Endnote

Originally broadcasted on Friday 16th October 2026, 12:30

As the virtual conference draws to a close, join us for a final reflective discussion that brings together the key themes, conversations and challenges explored throughout the week. We'll look beyond the notes, slides and presentations to ask a more important question: what will you do differently because of what you've heard? From AI and innovation to planning, leadership, customer experience and continuous improvement, this session will explore the ideas that stood out, the lessons worth taking forward and the opportunities to turn learning into action. We'll challenge delegates to think about their own commitment to raising standards. What is the one thing you'll take away, apply and act on when you return to work? Because learning only creates value when it leads to change. A practical, thought-provoking and engaging close to the week that will leave you inspired to turn ideas into action and continue raising standards across your organisation.

Positive Tension Keynote

Originally broadcasted on Wednesday 14th October 2026, 10:30

Positive tension is the hidden engine of high‑performing teams, and this session allows you to understand how you can utilise this tension effectively in teams/operations and organisations. Drawing on Kate Manton’s global leadership and operations background, we will explore how differences in thinking aren’t conflicts to avoid but the gap that drives better teamwork, decisions, stronger collaboration, and smarter customer operations. 
 

#RaisingStandards Keynote

Originally broadcasted on Monday 12th October 2026, 10:30

Be Ready to Learn: Turning Learning into Lasting Impact
Learning is about far more than attending a conference, completing a module or gaining new knowledge. The real value comes from creating the time and space to reflect, challenge existing assumptions, apply ideas in practice and share what we discover with others. In this keynote, we explore what it means to be prepared to learn, from understanding how we learn and protecting time for development, to creating the structure, support and momentum that turns learning into action.

Webinar: The Manager's New Toolkit: Closing the Action Gap in the AI Era in Partnership with Centrical

Frontline managers have never had more performance data, and never had less time to act on it. Signals are scattered across QA, WFM, LMS, CRM, and a growing stack of dashboards. Now AI agents are joining the workforce as a new layer to oversee, and the gap between performance insight and performance change is widening fast.

This is the action gap. Closing it is the defining challenge facing frontline leaders this year.

Join Ian Chappell, Director of Consulting, EMEA at Centrical, for a practical follow-up to The Forum's Best Practice Showcase. Ian opens with a look at why most platforms are widening the gap rather than closing it, then previews three Centrical capabilities built for the manager's job in a hybrid human-AI workforce.

BT Group

BT Group explain how they connected governance, planning, technology, and leadership into a joined-up operating model. 

Webinar: See the WFM AI Assistant in Action in partnership with Sabio

WFM AI Assistant: Real-Time Intelligence for Smarter Workforce Decisions
Spot problems early. Understand the cause. Fix them immediately.
Managing workforce performance in real time has never been more complex. Volumes spike unexpectedly, AHT drifts, shrinkage creeps up — and by the time daily reports arrive, the damage is already done. The Sabio WFM AI Assistant changes that.

The WFM AI Assistant is a platform-agnostic AI solution that draws real-time data from:
 - Contact centre platforms
 - WFO and analytics platforms
 - HR systems
 - CRM solutions

Technology Showcase: National Support Network

Originally Broadcast Wednesday 15th October, 12:30

Compassion fatigue and how to help your teams to care without burning out. Every day, our colleagues are expected to show up with empathy for customers in vulnerable circumstances. But what happens when empathy itself becomes exhausting? That’s compassion fatigue. It’s not burnout - yet - but if ignored, it can take us there. Join Helen from the National Support Network in an interactive session. 

Technology Showcase: Verint

Originally Broadcast Monday 13th October, 12:30

Smarter. Faster. Stronger: How Verint Co-pilot Bots Supercharge Contact Centres. In today’s fast-paced customer experience landscape, efficiency and personalisation are no longer optional- they’re essential. Join us for an exclusive session as we reveal how Verint’s Co-pilot Bots are reshaping contact centres by automating micro-workflows, reducing average handling times, and significantly increasing agent capacity.

Opening Keynote #RaisingStandards

Originally Broadcast Monday 13th October, 10:30

Reset, Redefine & Raise Standards
This keynote launches the week by challenging us to turn intent into action. Explore how learning, reflection and ownership drive personal growth and organisational progress. Discover how tools like the Learning Tracker, Reflective Method, and the Learning Pyramid support continuous improvement. We'll explore how to break out of firefighting, align strategy with daily action, and shift from “being busy” to “making a difference”. It's time to reset habits, redefine success, and commit to doing things differently. Because done will always beat intended.

The Evolution of Planning

Some things will always matter. Businesses will always need to balance customer demand, employee needs, and business goals. Planning will still rely on data, but how that data is used will keep evolving.

Technology will continue to speed things up. AI and automation will take over more of the routine tasks, but that doesn’t mean planners will become less important.

20 Transformational Innovations Changing the Future of Work

Celebrating the 20 finalists from this year’s Innovation & Transformation awards. Trailblazers who are redefining workforce planning, customer experience, and operational excellence. From AI to culture change, these organisations are proving that bold thinking drives real-world results.

The Art of Storytelling

Phil Anderson, The Forum leads a brief keynote on “The Art of Storytelling” then a panel discussion where practical examples of understanding the difference you can make, and how to engage and influence others is discussed with some of this year’s judges and finalists: Graham Watson from Capita Regulated Services and Scott Budding from Calabrio.

Perfect Parnerships

 Centrical and Capita Customer Experience talk around what makes a “Perfect Partnership

Endnote: Raising Standards

Originally broadcast Friday 28th March 2025 at 13:30

Closing the week with practical tips on how to use learning to drive action and raise standards. 

25 Years of Innovation & Transformation Keynote

Originally broadcast Friday 28th March at 09:30

Celebrating 25 years of the Innovation & Transformation Awards, this keynote takes a look back from a finalist and judges perspective. Discussing key industry shifts, from workforce flexibility and real-time analytics to automation and omnichannel experiences. We will also explore what the next 25 years of Raising Standards could look like.