We are the UK's independent professional customer service body
We exist to improve your business performance by improving your customer experience.
By working with business, the public sector and the Government, we are positioning the UK as world leaders in service – to build a strong economy.
What we stand for
We uphold the standards for our industry and drive progress. We want a world where excellent customer service is demanded, delivered and seen to make a positive impact on organisational performance and the wider economy.
What we do
In a big picture sense, we help our members focus on their purpose, relevance and impact:
Who we are
We are headquartered in London with regional representatives based right across the UK to ensure we offer consistent service wherever you are located.
Our History
Founded in 1996, and formally incorporated in February 1997, we help our members improve their customers’ experience and their own business performance.
For too long, customer service had been seen as an after-thought, part of after-sales activity. Instead, it is integral to the success and failure of organisations, and we are dedicated to increasing recognition of its importance. To support those working in service, we have created tools to assess organisational performance and identify key areas for improvement.
We have built a professional framework to help people gain and improve customer service skills. And we work hard to ensure customer service professionals get the recognition they deserve. If you believe in the importance of customer service as much as we do, get in touch and find out how becoming a member can raise your organisation’s standards.
We registered with Companies House on 17 Dec 1996 in Colchester. We had 10 founder members, including Prudential, BT and Natwest.
The Institute’s Professional Qualifications in customer service were launched (under the name Professional Awards). In the first year, we secured 529 individual registrations, and by 2009, over 9,000 practitioners had been assessed in the first decade since inception.
The Institute’s first-ever Breakthrough Research report on Reward & Recognition was launched.
FirstImpressions & ServCheck were launched. RBS was our first ServiceMark achiever.
Launch of the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), the national barometer of customer satisfaction.
Jo Causon was appointed as the Institute’s new CEO and the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards were launched.
The Institute was relocated to London and underwent a full re-brand and value proposition review.
The Academy was launched. We also brought the delivery of ServiceFocus & ServiceMark assessments in-house.
Our Service with Respect campaign, aiming to tackle abuse directed at customer service professionals, was launched.
We achieved a change in the law through our Service with Respect campaign. Our Trust Index was also launched this same year.
Following on from the 2017 ‘Customer Service Dividend’ research, a new study shows the link between service and financial performance.
We launched our brand new podcast which explores all things customer service, with frank and open conversations on how we centre the customer to benefit consumers, business, society, and the wider UK economy.
Every two years, the Institute invites its staff to send in nominations for consideration to be our official charity. We look for a charity that demonstrates our vision, mission and values, and provides an opportunity for the Institute to support a specific cause.
Our Internal Communications Group assesses all nominations received, and all charities go through a process of due diligence. The group then shortlists three charities.
All employees of the Institute then have the opportunity to vote for one of the three charities, and the one with the largest number of votes will be selected as our charity for a 2-year period.
We are proud to announce that the Institute’s chosen charity for the next two years is the Alzheimer’s Society, who are leading the way in support, research, and advocacy for those affected by dementia.
With over 900,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK, the work of the Alzheimer’s Society has never been more vital. By partnering with them, we aim to raise awareness, funds, and engagement across our community to support their mission to ensure that no one faces dementia alone. We look forward to contributing to their efforts.