2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

2025 Summer Best Practice Showcase
(Virtual)

Learn WHAT our award finalists are doing to continue “Raising Standards in Customer Operations”

 June - August 2025

Online conference

Showcasing the very 
best in the industry

This conference offers a unique chance for you to learn directly from our Awards winners. You will hear from the teams and individuals who are making a difference in their business, powerful partnerships whether that is with a technology provider or an outsource partnership. Finally, you can discover how large transformation projects have made massive changes in any business.

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Join us through the Summer as we hear from our awards winners. We will release new learning every week from June right through to August. 
Date below are for webinars where you can hear more from our finalists, winners and judges.
We will also be highlighting best practice on a number of topics on our social media so make sure you are following The Forum on LinkedIn.
No need to miss out while on your well deserved holiday as we will also add to our library and on-demand. 

Conference Agenda

Best Practice Showcase (Virtual)

Join us for an inspiring and insightful webinar celebrating the 20 finalists from this year’s Innovation & Transformation awards. Trailblazers who are redefining workforce planning, customer experience, and operational excellence. From AI to culture change, these organisations are proving that bold thinking drives real-world results.
Some things will always matter. Businesses will always need to balance customer demand, employee needs, and business goals. Planning will still rely on data, but how that data is used will keep evolving.
Technology will continue to speed things up. AI and automation will take over more of the routine tasks, but that doesn’t mean planners will become less important. 
The best partnerships don’t just happen, they are built on trust, shared goals, and a commitment to making things work. Join us to hear a range of inspiring and educational stories from our Partnership Awards which cover all things WFM and WFO.


Hear how our winners and finalists have revolutionised Knowledge Management & Learning within their business by grasping new thinking and ideas.




The best partnerships don’t just happen, they are built on trust, shared goals, and a commitment to making things work. Join us to hear a range of inspiring and educational stories from our Partnership Awards which cover a wide range of areas including, chatbots, robot workers, employee engagement platforms and technology stack transformations.
Hear how our 2025 Rising Stars have forged their own path, taking on learning and going beyond expectations to make a real difference in their business.




Conference Agenda

Best Practice Showcase

Tuesday 2nd July
9.30
Opening Keynote
How to Learn
How you can use this week to learn from our members. 45mins
10.30
Innovation & Transformation
Learn from overall Innovation of the Year winners, indeed on Leading Global Transformation and OVO Energy talking about their Service Transformation.45mins
13:15
Insight
Hear from Manager of the Year, Katie Harrison from NFU Mutual Agencies, Forecasting Analyst of the Year, Paul Cooper at The AA and our Rising Star, Mike Connor of Capita Regulated Services. 45mins
14:15
Planning Teams
Learn how Real-Time Team of the Year, eBay reintroduced Real-Time globally. Also hear from Analyst of the Year Zach Haddenham. Hear from Lloyds Banking Group on how they achieved a Best Practice Shift Review. 45mins
Wednesday 3rd July
9.30
Innovation & Transformation
Hear from Best Practice in Branch Planning winners Bank of Ireland and the Planning Team of the Year, TSB Bank. 45mins
10:30
Best Practice Partnerships
In this session our Partnership Awards Judges will share their highlights from this year's finalists stories. Sharing what has inspired them, and the learning that they have taken from the process. 45mins
13:15
Planning Analysts
Learn from Analysts of the Year; Michelle Adshead at VitalityHealth and Kristie-Leigh Armstrong from BT Group and our Rising Stars; Lauren Laycock at NFU Mutual and Kirsty Ritchie of Wheatley Housing45mins
14:15
Quality & Improvement Individuals
Hear from 2024 Quality & Improvement Rising Star, Jess Baldock at DAS, our Knowledge Management Professional, Alexandra Jordan from Zopa and the Quality & Improvement Manager of the Year, Susan Drape-Comyn​​​​. 45mins
Thursday 4th July
9.30
Quality & Improvement Teams
Learn from Benenden Health on Continuous Improvement Strategy, The Knowledge Management Team of the Year, Utility Warehouse and our Quality Team of the Year, ACCA. 45mins
10:30
Planning Managers
Managers of the Year; Alex Gold from OVO Energy and Steven Miller at Benenden Health share their stories. 45mins
13:15
Partnership Perfection
Join our Associate Heroes as they share their key ingredients for the perfect partnership. 45mins
13:15
End note
The 2025 Awards
How you can gain recognition for your and your team's work through our Awards. Tips for entering. 45mins

Speakers

Phil Anderson
CEO
The Forum
Alison Conaghan
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Chris Rainsforth
Director of Learning & Innovation
The Forum
Ian Robertson
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Dave Vernon
Director of Membership & Best Practice
The Forum
Donna Whyman
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum

Prices & Booking

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

All paid for places must be settled before the conference begins. 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.