Overview
This dynamic, four-week blended program (combining live sessions and self-paced learning) equips you with practical tools and strategies to transform how your institution delivers service.
Throughout the program, you'll learn to:
- Understand the importance of service excellence in higher education
- Foster a campus culture that is responsive, consistent, and efficient
- Build essential service competencies that elevate the student and staff experience
- Support and empower front-line teams under pressure
- Navigate difficult conversations with professionalism and empathy
- Confidently de-escalate tense situations
Each module includes a guided Learning Journal to help you apply insights to your daily work and an online forum to connect with peers and faculty.
Who Will Benefit
This certification is ideal for professionals across higher education who interact with students, families, faculty, and staff—whether in person, online, or behind the scenes. If you're in student affairs, enrollment, academic advising, financial services, housing, IT support, or any administrative, leadership, or front-line role, this course will help you elevate your service delivery and better support your campus community.
If you’re looking to change your internal campus culture, this course can be integrated into your existing programs to help build leadership skills campus-wide and ensure operational excellence.
This course is exclusive to our Academic Impressions members, and valued at $1800.
How it Works
Complete our service excellence curriculum over 4 weeks by engaging with both asynchronous and synchronous content. Each week you'll have an average of 2.5 hours of asynchronous work that can be completed on-demand to fit your schedule. You’ll then attend one 60-minute live session to help you to apply your learning at the end of week 4. You’ll conclude the program with a certification exam.
Get a weekly email with on-demand videos and activities that can be completed on your lunch break, or at a time that works for your schedule, over the course of the week. Supplement your learning with a guided Learning Journal and by joining a LinkedIn group for your cohort to ask questions and discuss the course material.
Attend one live session to apply your learning and engage in dialogue with peers from around North America and beyond. This session will be recorded and available on-demand for those who can’t attend live. The ability to apply the skills you’ve learned in a live session is of significant value, so please prioritize attending the live session.
Earn a Digital Badge
Complete all video modules, attend the live session, and pass the certification exam with an 80% or better to earn a digital badge you can share!
Hurry! The Next Cohort Starts September 2, 2025.
Program Curriculum
Week 1: Context for Higher Education
Format: On-Demand | Time Commitment: Approximately 2.5 hours
This module provides an in-depth foundation for understanding and enhancing customer service within a higher education setting. It begins by challenging traditional notions of "customers" in academia and introduces core service principles. You’ll explore the definition and components of service, how to foster a culture of service excellence, and the competencies essential for delivering high-quality service experiences.
Recommended Schedule
*For the September Cohort, Monday of week 1 falls on Labor Day. We recommend you start on Tuesday and combine Thursday and Friday's content into one day.
Monday - 20 minutes
Read:
- Module Introduction
Watch:
- Module One: Service Excellence in Higher Education
Complete:
- Module One Introduction Reflection Questions
- Activity: Thinking About Service
Tuesday - 45 minutes
Watch:
- Module One: Who Are We Serving
- Module One: Components of Service
Complete:
- Activity: Develop a Customer Profile
- Activity: Learning More About Your Customers
- Activity: Auditing the Stage
- Activity: Collecting Data to Establish a Service Baseline
Wednesday - 30 minutes
Watch:
- Module One: Creating a Culture of Service: Introduction
- Module One: Organizational Culture and Service Excellence
- Module One: The Cycle of Service and Moments of Truth
- Module One: Everyone Is a Customer!
- Module One: Creating a Culture of Service: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Cycle of Service
- Activity: Moments of Magic
Optional:
- Host a Discussion on Moments of Magic vs. New Standards
Thursday - 30 minutes
Watch:
- Module One: Service Competencies: Introduction
- Module One: Putting it All Together
Complete:
- Service Competencies Self-Assessment
- Activity: Service Competencies
- Activity: Role-Specific and Technical Competencies
Friday - 25 minutes
Read:
- Module Conclusion
Watch:
- Module One: Service Competencies: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Putting it All Together
- Module Conclusion Reflection
Week 2: Strategies for Customer Service
Format: On-Demand | Time Commitment: Approximately 2 hours
This module equips you with practical strategies to enhance service delivery through consistency, efficiency, and stress management. You'll explore tools like stakeholder mapping, scripting, and a five-step service model to create predictable, high-quality service experiences. The module also addresses streamlining processes for efficiency and supporting frontline staff by recognizing stressors and promoting a culture of care and responsiveness.
