Leadership & Management

Leading Service Excellence

Customer experience is shaped by the everyday decisions of front-line teams and the leaders who guide them. This course helps managers build a service excellence culture: defining service standards, empowering staff, measuring the customer experience, handling service failures and continuously improving service delivery.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

Download course PDF

Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Service excellence is a leadership choice, not a slogan. You will learn how leaders create teams that consistently delight customers.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Difficulty translating subject knowledge into practical workplace decisions.
Inconsistent approaches to the activities covered in the course outline.
Lack of a structured plan for applying and reviewing new skills.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

Service case studies, journey walk-throughs, coaching practice for front-line leaders and improvement workshops.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Define a clear service vision and standards
Lead and motivate front-line service teams
Empower staff to solve customer problems
Measure service quality and customer experience
Handle service failures and recovery
Drive continuous service improvement

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

Customer service managers
Front-line supervisors
Hospitality and retail managers
Public service managers
Contact centre leaders

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Service leadership
Coaching
Customer insight
Service recovery
Continuous improvement

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Service Excellence Foundations

09:00–10:08What customers value
10:08–11:00Service culture
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Service culture (continued)
11:45–12:53Leader’s role
12:53–14:00Exercise: service vision

Day 2Standards and Empowerment

09:00–10:08Service standards
10:08–11:00Empowerment boundaries
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Empowerment boundaries (continued)
11:45–12:53Front-line decision making
12:53–14:00Workshop

Day 3Leading Service Teams

09:00–10:08Recruiting for attitude
10:08–11:00Coaching on the floor
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Coaching on the floor (continued)
11:45–12:53Recognition
12:53–14:00Role play

Day 4Measuring Experience

09:00–10:08Customer feedback methods
10:08–11:00Service metrics
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Service metrics (continued)
11:45–12:53Mystery shopping
12:53–14:00Case study

Day 5Recovery and Improvement

09:00–10:08Service recovery
10:08–11:00Root causes of complaints
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Root causes of complaints (continued)
11:45–12:53Improvement routines
12:53–14:00Action plan

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon UK certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon UK programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

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The full course agenda and dates are available above. Use the session links in Dates & venues to choose a session. Registration and quotation forms require JavaScript; you can also contact our learning team directly.