Customer engagement guide & blog | Engage Customer

Debate the Future of Customer Contact at our Next Event

Written by Engage Customer | Jan 31, 2024 11:57:55 AM

Customer expectations are evolving at a faster rate than ever before. Knowing this and understanding how challenging it is for organisations to catch up, we at Engage Customer are excited to share that there is just one week to go until our Future of Customer Contact Conference. Taking place on Thursday the 8th of February at The Brewery in London, this event will allow you to learn from those who are staying ahead of the curve and delivering exceptional experiences; for this reason, the Future of Customer Contact Conference will focus on helping you build better experiences for your customers.

Considering that this annual event attracts attendees from various industries, we have carefully selected our speakers to ensure every attendee feels represented. Some of the brands our delegates can look forward to hearing from include Bupa, Citi Global Insights, Davies Hickman, E. ON, Financial Times, Forrester, Halfords, Maersk, Naked Wines, Panasonic, Sky, Zurich Insurance Company, and others.

30 PRESENTATIONS ACROSS 3 HALLS

With presentations, case studies, interviews and panel discussions taking place across different halls, our speakers will leave no stone unturned when addressing the topics relevant to today’s CX landscape. They will discuss customer contact strategies, the duty of care, making omnichannel work, customer retention, end-to-end service design, leadership, and AI-driven self-service. Moreover, our speakers will debate data and privacy (i.e., trust versus personalisation), what metrics matter most in a fast-changing world, and how hybrid work creates benefits and challenges in equal measure.

These subjects (and more) will be explored throughout the entire day in our largest hall, the main stage. We will also have two breakout halls dedicated to specific topics: ‘Insight’ and ‘Innovation & Technology’.

UNVEILING RECENT RESEARCH

The conference will begin with us revealing the results of our latest research in partnership with the market research and customer experience experts, Davies HickmanWe’ll reveal the choices and preferences of Gen Z customers, unveiling how they want to use communication channels and interact with organisations.

According to our findings, Gen Z are much more likely than others to research products and organisations. In fact, many are using Generative AI to understand consumer rights and access templates for making complaints. In this session, we’ll explain what this means for those managing customer contact in organisations.

Another research company we are excited to have on stage at our Future of Customer Contact Conference is Forrester. Senior Analyst Michelle Beeson will discuss the state of customer obsession in Europe, explaining why putting customers at the centre of leadership, strategy and operations is critical to business success. Michelle will further reveal the benefits of a customer-obsessed strategy and the steps firms can take to improve their customer obsession maturity.

LEARN FROM OUR ENGAGE AWARDS WINNERS

With our 2024 Engage Awards open for entries (as of the 1st of February), our upcoming event will feature presentations by some of our former winners, namely Belron International and Naked Wines.

Awarded ‘Best Use of Voice of the Customer’ on the 28th of November last year, Belron International were recognised for adopting a new VoC platform and framework. Now, their Voice of the Customer Manager Jamie Carter will share their success story in detail and explain how they maintain a world-class NPS and improve the customer experience. (Read our interview with Jamie Carter here.)

Similarly, the winners of the 2022 ‘Best Customer Service Team’ award will also take the stage, with Naked Wines’ Head of Customer Happiness Neil Gregory revealing how they keep their customers happy. Neil’s talk will break down the habits they’ve put in place to make sure that team members and customers stay happy and to ensure they never lose sight of the human element that’s vital to increasing customer loyalty and advocacy for the brand. (Read our interview with Neil Gregory here.)

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS

In addition to the research presentations and the case studies, the event will also feature exclusive interviews with:

  • Anna Wilcox, Head of Customer Experience at Bupa
  • James Brindley-Raynes, Head of Digital Customer Journey at Maersk
  • Derek McWhinnie, Head of Customer Care at Zurich Insurance
  • Sarah Reeder, Service Strategy Manager at Sky
  • Michael Peniket, Customer Director at Taylor Wimpey

During these fireside chats, our interviewees will discuss their roles, what their organisations are doing and how you can follow in their footsteps to improve your CX.

The day will end with a panel discussion exploring the current challenges and opportunities shaping the future of customer contact. More specifically, our panellists Jane Redgrave (Head of Consumer Retention at Bupa), Faye Bailey (Quality Lead at Halfords), and Charlotte Owen (Head of Customer Planning & Customer Relationships at Financial Times) will delve into the evolving landscape of customer contact. Furthermore, they will debate the intricacies of leveraging technology, managing multichannel communication, and addressing emerging trends.