Conferences

The Forum holds key conferences through out the year including our flagship Spring Customer Strategy and Planning, Our Summer Best Practice Showcase and Autumn #RaisingStandards conferences that offer a great opportunity to learn, share and network.

Are you a Director or Senior Leader? 
Join our regular forums to raise standards in customer operations together. The Forum holds events for leaders to network and hear from inspirational speakers throughout the year. 

2024 Spring Customer Strategy & Planning (Virtual)

13th - 17th May 2024

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

2024 Best Practice Showcase (In-Person)

Thursday 27th June 2024, Principal Hotel, York

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

Speakers will be announced following the announcement of our award winners in April 2024 at Mercure Hotel, Manchester.

2024 Best Practice Showcase (Virtual)

2nd - 4th July 2024

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

Speakers will be announced following the announcement of our award winners in April 2024 at Mercure Hotel, Manchester.

2024 Autumn Conference #RaisingStandards (Virtual)

14th - 18th October 2024

Learn HOW you can apply "Best Practice"
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”.

2024 Autumn Conference #RaisingStandards (In-Person)

Tuesday 5th November 2024, Delta by Marriot - Nottingham Belfry Hotel

Learn HOW our community is applying “Best Practice”
This conference is 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”.

On-Demand Conferences

Catch up on the presentations from our previous conferences.
Data Visualisation

Data Visualisation

Explore effective ways of presenting data in a meaningful, interesting and engaging way. Improve the way you inform and persuade your key stakeholders.  
 - Understand why your existing reports don’t excite or engage your stakeholders
 - Learn the basics of data visualisation and how to communicate information
 - Apply “2 key questions” and start the use the tools and resource you need 

Bottom Up v Top Down Planning

Bottom Up v Top Down Planning

There are two different ways to approach budget planning – but some organisations find themselves involved in a hybrid third approach. There is no right or wrong way but it is vital to understand the process and to understand if it is appropriate.
 - Learn the benefits and drawbacks of each approach
 - Look at how your overall business strategy should determine your budget process
 - Understand if your business is led by demand or by supply

Managing Assumptions - Module 2

Managing Assumptions - Module 2

Module 2 - Learn how variation and change in our assumptions is natural and expected and how to illustrate this to your stakeholders
 - See different ways of using data visualisation to educate stakeholders on the variability of assumptions
 - Understand different methodologies to include factors such as business experience and external factors into your assumptions

Managing Assumptions - Module 1

Managing Assumptions - Module 1

Module 1 - Understand the need for everyone to realise the importance of managing your assumptions and how targets can drive behaviour
 - Consider the importance of assumptions in your models
 - Understand how creating shared ownership of assumptions will help with buy-in

Operating models, routing strategies and skill design - Module 2

Operating models, routing strategies and skill design - Module 2

Module 2 - The conclusion of our module on call routing strategies.  In this module you will
 - Look at Call Purity vs Occupancy vs Specialisation
 - Learn how to use COS diagrams to illustrate the effects of routing plans
 - View the Routing Toolkit

Operating models, routing strategies and skill design - Module 1

Operating models, routing strategies and skill design - Module 1

Module 1 - An introduction to call routing strategies and how they support different operating models and the benefits and pitfalls for each approach.       
 - Issues encountered when planning for Multiskilled environments
 - Understanding the purpose of multiskilling in your organisation
 - Balancing different perspectives

Driving Strategy through Capacity Planning

Driving Strategy through Capacity Planning

This course is part of the “strategic analyst” series of webinars, designed to help everyone in analytical roles become a more active contributor to their organisation’s strategic narrative.

In this webinar we will explore:
 -    What is strategy 
 -    Benefits of working at the strategic level 
 -    Making sense of your organisational strategy
 -    Building capacity plans with you strategy in mind
 -    Influencing strategy through capacity planning

Intro to The Planning Cycle

Intro to The Planning Cycle

Learn the role planning plays in implementing your strategic objectives.  Understand the importance of your role and how you can help others.
 - Understand how the strategic objective is implemented into a forecasting, scheduling and real-time plan.
 - Learn about the importance of effective data checkpoints, change governance and hand-overs
 - Play a part in driving continuous improvement and become the nerve-centre of the business

The Strategy Pyramid

The Strategy Pyramid

Before setting targets and goals it is important that these are aligned to strategies that support your organisational goals. In this module;
 - Understand your organisational goals
 - See how to balance your strategies
 - Learn how to align the right metrics and targets to your strategies

Erlang v Linear

Erlang v Linear

Understand the positives and limitations of using Erlang C to calculate your headcount. Learning outcomes include:
 - How many people do we need?
 - What is Erlang trying to do?
 - Limitations of Erlang C
 - Using Erlang in practice

Operating & Budget Plans

Operating & Budget Plans

Learn how important it is to define the operating model and then agree the key assumptions to form the budget.  See practical examples of budget and operating models and explore the importance of accurate forecasts and agreed assumptions.
 - Understand the key assumptions to start calculating FTE requirement.
 - Classic mistakes and pitfalls to avoid

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Strategies

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Strategies

Develop your flexibility offering with deeper analysis of your supply and demand, driving a workforce strategy.
 - Understand the scale of volatility
 - Engage your stakeholders with advanced analysis
 - Use this to drive decisions and develop a workforce strategy

12
As a member, you are not on your own but part of a community with others facing many similar challenges. We are here to help you to make a tangible impact in your organisation and show how developing the capability of each specialist professional function is fundamental to your business.
Book for one of our events to experience our exceptional community or get in touch to talk about how we can help you and your teams to be fully effective in adding value to your business. Email advice@theforum.social, call 0333 123 5960 or contact any of The Forum Team