KCS v6 Certified Internal Trainer Instructions

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants for the certified trainer program are expected to have experience with:

• Teaching/facilitating in a classroom or workshop environment
• Customer support and be familiar with current processes, structures, management practices, and metrics
• CRM and knowledge management tools in customer support organizations

Membership in the Consortium for the sponsor organization is not required, but is strongly recommended as it will allow the Certified Internal Trainer(s) access to the Consortium's KCS team meeting discussions on the evolution of KCS, as well as opportunities to interact with other Certified Trainers.

Process to Become a KCS v6 Certified Internal Trainer

1. Attend an KCS v6 Practices Workshop (full 2.5 day version)
2. Be KCS v6 Practices Certified.
3. Fill out the Application to Become a KCS v6 Certified Trainer.
4. Organize and co-teach an in-person KCS v6 Practices workshop with a KCS Certified Trainer:
   • The Certified Trainer must complete the Assessment form verifying your understanding and training capabilities including:
     • a deep understanding of the KCS Principles, core concepts, and practices,
     • an ability to articulate the KCS practices with examples,
     • an ability to handle objections,
     • an ability to debrief the workshop exercises and draw out the key learning points.
     • The Certified Trainer Candidate Assessment Form is completed and submitted by the co-teaching Certified Trainer. A recommendation "to certify" the candidate from a certified trainer is a pre-requisite to taking the KCS v6 Certified Trainer Exam.
5. The sponsor organization must sign the Unlimited Use License Agreement for Internal Use. This is an agreement between the Consortium for Service Innovation and the sponsor organization and includes the name(s) of the KCS Certified Internal Trainer(s). The sponsor organization must maintain at least one KCS Certified Internal Trainer on their staff in order to use the KCS training materials.
6. Register, pay for, and schedule the exam
   • Follow these instructions to register for the KCS v6 Trainer Exam.  Be sure to select the correct exam delivery method.
7. Pass the KCS v6 Certified Trainer Exam administered by the Consortium for Service Innovation
   • The trainer exam has 36 questions which are fill-in-the-blank format. The exam is proctored and the time allotted to complete the exam is 90 minutes. It can be taken in a test center or via online proctoring (video) or proctored by a KCS Certified Trainer.
   • Exam Results: Because the KCS v6 Certified Trainer exam is a fill-in-the-blank format, a member of the Consortium for Service Innovation Staff will manually score the exam and contact you within two (2) business days to set up a time to review the results together. The exam review takes about 90 minutes and can be done via a web session or in person.
   • If the candidate's exam registration was paid for by the candidate's company, that company has the right to receive the Pass/Fail exam result. Registrations paid for by an individual candidate will be kept confidential.

Certification Requirements for Additional Workshops

The Unlimited Use License Agreement for Internal Use does not include the KCS Coach Workshop, KCS v6 KDE Workshop, or the Intelligent Swarming Workshop. These workshops have separate trainer certification and license requirements.

•  KCS v6 KDE Workshop: participate in a KDA workshop by attending prep meetings  and the workshop with a KCS Certified Trainer who is certified to teach the KDA and update your Workshop License Agreement. (at this time, no additional license fees apply)
• KCS Coach: contact Beth Haggett

Exam Topics and Objectives

To prepare for the exam, see the Trainer v6 Certification Study Guide. 

The Trainer Certification exam consists of 36 fill-in-the-blank style questions and must be completed in 90 minutes or less. It follows the KCS concept of complete thoughts or phrases, not complete sentences.  The exam is scored based on the candidate’s understanding of the KCS concepts and principles. Responses do not have to be exact words from the KCS documentation, but they must appropriately convey the KCS principles, concepts, practices, and techniques.

Where there are multiple correct answers, the complete list of correct answers is not required. For example, there are numerous reasons why "search early, search often" is important.  We may only ask you to list two of the reasons. You are welcome to list all of the reasons you believe to be correct. There is no "extra credit" for providing more than are asked for. However, incorrect answers, that expose a lack of understanding, will detract from your score. Certified Trainers must possess a deep and thorough understanding of KCS.

Renewal

Certification begins on the date of completing all certification requirements and ends 24 months later. In order to maintain an active certification status, you must:

• Deliver at least two (2) one-day or longer KCS workshops within 24 months of becoming certified.
• Sign and return the Logo Use Agreement
• Complete and submit the Internal Trainer Renewal Application

If these requirements are not met within 24 months of certification, you must apply for reinstatement. The need (and requirements) to upgrade your Trainer Certification to a potential future version of KCS will be determined when a new release of KCS becomes available.

Rules of Conduct

Please read the Consortium's Member Rules of Conduct. Lack of adherence to these rules of conduct will be grounds for loss of certification status and exclusion from the KCS network at the Consortium's discretion.

Costs

Access to the KCS v6 Fundamentals Online Training is not included as a part of the KCS v6 Certified Internal Trainer program. An unlimited use license for this training can be purchased separately.

Reschedules, Cancellation, and No Show Fee

The same policies apply to the KCS v6 Trainer exam as apply to the KCS v6 Practices exam.

Exam Retake

All certification criteria must be met within one year from payment submission. To retake a non-passing exam, a retake fee of $650 (plus any applicable taxes) and 30 day waiting period is required. Should a second retake be necessary, a retake fee of $650 (plus any applicable taxes) and another 30 day waiting period is required. The exam cannot be taken more than three times.

Audit Process

By applying to be a KCS v6 Certified Internal Trainer, you are agreeing to comply with the terms of the audit process. All candidates are subject to audit, although only a percentage will be randomly selected.

Terms of the audit include:

• A Consortium staff member will contact the reference listed on the Assessment.
• Additional contact information will be requested for references and supporting documentation.
• The certification process will remain in progress until all the audit requirements are validated.

Inability to provide contact information or requested documentation will result in failure of the audit and the candidate must reapply. Misrepresentation of information on the application will result in loss of certification status and exclusion from the KCS network at the Consortium's discretion.