Customer Service (4430)

Last Updated: 03 Aug 2023
These qualifications cover Levels appropriate for learners at any stage of a career in Customer Service, from those who are just starting out - handling customer queries - to those responsible for an organisation's overall customer-service strategy - analysing customer feedback and planning improvements.

Important note 
From 1 September 2014, new 5530 hybrid qualifications will replace the 4430 NVQs as the required components in the Level 2 and 3 apprenticeship frameworks in Customer Service.
The NVQ Certificate/Diploma in Customer Service is for anyone who works in a customer-facing role.

You don't need any prior qualifications. For Levels 1 and 2, you might be a young learner or an adult. For Level 3 you must be at least 16 years old, and for Level 4 you should be at least 18.
Available to deliver in the following:
  • England
  • Wales – please check QiW website for available funding
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form. 

General Information

What Is Involved In Studying This Course?

Depending on which level you take, you'll cover areas such as:

  • Communicate using customer service language
  • Follow the rules to deliver customer service
  • Maintain a positive and customer-friendly attitude
  • Deal with customers face to face
  • Do your job in a customer friendly way
  • Organise the delivery of reliable customer service.

To gain an NVQ, you need to show you've got a particular set of skills. You usually work with your training provider to review your current skills and find the best way to gain new ones - perhaps by trying new things at work, or by studying.

NVQs are assessed at work or in a simulated workplace. For each unit your assessor watches and asks questions as you perform a task, or looks at a portfolio of work that you've built as formal evidence of your learning. Then they confirm you've got the skills to do the job well.

Which level is right for me?

Level 1
You are new to customer service, and are looking to gain basic knowledge, understanding and experience of dealing with customers.

Level 2
You have some experience in customer service and are able to handle more difficult customers. You are looking to improve your own skills and to become more involved in making improvements to your team's level of customer service.

Level 3
At this level, you are able to respond to customer issues at a strategic level, suggesting improvements to customer service strategy and helping in their implementation. You may also have significant responsibility for delivering internal and external customer service in your team or organisation.

Level 4
You are responsible for developing and implementing customer-service strategies for your team, department or organisation. You're looking to develop the skills needed to manage and resolve challenging issues raised by customers.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

These qualifications can help you get ahead in almost any industry, as good customer-service skills are essential for many jobs.

Those looking to start a customer-service focused career may want to take these qualifications as part of an Apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship in Customer Service helps you build your skills while you gain valuable work experience. Find out more about the apprenticeship.

If you're committed to advancing your career by building strong customer-service skills, you may want to progress on to an additional qualification. After completing the Level 1 NVQ, you could take:

  • Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 
After completing the Level 2 NVQ, you could progress to:

  • Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 3 NVQ, you could advance to:

  • Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Advanced Apprenticeship

In addition, we also have a number of Higher Level qualifications offered through ILM.

Learners at any level could also progress onto an NVQ or SVQs in other work-related areas, for example administration, retail, contact centres accounting, IT and other technical sectors.

What Is Involved With Delivering This Course?
To deliver an NVQ, you need qualified assessors - you can train internal members of staff or recruit specially. You'll assess learners in their workplace, using a portfolio of evidence.
Anyone can take this qualification, but you must make sure all your learners can access the resources they need to complete it.
To find all the resource requirements, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

Level 1

Level 1 will suit you if you are new to customer service, and are looking to gain basic knowledge, understanding and experience of dealing with customers.

You complete two core units:

  • Communicate using customer service language
  • Follow the rules to deliver customer service.

You also take 14 credits' worth of optional units. You choose at least one unit from each of three groups:

  • Impression and image group
  • Delivery group
  • Handling problems group.

Examples of units include:

  • Deal with customers face to face (Impression and image group)
  • Go the extra mile in customer service (Impression and image group)
  • Deal with customers across a language divide (Delivery group)
  • Use questioning techniques when delivering customer service (Delivery group)
  • Resolve customer service problems (Handling problems group)
  • Deliver customer service to difficult customers (Handling problems group).

For a full list of units, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

These qualifications can help you get ahead in almost any industry, as good customer-service skills are essential for many jobs.

Those looking to start a customer-service focused career may want to take these qualifications as part of an Apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship in Customer Service helps you build your skills while you gain valuable work experience. Find out more about the apprenticeship.

If you're committed to advancing your career by building strong customer-service skills, you may want to progress on to an additional qualification. After completing the Level 1 NVQ, you could take:

  • Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 2 NVQ, you could progress to:

  • Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 3 NVQ, you could advance to:

  • Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Advanced Apprenticeship

In addition, we also have a number of Higher Level qualifications offered through ILM.

Learners at any level could also progress onto an NVQ or SVQs in other work-related areas, for example administration, retail, contact centres accounting, IT and other technical sectors.

Level 1 NVQ Certificate in Customer Services (4430-01)
Last Registration Date: 31 Dec 2023 Supportive services: SmartScreen Learning Assistant

Level 1 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service

  • Accreditation No: 500/9348/4 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 22 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 153 - 173 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 220 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/12/2025 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: £66.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 2

Level 2 will suit you if you have some experience in customer service and are able to handle more difficult customers. You are looking to improve your own skills and become more involved in making improvements to your team's level of customer service.

You complete two core units:

  • Communicate using customer service language
  • Follow the rules to deliver customer service.

