For more information on the 2009 Agenga please contact Chris Morley, Events and Exhibitions Manager, Institute of Customer Service or call +44(0)1206 216 187

The 2008 event has taken place, please view the Agenda below:

DAY ONE 21st October 2008

8.45 Registration, refreshments & exhibition

9.45  Chairman's opening
          Robert Crawford, executive director
          Institute of Customer Service

10.00 Welcome
            David Parsons, chief executive, Institute of Customer Service

10.15 The global economic outlook and the importance of excellent customer service
           Roger Martin-Fagg, senior lecturer, Henley Management College  

• discover what the signs for the economic outlook are for the UK over the next three years
• explore how these compare with other parts of the world and examine how the UK is able to compete
• discover what this means for growth, stagflation or recession and examine the opportunities
• hear what strategies need to be employed to cope with the economic forecast
• learn how customer service becomes even more important in slowdown than in growth

11.00 Refreshments & exhibition

11.30 Forecasting consumer behaviour and changes in customer service
           Jodie Armore-White, service development, Armore 

• understand the future trends of customer expectations
• realise the importance of new consumer groups
• anticipate the demands of the new generation of customers
• learn about the psychology of customer behaviour
• gain a global understanding of customer needs in a shrinking world

12.15 Trust to the future - what kind of service will tomorrows customers expect?
           Chris Daffy, founder, The Academy of Service Excellence  

• gain new ideas on how to cope with growing customer expectations
• learn why current loyal customers may not remain so in the new climate
• explore what changes will be needed to serve future customers
• understand why recruitment may become the key differentiator in the future
• consider the winning service strategies for today and tomorrow

13.00  Lunch & exhibition

14.00 First breakout session

Select the most relevant interactive breakout session from the options below:

Option 1 The customer is king
Adam Rider, director of customer services, EDF Energy

The power sector often draws adverse comments about their standards of service, but EDF Energy is truly different.  They put the customer at the heart of their business and regularly win awards and accolades for their customer-centric approach.  Not wishing to rest on their laurels, Adam will discuss the journey since nationalisation and how EDF Energy entered the market.  He will also discuss the service challenges of integrating three regional brands, each with their own culture.

Option 2 Try something new today - customer service training excellence at Sainsbury's
Andy White, community affairs manager (formerly head of customer service project team), Sainsbury's

Experience a new and interactive approach to customer service training. The Sainsburys customer service team will take you through the journey of change we have taken and describe the results that led them to win the National Customer Service Awards' customer service training team of the year. They will also give you a hands on taste of a few of the fast and furious exercises involved. Get on your feet and have some fun!

Option 3 Transforming the service culture
Stephen Parry, director, See Business Differently Ltd

Stephen has worked on research proving the link between employee and customer engagement and an organisation's overall financial performance.  The groundbreaking session outlines the requirements to generate a superior service climate, using a recent case study from the telecoms industry. Stephen's work will have far reaching consequences for companies and customers alike.

14.45 Second breakout session 

Select the most relevant interactive breakout session from the options below:

Option 1 Feeling the difference - can enhanced empathy with customers improve satisfaction and efficiency?
Martin Howe, group training & development manager, CEGA Group

There is some evidence to suggest that expressing empathy with customers increases levels of customer satisfaction, but can it also improve efficiency and impact on the 'bottom line'? Is empathy a natural personality trait or can levels of empathy in Customer Service Advisors be increased by training? If so, what interventions are most successful? Is there a positive correlation between the teams demonstrating high levels of empathy and the top performing teams? These are some of the questions the Training and Development team at CEGA Group set out to answer. Their findings, and the subsequent development of an emotional intelligence learning programme, produced some remarkable results.

Option 2 Building a brand on service
Michelle Hey, head of customer experience development, first direct

Established in 1989, first direct became the UK's first 24hr telephone bank. Since then it has become the UK's most recommended bank and winner of numerous awards. Michelle will take you through first direct's journey to date and give an insight into how the unique culture drives both customer satisfaction and the highest level of people engagement within HSBC Bank.

Option 3 How technology can enable the customer service of the future
Gareth Turpin, head of transformation - customer services, O2

This breakout session will explore how future technological developments in each of the key facets of customer service, including Self Service, Access Strategy, the advisor desktop, Real Time Decision Making and workforce mgt/MI can benefit the customer, the customer service employee and the bottom line. Gareth will provide a flavour of how O2 is using these services and offer insight and advice on how to use communication technologies of the future to help customers serve themselves.

