management Courses

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Customer Service Institute of America