Service strategies to drive sustainable business performance
Sustainable business performance is vital to the long-term health of the UK economy. There is increasing recognition that sustainable success depends on customer-centric business strategies which are embraced consistently across an organisation. The Institute’s Annual Conference provides an opportunity for business leaders to hear from boardroom executives responsible for the continued success of their organisation.
Conference programme:
Registration
08:00 | Refreshements, networking and exhibition
Introduction
09:15 | Conference facilitator, Nadine Dereza, business presenter, financial journalist
and non-executive director of WorldSkills
Welcome
09:25 | Jo Causon, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service
Investing in customer service
10:15 | Steve Holliday, chief executive, National Grid
National Grid operates in a highly regulated environment where health and safety and corporate governance share equal significance.
Following an extensive 5–year review of its customer strategy, Steve recognised that process and system changes alone would not get National Grid where it aspired to be. So he instigated another review of the ‘look and feel’ of the customer experience across different channels.
What you'll get from this session: an understanding of the business benefits of investing in customer service, and how to get the most from that investment.
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
10:55
Should customer service reporting be regulated?
11:20 | Steve Holliday, Jo Upward, Jo Causon, Kai Peters, Paul Eaves
As customer service results increasingly affect shareholder value, the risk of mis-reporting becomes greater. Organisations are guardians of more customer data than ever before and therefore have to grow, maintain or build trust in order to flourish. How can we safeguard the reputation of customer-centric businesses without more legislation or costly red tape and keep customer service reporting transparent, ethical and honest? In this session delegates will debate the need for customer service to be bound by similar rules of governance as financial reporting to remain credible and valuable in the new consumer landscape.
What you'll get from this session: An opportunity to join in the debate with a panel of leading business practitioners. The session will be chaired by Nadine Dereza.
Panelists:
Steve Holliday, chief executive, National Grid
Jo Upward, managing director, Platform
Jo Causon, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service
Kai Peters, chief executive, Ashridge Business School
Paul Eaves, deputy director, head of behavioural evidence & insight, HMRC
Customer service without borders - a global perspective
12:00 | Professor Alan Barrell, entrepreneur in residence, University of Cambridge
Professor Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in senior executive positions in technology-based industries and has become one of Cambridge’s most articulate promoters of entrepreneurship. He is entrepreneur in residence at the University’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, and a visiting professor at the University of Bedfordshire School of Graduate Business Studies, Xiamen University and the Shanghai College of Science and Technology.
What you'll get from this session: examples of best practice in the implementation and creation of service strategies for multi-cultural customer bases drawn down from Alan's wealth of experience.
Lunch, networking and exhibition
12:40
Culture change the seamless way
13:30 | Andy Green, non-executive director of ARM, chairman of DockOn
Andy Green explores how four trends will affect everyone in business over the coming year and discusses how they could affect the future conduct of business and politics across the globe: 'European Doldrums'; 'Sustainability'; 'People Power' and 'Evil Business' are the four platforms that Andy discusses which together give a perfect insight into the new economic and customer landscape. Andy will also share his vision of what needs to be done to ensure that the effects of these forces are beneficial to your business.
What you'll get from this session: An understanding of the effects of these trends and how you can adapt your business accordingly.
Question time
14:15 | Jo Causon, Des Benjamin, Karen Clements, Giles Hawke, Chris Popple
Jo Causon, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service
Des Benjamin, chief executive, Simplyhealth
Karen Clements, chief operating officer, Life & Pensions Services, Capita
Giles Hawke, sales & customer services director, Carnival UK
Chris Popple, managing director, digital channel, UK Retail, The Royal Bank of Scotland
What you'll get from this session: An opportunity to quiz leading UK business strategists on customer service delivery and integration. The session will be chaired by Nadine Dereza who will take questions from the floor.
Refreshments, networking and exhibition
15:00
Communicating on customers' terms
15:30 | Laura Wade-Gery, executive director, multi-channel e-commerce, Marks and Spencer
Understanding customer behaviour is vital in the new economy. In this session Laura shares her experience of dealing with customers on their terms.
"Our customers' expectations are set by a wide variety of service experiences - across industry, across organisations, across geographies. And now more than ever, digital technologies are changing most of the dynamics of customer
engagement - amongst them, service." Laura Wade-Gery
Laura joined the M&S board in July 2011. She was previously at Tesco plc where she held a variety of senior roles from 1997.
What you'll get from this session: An understanding of the importance of customers' information and communications needs.
Taking the risk out of risk taking
16:15 | Caspar Berry, entrepreneur and former poker professional
In today’s unforgiving and unrelenting business landscape, the ability to adapt quickly and evolve radically is the new currency for success. The natural reaction for some is to become risk averse, play safe and work harder. For others, tough economic times offer new opportunities and a chance to change and innovate. Caspar explores the key attributes of individuals he deems most likely to succeed: agility, forward thinking, risk taking in decision making, creativity, innovation, communication, leadership and bravery. Nothing is guaranteed in business anymore, yet trying to ignore uncertainty can have the most profound consequences.
What you'll get from this session: a new approach towards calculated risk taking and an understanding of how this fits with the takeaways from the conference speakers.
Closing remarks
17:00 | Jo Causon, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service
Close
17:15
