Service Excellence Blue Pin

**Returning fall 2023! Unfortunately this program is currently not open for enrolment. Please send us an email so that we can notify you when enrolment opens.**

Service Excellence Blue Pin - Professional Development Certificate

Providing an exceptional customer experience has never been more important than it is today. Customer experience can be the difference between having a competitive business advantage and losing customers to the competition. Today’s consumers have more choices than ever when it comes to purchasing items or services, and they have high expectations when they contact a company. What makes a business stand out amongst the rest is the customer service they present. Many organizations settle for “good” service. This program will boost your customer service skills from good to great, in turn, building customer loyalty and helping your business stand out against the competition!

This professional development certificate is offered in collaboration with the County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network (BSN). Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a program certificate and a ‘Blue Lapel Pin’ from the County of Grande Prairie BSN. The Blue Pin represents that you have developed the capacity, skills and knowledge of what it takes to provide an amazing customer experience. This program consists of two tiers:

• Service Excellence Blue Pin for Customer Service Representatives (3 core courses, 3 electives)
• Service Excellence Blue Pin for Managers (4 core courses, 3 electives)

Funding for the Service Excellence Blue Pin Certificate is currently available for front line participants through the County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network (BSN). Find more details in our Funding section below.

Learning and Career Growth

These courses will help you:

• Identify your customers’ needs and demonstrate a customer service approach
• Describe the important part that being customer-focused plays in ensuring the success of your organization
• Understand all six phases of the conflict resolution process
• Understand the five main styles of conflict resolution
• Understand ways to be an effective team member
• Appreciate the variety of behaviors that characterize resourcefulness in the workplace
• Adeptly converse and network with others
• Identify common barriers to communication and how to overcome them
• Understand what you can to do to create and maintain a positive work environment
• Know the importance of effective workplace relationships in creating and maintaining a positive work environment
• Learn the qualities possessed by a team player
• Discover the different types of teams that exist within a company with supportive patterns
• Display rapport-building skills through assertive methods of expressing disagreement and consensus-building techniques
• Understand your purpose as a manager and identify the characteristics of a good manager
• Understand the importance of achieving results through other
• Match leadership styles—communications and behavior—to development levels
• Develop as a highly-skilled, flexible leader who can develop and retain people

Duration and Delivery

The Service Excellence Blue Pin for customer service representatives consists of 6 courses, 6 - 12 hours in length, for a total of 42 instructional hours. 

Fees

Course fees are $155, and the total cost to complete the full Service Excellence Blue Pin certificate for customer service representatives is $930 based on the current course fees. Fees are listed with individual courses, and courses do not require any additional purchase of supplementary materials. Fees are subject to change.

Funding

Funding for front line participants is available through the County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network (BSN) for employers looking to certify their front line staff and for underemployed individuals who live or work in the Grande Prairie region looking to further enhance their customer service career opportunities by completing the entire Service Excellence Blue Pin certificate.

Proof of residence or workplace is required. To apply for funding for the full certificate, fill out and submit this form. 

For information or questions regarding funding for the Service Excellence Blue Pin Certificate program, please contact Hetti Huls, Economic Development Officer at the County of Grande Prairie by phone at 780.532.9722 ext. 1201 or by email at hhuls@countygp.ab.ca.

Please note: In an effort to support businesses of all sizes, larger organizations may be limited to the number of employees eligible for funding. All applications will be considered and reviewed by the BSN for approval.

Funding for this certificate program is made possible by grant funding from Alberta Labour and Immigration and the Destination Marketing Fund.

Getting Started

This certificate is open to all individuals. You are not required to receive funding from the County of Grande Prairie to take these courses. 

There are no admission requirements for this program. You can register for a course at any time. Courses can be taken in any order.

Program Requirements

Courses may be taken individually, or complete 3 core and 3 elective courses to obtain a Service Excellence professional development certificate and your Blue Pin for customer service representatives. You must achieve an average test score of at least 70% in each course to meet the minimum successful completion requirement.

Service Excellence Blue Pin Certificate (For Customer Service Representatives) 

Core Courses (Required) 

• Conflict Resolution (HRM11) 
• Managing Customer Service (CSE01) 
• Skills You Need for Workplace Success (CSE03) 

Elective Courses (Required) 

• Assertiveness and Self-Confidence (DAS02) 
• Being a Team Player (CSE05) 
• Communication Strategies (DCS01)