KPMG

KPMG is one of the UK's leading providers of accountancy and professional services.

Best Practice has worked with KPMG since 1999, delivering in-company communication skills courses and NVQs for over 120 staff across several business areas, including facilities management, PAs, IT support and reception services.

Qualifications include:

Customer Service NVQ
Administration NVQ
IT Users NVQ

Team Leading NVQ
Management NVQ
BTEC Award in Service Provision

In 2005, we were asked to deliver a certification programme for 35 reception staff based in 20 locations from Southampton in the south to Aberdeen in the north. To meet this requirement, we worked with KPMG and the awarding body Edexcel, to design and accredit a BTEC Certificate in Reception Services which has been successfully delivered during 2006 and 2007.

Sue Partridge, the NVQ programme manager, commented "We have been delighted to work with Best Practice over the past few years for the delivery of our NVQ programme and customer focused training across the UK. 

"Best Practice and their staff have always proved reliable, creative and solution driven. They have always delivered above expectation and requirements."

National Grid

National Grid Metering (formerly Transco Metering) provides metering and meter reading services to approximately 20 million domestic gas users in the UK. Its direct customers are the UK's major gas suppliers.

Best Practice was first approached in 2003 to deliver a management development programme to help prepare for industry deregulation by improving leadership, communication and change management skills.

Following delivery of a successful modular training programme for over 40 managers in 2003-04, the programme has now been extended to run from 2005-2007, with additional intakes of managers from across the organisation.

The current programme runs over a 6-9 month period and is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Based on a combination of training and project work, successful candidates achieve the ILM Level 3 Introductory Certificate in First Line Management.

During 2006, Best Practice has been asked to extend our work to deliver certificated customer service and call centre skills development programmes. Favouring a short, developmental approach, National Grid Metering selected the ILM Award in Customer Contact as the preferred option. 

Janet Jordan, Customer Services Manager, said "Service quality and adding value to our customers is important to our business. These managers are in the front-line of service delivery - their actions directly contribute to customer and employee satisfaction. 

"The Best Practice programme is a business-wide initiative that helps us enhance customer value. The programme is successful in building leadership skills and helping achieve a more structured approach to managing change. It ensures that our managers look closely at the issues, consider all options, and deliver successful outcomes for our customers and the business.

"We are very pleased that we selected Best Practice for this work - they have become a trusted partner." 

Parcelforce Worldwide

Part of the Royal Mail Group, Parcelforce Worldwide is a leading parcel carrier for UK businesses.

In 2004, after a period of considerable change, the company identified a need to improve skills, motivation and frontline service performance. 

To help meet this objective, Parcelforce approached Best Practice to design and deliver a certification strategy for customer facing staff and management in five contact centres across the UK. 

Since July 2005, Best Practice has been working with over 60 contact centre staff to deliver NVQs in Customer Service, Telesales and Contact Centre Operations. Operations staff and contact centre managers are working towards higher level BTEC certificates including the Certificate in Business Operations and the Diploma in Contact Centre Management.

The success of the NVQ and BTEC programmes led Parcelforce to approach Best Practice in 2006 to support a large-scale systems and culture change programme. As a result, we have been contracted to deliver the ILM Certificate in Team Leading and ILM Certificate in First Line Management for over 100 depot-based Operations, Customer Service Managers, and Delivery & Collection Managers during 2006-2007.

Dawn Cox, Head of Customer Services was responsible for introducing the NVQ programme. According to Dawn, "After investigating several options, we selected the combined NVQ and BTEC programme via Best Practice. The fact that study is done in the workplace through a programme of ongoing assessment is a big plus point.

"Getting these qualifications can be a big boost to motivation and self-perception. It's also good news for Parcelforce Worldwide because it means we are refining existing skills as well as learning new ones - a real quality stamp for the service the contact centre teams offer."

ING Direct

ING Direct, the world's leading direct savings bank, entered the UK in 2003. Soon after, it approached Best Practice to build and implement a certification strategy that would provide recognition of skills and performance for staff within its UK Call Centres and Operations teams. 

Working closely with the client, we designed a multi-level certification strategy consisting of NVQ and BTEC qualifications. Over 100 staff based in Reading and Cardiff have achieved these qualifications since 2004 and they are now an important part of the organisation's development and retention strategy.

Qualifications include:

Contact Centre NVQ
Customer Service NVQ
Administration NVQ
BTEC Certificate in Banking Services
BTEC Certificate in Banking Operations

According to Rhian Langham, HR Manager, "We launched our NVQ programme to offer our associates the opportunity to achieve qualifications related to their job roles. Last year, after much planning with Best Practice, we were also able to offer the BTECs to top off the NVQ programme. 

"The BTECs are the highlight of the programme as we are the first direct bank to offer these qualifications to its staff. 

"Best Practice has and is still delivering the service and care that we here at ING Direct value, which has made Best Practice a fantastic choice for our NVQ/BTEC provider."

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press is the printing and publishing arm of Cambridge University. It was the first commercial organisation in Britain and is now one of the largest global academic publishers. It has a worldwide reputation for exceptional content, professional marketing and ethical business practices.

Since 2001, Best Practice has worked within the Customer Services department of over 70 people - delivering customer skills training and an ongoing BTEC certification programme.

Team leaders and managers also undertake higher-level BTEC qualifications. Over 40 staff have successfully completed certifications in the following subjects:

BTEC Certificate in Service Provision

BTEC Diploma in Service Provision
BTEC Certificate in Service Supervision
BTEC Diploma in Service Management

According to Jane Chapman, Customer Services Director, "The programme has highlighted and improved our profile within the organisation and showed staff that we value them and their Customer Service skills.

"We have a successful working relationship with Best Practice, who provide a structured training programme and BTEC certification. This helps anticipate future development needs and has become an integral part of career progression within the department."

BBC Monitoring

Based in Caversham Park, near Reading, BBC Monitoring supplies news and information gathered from the mass media around the world. It operates around the clock to monitor more than 3000 radio, TV, press, internet and news agency sources.

Best Practice has worked with the HR team and IT Helpdesk since 1998, delivering a series of tailored training modules that develop communication, personal effectiveness and leadership skills. 

During that time we have certificated over 20 helpdesk staff and managers with a range of qualifications including:

Customer Service NVQ
Management NVQ
BTEC Certificate in IT Service and Support
BTEC Certificate in Service Supervision

Sue Hamilton, the Helpdesk Manager, said "we have been working with Best Practice for the past eight years. We like our staff to do their BTEC qualifications to further their careers within the Helpdesk. As a company, we find Best Practice fulfils our requirements fully. They are efficient, thorough and very friendly."

Europcar

Founded over fifty years ago and now part of the Volkswagen Group, Europcar is the largest European car rental company with a presence in 143 countries across the globe.

In 2005, Europcar appointed Best Practice as its delivery partner with the aim of offering a relevant professional certification to every member of staff within the UK.

From early 2006, we have assisted with the roll-out of the BTEC Award in Service Provision for customer facing personnel in Europcar's 126 UK rental locations. Successful staff will have the opportunity to progress to higher level qualifications including the BTEC Intermediate Certificate and Diploma in Service Provision.

Office-based operations staff at the Hertfordshire Headquarters also have the opportunity to work towards and achieve the BTEC Certificate in Business Operations.

Simon Harper, Europcar's Head of Training, said "In the time I have been working with Best Practice, their
professionalism and efficiency has impressed me. I see this as a crucial long term strategic partnership, not only in helping Europcar to be number one for customer service in the car rental industry, but in terms of greater staff development and motivation and becoming an employer of choice."