The Certified Customer Service Manager (Level I) qualification has been approved for Federal Government employer incentive payments of up to $4,000 per eligible candidate (terms and conditions apply).

Customer Service Managers come from a variety of  backgrounds but unlike other professions such as Accounting there has been, in Australia, 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 centre 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 generalised post graduate study such as an MBA. A significant component of Australia's customer service managers and professionals have no formal qualifications instead gaining considerable experience at a variety of levels in the organisation before working their way up 'through the ranks'.

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

The Customer Service Institute of Australia has worked with leading organisations to develop a training, assessment and certification program leading to a Diploma of Business for Customer Service Managers and Australia's only formal and nationally recognised "Certified Customer Service Manager" designation.

The CCSM program includes a workbook, lectures, assignments and an assessment by an RTO leading to a nationally accredited Certificate IV in Business or a Diploma of Business under the Australian Qualifications Framework.

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

The Certified Customer Service Manager Qualification has two levels:

Certified Customer Service Manager (Level I) - CCSM

The CSIA's standardised minimum qualification for designation is a Certified Customer Service Manager (Level I) has been Nationally recognised as a Certificate IV in Business for Customer Service Management. This program has been approved for Federal Government employer incentive payments of up to $4,000 per eligible candidate (terms and conditions apply). Up and coming professionals in the service arena will be able to demonstrate they are suitably qualified to face the many challenges confronting today's customer service leaders by obtaining this qualification. The course is designed for Customer Service Managers with or without formal training, supervisors, and contact centre or frontline team leaders seeking to develop customer service leadership and management skills.

Certified Customer Service Manager (Advanced) - Dip. Bus. CCSM (Adv.)

The Advanced Program is designed to provide graduates with a Nationally Accredited Professional Qualification for Customer Service Managers - the Diploma of Business (BSB50101) focusing on Customer Service Management and Australia's only formal and nationally recognised Certified Customer Service Manager (Advanced). Senior customer service professional and those who are or are seeking to become Chief Customer Officers will benefit from this advanced qualification.

Should any participants on completion of the Nationally Accredited Certificate IV in Management for Customer Service/Certified Customer Service Manager (Level I) Course wish to progress their qualification, they can do so by completing a further 1 day of class room training and completion of the Diploma of Business for Customer Service Management Workbook. Participants which graduate the advanced course will be awarded a Certified Customer Service Manager (Advanced) Certificate and a Nationally Recognised Diploma of Business for Customer Service Management. There is a further cost for Certified Customer Service Manager (Level I) graduates to upgrade their qualification. The cost to study and upgrade to the advanced qualification is $1,300 plus GST.

• From June 2004 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 Australia and the only customer service organisation for professionals in Australia which is a Member of the International Council of Customer Service Organisations
  

• 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.  Those who have completed the Diploma of Business will be permitted use of the Dip. Bus. CCSM (Adv.) post-nominal letters.
  
• 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 rigour and practical workplace  based projects with a focus on developing leaders in the customer service discipline able to quickly contribute at the organisation'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 organisations across Australia
  
•  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 50 hour program is self-paced learning via CD-ROM, workbook, internet and projects - only two days of lectures and assessment are held off-site
  
• Because CSIA is a not for profit enterprise, 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 organisations 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 organisation’s customer service function, need to keep informed about the latest techniques and experiences. From small customer service departments to large call centres, 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

• The certification program features a work book, readings, assignments, projects and an audio CD featuring relevant lectures from Australia's best service specialists and practitioners

• To really motivate and inspire candidates the course has a full day of lectures and interaction with some of Australia'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 work book 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 - a copy of CSIA's best-selling case-study book Customer Service Excellence is also included free with the study materials

• The course has been designed  to remain up to date and is subject to ongoing review by some of Australia'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 organisation'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 organisation

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 Utilise 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 Operationalisation

• 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 organisation’s customer service processes

Download Course 
Outline PDF 
(PDF format - less than 1 min @ 28.8)

   Certified Customer Service           Manager  Course Fees

 CCSM (Level I) CSIA Individual Member

 Total fee:

$3015.00

 CCSM (Level I) CSIA Corporate Member

 Total fee:

$2750.00 each

 CCSM (Level I) Non-Member

 Total fee:

$3235.00

 Total fee:

$4015.00

 CSIA (Advanced) Corporate Member

 Total fee:

$3740.00 each

 CSIA (Advanced) Non-Member

 Total fee:

$4235.00

Testimonial comments from successful CCSM graduates and students:

"In working through the seven modules I have learnt many aspects of the profession I did not previously know. Most importantly, I have been able to implement a number of very positive changes; all of which go towards Baxter reaching our mission "To make a meaningful difference in patients lives"."
Anthony Keyes
Baxter Healthcare

"It is exciting to have a dedicated and specialised course available to Customer Service Managers in Australia. The industry is constantly changing and quickly. Delighted customers and engaged employees are key to a successful business. To have a resource such as this to learn further about best practices and international standards is vital to the success of the Australian industry and I want to be part of it."
Rebecca Lees

"Thank heavens for the CCSM, finally a qualification that recognises the value of customer service in all industries. The CCSM increases the customer service focus of individuals within an organisation and a way for people who are passionate about customer service to explore the tools, techniques, and methods to develop a customer service culture in their immediate environment. I can see that organisations offering the CCSM as a training tool will soon become employers of choice for passionate customer service focused professionals everywhere."
Kim Henry
Yarra Valley Water