15.30 Refreshments & exhibition
 
16.00 The psychology of customers
           Adrian Furnham, professor in psychology, University College London

• identify what sort of people have a talent for service and ascertain how to recognise them
• discover how to understand the behaviours and needs of individual customers
• having understood individual customer needs, how can these needs be met?
• if we are serious about our work, how can we make it fun as well?
• ascertain what part individual personality can play in a team driven, customer-focused environment

16.45  End of Day 1      

19.15 Pre-dinner drinks

20.00 Gala networking dinner

A chance to meet other delegates in an informal atmosphere and an opportunity to discuss the days events and matters of mutual interest.  After dinner, entertainment will be provided to ensure a fun and relaxing end to a busy day.

DAY TWO 22nd October 2008

08.15    Registration, refreshments & exhibition

09.00 Chairman's Opening
Robert Crawford, executive director, Institute of Customer Service  

09.15 Generation Y - are you ready or have you missed the boat?
         Natalie Calvert, founder and managing director, Calcom Group

• identify the eco-boomers and millennials and what impact they are having on customer service demand
• explore how this group is re-writing the customer service rule books
• find out how top companies have reacted to this new set of consumers and employees
• discover what you need to do to change
• prepare to "be ready to take decisive action"

10.00    The Computer Says no - is IT a help or a hindrance to providing 21st Century
               customer service?
               Ken Olisa, chairman, Restoration Partners   

• identify if your customer service application really is a customer service agent application
• learn how to use IT to build customer relations
• discover if your IT systems bring out the best in your people - or turn them into monkeys
• identify if your system designers could tell the difference between a tool and a machine

10.45    Refreshments & exhibition     

11.30    Transform or die - why incremental change is no longer an option
              Sarah Fogden, deputy director, service transformation implementation,
          delivery and transformation group, The Cabinet Office     

• learn how the Varney Report is being implemented in public sector organisations across the country to improve service delivery
• identify how best practice models can be introduced on a wide basis to hasten that improvement
• examine why the Government is so determined to improve public sector service
• gain insight into what difficulties have already been encountered and how they have been overcome
• Explore lessons and implications that can benefit the private sector

12.00    Panel questions & answers
The mornings presenters are joined by the Institute of Customer Service's chief executive David Parsons, to answer delegates questions on all aspects of customer service.
    
12.30    Lunch & exhibition

13.30    Breakout session
Select the most relevant interactive breakout session from the options below:

Option 1 Panel debate

Motion: This house believes that attempts by organisations to increase productivity, including deployment of technologies to supposedly improve customer service, is in fact the cause of huge declines in the customer service delivered by organisations in most sectors of industry and government in this country.
Alison Bond, director, The Halo Works Ltd
Neil Skehel, director, The Lamberhurst Corporation
Peter Massey, managing director, Budd
Lyn Etherington, founding partner, Cape Consulting

Breakout Option 2 A complaint is a gift so why do so many organisations not like receiving free presents?
Paul Cooper, director, Institute of Customer Service

A key way to build a great reputation for customer service is to be brilliant at handling complaints, and yet so many organisations dont listen to their customers, dont make it easy for them to make a complaint, and dont have feedback systems to learn from them. In this interactive workshop Paul will cover why complaints are so important, how they should be welcomed and handled, and how to effectively learn from them to improve training and processes.  

Breakout Option 3 Making an impact - what impact is everyone having on your customer experience, brand and bottom line?
Carolyn Dallaway, managing director, Carolyn Dallaway Ltd

If everyone in your organisation isnt engaging with your brand and taking responsibility for the whole customer experience, marketing and being ambassadors, you wont be keeping or attracting as many customers as you could be. You will be missing opportunities to improve relationships, reputation, referrals and to win new business. In this inspirational, powerful and entertaining session, Carolyn makes marketing and customer service come to life as she explores the impact everyone can have on the whole customer experience, your brand and bottom line.

14.30    Refreshments & exhibition
    
14.45   Motivating your team to deliver exceptional customer service - you're F.I.T!
          Kriss Akabusi MBE, managing Director, The Akabusi Company

• learn how to achieve when the odds are against you
• understand the dynamics of teamwork and utilising the strengths of its members
• discover the power of delegated decision making
• realise the power of enthusiasm
• gain insight and appreciate the position of your competitors, they are not always as strong as you think!

15.30    Close