What ServiceSkills does

ServiceSkills is a privately held, cloud-based eLearning company founded in 1983 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides video-based customer service and soft skills training to small, mid-market, and enterprise organizations across the United States and internationally. Its platform delivers a library of more than 150 courses covering phone skills, email etiquette, emotional intelligence, de-escalation, field service excellence, sales fundamentals, workplace respect, and neurodiversity, with proprietary methodologies such as the ASAP technique (Apologize, Sympathize, Accept Responsibility, Prepare to Help) and the Telephone Doctor series developed by founder Nancy Friedman. The product architecture supports both direct SaaS access via the web and integration with enterprise LMS/HRIS systems, and includes manager-facing administrative dashboards for assignment, progress tracking, and completion certificates.

The company monetizes through annual subscription and per-seat licensing (individual course pricing or bundled team packages) complemented by onsite keynote presentations and in-person training delivered by Nancy Friedman. Its go-to-market blends a product-led self-serve motion (demo code requests, course catalog browsing) with a guided enterprise sales motion (15-minute demo tours, custom licensing proposals), supplemented by a channel partnership with the PHCC Educational Foundation's PHCC Academy serving the plumbing and HVAC trades. ServiceSkills serves a diversified customer base that includes Stanford University, Kaiser Permanente, Texas Health Resources, DOW, Performance Food Group, LG&E and KU, Delta Faucet, and the Department of Motor Vehicles, as well as small businesses — typically customers with customer-facing workforces seeking scalable, trackable soft skills training. The company is independently owned and operated under CEO David Friedman with no disclosed external investors, operating with a team of 11-50 employees.

Name

ServiceSkills

Legal name

ServiceSkills

Website

https://serviceskills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ServiceSkills is a St. Louis-based eLearning company, founded in 1983, that delivers video-based customer service and soft skills training via a SaaS platform and LMS integrations to SMB, mid-market, and enterprise customers across healthcare, finance, field service, manufacturing, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription / Per-Seat Licensing: ServiceSkills generates revenue through annual subscription licensing. Business owners purchase individual course pricing or bundled options, with the number of licenses typically scaled to team size. Courses are accessible via the web platform or integrated LMS.
2. Onsite Keynote / In-Person Training: ServiceSkills offers in-person keynote presentations and onsite training sessions (e.g., Nancy Friedman delivering onsite presentations to client organizations), complementing the online curriculum as a professional services add-on.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ServiceSkills operates a cloud-based eLearning platform that delivers video-based customer service and soft skills training courses to organizations. The platform combines a comprehensive library of microlearning video lessons (covering phone etiquette, email communication, emotional intelligence, de-escalation, field service skills, and workplace respect) with a manager-facing administrative tracking dashboard, quizzes, and completion certificates, sold via annual per-seat subscriptions or bundled licenses and available through both SaaS web delivery and LMS/HRIS integration.

Product overview

ServiceSkills is a customer service skills eLearning platform offering a comprehensive library of video-based training courses organized into a core SaaS platform with modular course collections. The platform includes the flagship Essential Customer Service & Phone Skills Collection (Telephone Doctor Series), specialized modules like Emotional Intelligence at Work℠, Service Excellence For Field Reps℠, Manners Matter℠, Basic Selling Skills Microlessons, and respect/workplace culture training (8 Keys to a More Respectful Workplace, Diversity At Work). Supporting resources include The Customer Retention Playbook and other white papers, plus the Customer Service Blog. Courses are available in both SaaS web-based delivery and LMS-compatible formats for enterprise clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Telephone Doctor: Telephone Doctor is a training series developed by Nancy Friedman covering phone skills and customer service etiquette.
• 8 Keys to a More Respectful Workplace
• The Service Mentality
• ASAP Technique
• Manners Matter
• Service Excellence For Field Reps

