What does the day-to-day work of a Head of Technical Customer Service / Service with a federal diploma look like?

Managers of technical customer service or the technical service department are responsible for strategic and operational management in production, service and trading companies. They formulate the strategy, specify the quality requirements and define the organization and processes for providing the services.

As a manager, you are responsible for the personnel matters of the department. They draw up the deployment plans and ensure the internal training of employees. The Head of Technical Customer Service / Service is the contact person for technical questions, provides technical support to service and installation personnel and monitors the quality of services. As the external contact person, the Head of Customer Service looks after customers, negotiates maintenance contracts or orders for conversions and repairs and deals with complaints.

(Note: The weighting/frequency of the individual task areas may vary depending on the company and task profile).

Target group and skills: For whom is the higher professional examination to become a manager of technical customer service with a federal diploma suitable? What qualities and skills are required?

The course or the higher professional examination for the Head of Technical Customer Service / Service is aimed at the following target group:

• Professionals with experience in the commissioning, maintenance, repair or conversion and renewal of machines, plants and systems
• Managers who manage or would like to manage a service department or technical customer service

Technical Customer Service Managers should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Resilient and communicative person who maintains an overview in hectic situations
• Diplomatic skills
• Good assertiveness
• Structured, independent and goal-oriented way of working
• Leadership and social skills
• Service and customer-oriented behavior
• High sense of responsibility
• Communication skills

Requirements for admission to the higher professional examination for Head of Technical Customer Service:

The admission requirements for admission to the Advanced Professional Examination for Experts in Accounting and Controlling are defined as follows:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ, apprenticeship) or equivalent qualification

And

• Five years of professional experience in technical customer service, including three years in a management position.

(Note: The prerequisites must be fulfilled by the time of the examination or examination registration)

You will find out whether you have been admitted to the higher professional examination at least three months before the start of the examination with a written notification including reasons in the event of a negative decision.

Note: Some schools are prepared to admit you to a preparatory course for the higher professional examination for Head of Technical Customer Service if you do not (yet) meet the criteria for admission to the federal examination. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the necessary requirements at the time of the examination/examination registration. At some schools, it is also possible to attend the course without the intention of taking an examination. Admission requirements vary depending on the provider.

Subject matter and content of the training

When compiling the course content and subject matter, the schools of the preparatory courses for the Higher Technical Examination for Head of Technical Customer Service are guided by the specifications of the sponsoring body, the Swiss Chamber of Technical Customer Service of A-Z Management-Dienste für Unterricht und Weiterbildung AG

The following topics are taught in the courses and examined at the HFP:

• Work technology and communication
• Project management
• Quality management
• Company organization
• Marketing
• Legal knowledge
• Sale
• Finance and accounting
• Corporate management and economics
• Personnel management
• Personnel development
• Law
• Service Management
• Telecommunications and information systems

Costs and financing of further training

With the exception of the examination fee, which is set by the course organizer, the costs are determined by the respective providers. There may therefore be (large) differences.

In general, the following costs must be expected for the 4-semester part-time training course to become a Head of Technical Customer Service:

• Course fees:Approx. CHF 15'800.- You will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government after the examination (regardless of the result). (subject financing)*
• External examination fees:CHF 2,250 (as of April 2023) The examination fee is set by the sponsoring body of the higher professional examination or course. The candidate pays the fee directly to the sponsoring body after admission has been confirmed.
• Extra costs:You will often have to expect additional costs for teaching materials, training documents and simulation exams, for example. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect in addition to the course fees and examination fee.

* Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations (BP) and higher professional examinations (HFP) have been financially supported by the federal government (so-called subject financing). Graduates of these courses will therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for BP, max. CHF 10,500 for HFP) of the course costs paid upon application after taking the federal examination. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also paid out in advance.

Duration of study, teaching times, teaching model and learning effort

• Duration:The training to become a Head of Technical Customer Service / Service is completed on a part-time basis and lasts 4 semesters (depending on the provider and training model). It also has a modular structure.
• Lesson times:The course is offered at different times depending on the provider. These time variants are determined independently by the respective schools, so there may be differences. There are often day courses (e.g. all day on Saturdays) and evening courses (e.g. weekday afternoons/evenings). Please contact the provider of your choice directly and ask for the current course times.
• Teaching models:Many schools often offer different teaching models so that you have the opportunity to combine further education with family, work and free time in the best possible way. You can usually choose between face-to-face teaching or online formats, such as online teaching, hybrid teaching or blended learning.
• Learning effort:Thanks to the in-service training concept, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons". This gives you the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. Important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. It is best to contact the school of your choice directly for a taster lesson.

Degree, diploma and title

The final examination (HFP) to become a Head of Technical Customer Service is held every year, provided that at least 15 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years. Candidates can choose the language in which they would like to take the Advanced Federal PET Diploma examination. There is a choice of the three official languages German, French or Italian.

Candidates are notified at least two months before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (location, time of the oral examination, permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The higher professional examination comprises five parts:

1. Service management, corporate management, economics(practical 30 minutes, written 210 minutes, oral 30 minutes)
2. Personnel management and development(practical 30 minutes, written 120 minutes, oral 30 minutes)
3. Company organization and law(practical 30 minutes, written 120 minutes, oral 30 minutes)
4. Customer relationship and product management(written 120 minutes, oral 30 minutes)
5. Working techniques and communication(practical 30 minutes, written 120 minutes)

Diploma and title

Successful graduates of the higher professional examination receive a federal diploma and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Certified Head of Technical Customer Service / Service".

In French: "Cheffe de service technique après-vente diplômée / Chef de service technique après-vente diplômé"

In Italian: "Direttrice del servizio tecnico alla clientela diplomata / Direttore del servizio technico alla clientela diplomato"

In English: "Technical After Sales Manager with Advanced Federal Diploma of Professional Education and Training"

(Attention: The English title is merely a translation and recommendation but not a protected title).