Georgia from Milton Keynes had her sights set on a bright future and knew that an apprenticeship would help her improve her confidence and propel her forward in the world of customer service.

Upon finding the Level 3 Customer Service Specialist apprenticeship with Realise, Georgia discovered she could develop a strong foundational knowledge and effectively manage the customer service experience across complex cases. With that prospect, Georgia was ready to step up and enrol on the 15-month programme.

Whilst on the apprenticeship programme, Georgia was a Finance Renewals Specialist for a large car dealership and the apprenticeship offered Georgia the opportunity to enhance her customer service skill sets and responsibilities within the business.

Georgia explained to Realise that her role was to maintain the relationships between customers and the company during their finance agreement and to support them in retaining their business after their agreement ends.

Georgia was encouraged to develop new ways of thinking and approaching different situations as well as how to get to the root problem and continually improve her service offer at work.

Georgia also explored topics such as:

• Business knowledge and understanding
• Knowing your customers and their needs/ Customer Insight
• How to deal with different types of customers
• Providing a positive customer experience
• Managing challenging and complicated situations.

As Georgia’s trainer, Charlotte took great pride in watching her flourish into a confident individual who proved that she was capable of much more than she ever gave herself credit for.

“When Georgia first joined the cohort, she was quite timid and unsure of her own voice. In the first session, I explained to the group how the next year would unfold, including a mid-year presentation to their peers and managers. I could see the colour drain from Georgia’s face and the look of pure terror!

“I decided to challenge Georgia because she was an exceptional learner who loved to research and learn. I tasked her with creating a mini-teach on the PESTLE model and presenting it to the cohort in our next module. She did this with ease, standing confidently in front of the group and delivering her session.

“When it came to her mid-year presentation, Georgia took centre stage and delivered a strong presentation. At lunch, Georgia’s manager and another manager noted the difference in her behaviour. They recalled how Georgia used to come into the office with her head down, whereas now she walks in confidently and greets everyone.”

Since settling into her role at Future Metals, Georgia has been able to utilise her new customer service skills and knowledge and is already making a huge impact.

“I am dealing with customers on a daily basis and have come into a very different cultured workplace. I am thriving and have come in with amazing confidence in my abilities. I have made a great impression and have begun contributing towards the goals of the company. I’m already beginning to build strong, positive relationships with customers.

“The course gave me the confidence and abilities to continuously progress in my personal and professional career.”