7 Benefits of Investing in a Customer Service Apprenticeship

Defined as "the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services," customer service is a significant aspect of business success that not everyone gets right. Providing the highest customer service standards to your clients and customers can be accompanied by enormous benefits for your business outputs. But how does a business achieve this? Well, one way is by investing in a customer service apprenticeship.

As an apprenticeship provider with 25 years of experience empowering people and businesses worldwide to realise their potential, we are best placed to provide you with the seven benefits of investing in a customer service apprenticeship. 

1. Customer Service Apprentices Enhances Client Retention

Without your clients or customers investing in your company, your business would go nowhere. It's all well and good to attract your clients, but retaining them is as, if not more, important. Regardless of your product or service, you will fall at the first hurdle if your business fails to provide customer satisfaction.

75% of customers say they would return to a company that offers excellent customer service. A further study by Salesforce Research implies that 89% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company again after receiving a positive customer service experience. Therefore, your business must install excellent customer service to give you the best chance of retaining your clients and customers and avoid missing out on future deals.

If your business struggles or needs support in embedding high-level customer service, there's no better option than investing in a customer service apprenticeship. 

At Pareto, our Sales, Leadership and Management, and Digital and IT technical sales apprenticeships give top talent the tools to effectively engage and build long-lasting relationships with your clients. Our apprenticeship courses will help increase the chances of your customers returning to your business frequently. 

2. Providing Excellent Customer Service Will Get You Noticed

According to Zippia, 72% of customers will share their positive customer experience with six or more people. So, if your business provides an excellent customer service experience that goes above and beyond the client's needs, this can only be a positive. 

This word-of-mouth marketing will save you costs on future marketing campaigns, increase your revenue, and build on your reputation in the long run - more on this later. 

Clients who refer others to your business will often share their experiences with friends and family. Why is this important? Well, many people trust their friends or family's recommendations and are therefore more likely to pursue them. In fact, according to Nielson, in a study carried out across 60 countries, 83% of people trusted the recommendations from friends and family.

By investing in an apprentice, who can be moulded into the customer service assistant you envision, you can increase the number of customer referrals you receive - helping to spread the word about your business within your market. 

3. Empower Your Reputation and Build Brand Loyalty

When you invest in a customer service apprenticeship, and the word of your excellent service offering starts to make waves, you will begin to empower your reputation and build brand loyalty. 

55% of customers initially become customers because they've heard positive things about a brand's reputation. A report by Zendesk also states that three out of five consumers say that receiving good customer service makes them feel committed to a brand. A business's reputation and loyal following are often headed up by how it delivers customer service. 

From interactions with your service desk representatives, IT support people, and sales teams to any other client-facing positions, providing top-tier customer service should flow through each stage of your customer's journey. The consistency of your customer service offering throughout the sales funnel will impact your customers purchasing decisions one way or the other.

When training our apprentices, we stress this importance and teach them to be consistent when dealing with clients face-to-face. But ultimately, if your employees fail to provide an exceptional customer service experience, how can your business grow a reputation and loyal following that helps you realise the potential of your business?  

4. Apprenticeship Courses Improve Company Culture

There is a direct link between your employees' happiness and engagement levels and the experience you provide for your customers. Today's talent looks beyond the salary when searching for their latest career move; they want to know that their employer treats their customers well.

By dedicating your efforts to providing a fantastic customer service experience, you will reap the rewards from your customers and clients. But also, you will begin to see how your employees will become greater advocates for your business. And when your employees back your mission, vision and values, they will be more inclined to be loyal to you, increasing employee retention. 

When you invest in an apprenticeship course with Pareto, you will create a culture whereby providing exceptional service is something all your employees will strive to achieve. Additionally, employees are often more motivated to stay loyal to an employer if the company invests in their career growth. So, you will attract and retain more talent when current and future employees see that part of your company culture involves investing in apprenticeship training. 

Whether you're looking for a single hire or require a team of salespeople to improve your customer service offering, our apprenticeships are a great option. When you partner with Pareto, we will increase your employee retention rate and improve your company culture. 

5. Customer Service and Sales Apprenticeships Increase Revenue

7. Give Yourself the Competitive Advantage

If your business provides an excellent and consistent customer service experience to customers and clients, this is a surefire way of gaining an advantage over your competitors.

Of course, many companies claim they provide the best service in the world, but the proof is in the pudding. If you can show how you have supported your clients and consistently met their needs by providing excellent customer service, then you will be well on your way to reaching new heights that your competition cannot stretch toward.

Our apprenticeship recruitment services can train your new talent or upskill your existing employees with the skills to help your business improve its customer service experiences.

With our support, you will gain a competitive advantage in more ways than just improving your customer service offering. By taking on an apprentice with Pareto, you will save time, costs and resources, all of which your competitors will miss out on. So if you genuinely want to gain a competitive advantage, apprenticeships are the way forward.