2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

Conferences

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

2025 Summer Best Practice Showcase (Virtual)

16th June - 22nd August 2025

Learn WHAT our award finalists are doing to continue “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.

2025 Autumn: #RaisingStandards (Virtual)

13th - 17th October 2025

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”.

2025 Autumn Conference #RaisingStandards (In-Person)

Wednesday 5th November 2025, Coventry Building Society Arena

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”.

2026 Spring Customer Strategy & Planning Conference (In-person)

Tuesday 28th April 2026, Grand Hotel Gosforth Park, Newcastle

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. 

On-Demand Conferences

Catch up on the presentations from our previous conferences.
Descriptive Statistics

Descriptive Statistics

In this module we be exploring the Descriptive Statistics tool in excel. We will cover:

 - How to use descriptive statistic
 - How to use the output to better understand your data
 - Alternative ways of calculating

Dealing with Ad hoc Requests

Dealing with Ad hoc Requests

Not all ad hoc requests are time-stealers!  Some of them add value and insight and quickly become BAU work.  This session looks at the art behind identifying what is urgent and valuable and what isn’t.
 - Understand the inevitability of Ad Hoc requests
 - Learn how to prioritise requests and eliminate waste
 - See how asking the right questions enables you to quickly understand the driver behind the request

The Pattern of Great Presentations

The Pattern of Great Presentations

In this module we look at how techniques from great speakers through history can be used to bring your presentations to live and bring your audience on your journey.

Emotional Engagement & The Power of Stories

Emotional Engagement & The Power of Stories

Often facts and data will not get our message across. We need to understand our audience and use emotional engagement techniques to bring our insight to life. In this module we explore some simple emotional engagement techniques to make your communications, presentations and reports more meaningful. We also explore the power of stories in understanding our stakeholders and overcoming their fears and doubts.

The Pyramid Principle for Effective Communication

The Pyramid Principle for Effective Communication

Like us our stakeholders have limited time, we rarely read every emails and report we receive end to end, and neither do they. We may have just a few seconds to land our message and get our audience to take action or read on. The pyramid principle is a simple technique to help you structure your communications and reports to quickly answer the “So what?” and land your core message.

Layouts & Structure

Layouts & Structure

Whether we are producing dashboards, reports or presentations layout and format is key to landing your message. Learn how to make it easy for the audience to follow your story, draw their focus to what really matters and avoid unnecessary distractions.

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 

Adding Value as Insight Analysts

Adding Value as Insight Analysts

Description: How do we add value as insight analysts? Focus on how you can enable better decisions and generate measurable improvement. What are the key factors that set you up for success?  
 
Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the introduction to the Box set; How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

Analysts as Improvement Champions

Analysts as Improvement Champions

Description: The role of analysts as improvement champions. Explore the three phases of improvement and identify how you can make the most difference.
 
Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the introduction to the Box set; How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

Shaping the Future the 4 Stages of Insight

Shaping the Future the 4 Stages of Insight

Description: Shaping the future: the 4 stages of insight. Learn how to move from hindsight to foresight and help prepare our organisations for whatever happens in a fast-changing world.
 
Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the introduction to the Box set; How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Description: The Scientific Method: become a trusted source of information. Understand how to create an operating rhythm for analysis, which builds trust and confidence in your conclusions. This includes the first of our exercises to help you identify gaps and opportunity in your current approaches.
 
Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the Box Set How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

Problem Statements & Hypotheses

Problem Statements & Hypotheses

Description: Using problem statements to generate fruitful hypotheses. Explore how to focus in the right way, becoming clear about the questions and problems you need to address.

Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the introduction to the Box set; How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

The Scientific Method and the Improvement Cycle

The Scientific Method and the Improvement Cycle

Description: Using the Scientific method to drive improvement. In this module we link the scientific method to the three phases of improvement, and get you started on the next of the practical exercises.
 
Notes
: This is a new module intended as part of the Box Set How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

Prioritising Opportunities for Improvement

Prioritising Opportunities for Improvement

Description: Explore how to focus on the right issues, how to create time to learn and how to balance proactive and reactive work, as analysts. 
 
Notes
: This is a new module intended as part of the Box Set How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

An Introduction to Accuracy & Confidence

An Introduction to Accuracy & Confidence

Description: Understand the key statistical considerations that will ensure your conclusions are well founded and can drive confidence. The separate Statistical Confidence box set is an opportunity to drive this further.
 
Notes: This is a new module intended as part of the Box Set How to Drive Improvement with Data & Insight but can also be an independent module

Identifying Opportunities from Patterns & Exceptions

Identifying Opportunities from Patterns & Exceptions

To innovate and be the best that we can we need to identify and exploit the best opportunities not just to improve but also to learn.

In this module we explore,
 - How to find the right opportunities
 - Creating time to learn and improve
 - Striking the right balance between proactive & reactive insight
 

Descriptive Statistics - Part 2

Descriptive Statistics - Part 2

Following on from Descriptive Statistics Part 1. In this module we look at applying these techniques to real life scenarios, you will receive exercises to complete before we talk you through the solutions.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking

Benchmarking is important in understanding best practice, comparing ourselves with our competitors and becoming the best, but there are many pitfalls to avoid. In this module;
 - Hear the value of benchmarking
 - Learn how to avoid the common mistakes
 - Hear our top tips for benchmarking

Data Dictionaries

Data Dictionaries

Clear documentation and structure can help us remove single points of failure, avoid arguments, ensure a single version of the truth and avoid duplicated work. In this module;
 - See how to create a data dictionary to ensure a single version of the truth
 - Learn techniques to ensure metrics are used to drive the right behaviours
 - Facilitate exception based reporting with agreed triggers

Target Typology

Target Typology

How do you avoid your targets being misunderstood, misinterpreted and misused. In this module;
 - Learn the different target types
 - Understand tolerances & triggers
 - Avoid common mistakes

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

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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