2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

Best Practice Guides

Take a look at our full range of Best Practice Guides - outstanding books that bring together highlights from our extensive online member library of best practice materials. Designed not only to inspire, but also to identify practical insight and provide toolkits and hot tips, we intend our resources to help you to raise standards across the industry. Packed with case studies, research, thought leadership and supplier listings, this is the year-round resource that contains the jewels of the year’s best practice.
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Omni or Multi-skill, or Maybe Fungible Flexibility

Is there a new view for the future of efficiency and productivity, or do we just have another name to play bingo!

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Categories: Library

Redefining Flexibility and the Workforce Strategy

The one common trend across leading organisations is that their flexibility offering and people strategy is always evolving. The other significant factor is that this focusses on fluidity and not control. Whereas the old way was to create “fairness” for everyone, with everyone sharing the good and bad shifts, the new way is built upon a foundation of personal choice, which provides the opportunity to adapt and be shaped by the individual.

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Categories: Library

Annual Leave: Best Practices, and Leading Concepts in Absence Management

Annual leave is more than a right. It’s a tool for balancing employee well-being, efficiency, and a productive culture. Innovative approaches to holiday planning and leave policies are helping improve both morale and productivity. These approaches redefine traditional concepts of time off. They offer unique perspectives on managing, planning, and optimising employee leave.

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Categories: Library

Harnessing AI & Advanced Analytics: Insights and Strategies for Real- World Impact

As the world of AI and analytics reshapes our industries, forward-looking organizations strive to adopt and harness these new technologies, embedding them in their strategies to benefit customers, employees, and shareholders. Using my academic and research background in mathematics and statistics, I’ve focused on using AI to solve real problems, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge. I will share my insights on AI’s potential, suggest ways to maximize advanced analytics, and offer ideas to harness AI meaningfully. Through new learnings, collaboration, and education, we can be empowered to transform our future.

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Categories: Library

Mastering the Future: Scenario Models in a World of Uncertainty

Scenario modelling is a valuable planning tool. It explores and prepares for possible futures by developing and analysing a range of scenarios. But its potential is far more than that. It enables us to make the right decisions with confidence. This is key to great planning, but is also essential for quality management and continuous improvement. Wherever we use insight to shape decisions, scenario analysis can support us.

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Categories: Library

How Good Is My Forecast?

Accurate forecasting is vital to an effective contact centre operation, driving decisions that balance service levels, customer experience, operational costs and employee satisfaction. Whether managing inbound calls, emails or chats, a reliable forecast helps ensure resources are allocated to meet demands without overburdening staff. Yet, how can you evaluate the effectiveness of your forecasting process? Not all forecasting challenges are equal — some work types are inherently more volatile and difficult to predict than others, making a universal error target impractical.
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Categories: Library

Unlocking the Potential of Machine Learning: Opportunities, Interpretability, and a Balanced Approach

As organisations become more data-driven, machine learning (ML) is changing how we understand and use information. I’ve seen, in my work, the immense potential of ML. I’m excited about the opportunities it brings to all kinds of organisations. But, with these opportunities comes the duty to use ML wisely. I’ll share insights on ML’s key opportunities. I’ll discuss how to deepen our understanding. I’ll explain why tools like SHAP are vital for trust and transparency.
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Categories: Library

The Future of Forecasting: Transforming Capacity Planning for Tomorrow

Forecasting and capacity planning are essential for aligning staffing levels with demand. This ensures businesses avoid over- or under-resourcing. Good planning turns strategy into action. It supports budgets. It also builds a base for flexible work and development. Without it, people strategies cannot succeed.
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Categories: Library

Bad Habits That Kill Your WFM Strategy

Workforce management has evolved far beyond simple schedule creation.

Modern WFM strategies must balance complex variables including customer expectations, agent wellbeing, operational costs, and regulatory compliance whilst adapting to increasingly volatile demand patterns. Yet despite significant investments in sophisticated forecasting tools and analytics platforms, many contact centres continue to struggle with fundamental execution.

The changing face of contact centres: lessons from the UK

The UK Contact Centre Decision Makers Guide provides a deep dive into the latest trends shaping the industry. It highlights key challenges and opportunities. These include AI’s impact, workforce management and customer expectations. So, what can we learn from this year’s findings?

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Categories: Library

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