You also take 20 credits' worth of optional units. You choose at least one unit from each of four groups:

  • Impression and image group
  • Delivery group
  • Handling problems group
  • Development and improvement group.

Examples of units include:

  • Maintain a positive and customer-friendly attitude (Impression and image group)
  • Promote additional services or products to customers (Impression and image group)
  • Deal with customers using bespoke software (Delivery group)
  • Deliver customer service using service partnerships (Delivery group)
  • Monitor and solve customer service problems (Handling problems group)
  • Apply risk assessment to customer service (Handling problems group)
  • Lead a team to improve customer service (Development and improvement group)
  • Gather, analyse and interpret customer feedback (Development and improvement group)

For a full list of units, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

These qualifications can help you get ahead in almost any industry, as good customer-service skills are essential for many jobs.

Those looking to start a customer-service focused career may want to take these qualifications as part of an Apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship in Customer Service helps you build your skills while you gain valuable work experience. Find out more about the apprenticeship.

If you're committed to advancing your career by building strong customer-service skills, you may want to progress on to an additional qualification. After completing the Level 1 NVQ, you could take:

  • Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 2 NVQ, you could progress to:

  • Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 3 NVQ, you could advance to:

  • Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Advanced Apprenticeship

In addition, we also have a number of Higher Level qualifications offered through ILM.

Learners at any level could also progress onto an NVQ or SVQs in other work-related areas, for example administration, retail, contact centres accounting, IT and other technical sectors.

Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service (4430-02)
Last Registration Date: 31 Dec 2026
Replacement qualification (5530-02 (September 2014))

Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service

  • Accreditation No: 500/9341/1 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 28 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 192 - 228 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 280 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/12/2029 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: £92.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 3

At Level 3, you are able to respond to customer issues at a strategic level, suggesting improvements to customer service strategy and helping in their implementation.

You complete two core units:

  • Demonstrate understanding of customer service
  • Demonstrate understanding of the rules that impact on improvements in customer service.

You also take 30 credits' worth of optional units. You choose at least one unit from each of four groups:

  • Impression and image group
  • Delivery group
  • Handling problems group
  • Development and improvement group.

Examples of units include:

  • Champion customer service (Impression and image group)
  • Make customer service personal (Impression and image group)
  • Plan, organise and control customer service operations (Delivery group)
  • Deliver seamless customer service with a team (Delivery group)
  • Process customer service complaints (Handling problems group)
  • Handle referred customer complaints (Handling problems group)
  • Develop a customer service strategy for a part of an organisation (Development and improvement group)
  • Manage a customer service award programme (Development and improvement group).

    • For a full list of units, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

These qualifications can help you get ahead in almost any industry, as good customer-service skills are essential for many jobs.

Those looking to start a customer-service focused career may want to take these qualifications as part of an Apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship in Customer Service helps you build your skills while you gain valuable work experience. Find out more about the apprenticeship.

If you're committed to advancing your career by building strong customer-service skills, you may want to progress on to an additional qualification. After completing the Level 1 NVQ, you could take:

  • Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 2 NVQ, you could progress to:

  • Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Apprenticeship.

 

After completing the Level 3 NVQ, you could advance to:

  • Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service
  • Customer Service Advanced Apprenticeship

In addition, we also have a number of Higher Level qualifications offered through ILM.

Learners at any level could also progress onto an NVQ or SVQs in other work-related areas, for example administration, retail, contact centres accounting, IT and other technical sectors.

Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service (4430-03)
Last Registration Date: 31 Dec 2026
Replacement qualification (5530-03 (September 2014))

Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service

  • Accreditation No: 500/8818/X This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 42 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 279 - 329 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 420 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/12/2029 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: £128.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Additional information for centres

Smart Screen

SMARTSCREEN IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

SmartScreen is our online portal for tutor, assessors and learners that provides unit-specific support materials and tutor forums to complement the delivery and learning experience

Visit Smartscreen.co.uk >

Learning Assistant

LEARNING ASSISTANT IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

Learning Assistant is an innovative and cost effective e-portfolio solution that allows colleges and training providers to dramatically improve the delivery of their vocational qualifications.

Learn more about Learning Assistant >

Here you can find all documents related to this suite of qualifications.

By clicking on the section headings below, you can access a variety of documents such as the qualification handbooks and assessment materials, Statements of Purpose, and recognition letters from industry and employers.

Some documents may be password protected. Passwords can be retrieved by logging in to Walled Garden and visiting the Administration section of the relevant qualification catalogue page.

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form. 

4430 Level 1

Centre documents

4430 Level 2

Additional documents

Downloadable logbook units

Centre documents

4430 Level 3

Centre documents

4430 Level 4

Centre documents

Additional documents

Assessment materials

Centre documents

Purpose and Recognition

19 Plus

Purpose

Explore our wider maths & English offer

Our maths & English qualifications underpin our apprenticeships and technical qualifications. They build learners’ confidence with the core skills required for employment, including the capacity to problem solve and use technology effectively. They are also key to triggering conditions of funding.

Find out more

For Learners

Related Qualifications

Browse some of our related qualifications:

> (3411) Contact Centre Operations

> (3412) Contact Centre Operations

> (4417) Customer Service

> (4427) Customer Service (SVQ)

> (4411) Customer Service Foundation Learning

> (2794) Diploma for Customer Service

> (4421) Principles of Customer Service

See more related qualifications >