2024 Spring Customer Strategy & Planning Conference
(Virtual)

Learn WHY we need to keep “Raising Standards in Customer Operations" 

13th - 17th May 2024

Online conference

A virtual week packed full of inspiring speakers 

Our flagship Conference, this highly rated event is far more than just a conference. Designed specifically to focus on the hot topics within the industry and thought leadership whilst also delivering practical skills with new ways of thinking that will enhance you as a person.
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Outline Agenda

Customer Strategy & Planning (Virtual)

Coaching with a difference
The Listening Collective provides 'coaching with a difference' to people in Organisations. The difference being that their coaches are also trained psychotherapists. They are offering a limited number of FREE 30 minute confidential coaching sessions throughout the Conference. 

If you want to know more about what they do, you can check them out here

Book your FREE session now.
Monday 13th May
Tuesday 14th May
Wednesday 15th May
Thursday 16th May
Friday 17th May
09:30
Opening Keynote
Keynote
Keynote
Keynote
Keynote
Shaping the Future
How can we prepare ourselves for whatever happens? How can we think forward and be confident with our best next decisions?
Hear from The Forum’s team of Specialists as they each share their inspiration thoughts on how to Shape the Future. 45mins
Planning & Improvement Cycle
Re-visit the Planning and Improvement cycle to hear how to create and implement your strategy more effectively. Improve your operational effectiveness along with key strategic decisions and the develop your influencing skills. 45mins
What will AI mean for me?
In this keynote we will be linking up with Vux World and Kane Simms to discuss all things AI. What does this mean for our roles, organisations, colleagues, and customers? What are the risks and opportunities? What do we need to be doing now to prepare for the future? 
45mins
Customer outcomes
Consumer Duty is forcing many regulated companies to focus on delivering the right outcomes for their customers. But whatever our industry this needs to be a priority. In this keynote we will explore techniques to better understand our end to end journeys and create a quality and improvement framework that will help us deliver the right customer outcomes. 45mins
Shaping your career through learning
Hear from The Forum and members on how they stay up to date with the latest learning to  develop and shape their careers. 45mins
10:30
Keynote
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Shaping future for customer operations
Hear from some of The Forum fellows as they share their visions for the future of customer operations and we discuss what we can do now to be prepared and shape the right future for our customers our colleagues and our operations. 45mins.



Benchmarking Planning: Shrinkages and adjacent measures
Shrinkage remains an enduring problem. Not that shrinkage is a problem, but the understanding of shrinkage is a significant problem. Average, false industry standards and bad habits hold back our understanding often leaving this as a problem for planning teams to manage. 60mins
Influencing the future
To shape the future, we need to influence our stakeholders and our operation. This interactive workshop will be taking ideas from the collaboration session at the in person conference. Exploring techniques that will help us influence others and turn our vision into a reality. 
60mins
Next Generation Employee Engagement
Recent technological advances are opening up new ways to engage with our employees and support their development. At the same time evolving hybrid working strategies pose new challenges. In this interactive workshop we will explore old and new ways of sharing knowledge and improving the employee experience. 60
mins
Engaging Presentations: Get to the point! 
This interactive workshop will help you to become a more accomplished communicator, delivering great messages which drive action and improvement. Continuing our Presentations Skills workshops this session will get to the point with clear actions and stop pointless presentations. 60mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Technology Showcase
Technology Keynote
Endnote
Sabio Mission Control for Genesys Cloud
Even with the best schedule, things often don't go according to plan! Learn how Sabio's Mission Control can compliment your Genesys Cloud solution to support your real-time management process. We'll take you through delivering on-the-fly skill and routing changes, as well as the upcoming 'Dynamic SLA Routing' feature which automatically reskills, based on SLA performance. 45mins
Improve agent well-being, customer satisfaction and overall operational efficiency
Join us for a Technology Showcase with Scott Budding from Calabrio, where he'll reveal the latest Contact Centre trends. Drawing from real-life examples of award-winning Calabrio customers, Scott will showcase CX best practices. 45mins
Experience the Difference: Harness the Power of AI Automation to deliver Winning CX
It's tough out there in the CX space - customer demands are growing faster than your budget and resources, but you still need to deliver the level of service they expect. To keep up with demand, organisations are turning to AI and CX Automation, and enjoying unrivalled CX potential that delivers enterprise-wide benefits. Hear from our partners Verint as they share new ideas. 45mins
Shaping the future: supporting your best next actions
Rounding off the virtual conference and first stage of this year's best practice programme with inspiration, ideas and clear next steps. This endnote will support your learning, and give you takeaway ideas on how to turn this into an action plan. 45 mins
13:15
Zen’s Workforce Engagement Management transformation journey
In this session, Business Systems is joined by Zen Internet to discuss Zen’s Workforce Engagement Management transformation journey and how the business has improved employee engagement, customer experience, efficiencies and time savings through the right partnership and Workforce Management solution. 45mins
14:15
Interactive Keynote
Keynote
Keynote
Interactive Keynote
Transferable Planning Skills
Hear from Dave Vernon, Director at The Forum and Donna Rae, Resource Deployment Manager at NATS (National Air Traffic Services) on how key Contact Centre planning concepts are being applied and adapted across other operational settings. 45mins
Scheduling & Flexibility 
Learn the latest best practice and hear practical examples from our members, as we bring to life how to increase flexibility and improve work-life-balance. Understand how to apply the flexibility matrix to describe contract hours, shift templates, time in office and time out of office variances. 45mins
Long-Term Forecasting & Capacity Planning 
What are the essential elements to a best practice forecast? This keynote will explore how we can learn from the past to shape the future with scenario models and if-then forecasts. Hearing from a range of members from across the industry. 45mins
Shaping and Reframing Change
Change can divide opinion, from those who love difference to those who like how things have always being done. Change teams are changing, moving away from a project to project approach to a sustain agile approach, where change is iterative and continuous. 45mins
15:15
Workshop
Interactive Keynote
Workshop

