The Customer Service Professional, Scottish local government's SQA-certificated professional qualifications, continue to extend their footprint across the local government landscape.
Sixteen councils and four associated bodies – with more to follow - are now offering the qualifications to their staff, meaning a sizeable and growing body of candidates and graduates are benefiting from them. The qualifications are designed to provide real, useful skills for customer service employees, to recognise and reward professionalism and to establish portable consistent standards across the public sector.
Building on this early success, Inspire Research Ltd has been commissioned to investigate any early stage impact and outcomes of the Customer Service Professional qualifications on individuals, councils and their customers. Initiating this research also honours an explicit commitment in 2009 to SOLACE as a response to their valued support for the qualifications' development.
In taking forward the study, a range of methodologies will be used to engage with candidates, graduates, learning coaches, line managers, service managers and customers to gather feedback and data.
Drivers of satisfaction
Jennifer Wallace, Consumer Focus Scotland says, "Consumer Focus Scotland supports the evaluation of the impact of customer service training on the people who use those services. We know that the professionalism of staff is one of the key drivers of satisfaction with public services. This study will help to improve our understanding of the important link between competent and confident staff and customer satisfaction and experience."
The study, which begins in mid-March 2010, will be preceded by an awareness-raising campaign aimed at those centres delivering the qualifications. This will prepare the groundwork for the study and secure support and input during the fieldwork phase.
Inspire Research - selected from the Improvement Service's consultancy framework agreement - has gained a reputation for delivering specialist research, evaluation and consultancy services across the public sector.
Directors Dr Rachel Harris and Alison Muirhead will lead the study. They have over 25 years experience in evaluation, research and development and have worked extensively within the public sector across the UK, particularly the Education and Health sectors. Inspire Research specialise in providing research and evaluation services across a range of areas but principally relating to learning and technology based projects. They have worked with various educational agencies and institutions including Becta, JISC, Scottish Qualifications Authority, Scottish Funding Council, Scotland's Colleges (SFEU), various Colleges, Councils and Universities, as well as other public sector organisations , including Health Scotland, NHS 24, NHS Education for Scotland, Careers Scotland and the Workforce Plus partnership.
More information
www.customerserviceprofessional.co.uk
www.inspire-research.co.uk
