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Alex Gold at OVO Energy

2024 Planning Awards

OVO Energy, under Alex’s leadership, tackled integration challenges, fostering a culture of empowerment and innovation. Alex prioritised team empowerment, laying foundations for strategic decision-making and operational optimisation, with his goal for Shared Services to become ‘The Brain of the Operation’. Assessing teams for skills and mindset alignment, coupled with a focus on recognition and feedback, reinforced a customer-centric approach.

Are you an employer of choice?

See what contact centre agents are looking for in employers. Filling vacancies used to be easy. Full time? No problem. Temporary staff? Easy. All within 10 miles of the contact centre? Sure. But fast forward to today, and this is no longer the case.

Business Evolution at OVO Energy

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

OVO Energy epitomised the intricate balance between innovation and transformation, underscored by the team’s dedication to strategic planning, technological advancement, and people-centric growth. The journey towards staying competitive requires strategic planning, agile processes, and a people-centric approach. This case study provides the essence of this journey, highlighting the challenges, strategies, and future vision of a dynamic team.

Business Systems & Motorway

2024 Partnership Awards

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!

Cameron Croxon at Motorway

2024 Planning Awards

Cameron’s partnership-driven approach to workforce planning at Motorway showcases transformative outcomes. By prioritising collaboration, his team achieved a 13% FTE saving, equating to £1.3 million in savings. Challenges like manual administrative tasks were reduced by 23%. Cameron’s leadership style has an emphasis on delegation, integration, and continuous improvement, driving efficiency and skill development within the workforce.

Centrical and Ocado

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.

Chantal Lowson at Macmillan Cancer Support

2024 Data, Analytics & Insight Awards

Chantal’s leadership journey at Macmillan Cancer Support showcases her transformative approach to management. Transitioning from a single Data Analyst Insights team to leading three specialist teams, she exemplifies embracing change, fostering trust, and leveraging technology for organisational improvement. Her strategy prioritises people, performance, and continuous learning, demonstrating the impact of multifunctional teams and data-driven decisions. Chantal’s story is a testament to the power of leadership in navigating challenges and driving substantial business improvements.

CMS and Student Loans

2024 Partnership Awards

This strong, responsive, and mature partnership has delivered the first ever integration of the OPX back-office system with NICE, and the first integration that NICE has had with a back-office system. Student Loans now has full visibility of staff across the estate, allowing for the dynamic allocation of staff to different roles based on changing needs and operational priorities. Frequent and transparent communication at many levels, and easy access for the SLC team with CMS developers really helped to deliver a solution that meets their customers’ needs. ROI is very impressive, with £925k in year one and savings of up to £3.6m per annum.

Community Learning Keynote

Originally broadcast Friday 18th November 2022, 12:30

Hear from a Forum Hero and organisations who have taken a team approach to learning.

Conference Endnote

Originally broadcast Friday 5th November 2021, 09:30

Learn how to invest your time wisely to help you spend time on the things that matter the most. Doing something different on a daily basis.

Conference Endnote

Originally broadcast Friday 4th December 2020, 09:15

Positive habits for a successful career With so much uncertainty in the world, it is important to take control of our conduct, behaviour and attitude. Developing simple positive habits can make a huge impact on how you learn, share ideas and ultimately transform yourself and our career. This endnote presentation will take a look at the role of professionalism, how to build positive habits and an opportunity to hear from members who have transformed themselves during 2020.

Customer Centricity at Water Plus

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

Water Plus, a prominent business water retailer, embarked on a journey to streamline their customer service processes through the implementation of a pod way of working. This case study delves into their innovative approach, challenges faced, and the remarkable outcomes achieved. By prioritising customer-centricity and investing in employee development, they have set a benchmark for excellence in the industry, paving the way for sustained growth and customer satisfaction.

Davies & Dwr Cymru Welsh Water

2024 Partnership Awards

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.

Davies & TJX

2024 Partnership Awards

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.

Driving global standardisation & the power of effective communication at indeed

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

The integration of the WFM team into operations was hailed as a game changer with tangible value, from strategic support to operational efficiency gains. The transformative power of consistent messaging, stakeholder support, and a clear plan for the future emerged as catalysts for success. By leveraging ‘playbook’ meetings to align resources with forecasted service levels, the team maintained stellar performance amidst challenges.

