Openwork has been awarded Accredited Centre status by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), the independent professional membership body.

The network was awarded the accreditation for its current qualification programme, which is focussed on ensuring Openwork employees gain a customer service-related qualification.

As part of its considerations, the Institute focussed on the personal development and application of the qualification in each practitioner’s everyday role as well as Openwork’s 100% pass rate.

Accredited Centre status is awarded to organisations that have demonstrated they are operating a high quality professional qualifications framework in accordance with the ICS’ standards and quality assurance requirements.

Jeremy Hackett, Openwork’s strategy director, said: “We are delighted to have received this recognition from the ICS for our commitment to raising standards of customer service through people development.

“Accredited Centre status means our current professional qualifications programme is run to a standard at which the Institute consider us to be exemplars of quality and programme management. That is extremely pleasing and we thank all of our coaches as well as the practitioners who have either passed their qualification or are currently on the programme.”