2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

2026 #RaisingStandards
(Virtual)

Learn HOW you can apply “Best Practice”

Monday 12th - Friday 16th October 2025

Online conference

Our practitioner-led 
annual conference

Designed specifically for Planning, Insight and Quality & Customer Experience Professionals. Learn first-hand from practitioners and business leaders who are delivering successful change whilst having the opportunity to collaborate with others. Bring new ideas and techniques back that will raise standards within your “Customer Operation”.
OutlineAgenda

2026: #RaisingStandards

Monday 13th Oct
Tuesday 14th Oct
Wednesday 15th Oct
Thursday 16th Oct
Friday 17th Oct
09:30
Keynote
Keynote
Keynote
Join us for this keynote on an important topic. 45mins
Join us for this keynote on an important topic. 45mins
Join us for this keynote on an important topic. 45mins
10:30
Raising Standards Keynote
 Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
Workshop
This keynote launches the week by challenging us to turn intent into action. 45mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Technology Showcase
Showcase
Technology Showcase
Endnote
Hear from one of our Partners as they share new ideas and developments. 45mins
Hear from one of our Partners as they share new ideas and developments. 45mins
Hear from one of our Partners as they share new ideas and developments. 45mins
Hear from one of our Partners as they share new ideas and developments. 45mins
Close the week with reflection and action points. 45mins
13:30
Agentic AI Workshop
Forecasting Workshop
Scheduling Workshop
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
15:00
Automated QA Workshop
Hybrid Working Workshop
Real-time Workshop
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Thought leadership and discussion in an interactive session. 60mins
Conference Agenda