Targets for Real Time Intraday Planning – Measuring Effectiveness
In this workshop we will compare and contrast real life targets provided by our community and discuss are these the right targets? How do these compare with your organisation? Finally, we will discuss how does a real time/intraday planner know they are doing a good job? 60mins
Driving effective action
In this keynote, we'll dive into the complex world of bias. Helping you to understand how biases may shape decisions or lead us to wrong conclusions. We will explore common mistakes to avoid and how understanding communication biases can help us get our message across. 45mins
Shaping your Vulnerability Strategy
Join us for an interactive discussion on how different organisations are supporting vulnerable customers and learn how to understand and drive the right behaviours. What's the best thing your business does to identify and support vulnerable customers? 60mins
Conference Agenda

Customer Strategy and Planning

Coaching with a difference
The Listening Collective provides 'coaching with a difference' to people in Organisations. The difference being that their coaches are also trained psychotherapists. They are offering a limited number of FREE 30 minute confidential coaching sessions throughout the Conference. 

If you want to know more about what they do, you can check them out here
Monday 13th May
9.30
Opening Keynote
Shaping the Future
How can we prepare ourselves for whatever happens? How can we think forward and be confident with our best next decisions?
Hear from The Forum’s team of Specialists as they each share their inspiration thoughts on how to Shape the Future. 45mins
10.30
Keynote
Shaping future for customer operations
Hear from some of The Forum fellows as they share their visions for the future of customer operations and we discuss what we can do now to be prepared and shape the right future for our customers our colleagues and our operations. 45mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Sabio Mission Control for Genesys Cloud
Even with the best schedule, things often don't go according to plan! Learn how Sabio's Mission Control can compliment your Genesys Cloud solution to support your real-time management process. We'll take you through delivering on-the-fly skill and routing changes, as well as the upcoming 'Dynamic SLA Routing' feature which automatically reskills, based on SLA performance. 45mins
14:15
Keynote
Hear from The Forum or our members on a key topic. 45mins
15:15
Keynote
Hear from The Forum or our members on a key topic. 45mins
Tuesday 14th May
9.30
Keynote
Planning & Improvement Cycle
Re-visit the Planning and Improvement cycle to hear how to create and implement your strategy more effectively. Improve your operational effectiveness along with key strategic decisions and the develop your influencing skills. 45mins
10:30
Workshop
Join this session with thought leadership and open discussion. 90mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Improve agent well-being, customer satisfaction and overall operational efficiency
Join us for a Technology Showcase with Scott Budding from Calabrio, where he'll reveal the latest Contact Centre trends. Drawing from real-life examples of award-winning Calabrio customers, Scott will showcase CX best practices. Through an interactive demonstration of the Calabrio ONE suite, he'll demonstrate how Calabrio can improve agent well-being, customer satisfaction and overall operational efficiency. This will be an interactive session, so feel free to ask any questions you might have. 45mins
13:15
Technology Showcase
Zen’s Workforce Engagement Management transformation journey
In this session, Business Systems is joined by Zen Internet to discuss Zen’s Workforce Engagement Management transformation journey and how the business has improved employee engagement, customer experience, efficiencies and time savings through the right partnership and Workforce Management solution. 45mins
14:15
Interactive Keynote
Scheduling & Flexibility
Learn the latest best practice and hear practical examples from our members, as we bring to life how to increase flexibility and improve work-life-balance. Understand how to apply the flexibility matrix to describe contract hours, shift templates, time in office and time out of office variances. 45mins
15:15
Workshop
Targets for Real Time Intraday Planning – Measuring Effectiveness
In this workshop we will compare and contrast real life targets provided by our community and discuss are these the right targets? How do these compare with your organisation? Finally, we will discuss how does a real time/intraday planner know they are doing a good job? 60mins
Wednesday 15th May
9.30
Keynote
What will AI mean for me?
