Certifying Excellence

Organizations everywhere need to trust the trainings, tools, and methods applied while improving their customer centricity.

Our certifications of individual tools or complete programs help to create such trust and provide a solid foundation for every customer centricity initiative. The internationally renowned experts on our board of directors serve on our certification teams and lend their expertise to making sure your method, tool, or program meets latest industry best-practices.

Certification Examples

The Customer Institute currently certifies tools and methods used to improve customer centricity in organizations. Examples include:

Frameworks

Frameworks of customer experience used to build a
customer centricity strategy

Trainings

e.g. CX masterclasses or other related trainings

Technologies

e.g. tools to manage a VoC program or a customer journey
mapping solution

ROI Methods

e.g. calculation methods or tools to predict the
return-on-investment for customer experience improvements

Processes

e.g. a voice-of-the-customer automation documentation or an in-dustry best-practice roadmap of how to implement a CX program

All audiences share significant benefits when winning Customer Institute certification.

The Right Benefit for You

The certification process is an enabler to advancing the maturity of your customer centricity

Expert insights from the Customer Institute Certification Board advising you how to further improve

A world-recognized certification increases your credibility and presents better marketing opportunities

The Customer Institute displays your work globally as best practice in the field of customer centricity

In a highly competitive environment, having an independent certification for your tools & methods stands you apart from the competition and ensures a higher conversion potential for prospects.

 

Consulting Companies

Gaining certifications for the trainings, tools, and methods you use in your work will help you gain credibility with your clients. In a crowded market this is an effective way to create trust in your approaches and tools.

CX Tech vendors

Customer Experience Management needs the right platform in place. Help your potential clients to identify your solution as profound, suitable, and in line with industry best practices with a Customer Institute certification for your product.

Commercial Organizations and the Public Sector

Government agencies, healthcare providers, and organizations across all industries can showcase their customer centricity by applying for Customer Institute certification.

Award Organizers

The Customer Institute endorses the idea of awarding special recognition to the heroes in each industry or region. The Customer Institute certifies award organizations’ processes and helps candidates pick the right awards to apply for to get the recognition they deserve for true customer centricity.

Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

Your know-how and expertise are safe with the Customer Institute. The Customer Institute and its review board do not acquire any form of intellectual property in the certified material. The material remains your sole intellectual property.

 

Certification Validity

The Customer Institute certifications are valid worldwide (unless prohibited by law). The certifications are valid for two years beginning from the date of certification.
At the end of your certification’s validity, you can either remove all references to the Customer Institute certification from your publicly facing assets, or you can benefit from attractive discounts for a streamlined re-certification of your material to make sure it still meets current industry best practices.

How to gain Certification

The Customer Institute certification follows an objective 3-step process underpinned by a robust scoring methodology.

Your initial enquiry is just one click away: Click here for the initial enquiry form to determine its eligibility for certification by the Customer Institute’s board of directors.
If your tool is eligible for certification, we will reach-out with an invitation code to upload your material to our system for review.

1. Contact us

 

Your initial enquiry is just one click away: Click here for the initial enquiry form to determine its eligibility for certification by the Customer Institute’s board of directors.
If your tool is eligible for certification, we will reach-out with an invitation code to upload your material to our system for review.

With your inviation code, you are now free to submit your material to our system with the help of detailed instructions on how and what to submit. Our team will be available to support you with any questions you might have to make sure your application is as easy and convenient as possible.

2. Submit

 

With your inviation code, you are now free to submit your material to our system with the help of detailed instructions on how and what to submit. Our team will be available to support you with any questions you might have to make sure your application is as easy and convenient as possible.

At the agreed time you will present your material to the Customer Institute review board in a 1-2-hour virtual session. The reviewing directors will have pre-read your material and will score the material for
(1) Contribution to industry practices in customer centricity
(2) Fitness for purpose & use
(3) Reliability & accuracy
(4) Sustainability & repeatability
A few days after the certification meeting, we will inform you of the outcome of the certification process and provide you with a detailed report of the scoring as well as improvement suggestions.
If the certification has been awarded, you receive will an electronic certificate and badge. We will then reference your tool or method on the Customer Institute’s website unless you prefer not to be listed.

3. Review

 

At the agreed time you will present your material to the Customer Institute review board in a 1-2-hour virtual session. The reviewing directors will have pre-read your material and will score the material for
(1) Contribution to industry practices in customer centricity
(2) Fitness for purpose & use
(3) Reliability & accuracy
(4) Sustainability & repeatability
A few days after the certification meeting, we will inform you of the outcome of the certification process and provide you with a detailed report of the scoring as well as improvement suggestions.
If the certification has been awarded, you receive will an electronic certificate and badge. We will then reference your tool or method on the Customer Institute’s website unless you prefer not to be listed.

Certification Criteria

A detailed description of the certification criteria for different types of certification can be found here. You will receive more information around the certification process with your invitation to apply.

Certification Fees

Fees for a Customer Institute certifications depend on:

  • The quantity of methods, tools, or trainings (single or multiprogram)
  • Whether it is an initial certification or re-certification

The following summarizes the Customer Institute’s fee structure:

Certification QuantityInitial Certification
(valid for 2 years)
Re-Certification fee
(valid for 2 years)
One single Customer Centricity
related tool or method
4,500 Euro3,500 Euro
A program of at least two tools or methods7,000 Euro5,500 Euro

An open word about passing or failing

Please note that the initial certification fee is not dependent on the outcome of the certification process.
If the Customer Institute review board rejects the certification, we will provide you with a detailed report on where the material does not meet the certification criteria.
In such cases you can benefit from a discounted rate of 1,500 Euro (single) or 2,500 Euro (multiple) for a re-run of your certification within 3 months of the initial certification attempt. 

 

Contact Us

Have we left any of your questions unanswered? Then please let us know and contact us at certifications@customer-institute.org