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Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship

Designed for experienced professionals, the Customer Service Specialist apprenticeship builds the skills needed to manage complex cases and lead excellent customer service delivery.

Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship
Course overview

At a glance

  • overview-level-icon LevelLevel 3
  • overview-duration-icon Duration15 months + EPA
  • overview-locaton-icon LocationWorkplace

About the course

The Customer Service Specialist apprenticeship is designed for those in senior or case management roles, giving you the advanced skills to manage complex customer interactions and deliver outstanding service.

Created by curriculum experts, the programme builds your confidence and equips you to handle challenging situations, understand customer needs, and use data to influence improvements.

You’ll benefit from a blended learning model with access to expert trainers, interactive sessions, and additional resources to deepen your knowledge and develop your role as a specialist.

On completion, you’ll be eligible to join the Institute of Customer Service as an Individual Member at Professional level.

This programme is government-regulated and funded through the apprenticeship levy or other government schemes.

 

Is this course right for you?

The Customer Service Specialist programme is designed for individuals who have the autonomy and experience to apply critical thinking in their day-to-day interactions with customers.

As a more advanced programme than the Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner apprenticeship, it requires a deeper understanding of products, services, and problem-solving approaches. You’ll be expected to manage complex cases from start to finish—looking beyond immediate issues to understand customer needs more fully and evaluate outcomes effectively.

Whether you work in a contact centre, retail, webchat, hospitality, or any customer-facing role, this apprenticeship will support you in becoming a true customer service specialist.

What you’ll learn

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the strategic role customer service plays in supporting both your organisation and its customers—enabling you to deliver consistently high-quality experiences.

Through the programme, you’ll develop new ways of thinking and problem-solving, learn how to identify the root causes of issues, improve service delivery, and communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders.

Key topics include:

  • Business knowledge and commercial awareness
  • Customer insight and understanding customer needs
  • Adapting your approach to different customer types
  • Delivering a consistently positive customer experience
  • Managing complex and challenging situations

How you’ll learn

Training for this apprenticeship is delivered by our expert staff through a mix of engaging sessions. These can be delivered face-to-face or remotely, depending on your needs and business requirements, and can take place on a one-to-one basis or in group settings.

Your learning experience will include:

  • A dedicated specialist trainer providing ongoing training, guidance, and support
  • Expert-led Webinars
  • Interactive online workshops
  • Guided learning tasks
  • Online learning resources and support 
  • 1-to-1 support, including coaching and tailored advice 
  • Assignments and work-based research projects
  • Regular progress reviews, including pre-gateway and final gateway reviews
  • Preparation and support for your End Point Assessment (EPA)

Our blended learning approach ensures you gain practical, real-world skills while building the confidence and knowledge to excel in your retail career.

"Our partnership with Realise has been really positive and productive. Their flexible approach has ensured that the programmes are tailored to meet our specific business needs and their openness to feedback has allowed us to work collaboratively in shaping the ideal apprenticeship experience. The communication has been clear, timely and highly professional, making the partnership smooth and effective. Their commitment to collaboration and responsiveness has helped us build a programme that works not only for our business but also for our apprentices." Shanade Sherratt, Head of Talent Management at Lithia UK

My apprenticeship has given me the courage to suggest and implement changes in our team.

Imi Welch, VolkerWessels

Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship - Realise

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Our experts

The people that make it happen

team-img-hover-circle Alison Hawkes
Alison Hawkes

Senior Training & Development Officer

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team-img-hover-circle Kelly Smith
Kelly Smith Business Skills Trainer
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team-img-hover-circle Raylia Hopley
Raylia Hopley Business Skills Trainer 
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team-img-hover-circle Lisa Oddie
Lisa Oddie Training and Development Officer
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team-img-hover-circle Colin Fisher
Colin Fisher Trainer, Business Skills
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team-img-hover-circle Sam Davies
Sam Davies Training and Development Officer, Business Skills
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FAQs

A Customer Service Apprenticeship is a work-based training programme that helps individuals develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours needed to provide excellent customer service. It combines practical on-the-job experience with structured learning, allowing apprentices to earn while they learn.

Apprenticeships are cost-free to the learner. The responsibility for funding lies with the employer. Employers can fund apprenticeships in one of two ways:

> Apprenticeship Levy: Larger employers who pay the apprenticeship levy can use these funds to fully cover the cost of training.

> Co-investment: Smaller employers who do not pay the levy typically contribute 5% of the apprenticeship cost, with the government covering the remaining 95%.

This means businesses can access high-quality training for their staff at a low or no cost, depending on their size and funding eligibility.

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Need more information?

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