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.
Opening Keynote: How to Learn

Opening Keynote: How to Learn

Originally broadcast Tuesday 2nd July 09:30

How you can use this week to learn from our members. 

Partner Article: Calabrio Introduces AI-Driven Bot Analytics to Enhance Quality Management

Partner Article: Calabrio Introduces AI-Driven Bot Analytics to Enhance Quality Management

Calabrio, the workforce performance company, announced its new suite of Bot Analytics tools for Quality Management (QM). Bot Analytics gives contact centres more performance data and insights to streamline and enhance the user experience.  

Calabrio’s Bot Analytics helps monitor and improve the performance and quality of chatbots and voicebots; organising all transcript conversations into topics, simplifying the review process, and making it easier to address issues efficiently.  

Endnote: Shaping the future: supporting your best next actions

Endnote: Shaping the future: supporting your best next actions

Originally broadcast on Friday 17th May, 12:30.

Rounding off the virtual conference and first stage of this year's best practice programme with inspiration, ideas and clear next steps. This endnote will support your learning, and give you takeaway ideas on how to turn this into an action plan. 

Technology Showcase: Verint

Technology Showcase: Verint

Originally broadcast on Wednesday 15th May, 12:30

It's tough out there in the CX space - customer demands are growing faster than your budget and resources, but you still need to deliver the level of service they expect. To keep up with demand, organisations are turning to AI and CX Automation, and enjoying unrivalled CX potential that delivers enterprise-wide benefits. Hear from our partners Verint as they share new ideas. 

Technology Showcase: Business Systems

Technology Showcase: Business Systems

Originally broadcast on Tuesday 14th May, 13:15

In this session, Business Systems is joined by Zen Internet to discuss Zen’s Workforce Engagement Management transformation journey and how the business has improved employee engagement, customer experience, efficiencies and time savings through the right partnership and Workforce Management solution. 

Technology Showcase: Calabrio

Technology Showcase: Calabrio

Originally broadcast on Tuesday 14th May, 12:30

Scott Budding from Calabrio reveals the latest Contact Centre trends. Drawing from real-life examples of award-winning Calabrio customers, Scott will showcase CX best practices. 

Opening Keynote: Shaping the Future

Opening Keynote: Shaping the Future

Originally broadcast Monday 13th May, 09:30

How can we prepare ourselves for whatever happens? How can we think forward and be confident with our best next decisions?

Hear from The Forum’s team of Specialists as they each share their inspiration thoughts on how to Shape the Future.

2024 Partnership Awards: Sabio & DHL

2024 Partnership Awards: Sabio & DHL

In a strategic partnership with Sabio, DHL Express UK embarked on transforming its resource planning and employee engagement, addressing staffing inconsistencies and inefficiencies. By overhauling their Workforce Management system, focussing on accuracy, optimisation, and schedule flexibility, they achieved significant improvements in forecast accuracy, resource efficiency, and employee satisfaction. Sabio took time to understand DHL, and their service goals, and worked hard to support and upskill the team at DHL. These efforts led to marked cost savings, showcasing the value of leveraging technology and innovation in the logistics industry.
2024 Partnership Awards: QStory & Jet2holidays

2024 Partnership Awards: QStory & Jet2holidays

A mature and established partnership between QStory and Jet2holidays delivered an extremely successful intraday automation implementation, which has been a great enabler for Jet2holidays homeworking model. Once they had a better visibility of their absence, QStory supported Jet2holidays with the establishment of a centralised absence management function SMART. The QStory policy of retaining 30% of developer time to be available to work on customer requests has been a real enabler for this change, ROI and stakeholder impact has been positive. Jet2holidays are so delighted that QStory were awarded one of their coveted supplier awards.
2024 Partnership Awards: miPerform & Northumbrian Water

2024 Partnership Awards: miPerform & Northumbrian Water

miPerform and Northumbrian Water have been working in partnership since 2020 to redefine the boundaries of client and technology collaboration. At the heart of this partnership is a joint vision to deliver customer service excellence through empowering agents and enabling self-management, through deployment of an innovative toolset that supports peer-to-peer benchmarking, gamification, transparency, and fairness of reward. The operational background of the team at miPerform has been key to success; they understand what is important, combined with rapid response times, shared goals and an openness to learning and challenge. This is a very successful and embedded partnership.
Iris Clarity & The Royal Borough of Greenwich

Iris Clarity & The Royal Borough of Greenwich

This pioneering partnership teamed up to enhance customer service through improved voice communication. They tackled the common challenge of background noise in contact centres, leading to a significant uplift in call quality and operational effectiveness. Leveraging Iris Clarity’s advanced audio technology, which uses AI for voice isolation, the collaboration has notably elevated customer experience by ensuring clearer communication and increased satisfaction. Beyond solving a practical issue, this partnership demonstrates the impact of technological innovation in setting new benchmarks for empathetic and efficient customer service, with exciting potential for broader applications.
2024 Partnership Awards: Davies & Dwr Cymru Welsh Water

