Course Aims:

To course aims to:

• provide the candidate with an understanding of the concepts and importance of customer care.
• provide the candidate with an opportunity to explore good customer service for both internal and external clients
• help the candidate to develop effective communication and team working skills
• help the candidate to develop their skills in understanding customer complaints and/or problems and an ability to respond to them appropriately
• provide the candidate with a basis for progression onto further study.

Course Market:

The course is aimed principally at providing a professional qualification for the following markets:

• Candidates who are employed within the public or private service sector and in further education
• People wishing to develop their practical and theoretical knowledge in the customer care area;
• Jobholders who seek to gain a specialization within the customer care, underpinned by rigorous conceptual knowledge capable of deployment in a vocationally useful way;
• People who would like to gain employment in a customer orientated sector such as call centres, retail etc.

Course Structure:

The qualification consists of three mandatory units:

Unit Summary:

Unit 01: Understanding customer care

This unit will introduce candidates to the concepts of customer care. It will help candidates understand why customer care is important and how the effects of customer care can affect an organisation’s reputation and financial performance.

The unit has two elements:

1.1 The importance of customer care
1.2 First impressions count

Unit 02: Communicating with customers

In this unit candidates will explore why it is important to provide good customer care to both internal and external clients. Additionally, candidates will be provided with the opportunity to develop their communication and team working skills.

This unit has two elements:

2.1 Effective communication skills
2.2 Working in a team

Unit 03: Providing good customer service

Through this unit candidates will become familiar with the organisation’s product and/or services and will explore the role of verbal and non verbal communication in identifying customers’ needs and establishing effective customer relationships.

This unit has two elements:

3.1 The importance of product and/or service knowledge
3.2 Identifying customer needs

Unit 04: Handling customer complaints and/or problems

In this unit candidates will, through understanding and appreciating the limits of their authority, be able to develop their skills in understanding customer complaints and/or problems and be able to respond appropriately.

This unit has two elements:

4.1 Managing a customer complaint and/or problem
4.2 Resolving customer complaints and/or problems

Duration:

Assessment:

Assessment is the process of measuring a candidate’s skill, knowledge and understanding against the standards set in the award. The assessment for the NCFE Level 1 National Award in Customer Care consists of an internally assessed portfolio of evidence, which is assessed and internally verified by NLC and externally verified by NCFE. Candidates must be successful in the assessment component to gain the NCFE Level 1 National Award in Customer Care.

Entry Requirements:

Although no formal prior qualifications are necessary, candidates should have the minimum level of literacy necessary to comply with the safety aspects of the award and the completion of the assessment criteria.

Progression:

Successful candidates interested in taking their learning further are able to progress to one or more qualifications within the National Qualifications Framework. Appropriate NCFE qualifications such as Certificate in Contact Centre Techniques and the Certificate in Employment Skills are available.