Raising Standards: Five Considerations

There are five foundations within the contact centre that every industry leader works with, and are defined in the CCMAs Contact Centre Standards Framework. They are strategy and leadership, innovation, operational excellence, colleague experience and of course, customer experience. Knowing how to optimise each element and understanding how they work together is the key to creating a thriving and highly successful contact centre.

During this online seminar, we’re going to be exploring how focusing on this framework can strengthen capability and create a high-performing contact centre, especially in a rapidly evolving environment. We’ll be discussing:

Why organisations are increasingly turning to this framework and how it supports their strategic goals

How to balance the five foundational elements to drive improvement across teams, operations, and customer outcomes

The impact getting this right has on leadership, engagement, and overall performance.

We’ll also be talking with Catherine, a member of the Standards Framework Advisory Board, about what defines a leading contact centre. Catherine will highlight the behaviours, capabilities, and approaches that distinguish high-performing organisations.

Kate Knowles, Service Director at the CCMA, will be joined by a panel of industry leaders, including:

Steph O’Leary, Head of Operations for the Customer Experience Management Hubs, SSCL

Catherine Lindsay, Head of Customer Operations, Leeds Building Society

Carly Freeman, Head of Customer Service, Insite Energy

Nick Hughes, Divisional Director, Reed Wellbeing

About the Speaker

Steph O’Leary, Head of Operations for the Customer Experience Management Hubs, Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL)

Steph brings over 18 years of expertise in leading large scale operations across UK Government departments. A results oriented leader, she is committed to driving performance and achieving targets while maintaining exceptional client and customer satisfaction. She has extensive experience in implementing customer experience strategies and delivering process improvements. Passionate about creating an inclusive culture, Steph actively champions engagement initiatives, and her leadership has been instrumental in SSCL’s recognition as a multi award winning Contact Centre.

Catherine Lindsay, Head of Customer Operations, Leeds Building Society

Catherine is currently responsible for Contact Centre, Customer Support and Customer Complaints at Leeds Building Society. She has worked in contact centres since leaving school at 18, beginning her career as a Customer Service Advisor. The majority of her experience has been within Financial Services, with roles spanning Customer Service, Customer Experience, Collections and Complaints, and she is passionate about delivering outstanding experiences for both customers and colleagues.

Carly Freeman, Head of Customer Service, Insite Energy

Carly Freeman is a seasoned customer operations leader with a proven track record in elevating contact centre performance, optimising resources, and driving process excellence. With operational experience across the energy and water industries, she understands the complexities of regulated, high‑volume service environments. Passionate about innovation, Carly focuses on how AI and data‑driven insights can transform workforce optimisation and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Nick Hughes, Divisional Director, Reed Wellbeing

Nick set up and managed his first call centre operation 25 years ago to support a national white goods service operation that was handling repair requests. More recently, he established a call centre operation for Reed in Partnership to support the delivery of DWP contracts before then managing the merger of two separate call centre teams in the business to create a unified Programme Support Service (PSS) team working from three sites in England and Northern Ireland that offers the first point of contact for people engaging with Reed in Partnership’s contracts with local authorities, the DWP and NHS England.

Where and when?

Date: Thu 5 Feb 2026

Time: 12:00 – 13:00

Location: Online

Who is it for?

Open to all.

Why should you go?

Join us to gain practical insights into how contact centres are moving from good to great. Through real-world examples, expert guidance, and shared experiences from industry peers, you’ll learn how to strengthen leadership, engage colleagues, improve performance, and consistently deliver outstanding customer experiences.

How much is it?

Free to attend.