Customer Service & Sales

NRF Foundation RISE Up Customer Service and Sales Certified Specialist.

Customer Service & Sales Training to Land High Demand Jobs

The Customer Service & Sales credential is RISE Up's intermediate course for students improving skills in a customer-facing role.

Developed in collaboration with over 20 notable retailers, the curriculum helps your students land high-demand jobs and get promoted in the retail industry and beyond. Earning a certification validates their knowledge and skills to employers and builds workplace-readiness.

Through the RISE Up Customer Service and Sales training, students master fundamental employability and workplace skills, including

Understanding the customer life cycle
Developing effective strategies to engage customers
Assessing customer needs and closing sales

Reading customer body language
Increasing customer satisfaction and retention
Problem-solving and working in teams

NRF Foundation RISE Up perks: course slide decks, curricula, exams, and textbooks, instructor’s manuals, case studies.

The NRF Foundation supports teachers, administrators, and mentors to successfully deliver RISE Up materials with a proven instructional strategy. The curriculum includes the materials and methods you need to guide students in developing career-ready skills.

Course Textbook: Core content, activities, and check-point test questions.
Instructor Training: Guides on subject matter, methodology, and course management.

Powerpoint Presentation: Course delivery supplement.
Career Chart: Visualization to guide students' career journeys based on their skills and interests.

Curriculum Delivery

Course delivery options are flexible – from online to classroom to a combination of both. Self-paced lessons allow students to engage with curriculum videos, activities, and knowledge checks. Mix and match your own lessons to provide a course that’s completely tailored for your students.

At the end, students receive a printable completion certificate, digital badge, and a credential they can list on their resume.

Key Concepts

NRF Foundation's RISE Up curriculum and exams are industry-recognized and developed in collaboration with over twenty retailers, including Walmart, Macy’s, The Home Depot, and Nordstrom.

The Customer Service & Sales training equips students with introductory knowledge to understand

The retail industry and its economic impact
Customer mindset, behavior, and life cycles
The value of customer service for brands and company culture
Listening and connecting with customers
Resolving objections, complaints, and returns

Instilling customer loyalty and add-on services
Processing and completing transactions
Interpreting non-verbal communication
Professionalism and communication
Teamwork and problem-solving

Sample Questions

These questions are similar to the questions that students will see when taking the official NRF Foundation RISE Up Customer Service & Sales exam. These questions are not intended as a pre-test or any other measure of student learning.

A customer is purchasing a set of sheets for a new apartment and is considering adding a monogram to the sheets. The store's policy states that the addition of monogramming would make the sheets non-returnable, and the customer is slightly concerned the color may not match the apartment's bedroom. In order to enforce store policy, what should the sales associate say?
1. "You can always exchange the sheets for a different color if these don't match."
2. "Please be aware that it is our store policy that personalized items cannot be returned."
3. "Our return policy is quite strict, so I would recommend that you don't buy these sheets."
4. "I think you can return the sheets for a refund if the color isn't right."
A sales associate sold new kitchen appliances to different customers this week. What should the associate do to ensure that customers are happy with the delivery and installation of their appliances?
1. Write down the customers' information and remember to thank them for their purchases the next time they come into the store.
2. Enter the customers' information into a contact management system and add a reminder to send each of them information about the next sale.
3. Write down the customers' information so each can be sent a satisfaction survey at the end of the month.
4. Contact each customer by phone or email before leaving work to ensure everything went well and there are no problems.
A sales associate who is loading a bedside table into a customer's car scratches the side of the table, leaving a mark. What should the associate do?
1. Thank the customer for the purchase and go back into the store.
2. Acknowledge the mark, take the item back to the store, and exchange it for a new one.
3. Acknowledge the scratch mark and tell the customer that it is not noticeable.
4. Suggest that the customer return to the store to receive a discount on the item.
A sales associate sees a customer looking at a skirt and tells her that it is very popular this season. The customer agrees and begins looking at the size tags. What should the sales associate say?
1. “Would you like to purchase any accessories with that skirt?”
2. “We’re almost sold out. I have sizes 10 and 12 left. Which would you like?”
3. “Would you like me to bring one to the fitting room for you to try on? What size would you like to try?”
4. “How much are you planning to spend?”
If a customer asks how to clean a dress, which is the BEST source for this information?
1. Manufacturer's customer service department
2. Product care label on the dress
3. Department manager
4. Product warranty

Next Steps

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Customer Service & Sales