Our Top Readers of 2024

Did you know? 2024 was the year we started our very own Reader’s Panel – inviting industry experts to share their first-hand experiences of what’s really working (and missing the mark!) in their contact centres.

This new initiative has been the driving force behind some great topics we’ve covered this year – on everything from how to handle last minute time off requests, to how to capture a truer picture of absence levels in your contact centre – and we want to say a massive thank you to our most regular contributors for taking the time to share their experiences with us!

So, without further ado, here’s to Our Top Readers of 2024…

Paul Allen

Paul Allen is currently Head of Customer Support at the Department for Education.

He most recently shared his opinions on split shifts:

“Nobody’s going to drive back into the office a few hours after they left, but there’s quite a lot of people out there who will happily do a split-shift and sign back on at home between 9pm and 11pm when the kids have gone to bed. It’s about being creative and opening yourself up to the possibilities.”

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Jonathan O’Connor

Jonathan O’Connor is Resource Planning Manager at Tructyre. He was also shortlisted for ‘Resource Planning Star’ at the North East Contact Centre Awards 2022.

He most recently shared his experience of taking travel considerations into account when considering new possible shift patterns:

“In one role, I did some analysis of call arrivals and spotted a jump between 5am and 6am and really wanted to get 2–3 people on a 5am shift, but the Operations Manager at the time pointed out I’d probably never get it covered as our contact centre was in an awkward place to reach via public transport. After all, if agents can’t physically get there, it is not going to work!”

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Jamie Storer

Jamie Storer is Senior Manager of Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company.

He most recently shared his opinion on why you should make sure your refund process is simple and efficient:

“Your refund policy should be very clear and easy for everyone to understand. I’ve seen some companies that force customers to jump through hoops and it just leads to dissatisfaction. You’re not helping your cause or your brand like that! Just keep it super-simple and efficient, because once you start down the path of issuing a refund, there’s no need to drag it out – just get it done.”

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Jon Dainton

Jon Dainton is Head of Customer Service Operations at Fasthosts Internet Ltd.

He most recently shared his opinion on why it’s good to think about a last-minute time-off request as a normal holiday request in the first instance:

“I see time-off events in the future booked mainly by staff with families that need to plan and prepare leave in advance, while last-minute requests tend to originate from staff that don’t have the planning involved and are either identifying an opportunity, or have other concerns. As leaders we plan, and need to be aware that our bias is always slanted towards this. Any requests I get I start with the question: “Why can’t I approve this?”

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Karl Fletcher

Karl Fletcher is Resource Planning and MI Manager at Novuna.

He most recently shared his opinion on why it’s harder to track genuine absence and sickness cases with hybrid workers, as they are typically more likely to try and “work through it” rather than call in sick, and how to overcome it:

“We don’t want our people to be working at home when they are ill and should be resting. Instead, we say don’t push yourself, because you can make yourself even more unwell in the long run. This approach helps us to maintain a clearer picture of our absence and sickness levels.”

Connect with Karl on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Danny Gunn

Danny Gunn is Head of Workforce Planning at bet365.

He most recently shared his opinion on how a little and often approach can make insights more digestible:

“When you’ve got lots of contact centres to report on, sharing a big update once a month or even once a quarter can just get lost in the ether. To help keep the leadership team updated in smaller bites, we’ve created what we call our Global Operational Daily Reports as a regular point of communication.”

Connect with Danny on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Tim Milburn

Tim Milburn is Global Workforce Planning Manager at Emovis, and Gold Winner of Resource Planning Manager of the Year at the UK National Contact Centre Awards 2023.

He most recently shared his opinion on scheduling vs free-styling agent breaks:

“Our agents are used to having scheduled breaks which they adhere to even if we re-optimize these to improve service. This means agents know where they stand and follow their schedule, which gives us the best chance of maintaining a consistent level of service.

I can see why an organization might introduce freedom breaks for improved agent engagement. However, I’m yet to be convinced that it would make the difference between an agent staying or leaving an organization.”

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson is Senior Planning and Insight Lead at Skipton Building Society. She is an Accredited Planning and Insight Specialist and won a well-deserved Forum Hero Award in 2024.

She most recently shared her opinion on why one of the biggest mistakes planners can make is just chucking the numbers out there:

“If you just chuck the numbers out there, you’ve lost your audience already! Quite frankly, if your graph has got more than two or three data points on it, it’s too much! Instead, think about what your stakeholders really need to see in that moment. I really hate sensory overload graphs, so one of the things I say to my team all the time is, “I’ve only got 2 minutes, what do I need to know from that graph?”. If they can’t answer it quickly, they know there’s too much information on it.”

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles she’s contributed to so far.

Alan Mullen

Alan Mullen is Senior Customer Care and Business Change Manager at Superdry.

He most recently shared his experience of successfully bringing remote workers together in spirit, with a steps challenge charity fundraiser:

“It’s more challenging for us to have team fun days in a hybrid contact centre, as we have people who aren’t local, but one idea that works for everyone is a steps challenge to raise money for charity. Most recently, we set a virtual walking challenge to Belgium where our European warehouse is located – with the challenge taking place over the course of a month. Superdry Customer Service completed their challenge in May 2024, walking 3 Million steps, which was 1,503 miles, going beyond Belgium to Oslo in Norway. The team raised a fantastic £530 for Leukaemia UK!”

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles he’s contributed to so far.

Larayn Wilkinson

Larayn Wilkinson is Head of Customer Service at BargainMax.co.uk.

She most recently shared her experience of running a pre-school event for colleagues and customers as a team engagement day:

“The idea was to invite influencers from the local area to build trust in our brand and products. Given the age of our guests, we geared the afternoon towards small children and the length of a birthday party – 2 hours.

“This was a hybrid event and opportunity for customers and colleagues alike to bring their children. It was a great success, everyone had a fab time, and it must be the most fun I’ve ever had at an event.”

Connect with Larayn on LinkedIn

Click here to read all of the articles she’s contributed to so far.