Products and services

• ServiceSkills eLearning Platform A cloud-based customer service skills training platform providing video-based eLearning lessons, quizzes, answer feedback, key point reminders, and certificates of completion, with a user-friendly administrative tracking system that lets managers monitor performance, identify gaps, and track employee progress. Built for organizations of all sizes that need to train customer-facing staff on communication and soft skills.
• Essential Customer Service & Phone Skills Collection Comprehensive training collection covering fundamental phone etiquette and customer service skills for customer-facing teams, delivered through video lessons and microlearning formats. Part of the flagship Telephone Doctor Customer Service Series developed by founder Nancy Friedman.
• Email Matters: The Art of Better Service Series Training series focused on email communication best practices and professional business writing for customer service contexts, designed for customer service representatives and other customer-facing employees who communicate via email.
• Emotional Intelligence at Work 8-module series delivering actionable Emotional Intelligence (EI) concepts through real-world scenarios, empowering participants to build empathy and emotional awareness in workplace interactions, aimed at customer service and team-facing employees.
• Service Excellence For Field Reps 9-module series equipping field technicians with customer service skills to build trust, foster loyalty, and deliver memorable experiences alongside technical expertise. Covers first impressions, effective listening, technical communication, de-escalation, and rapport building for HVAC, utility, and other on-site service workers.
• Manners Matter 9-module series covering the fundamentals of professional manners in customer service interactions, including polite language, apology techniques, body language, cultural awareness, and rapport building in both in-person and digital contexts.
• That's Just Rude: Rudeness Matrix Series Training series addressing workplace rudeness scenarios and appropriate professional responses in customer service environments, helping customer-facing staff recognize and defuse rudeness from customers or coworkers.
• ServiceMatters: Peer to Peer Series Peer-to-peer learning series featuring service superstars and best practices from high-performing customer service teams, designed to spread internal customer service excellence across an organization.
• Essential Customer Service & Phone Skills MicroLessons Short, focused microlearning lessons (typically under 10 minutes) covering essential telephone and customer service skills, designed for easy integration into daily workflows without pulling employees away from their work for extended periods.
• Basic Selling Skills Microlessons 18-concept basic sales training series for non-sales people in customer-facing positions, covering features vs benefits, echo questions, tie-downs, closing techniques, and negotiation fundamentals as short microlessons.
• 8 Keys to a More Respectful Workplace Updated employee development series covering eight primary drivers of workplace respect: acting ethically, disagreeing constructively, stopping harassment, championing diversity, neutralizing bullying, listening for understanding, and demonstrating appreciation.
• Diversity At Work Series Workplace diversity training drawn from the Houndville animated series, teaching employees to respect and embrace diversity for improved team performance and broader idea generation.
• Service Mentality Course illustrating seven behaviors that equip teams with skills to attract and retain customers, including enthusiasm, ownership, resiliency, and adaptability, sold as a standalone training on the ServiceSkills platform.
• Telephone Doctor Series Customer service training series developed by Nancy Friedman, including the proprietary ASAP technique (Apologize, Sympathize, Accept Responsibility, Prepare to Help) for handling difficult customer interactions and conflict resolution, taught on the ServiceSkills platform.
• PHCC Academy Communication and Sales Skills Courses Suite of communication and sales skills courses tailored for the plumbing, heating, and cooling industry, including an adapted 'Seal the Deal' course for field HVAC technicians and plumbers. Distributed through PHCC Academy under a partnership with the PHCC Educational Foundation and Quality Service Contractors, with role-specific versions for technicians, apprentices, HR professionals, managers, and administrative staff.
• Onsite Keynote and In-Person Training Onsite keynote presentations and in-person training sessions delivered to client organizations, anchored by founder Nancy Friedman, offered as a professional services add-on complementing the online eLearning curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organizations with strong training programs see 218% higher income per employee (cited by ServiceSkills as industry research)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PHCC Educational Foundation (PHCC Academy)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 February 2026The PHCC Educational Foundation partnered with ServiceSkills to expand its PHCC Academy online training catalog with new communication and sales skills courses tailored for the plumbing, heating, and cooling industry. Courses are adapted for different roles including technicians, apprentices, HR professionals, managers, and administrative staff. An adapted version of QSC's 'Seal the Deal' course is offered for field HVAC technicians and plumbers. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate of completion with no formal examination required.
• Quality Service Contractors (QSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Service Contractors partnered with ServiceSkills and the PHCC Educational Foundation to develop and adapt the 'Seal the Deal' sales skills course specifically for field HVAC technicians and plumbers, targeting the PHCC membership base.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BizLibrary: BizLibrary is an employee training company focused on SMB and mid-market customers with a strong catalog of customer service, soft skills, and compliance video courses — directly comparable to ServiceSkills in target buyer, format (video-based microlearning), and content scope.
• Lessonly (by Seismic): Lessonly, now part of Seismic, is a customer service and sales training platform with interactive lessons and admin tracking — overlapping closely with ServiceSkills' core offering of customer service skills eLearning and manager dashboards.
• Wilson Learning: Wilson Learning is a global sales and service skills training company offering instructor-led and digital programs. It targets similar enterprise buyers and competes in the same customer interaction / soft skills training category as ServiceSkills.
• Richardson Sales Performance: Richardson provides sales training and customer engagement skills development for large enterprises with both digital and in-person offerings — comparable to ServiceSkills in customer-interaction training scope and enterprise B2B sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Skillsoft is a large enterprise learning platform offering thousands of courses across leadership, compliance, IT, and customer service — overlapping with ServiceSkills on the customer service and soft skills content but as part of a much broader catalog.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers a broad library of professional development video courses including customer service and communication skills, distributed through LinkedIn's enterprise network — a broad incumbent with overlapping soft-skills content.
• Udemy Business: Udemy Business provides a large catalog of on-demand video courses covering customer service, communication, and management — directly overlapping with ServiceSkills' content areas while bundling broader professional development.
• Coursera for Business: Coursera for Business offers enterprise access to a broad catalog of professional courses including soft skills and customer service from universities and companies — competing for the same enterprise training budget with significantly larger content depth.

Emerging players

• Crucial Learning (formerly VitalSmarts): Crucial Learning specializes in communication, leadership, and soft-skills training with both digital and live formats — adjacent to ServiceSkills in target content (communication and difficult conversations) and overlapping customer-facing employee audiences.
• The Ariel Group: The Ariel Group provides soft skills, communication, and presentation training for enterprises — overlapping with ServiceSkills' focus on customer-facing employee development, though with a stronger emphasis on presentation and leadership skills.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ServiceSkillsDOTcom
• Facebookfacebook.com/serviceskillsonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telephone-doctor
• Xx.com/4ServiceSkills

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ServiceSkills