Autumn Conference #RaisingStandards

Monday 14th Oct
09.30
Raising Standards Keynote
Reset, Redefine & Raise Standards
This keynote launches the week by challenging us to turn intent into action. Explore how learning, reflection and ownership drive personal growth and organisational progress. Discover how tools like the Learning Tracker, Reflective Method, and the Learning Pyramid support continuous improvement. We'll explore how to break out of firefighting, align strategy with daily action, and shift from “being busy” to “making a difference”. It's time to reset habits, redefine success, and commit to doing things differently. Because done will always beat intended. 45mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Smarter. Faster. Stronger: How Verint Co-pilot Bots Supercharge Contact Centres. In today’s fast-paced customer experience landscape, efficiency and personalisation are no longer optional- they’re essential. Join us for an exclusive session as we reveal how Verint’s Co-pilot Bots are reshaping contact centres by automating micro-workflows, reducing average handling times, and significantly increasing agent capacity. 45mins
Tuesday 15th October
09:30
Operational Improvement Keynote
Improvement doesn’t happen by accident
Raising standards isn’t passive, it demands resilience, agility, and purpose. This keynote explores how Quality Assurance, Training & Development, actionable insight, and people-centred change unlock meaningful improvement. Focus on what counts, leave behind what doesn’t, and lead transformation that lasts for your people and your customers. 45mins
10:30
Coaching & Development Workshop
From conversation to capability
Great coaching doesn’t just shape skills, it helps embed a learning culture within our organisations. In this session we will hear from Forum members as we discuss how effective coaching and development unlock performance, drive engagement, and empower people in fast-paced environments. We will share real-world insights into what works (and what doesn’t), from embedding coaching into our daily workflows to leveraging feedback for improvement.. 60mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
What if supervisors and agents could chat to your WFM solution? What if resolving staffing issues took just one click? Workforce management (WFM) is entering a new era. Artificial intelligence is transforming the process of forecasting, scheduling, and employee engagement. In this session, Scott Budding from Calabrio unveils new Gen-AI capabilities with their award winning WFM including Agent and Supervisor Assist and Predictive Actions. The future of WFM is Workforce Intelligence. 45mins
13:30
Agentic AI Workshop
Smarter Knowledge, When It’s Needed Most
Agentic AI has the potential to transform knowledge management—moving beyond static repositories to deliver the right knowledge, at the right time, in the right way. In this session, we’ll explore what agentic AI is, the opportunities it offers for empowering people and improving performance, and the challenges we’ll need to navigate. We’ll also look at the importance of building strong knowledge foundations to make the most of this emerging technology. 60mins
15:00
Automating QA Workshop
Enhancing Quality with AI and Analytics
As interaction analytics and AI continue to evolve, they’re opening new possibilities for transforming quality assurance. In this session, we’ll explore how organisations are using these technologies to enhance—and even automate—QA processes. We’ll look at real examples, discuss the benefits and risks, and unpack the challenges we need to overcome to make automation effective, ethical, and trusted. Whether you're just starting out or already experimenting with automation, this session will offer valuable insights and ideas. 60mins
Wednesday 16th October
09:30
Insight Keynote
Forward thinking insight
Explore how leading customer operations teams are using data, analytics, and insight to drive transformation. Highlighting the shift from traditional reporting to real-time, embedded, and prescriptive analytics that directly influence customer and workforce outcomes. 45mins
10:30
Benchmarking Workshop
Using Measures That Matter
Effective measures and targets can drive performance, enhance customer experience, support teams, and fuel continuous improvement. But when misused, they risk confusion, overload, and unintended behaviours. In this session, we’ll explore early insights from our benchmarking surveys, share what others are measuring and why, and take part in live benchmarking to learn from each other. 60mins
12:30
Showcase
Every day, our colleagues are expected to show up with empathy for customers in vulnerable circumstances. But what happens when empathy itself becomes exhausting? That’s compassion fatigue. It’s not burnout - yet - but if ignored, it can take us there. Join Helen from the National Support Network in an interactive session 45mins
13:30
Forecasting Workshop
Turning Insight into Action
Forecasts are essential for helping operations prepare for the future—but their impact depends on how well they’re understood, trusted, and applied. In this session, we’ll share practical tips and proven approaches from experienced forecasters to help improve accuracy, build credibility, and drive better decisions. Whether you're creating forecasts or using them to guide planning, you’ll gain valuable insights to strengthen forecasting outcomes and collaboration. 60mins
15:00
Hybrid Working Workshop
Hybrid Working 
Discuss the 2025 Hybrid Working in the Contact Centre survey in partnership with Spacial, We will look at the main outcomes in the report and what it means for the industry whilst also revealing some more new findings from the initial data. Hear from Forum members discussing how their Hybrid Strategy has evolved.. 60mins
Thursday 17th October
09:30
Planning Keynote
Understanding the Planning operating system, driving outcomes and behaviours not completing tasks and checklists. This keynote will explore what it truly means to build a best-in-class planning function, drawing on real-world insights from workforce forecasting, scheduling, and real-time operations. 45mins
10:30
Capacity Planning Workshop
Getting It Right
Capacity planning helps operations make informed resourcing decisions—but misunderstandings can lead to costly mistakes. In this session, we’ll model real-world scenarios to show the impact of different approaches. Whether you're new to capacity planning or looking to better engage your stakeholders, you’ll gain practical insights to apply and share. 60mins
12:30
Technology Showcase
Join Route 101 for a dynamic session exploring how Zendesk can revolutionise back-office operations through intelligent omnichannel routing and email management. Discover how unstructured inboxes can be transformed into structured workflows, enabling smarter task planning, queue categorisation, and actionable analytics. With insights from Route 101’s systems integration experts, this showcase will highlight real-world examples and integrations - bridging the gap between back-office tasks, CCaaS, WFM and QM to unlock new efficiencies. 45mins
14:30
Scheduling Workshop
Pre-requisites for undergoing a shift review
 Understanding the risks and opportunities along with what is realistic to deliver will be a starting point for Planning teams working with operations and stakeholders. 60mins.
14:30
Real-Time Workshop Workshop
Top 5 success factors
In this interactive virtual workshop, using the “Stop, Start, Continue” framework, participants will explore the top 5 success factors for real-time excellence—from proactive playbooks and intelligent automation to stakeholder trust and continuous improvement. 60mins
Friday 18th October
10:30
Telling a Story with Numbers Workshop
From Data to Dialogue: Telling Stories with Numbers and Winning Over Any Audience
This workshop with introduce you to new concepts, top tips and pitfalls to avoid helping you become a better presenter. Full of practical examples which you can start using straight away, along with ideas and inspiration for you to develop in the future. Help to reset the culture around presentation and meetings by improving how you share knowledge and engage your organisation. 60mins
12:30
Endnote
Action guarantees learning. And learning drives progress. To keep Raising Standards we need to keep learning and keep drive action
It’s not the ideas in our head that raise standards, it’s what you do with the ideas. Without action, the best ideas gather dust. Without learning, action becomes guesswork. And without reflection, we repeat the same mistakes. This endnote gives us the opportunity to reflect on the week of learning at our virtual conference and turn our ideas into impact. 45mins

Speakers

Phil Anderson
Executive Director
The Forum
Alison Conaghan
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Chris Rainsforth
Director
The Forum
Ian Robertson
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Dave Vernon
Director
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 for virtual conference can be purchased at £295 +VAT.

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 2026 #RaisingStandards conferences or email events@theforum.social.