10 Best Customer Experience Certification Programs [2023]
The customer service field of years past had few accreditation requirements and professional recognition was based almost entirely on years of experience. But that has changed dramatically and today many companies require their reps to have a customer experience certification.
In the modern arena of customer experience, becoming a certified customer experience professional is a huge asset. It looks great on a resume and can teach you cutting-edge CX skills such as interpreting customer insights and social metrics, and how to develop new service initiatives.
This article will outline some of the best customer experience certification programs, including both general CX certification and customer experience management.
10 Best Customer Experience Certifications Programs
Below are some of the best training programs and professional courses for budding and experienced customer experience professionals. Each offers unique ways to develop your skills and many provide accreditations that you can present to potential employers and clients. Some may require a CCXP exam, whereas others are more of a for-your-benefit-only seminar.
I consider these to be the best in CX certification and will spend some time outlining where each exceeds and how you should go about deciding which one is for you.
1. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn has an immense depth of knowledge and content around customer experience management and how to increase a company’s net promoter score. The integration with your personal LinkedIn profile means that potential employers can see what you are working on and what you have already achieved. This means any completed LinkedIn Learning course provides immediate value for your resume.
Who’s it best for? These online courses are great for the savvy LinkedIn networker. If you are constantly tweaking your LinkedIn profile, hustling for skill badges and endorsements, and posting industry-specific articles, then LinkedIn Learning is the obvious next step for your professional development goals.
Cost: These courses are included with the monthly LinkedIn membership fee. The cost is approximately $39.99 per month or $26.99 per month if you pay for a 12-month membership upfront.
Online or in-person? LinkedIn courses are delivered online using video recordings, assigned readings, and Q&As. Any certification you receive will be posted on your LinkedIn page upon completion and can be printed off.
2. Go Skills
Udemy is an online training provider with thousands of professional development programs from top industry professionals. In total, there are over 3000 CX-centric courses that teach customer experience basics as well as advanced strategy, with their Customer Experience Certification Workshop being one of many high-quality options.
Who’s it best for? Udemy has over a thousand courses available so it is truly a “something for everyone” option. Their Customer Experience Certification Workshop is beginner-friendly. Other courses, led by CX leaders in their respective fields, are more appropriate for advanced learners who are looking for deeper insights and more complex case studies.
Cost: The Customer Experience Certification Workshop is approximately $110, though you can watch for highly discounted sales throughout the year. Each course has its own price so you can expect to pay anything from $15 to $200.
Online or in-person? The course is delivered online through a video format. It includes assignments to assure that you have a good grasp of what is being taught.
3. Udemy
Udemy is an online training provider with thousands of professional development programs from top industry professionals. In total, there are 1,300 CX-centric courses that teach CX basics as well as advanced customer experience strategy, with their Customer Experience Certification Workshop being one of many high-quality options.
Who’s it best for? Udemy has over a thousand courses available so it is truly a “something for everyone” option. Their Customer Experience Certification Workshop is beginner-friendly. Other courses, led by CX leaders in their respected fields, are more appropriate for advanced learners who are looking for deeper insights and more complex case studies.
Cost: The Customer Experience Certification Workshop is approximately $110, though you can watch for highly discounted sales throughout the year. Each course has its own price so you can expect to pay anything from $15 to $200.
Online or in-person? The course is delivered online through a video format. It includes assignments to assure that you have a good grasp of what is being taught.
4. Hubspot Academy
Hubspot Academy is a reliable training provider that stands out because it is completely free. It covers many topics including great customer experience marketing, sales strategies, and industry case studies. They offer single lessons for Customer Success and Account Health Checks and Managing Your Sales to Customer Success Handoff—two great places to start.
Who’s it best for? This course is targeted at sales reps and managers. It is learning how to apply customer experience to connect and explore sales leads through customer experience.
Cost: The cost is free. Simply make an account, no credit card required.
Online or in-person? Each course is available for online learning only, providing a number of self-lead video seminars and quizzes to check knowledge along the way. Each course or lesson comes with an estimated completion time so you know what you’re getting into.
5. Bonfire Training
This Customer Service Advantage course is a deep dive into the soft skills your team needs to deliver the best customer service experience. It teaches the importance of empathy, resilience, asking questions, customer advocacy, adaptability, and persuasion, and how to employ each of these things to your advantage as a CX professional. The training leans on the principles of DISC, a behavioral assessment tool used to improve teamwork and understand different communication styles.
Who’s it best for? This course is best for teams, as it is designed to be experienced together (either on-site or remotely). As mentioned, it’s also a savvy option for those who value in-person, on-site instruction over online-only training.
Cost: The cost is flexible depending on the training you are looking for. Remote starts at $1,700 per session as there is no travel cost involved for the trainers. Online training varies by course as it allows access to modules over a 60 day period. In-person training begins at $3,200 per day.
Online or in-person? There are multiple ways to take this course—online, in person, or remote webinar. No matter how the course is accessed, once it is complete, the team will continue to have access to their trainer for ongoing questions.
6. Schulich School of Business
The Achieving Excellence in Customer Experience Management course focuses on customer experience by teaching about how important it is to create a system where someone feels good about your business each time they touch base on their journey with the brand.
This certification course will bring about brand loyalty and teach the student why CX is strategically imperative. It will teach professionals how to put customers at the center of the customer experience design and experience strategy. This training provider teaches leaders to apply their core organizational beliefs into putting the customer experience first.
