Multi-Channel Contact Centres

Tuesday 28th February 2012, One Wimpole Street - London, 9:15 - 16:30

Multi-Channel Contact Centres: Increasing Customer Value

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Overview

The UK government contact centre industry is increasingly busy and increasingly stretched. A poorly handled citizen query can undo years of work building your public perception. Therefore it is imperative that service providers establish optimal techniques to connect and communicate with their customers.

With over 60% of the UK population being online a multi-channel approach is imperative to improving service user engagement. The need for a multi-channel approach is also highlighted by a government digital service review on the number of visitors to central government websites. This review found that in 2011 the number of visitors averaged at over 2 million a month. Consequently the government is taking forward the Digital by Default strategy to accelerate the move to delivery of public services through online channels.

In addition, the Open Public Services White Paper, published in July 2011, outlined the government’s pledge to transform customer contact in public services. The government will consult with local authorities and the wider public sector about how to develop locally commissioned services in customer contact. With budgetary restrictions and growing service user expectation, public service providers need to ensure a continued multi-channel, self-service contact for citizens. Contact centres, offering service users advice and support, will become even more vital amidst public service reforms.

With increasingly limited resources, the challenge is to bridge the gap between the service provider and service user by delivering optimum customer services, encouraging user engagement and ultimately improving efficiency.

Agenda

This informative forum will offer delegates the opportunity to gain insight into developing best practice customer service strategies for their contact centres. With the government recently outlining its commitment to transforming customer contact in public services this forum will provide you with a timely update of government policies and case studies of the most pioneering and effective customer service methods today.

09:15	Registration and Coffee
10:00	Chair’s Welcome Address Ann Marie Forsyth, Chief Executive, Customer Contact Association (CONFIRMED)
10:10	Morning Keynote: Optimising Social Media and Web 2.0 Technology Establishing an effective social media strategy How to use social media and web 2.0 technology to increase your centre’s productivity Social media as a way to improve efficiency, boost rapport and ultimately increase user satisfaction Developing the training methods needed to achieve optimal social media use The importance of being consistent and concise when writing for social media use Driving towards citizen led services and self-service models of contact Guy Stephens, The Institute of Customer Service (CONFIRMED)
10:30	Special Keynote Address: Delivering Value for Money Developing increasingly effective and efficient procedures Achieving this level of service with a reduced budget Transforming customer services Improving customer service to save costs Achieving value for money Leveraging best practices from other sectors and industries Lorna Peters, Business Improvement - Connect Digitally, Hertfordshire County Council and Department for Education (CONFIRMED)
10:50	Questions and Answers Session
11:15	Coffee Break and Networking
11:40	Case Study: Bridging the Gap Between the Contact Centre and the Service User Handling being one of the biggest call centres in the country, handling around 1.5million calls each year Encouraging engagement with all service users Recognising digital delivery as faster and more efficient for the public Increasing call handling capacity using technology Ensuring the complaints process is managed effectively Long term technological investment as a way to reduce long term costs Stuart Balnaves, Contact Centre Manager, UCAS (CONFIRMED)
12:00	Encouraging Service User Engagement Through a Multi-Channel Approach Who is the audience? How online are they? Improving the connections between service users and providers How can service users be involved with service design? Generating service-user content to ensure the right focus The impact of self-service technology on the ability to solve problems Kevin McLean, Director of Operations, UK Online Centres (CONFIRMED)
12:20	Questions and Answers Session
12:40	Lunch and Networking
13:40	Case Study: Invigorating Public Service Delivery Lambeth Council as an example of success in public service delivery Ensuring the team reflects the community that it works for and within Developing action plans to increase efficiency Defining service standards across the delivery of all public services Changing customer service behaviour to encourage a multi-channel approach Using digital technology in targeting a wider audience Realising the benefits to efficiency this approach can achieve David Ashmore, Divisional Director, Revenue, Benefits and Customer Service, Finance & Resources Department, Lambeth Council (CONFIRMED)
14:00	Attracting, Inspiring and Retaining the Next Generation of Contact Centre Employees Ensuring high morale is continually maintained Recruiting the right talent for the needs of your contact centre How to retain talent within government contact centres Continually developing the skill set of your workforce Promoting individual talent across your entire team The carrot or stick approach: The use of incentives to boost employee performance Paul O'Brien, Chief Executive, Association for Public Service Excellence (CONFIRMED)
14:20	Doing More For Less - Different Perspectives On a Common Objective (It Can Be Done!) Setting the scene; what's happened since Varney? More For Less 2012 - what it means for different users and why it doesn't mean "worse" The story of a typical citizen contact with a public sector centre Why the private and public sectors are really not so far apart and how any gaps can be closed Tony Lockwood, Business Development, MatsSoft Ltd. (CONFIRMED)
14:40	Questions and Answers Session
15:05	Coffee and Networking
15:30	Case Study: NHS Direct - Remotely Delivered Healthcare for the 21st Century From telephone helplines to fully integrated multi-channel service The value of remotely delivered multi-channel health services to patients and the NHS Roger Donald, Associate Director of Multi Channel, NHS Direct (CONFIRMED)
15:50	Tackling the Challenges: A View From The Front Line Worker The challenges of a reliance on call centres How will this change in light of public service reforms? Establishing new methods to ensure the best practice Guaranteeing your centre is prepared to offer advice and support through change How can personalisation be achieved? The centralisation of contact centres: How can staff be educated to tackle all the issues met? Becky Humphreys, Customer Services Manager, Control and Contact Centre - Kent Police (CONFIRMED)
16:10	Questions and Answers Session
16:30	Chair's Summary and Close

*Programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitors:

Audience

Delegates attending this forum will include heads of service, customer services leads, chief customer officers, customer operations managers and teams, customer operations managers, customer services directors, head of contact centre services, call centre leads, customer insight managers, local authority frontline service providers, customer insight and customer standards teams and leaders, digital delivery teams, heads of change management, heads of operations, customer liaison.