2022 Customer Strategy & Planning

Partner Article: Revolutionising Customer Service Capacity Planning with Advanced Technologies

Revolutionising Customer Service Capacity Planning with Advanced Technologies

By Paul Milloy, Business Consultant at Intradiem

Partner Article: EvaluAgent Raises $20 Million to Fuel Continued Growth and Global Expansion in Contact Center Quality Assurance & Workforce Engagement

Series A Round from PeakSpan Capital Will Fund Investments in Quality Assurance & Agent Improvement Platform Capabilities to Serve Contact Centers of All Sizes

How to share bad news

What happens when analysis says we are going to fail to achieve our goals no matter what we do? Ian Robertson shares insight from the Predictive Analysis Network about the costs of unrealistic targets.

Business is a cooperative game

The ‘best people’ is a bad idea that refuses to die. Whilst the logic of a ‘best people’ strategy is seductive, the outcome is poor. So instead create the ‘best systems’ and build culture, explains James Lawther.
 

Reversing a decline in customer satisfaction can unlock productivity gains for business

With economic conditions tight and a possible recession looming, every customer purchase decision matters to businesses. Whatever sector you’re in, there are many facets to enticing customers to buy – quality, value for money, convenience – but one of the key ingredients is customer service.  From Jo Causon, CEO at The Institute of Customer Services.

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.

Flexibility, personal choice and the value of time

We need new workforce strategies to drive a change in culture, deliver more flexible ways of working and offer more opportunity for people to learn and progress. Phil Anderson describes how to approach the 8 Key Considerations and use Playbooks to design a new joined-up approach that attracts, motivates and releases the potential of our people.

The 2023 Back Office Conundrum

Join Corporate Modelling Services on our Webinar, as Alex Allen and Paul Barrow delve into the challenges faced by back-office and operational teams across multiple service industries in 2023.

Adaptive choice and the impact on life beyond work

Flexibility is one of the main reasons for contact centre productivity, but sometimes too much choice is a bad thing. Graeme Gabriel and David Kay explore how we can manage choice in scheduling so that it works for our people. This is adaptive choice.

Partner Article: Rethinking hybrid work: Why we need an individualised approach for the long run

The best of both worlds. A terrific blend of the benefits of being in the office and working from home. The future of work.  

That’s what hybrid work was supposed to be. What it has actually turned out to be is a juggling act of multiple workplaces and no particular place to hang your hat. Working hybrid means constantly dealing with poor in-person office work conditions, frustrating commutes and a tax on workers’ mental health, among other concerns.  

Releasing potential in technology: make it work for customers & colleagues

Investment is huge but benefits only flow when our operating models and processes are re-designed to be data driven, and the human connection is concentrated where it’s most valued. As Chris Rainsforth reveals, digital transformation requires operational excellence. So how do we step up as professionals in planning, insight, knowledge sharing and quality control?

How to become a true brand guardian

Uncover opportunities to raise customers’ experience of your brand and focus on what matters most. Ed Creasey charts the major new insights from Calabrio’s latest research.

Keynote: The Value of Community

Originally broadcast Monday 9th October, 09:30

In this opening keynote, The Forum team members will discuss the importance of community. They will provide practical advice to help you expand your connections within and beyond your organisation.

Interactive Keynote: Davies

Originally broadcast Monday 9th October, 12:30

Generative AI and the Contact Centre Experience
Join Mark Odlin from Davies as he delves into the transformative power of generative AI in the modern contact centre.

Technology Showcase: The Forum LMS

Originally broadcast Monday 9th October, 13:30

A showcase of The Forum Learning Management System (LMS) which has been successfully rolled out to many of our members. Learn how different members have approached learning.

Technology Showcase: NICE

Originally broadcast Wednesday 11th October, 12:30

Graeme and Colin will talk about the differences in requirements for delayed response contacts and how NICE WFM is supporting them.

Interactive Keynote: Uniphore

Originally broadcast Wednesday 11th October, 13:30

Generative AI - Your trusted co-pilot for transformative customer and employee experiences.

Interactive Keynote: AI & Machine Learning

Originally broadcast Wednesday 11th October, 14:30

In this keynote we will be hearing from David Bruce and Alfy Reid from NEA Consulting to explore recent developments in AI, how it's being applied, the risks to consider and what the future might look like.

Endnote

Originally broadcast Friday 12th October, 12:30

Hear from Forum Hero Busola Akinsola, as she talks about her commitment to learning and continual improving. 

Sensée and Bupa homeworking team named Outsourcer of the Year at the 2023 Northern Contact Centre Awards

Hammersmith, London. Sensée and Bupa are pleased to announce that their customer service homeworking team was named ‘Outsourced Contact Centre of the Year - Medium’ at the 2023 Northern Contact Centre Awards gala dinner on Friday night.

Data & AI: game-changing opportunities?

Emerging technologies use data in new ways and many benefits flow from this. We can tap into new sources of insight. Automation can transform how we plan resources. So what are the opportunities? And how do we release this potential?

Empowering advisors: how can technology support you?

How are advisors coping in today’s changing world? Huw Jones looks at how new approaches are evolved, both from advances in technology and with innovation driven by the curiosity of professionals exploring new ways of using systems they already have.

The Power of One

Personalise performance improvement, by creating new ways for people to learn, progress and connect.

Ian Chappell shares five keys factors, that drive real, specific results and help people progress.

The future of insight

Aim for more signal, less noise, and make insights personal and relevant, like a fitness watch. If insight is the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding, how do we empower people to use this to make decisions and mistakes, and learn from these?

Partner Article: From AI theory to practice: Insights from customer service

Partner Article: Calabrio Acquires AI and Bot Analytics Company Wysdom to Revolutionise the Customer Experience

Minneapolis, MN — January 9— Calabrio, today announced their acquisition of Wysdom, the leading experts in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and virtual agent performance solutions. This acquisition will accelerate Calabrio’s strategy to help customers leverage AI and ML (Machine Learning) to maximise agent engagement, productivity, and ROI (Return on Investment). Wysdom, based out of Toronto, Canada, was founded in 2012 and has been a pioneer in developing software and services to help customers optimise the performance of their virtual agents. 

The Forum has become an Employee Ownership Trust

This means that Paul Smedley has placed full ownership of The Forum in the hands of an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), in perpetuity, making us fit for the long-term future.
 
The purpose of The Forum is to raise standards in customer operations by enabling members of our professional communities to learn, share and innovate.

AI automation: next generation speech and text analytics

Chris Rainsforth at The Forum was talking with Carolina Lemos, formerly Product Marketing Manager at Talkdesk

How does a knowledge hub work?

Learn how to create a knowledgeguided experience for customers and colleagues. Stephen Kennedy explores 7 best practice tips to turbocharge knowledge.

Sensée launches Surge emergency response service

Work-from-home CX specialist Sensée has launched an emergency response service for organisations needing extra trained personnel at short notice to manage spikes in customer contact.