2024 Partnership Awards: Davies & Dwr Cymru Welsh Water

This open and trusting partnership has delivered on the selection and configuration of the best fit interaction analytics platform for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Davies, through their Managed Analytics service trained the team and helped them to identify priorities, and scale problems to ensure that they did not try to do too much all at once, and ROI was achieved. A process issue affecting one vulnerable customer was identified, queries revealed the extent of the customer base that could be affected by this flaw, this enabled them to make a change to the process, improving services for their most vulnerable customers. Results include a reduction in verbal complaints of 15%, a reduction in AHT by 35 seconds, and a speed up of the investigation process from 14 days, to just one day.
2024 Partnership Awards: Davies & TJX

2024 Partnership Awards: Davies & TJX

In a strategic collaboration, global retailer TJX and Davies revolutionised employee onboarding, focussing on decentralised training and soft skills. Incorporating digital learning and aligning with cultural values, they achieved a 300% investment return, which included a reduction in the glide path to productivity in the contact centre from 8 weeks to 6 weeks. This partnership not only enhanced employee engagement and customer service for TK Maxx and HomeSense but also established new benchmarks for training excellence, an increase in empathy and rapport with customers with a positive impact oncustomer loyalty.
2024 Partnership Awards: Centrical and Ocado

2024 Partnership Awards: Centrical and Ocado

A cohesive and genuine partnership underpinned the introduction of an employee engagement platform. Both teams worked very closely, even before contracts were exchanged and Ocado became a design partner of Centrical.bThe vision for the launch was to reduce the complexity for leaders, it was important that this was not just another link to follow, another set of data or another system to log in to. During the design partner program, they worked closely to understand the key requirements of Ocado’s QA programme, and how Centrical could support this directly within the platform. QA was not an existing feature, but through their close partnership, this new feature was brought to life and the Centrical system rapidly became a one stop shop for all employee engagement, performance management, rewards and recognition, and quality management, allowing the platform branded internally as ‘Mint’ to become an integral tool to the business.
2024 Partnership Awards: Business Systems & Motorway

2024 Partnership Awards: Business Systems & Motorway

Through partnering with Business Systems to implement Calabrio, Motorway has experienced significant improvements in their WFM and Planning operations. These include substantial improvements to adherence, equivalent to 30 FTE per week, a considerable increase in the efficiency of internal processes such as holiday requests, and the fostering of an overall more positive work environment resulting in greater employee satisfaction and improved customer service. Through innovative problem-solving and dedicated teamwork, they overcame challenges in integrating systems, delivering significant operational improvements and financial benefits. Shared goals and a willingness to “walk in their customers’ shoes” were key elements of this successful partnership – we understand that Neil did get a good price for his car!
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Alexandra Jordan at Zopa

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Alexandra Jordan at Zopa

In the digital era, efficient knowledge management is essential for innovation and operational efficiency. Alexandra revolutionised the knowledge system at Zopa with “Zoracle,” a user-friendly hub for guides, videos, and updates, transforming scattered information into an accessible format. This strategic overhaul improved operational efficiency, enhanced employee performance, and fostered a culture of knowledge sharing. Zoracle’s success underscores the vital role of digital tools in organisational change, setting a benchmark in knowledge management.
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Alana Pollard at The Open University

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Alana Pollard at The Open University

Alana at The Open University led the development of a Knowledge Management System (KMS) training programme, employing a learner-centric approach to overcome the inefficiencies of existing virtual training. Innovating with modular e-learning, interactive simulations, and instructional videos, she made the learning experience more engaging and relevant for content writers. Her work significantly enhanced role relevancy and the application of knowledge, showcasing the power of targeted educational design.
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Susan Drape-Comyn at The AA

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Susan Drape-Comyn at The AA

Sue Drape-Comyn, a quality management innovator, revolutionised her team with coaching, mentoring, and empowerment. Prioritising personal development and team mobility, her approach enhanced organisational efficiency and team performance. This strategy resulted in high engagement scores, low absence rates, and outstanding compliance reviews, showcasing the power of genuine empowerment and succession planning. Sue’s leadership exemplifies how effective management can lead to significant organisational and individual growth.
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Mel Coley at The AA

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Mel Coley at The AA

Mel’s story at The AA is a compelling narrative of strategic improvements and impactful changes in quality assurance. Highlighting empathy and collaboration, her focus on both customer and business outcomes led to notable enhancements in operational efficiency and team morale. Challenging traditional views and fostering continuous improvement, Claire’s customer-centric approach and commitment to team engagement have driven significant operational advancements, embodying a transformative journey in fostering a supportive, quality-driven culture.
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Claire Donson at The AA

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Claire Donson at The AA

Claire’s journey at The AA illustrates the impact of resilience, collaboration, and education on driving organisational change. Facing initial challenges in report writing and confidence, her commitment to personal development and stakeholder engagement led to significant improvements. Through tailored communication and workshops, she enhanced cross-departmental relationships and customer outcomes, shifting towards a more inclusive culture. Her story highlights the transformative power of individual efforts in fostering a supportive, collaborative workplace environment.
2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Linda Redfearn at Novuna

2024 Improvement & Quality Awards: Linda Redfearn at Novuna

In an era demanding rapid and accurate information sharing for customer service excellence, Linda’s story shines as a beacon of innovation in knowledge management. Working as a Procedures Specialist, she transformed her organisation’s approach to managing, accessing, and utilising knowledge. With a focus on a user-friendly, centralised knowledge base, her journey from identifying inefficiencies to implementing strategic solutions showcases remarkable improvements in operational efficiency, engagement, and training quality, serving as an inspiring example for others.
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