Driving Operational Excellence at TSB

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

The TSB Planning team have demonstrated the importance of collaboration, skill development, and innovative tools in driving operational excellence within organisations. By creating a culture of open communication, embracing upskilling initiatives, and leveraging data-driven insights, teams can enhance performance, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth. This transformation has seen the adoption of Power BI and the transition from using excel spreadsheets to the implementation of a real-time alert system.

eBay Real-time Team

2024 Planning Awards

eBay’s Real-Time team has revolutionised risk management with its proactive approach and collaborative ethos. Quantifiable results show significant time savings and workload reductions, thanks to retiring outdated processes and implementing informative playbooks. Challenges that once hindered efficient risk management have been eliminated, promoting transparency and trust across the organisation. The team’s resilience in a rapidly evolving landscape has helped drive these improvements.

Empowering Teams through Innovative Workforce Management at Motorway

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

The implementation of the workforce management tool exemplifies Motorway’s commitment to innovation and employee empowerment. Through effective communication, strategic planning, and a flexible approach to change, the team successfully navigated through challenges, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and fostering a work environment conducive to growth and success.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency at Leeds Bradford Airport

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

In a bid to bolster operational efficiency and foster employee engagement, Leeds Bradford Airport undertook a transformative journey built on core planning principles and operational effectiveness. Through candid discussions and strategic foresight, the team navigated challenges and harnessed opportunities, heralding a new era of organisational resilience and employee empowerment.

Firstflex: Collaborative Problem-Solving at Firstsource

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

Innovation isn’t just about groundbreaking ideas; it’s about promoting a culture where every voice is heard, and every challenge is met with collaborative solutions. Firstflex illustrates how it allows team members to engage in various projects based on their interests. Learn how Firstsource developed their own technology in pursuit of sustainability, underscoring the team’s commitment to fostering innovation from within.

Free Webinar: Create change with a Leap Of Faith – Rising Vibe

Watch at your own pace

A Leap Of Faith is an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proven or known.

So much of the work we do with our clients around culture change requires a leap of faith. Without taking action, 'giving it a go', doing something differently or experimenting with a 'new way', NOTHING changes. Let me repeat this NOTHING changes. Yet the majority of human beings need some kind of 'proof' that it will all work out BEFORE they are prepared to take 'that action'.

Free Webinar: TEDx Talk: Curiosity Cured The Fakeaholic - Lou Carter – Founder of Rising Vibe

Watch at your own pace

On Tuesday 12th October 2021, Lou Carter, founder of Rising Vibe, delivered her very first TEDx talk; Curiosity Cured The Fakeaholic, which explored how our innate fear of judgement stops us being honest about how we feel. A by-product of this is that we don’t have the conversations that matter…

How to unlock value in moving to the cloud

In such a complex technology marketplace, how do we make the right strategic choices? Nigel Medforth uncovers how to set yourself up for success with a customer and user-led IT project, and not the other way around.

Inspiring Personal and Professional Development at eBay

2024 Innovation & Transformation Awards

Learn how eBay are nurturing personal and professional growth within the team, underlining the organisation’s commitment to continuous improvement and talent development. By prioritising personal and professional growth, eBay is poised to unlock the full potential of its workforce, driving sustained success and organisational resilience in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Iris Clarity & The Royal Borough of Greenwich

2024 Partnership Awards

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.

Katherine Emerson at BT Group

2024 Planning Awards

Katherine’s shift pattern comparison tool has revolutionised shift planning, empowering team leaders and reducing reliance on planning input. Pre-launch, bespoke pattern requests surged at 10% monthly, dropping to a 3% overall reduction. Enhanced collaboration with operations ensured the tool was used to its full potential. The “Try Before you Apply” initiative streamlined recruitment into the planning team, allowing team members to understand what planning do and improving candidate selection.

Keynote: Agent Wellbeing & Mental Health

Originally broadcast Monday 1st November 2021, 13:15

 Join Sabio as we explore the #1 megatrend in the customer experience industry that nobody is talking about. 

Keynote: Investing in People & Technology

Originally broadcast Tuesday 2nd November 2021, 14:15

Mark Brown of Virgin Media and Paul Milloy of Intradiem discuss how investing in people and technology is the key to the future of Customer Service. 

Keynote: Returning to Work

Originally broadcast Wednesday 28th April 2021, 14:15

The past 12 months have been rocked by disruption; and with lockdown lifting, what are the important factors and considerations you should take into account when planning for your teams to return to the office? Join Chris Haggis, Chief Operating Officer at Sabio as he shares Sabio’s plans and provides his insights into the challenges, research, attitudes, safety protocols, systems/processes and long-term plans you should be thinking about.

Keynote: Strength in Numbers

Hear from The Forum team on this year's theme - Strength in Numbers, The Value of Community and what this personally means to them.

Originally broadcast Monday 15th May 2023, 09:30

Hear from The Forum team on this year's theme - Strength in Numbers, The Value of Community and what this personally means to them. This thought provoking session will frame the week of learning that will be available through the rest of the Virtual Conference and challenge you to own your learning.

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