Recommended Schedule
Monday - 25 minutes
Read:
- Module Introduction
Watch:
- Module Two: Service Consistency: Introduction
Complete:
- Module Two Introduction Reflection Questions
- Activity: Creating Consistency
- Activity: Stakeholder Mapping
Tuesday - 35 minutes
Watch:
- Module Two: The Five Steps of Service
- Module Two: Creating Consistency Through Scripting
- Module Two: Service Consistency: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: The Five Steps of Service
- Activity: Common Service Interaction
- Activity: Scripting
Optional:
- Take it Further: Reflection
Wednesday - 35 minutes
Watch:
- Module Two: Service Efficiency: Introduction
- Module Two: Managing Efficiency
- Module Two: Strategies to Be More Efficient
- Module Two: Service Efficiency: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Satisfaction with Efficiency
- Activity: Disney and Efficiency
- Activity: Creating More Efficient Processes
Thursday - 25 minutes
Read:
- Module Conclusion
Watch:
- Module Two: Managing Stress: Introduction
- Module Two: Supporting Front-Line Staff
- Module Two: Managing Stress: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Common Stressors
- Module Conclusion Reflection
Optional:
- Take it Further: Front-Line Staff Survey
Week 3: The Tough Stuff
Format: On-Demand | Time Commitment: Approximately 1.5 hours
The first part of this module focuses on building confidence and competence in navigating difficult service interactions through effective communication strategies. It begins with an introduction to active listening and the Conversation Cycle, offering tools for understanding and responding thoughtfully during tense or complex exchanges. You’ll then explore techniques for managing challenging conversations—especially how to say "no" with clarity and empathy, anticipate and handle reactions, and choose language that de-escalates rather than inflames.
Recommended Schedule
Monday - 10 minutes
Read:
- Module Introduction
Watch:
- Module Three: Active Listening and the Conversation Cycle: Introduction
Complete:
- Module Three Introduction Reflection Questions
Tuesday - 40 minutes
Watch:
- Module Three: The Conversation Cycle
- Module Three: Active Listening and the Conversation Cycle: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Service Interactions and the Conversation Cycle
- Activity: Service Interactions and Active Listening
- Activity: Active Listening and the Conversation Cycle Scenarios
Optional:
- Take it Further: Reflection
Wednesday - 40 minutes
Watch:
- Module Three: Challenging Conversations: Introduction
- Module Three: How to say No
- Module Three: Reactions to “No”
- Module Three: Choosing Your Words
- Module Three: Challenging Conversations: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Managing Conflict
- Activity: Delivering “No”
Week 4: The Tough Stuff Continued
Format: On-Demand | Time Commitment: Approximately 2.5 hours
The second half of this module provides a focused, practical approach to managing high-tension service situations through de-escalation and escalation strategies. You'll explore the root causes of difficult client behaviors and learn the HEAT model to help staff respond calmly and constructively. You'll also learn how to recognize when to defer or escalate interactions, supported by activities that build judgment and process improvement skills. You’ll have time to apply what you’ve learned in the live session at the end of the week.
Recommended Schedule
Monday - 35 minutes
Watch:
- Module Three: De-escalating Difficult Clients: Introduction
- Module Three: Reasons for Challenging Interactions
- Module Three: Taking the HEAT – De-escalation in Practice
- Module Three: Setting the Stage for De-escalation
- Module Three: De-escalation: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Difficult Client Behaviors
Optional:
- Take it Further: How to Apply De-escalation Strategies
Tuesday - 30 minutes
Watch:
- Module Three: When to Defer: Introduction
- Module Three: When to Escalate
- Module Three: Escalation Strategies
- Module Three: When to Defer: Conclusion
Complete:
- Activity: Escalating Service Interactions
- Activity: Improving Escalation Processes
Wednesday - 25 minutes
Read:
- Module Conclusion
Complete:
- Module Three Conclusion Reflection
- Prep for Live Session
Friday - 60 minutes
Attend:
- Live Application Session | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET
Post Completion of Modules
After completing all three modules and participating in the Live Application Session, you will need to pass the certification exam with a score of 80% or higher to receive your certification.
Choose from 2 Cohorts:
Starting September 2, 2025
Starting September 29, 2025
Get in Touch With Us
Academic Impressions partners with colleges and universities to collaboratively create custom training around our four-pronged service excellence model at all levels of the organization. These custom workshops are designed with the needs of your campus and your supervisors in mind and allow us to go deeper on issues specific to your institution. They can be delivered on your campus or virtually to your teams. Contact Heath Boice-Pardee, Head of Practice for Service Excellence, to learn more