Who’s it best for? This course is designed for a manager, director, or VP who wants to make sure their organization is top-notch when it comes to beating the competition by having outstanding CX.
Cost: The cost is $2,950 Canadian.
Online or in-person? While this course is online, classes are live and must be taken at specific times. There are simulations and case studies, along with work projects, so being present is a must. This is a university-style course that is not a simple drop-in and take-away. It is a program for those who are serious about certified customer experience roles.
7. CX University
This teaching platform offers a wide range of accredited CX courses that can fulfill many academic needs. It can lead to being a certified customer experience rep or be used as college credits towards a Bachelor's degree or MBA at Moravian College. Courses can be done at the student's pace to master CX industry core competencies. They have a free net promoter score (NPS) eModule to get you started in figuring out where you need to improve.
Who’s it best for? These courses are perfect for those starting out in the CX field or those working towards a master’s or professional development. It is great for both individuals and teams who are looking to improve their CX work.
Cost: Courses are bundled and tiered, so costs vary from $50 up to $2400 depending on the focus. Each certification exam is charged separately at $69. There are often sales so it may be worth checking in periodically.
Online or in-person? These courses are offered online but some are within mandated time frames. There are some courses that can be done at the student's own speed and others are timed so the class moves along together.
8. CXPA
The Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) program has been created by industry leaders in the CX field. You don’t have to be a CXPA member to buy in but it gets you a discount on products. Once you buy, you have access to the course content (videos and tests) for life. Beginners will appreciate their CX Foundations lecture while more advanced professionals will want to tap into their Measurements, Metrics, and Business Value course.
Who’s it best for? The CXPA’s CCXP certification offers unique opportunities for CX professionals looking to network and get involved long-term with like-minded industry leaders. You can, of course, just buy the course and go. However, those interested in a CXPA membership will reap further benefits through volunteer opportunities, insights exchange events, and mentoring.
Cost: Pricing for the modules starts at $149. External courses set their own costs.
Online or in-person? Courses are offered online through video recordings. They are flexible in timing and can be used based on the student's personal schedule.
9. Forrester
The Forrester program comprises 5-7 competency-based units divided into levels for core and advanced knowledge. The central course takes 8 weeks to complete and is facilitated by a Forrester instructor (you need this course to do further advanced CX coursework). The advanced courses are more flexible, letting users pick and choose how they want to learn. Students can expect to learn skills like customer journey mapping and optimizing VoC programs.
Who’s it best for? The Core CX program is great for learners who need a bit more hand-holding when it comes to skill development. Their cohort-based session is facilitated over a strict 60 days, meaning external deadlines will motivate you to keep up.
Cost: Courses are priced individually beginning at $2260.
Online or in-person? Courses are offered online but have set schedules for start and end dates. See the websites for current offerings and time frames.
10. CX Skills
This fundamental training course offers 18 hours of learning that is facilitated by an experienced professional hired by the training provider. It will teach the six core CX management skills and ways of improving a net promoter score. Additionally, it goes over material in the CCXP exam as required by the Certified Customer Experience Professional Association.
Who’s it best for? This program is for CX leaders who want continuously updated, in-the-now skill development rather than pre-recorded video lectures that might be months if not years old. In-person, pre-set times mean that you are paying for adaptive training that can be tweaked to include current events, industry news, and exciting new case studies.
Cost: Price is set at $1897 AUD per person.
Online or in-person? Courses are offered online through the Zoom platform. They are at set times so you need to register ahead of time to ensure a spot.
Design Thinking Courses
If you're looking to extend your skillset beyond customer experience design and more broadly into design thinking, check out these additional options for online design thinking courses and certification.
Design thinking is a powerful process of problem solving that begins with understanding unmet customer needs. From that insight emerges a process for innovation that encompasses concept development, applied creativity, prototyping, and experimentation. When design thinking approaches are applied to business, the success rate for innovation improves substantially.
- IDEO - This Advanced Design Thinking Certificate is a great design thinking certificate program to more from conceptual design thinking to practical application. The program lasts 5+ months with a blend of cohort and self-paced learning. Bonus: monthly instalment payments are available through Shop Pay!
- Hyper Island - This 6-week intensive CX Design course is designed to empower you with the latest techniques and tools to create cutting-edge customer experiences. With a focus on emerging technologies and behavioural insights, each weekly online session will teach you how to design and deliver innovative, customer-centric solutions.
- MIT - From MIT Management, their 3-month Mastering Design Thinking course will help you to create real-world value through systematic innovation. They also have a CX Strategy course worth checking out.
- Luma Institute - The 3-month Human-Centered Design Practitioner certification helps you build and apply design thinking skills in your daily work to tackle problems and design powerful solutions.
Happy Learning
These training provider resources offer courses for all levels of customer experience professionals in the CX field, along with training and testing for the CCXP exam.
Whether a customer experience professional needs a low-cost program for an individual, or an expertly crafted workshop for the whole team, they can find a customer experience program training provider that can meet all certification needs and helps to create a good employee experience.
While resource training providers offer a variety of programs, there are also other resources out there that can help you as a customer experience professional.
Subscribe to The CX Lead newsletter to get all the latest articles and guides designed to help customer experience professionals succeed in their roles.
For other aspects of the customer experience, check these lists out: