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.
Best Practice in Insight, Reporting and Analysis Assisted Learning Pathway

Best Practice in Insight, Reporting and Analysis Assisted Learning Pathway

Learn the secrets of great analysis and reporting that drives action, whether working on resourcing, customer, performance, analytics or other types of data.

After this session, you will understand;

 - What good looks like: with examples, trends, top tips and pitfalls to avoid
 - How reports & presentations can drive brilliant learning
 - Methods to improve data structure, accuracy and analysis

Planning & Insight in Field & Branch Operations

Planning & Insight in Field & Branch Operations

Learn how to apply the whole planning cycle, from capacity to scheduling & real-time, with the chance to explore further your role and where it fits in.

After this session, you will understand;

 - The key drivers of performance and how to explain them
 - How to set up effective data, reporting & comms plans
 - Crucial elements of a good plan and their impacts, including shrinkage, models & forecasting

Planning & Insight in the Back Office Assisted Learning Pathway

Planning & Insight in the Back Office Assisted Learning Pathway

Learn how to apply the whole planning cycle, from capacity to scheduling & real time, with the chance to explore further your role and where it fits in.

After this session, you will understand;

 - The key elements of capacity plans and backlog management
 - How to set up effective data, reporting & comms plans
 - Crucial elements of a good plan and their impacts, including shrinkage, models & forecasting

Reporting & MI Automation

Reporting & MI Automation

15th July 2021, 9:30 - 11:00

14th October 2021, 9:30 - 11:00

9th December 2021, 9:30 - 11:00

Free Webinar - 2020 Vision: Crystallising your knowledge Launch

Free Webinar - 2020 Vision: Crystallising your knowledge Launch

2020 is The Forum’s 20th year and this year we want to look back on our first 20-years and think ahead for the next 20-years. Our vision, back in 2000, was and remains to raise standards in customer operations helping to set standards across Planning, Insight and Quality. Now, having established communities of best practice we can continue to raise standards and prepare for the future.

This year’s theme refers to the clarity and sharpness of vision required to purposely move forward towards your targets, goals and dreams. Whilst recognising the benefit of our fluid thinking over the past 20-years to crystallise our knowledge of best practice and standards.

 - “Purpose, Learning and Self-Awareness” Keynote from The Forum’s Phil Anderson
 - 2020 Best Practice Guide launch and chapter review
 - 2020 Best Practice Programme – how to get involved

Introduction to MI & Insight

Introduction to MI & Insight

This module provides an introductory understanding of:

- the fundamental inputs and outputs of the MI and Insight processes.

- the role of MI and Insight within the planning cycle 

- the characteristics of best in class MI and Insight teams as evidenced throgh The Forum's standards-benchmarking programme

Measures of Success for MI and Insight

Measures of Success for MI and Insight

Understand how to create the right measures to track and develop your MI and Insight efforts. Learn how to create the right process, aligned to your strategy and how to take a holistic view when setting measures of success. Learning outcomes include:

- What does good look like? Explore the key characteristics of an ideal real time function and key considerations to develop understanding and learning.

- Define your purpose. Understand how real-time planning can support your business strategy and impact it can have on customers and colleagues.

- Creating the right measures. Understand different perspectives and develop a holistic framework of success measures.

1-Day Telling A Story With Numbers Workshop

1-Day Telling A Story With Numbers Workshop

This one-day training workshop is the opportunity for you to discuss the benefits and implications of different approaches and learn about the critical factors to consider. Use this course to help you determine what approach to develop in your own operation.

  • Be able to display complex data in a simple way
  • Have techniques for emotional engagement
  • Have a clear engagement strategy
Accuracy & Confidence

Accuracy & Confidence

This course is part of the “strategic analyst” series of webinar, 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
- Forecasting with you strategy in mind
- Influencing strategy through forecasting

Managing Assumptions

Managing Assumptions

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
 - Ensure understanding of the impact of variances through the day and between people
 - Build your stakeholder engagement

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