Institute of Customer Service

A question mainly going out to our bretheren and sisteren who are gainfully employed in the UK of GB (and NI).

My glorious employer is offering me (and everyone else under his umbrage) the chance to work for a professional Customer Service qualification given by the Institute of Customer Service.

Seems like an easy bit of CV-enhancing paper to get. But I've never heard of the ICS before this, and their website looks a bit... well, self-promoting and management newspeak really.

So my question to you all: has anyone else here ever heard of the ICS before this little post?

Ta all!

I Work in helpdesk for insurance companies, and we are always getting told about the "need to improve customer services". not hear of this tho. maybe i shold forward the website to my manager!!

hm never heard of them on this side of the water anyways... have you ever seen "the game" with michael douglas... i'd be careful of clowns in your flat and tellys talking to you.

yeah, why not!

Incidentally, this week is supposed to be Customer Service Week across the whole UK.

Not that I heard about it other than in the email from my employer plugging this ICS award...

not only that but i just lost now too

soreeeeee.....

back on topic, keep this updated if you decide to do the customer service thing, i'm propper curious and if it is any good i might look into doing it myself.... Can't hurrt surely?!

We were asked if we wished to do an NVQ in customer care where I used to work (read 'asked if we wished' as 'made'). I have heard of the ICS before but know little about them. Tell your boss to let you do the NVQ if thats what he want's, because at least NVQ are recognised in most places even if they are not rated all that highly as a qualification. It's a piece or p!ss to pass too as long as you have common sense and have no desire to kill every human on the planet.

The way I found out that NVQ although recognised by most people weren't rated all that highly was when I was told I was doing one I phoned around some of the big retail stores and asked to speak to personnel. Once connected I asked them about what jobs they had going and then mentioned the NVQ as a qualification when they started asking about me. You could try that with the ICS... at least you'll find out if any of the major stores, that lets face it want people that are good at customer care, even recognise it and how highly they rate it. If they haven't ever heard of it, then I'd give it a miss.

I understand that you don't plan on going to work in retail or call centres, but if it's a qualification that's recognised and free for you to do, then isn't it worth doing. If it's not recognised it's not worth the time it will take you to do. You'd be suprized who wants employees that have customer care qualifications. Most local and national Government jobs look favorably on them, as do large industries. It's the big buzz now days to have your staff trained in customer care whatever your business is.

everyone's heard of ICS! it's that advert where the couple are on the couch watching the TV, and the girls like "I wonder if i can get accounting skills studying at home?" and the woman in the telly says "IC- yes you can!"
it's so lame. God, I watch too much tv.






"IC yes you do"