In this keynote we will be linking up with Vux World Live and Kane Simms to discuss all things AI. What does this mean for our roles, organisations, colleagues, and customers? What are the risks and opportunities? What do we need to be doing now to prepare for the future? 45mins
10:30
Workshop
Benchmarking Planning: Shrinkages and adjacent measures
Shrinkage remains an enduring problem. Not that shrinkage is a problem, but the understanding of shrinkage is a significant problem. Average, false industry standards and bad habits hold back our understanding often leaving this as a problem for planning teams to manage. 90mins
12:30
Technology Keynote
Experience the Difference: Harness the Power of AI Automation to deliver Winning CX
It's tough out there in the CX space - customer demands are growing faster than your budget and resources, but you still need to deliver the level of service they expect. To keep up with demand, organisations are turning to AI and CX Automation, and enjoying unrivalled CX potential that delivers enterprise-wide benefits. Hear from our partners Verint as they share new ideas. 45mins
14:15
Interactive Keynote
Long-Term Forecasting & Capacity Planning 
What are the essential elements to a best practice forecast? This keynote will explore how we can learn from the past to shape the future with scenario models and if-then forecasts. Hearing from a range of members from across the industry. 45mins
15:15
Interactive Keynote
Driving effective action
In this keynote, we'll dive into the complex world of bias. Helping you to understand how biases may shape decisions or lead us to wrong conclusions. We will explore common mistakes to avoid and how understanding communication biases can help us get our message across. 45mins
Thursday 16th May
9.30
Keynote
Customer outcomes
Consumer Duty is forcing many regulated companies to focus on delivering the right outcomes for their customers. But whatever our industry this needs to be a priority. In this keynote we will explore techniques to better understand our end to end journeys and create a quality and improvement framework that will help us deliver the right customer outcomes. 45mins
10:30
Workshop
Next Generation Employee Engagement
Recent technological advances are opening up new ways to engage with our employees and support their development. At the same time evolving hybrid working strategies pose new challenges. In this interactive workshop we will explore old and new ways of sharing knowledge and improving the employee experience. 90mins
14:15
Interactive Keynote
Hear from The Forum or our members on a key topic. 45mins
15:15
Workshop
Join this session with thought leadership and open discussion. 90mins
Friday 17th May
09.30
Keynote
Hear from The Forum or our members on a key topic. 45mins
10:30
Workshop
Engaging Presentations: Get to the point!
This interactive workshop will help you to become a more accomplished communicator, delivering great messages which drive action and improvement. Continuing our Presentations Skills workshops this session will get to the point with clear actions and stop pointless presentations. 90mins
12:30
Endnote
Hear from The Forum or our members on a key topic. 45mins

Speakers

Phil Anderson
CEO
The Forum
Emma Botfield
Forum Fellow
David Bruce
Head of Innovation
Financial Ombudsman Service
Scott Budding
Mgr Sales Engineering
Calabrio
Kay-Leigh Butler
Resource Planning Manager
Zen Internet
Kymm Clarke
Scheduling Manager
Student Loans Company
Hamish Cliff
Head of Client Success
Business Systems
Alison Conaghan
Specialist
The Forum
Karl Fletcher
Resource Planning and MI Manager
Novuna
Ryan Johnson
Principle Engineer
Sabio
Huw Jones
Director, Solution Consulting
Verint
Jane Lashford
Senior Resource Planning Manager
HomeServe
David Leatham
Scheduling Manager
NatWest
Phil Michell
Consulting Director
Davies
Paul Milloy
Forum Fellow
Lorna Norris
Forum Fellow
Donna Rae
Resource Deployment Manager
NATS Aviation & Aerospace
Chris Rainsforth
Director
The Forum
Vicky Reynolds-Jones
Head of Customer Experience & Insight
DAS (UK Group)
Ian Robertson
Specialist
The Forum
Kane Simms
Founder
VUX World
Ivan Smith
Forum Fellow
Michelle Taylor
WEM Consultant
Business Systems
Dave Vernon
Director
The Forum
Donna Whyman
Specialist
The Forum
Colin Whelan
Forum Fellow
Dave Wilkinson
Regional Planning Manager
British Gas

Prices & Booking

Places are free to members using member places in line with the level of membership. Extra places for each event can be purchased £295 +VAT for virtual.

All paid for places must be settled before the conference begins. A credit card guarantee can be used to hold a place. All bookings are subject to The Forum's normal terms which can be read here. Cancellation does not automatically mean an invoice is no longer payable.

Register Now

Fill in your details to register for the 2024 Spring Customer Strategy & Planning conferences and Awards celebration or email events@theforum.social.