22 - 23 March 2027 | Royal Randwick Racecourse Sydney, Australia
The premier ANZ platform where customer contact leaders
shape the future of service and experience.
Conference Agenda Day 1
8:45 am - 8:50 am
Chair's Opening Remarks | Kicking off 12th Annual Customer Contact Week
8:50 am - 9:15 am
KEYNOTE PANEL | The Automation Imperative: Where Contact Centres Win or Lose in 2027
Alastair Glass -
Crew Lead - Contact Centre Technology and Transformation,
Commonwealth Bank
Kanika Puri - Chief Operating Officer, Fast Cover
A senior panel unpacks where automation investment is genuinely paying off versus quietly failing. Grounded in real deployment data
• See which automation bets are delivering measurable ROI right now
• Learn the early warning signs of an automation project heading for failure
• Take home a simple framework to evaluate your own automation roadmap
9:15 am - 9:45 am
PARTNER THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SESSION | From Legacy IVR to Intelligent Automation: The New Contact Centre Stack
A practical look at what a modern automation stack actually contains today, and how leaders are sequencing migration without disrupting live operations.
• Understand the core components of a 2027-ready automation stack
• Get a practical sequencing approach for legacy-to-modern migration
• Learn what to prioritise first for the fastest impact
9:45 am - 10:05 am
INFO EXCHANGE PANEL | Operational Efficiency at Scale: What the Best Contact Centres Do Differently
Christopher Douglas -
Regional Director - Member Services,
Accor
Leaders from high-performing contact centres share the operational disciplines that separate top performers from the rest of the pack.
• Benchmark your operation against genuine top-quartile performers
• Identify the specific practices driving their efficiency gains
• Take home three metrics worth tracking that you're probably not
10:05 am - 10:20 am
QUICKFIRE PARTNER KEYNOTE } Innovation Spotlight - 15 Minutes That Could Change Your Contact Centre
10:20 am - 11:00 am
LEADERSHIP KEYNOTE | In Conversation with a Sports Icon: Mastering the Game of Leadership & Performance
11:00 am - 11:30 am
MORNING BREAK - Networking & Meet n Greet
Step away to reflect on the key issues the Leader Morning surfaced, reconnect with peers facing the same challenges, and refocus. The exhibition floor is open — see live demonstrations of contact centre technology, digital platforms solutions, and the infrastructure being deployed across ANZ's contact centre industry.
The room where 'that's an IT problem' stops being an excuse.
The Handshake Boardroom
11:30 am - 11:50 am FIRESIDE CHAT | Getting Your CIO and CX Team Actually Aligned
A CX leader and their CIO speak candidly about how they've built genuine alignment between their functions, where they still disagree, and what it actually took to get there, not the polished version of the story.
• Hear an honest account of CX/IT alignment from both sides, not just one
• Understand where disagreement is normal versus where it signals a real problem
• Get practical starting points for building the same alignment in your own organisation
The Handshake Boardroom
11:50 am - 12:20 pm PANEL | Build vs Buy: Getting CX and IT to Agree Syed Ahmed - Head of Customer Operations - Contact Centres, P&N Bank
CX and IT leaders discuss how they actually reach build-versus-buy decisions together, where priorities clash, and what it takes to land on a decision both functions can commit to.
• Get a joint framework for the build-versus-buy decision, not just an IT-only view
• Learn where CX and IT priorities typically clash, and how to resolve it
• Hear real examples of decisions that worked once both sides were genuinely aligned
The Handshake Boardroom
12:20 pm - 12:50 pm CLOSED-DOOR ROUNDTABLE | The Aligned Boardroom: A Joint Working Session
Contact centre leaders and their CIO work through a real integration or roadmap challenge together in the room, off the record, with both sides of the pair actually present and contributing.
• Work through a genuine challenge with your own counterpart in the room
• Hear how other CX/IT pairs are solving the same integration problems
• Leave with a concrete next step you and your counterpart agree on together
Where the hype gets a reality check.
Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology
11:30 am - 11:50 am VENDOR SPOTLIGHT | From Overwhelmed to In Control: An Agent Productivity Turnaround
A sponsor and their customer walk through how AI-assisted tools took a struggling frontline team from constant overload to sustainable performance, focused on agent experience, not just efficiency metrics.Get a clear-eyed view of what generative AI can reliably do today
• See how AI tools changed daily reality for frontline agents, not just dashboards
• Understand what adoption actually looked like, including early resistance
• Get a realistic view of the change management effort required
Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology
11:50 am - 12:20 pm KEYNOTE PRESENTATION | Generative AI in the Contact Centre: Separating Signal from Hype Leon Liveris - Head of Customer Operations (Contact Centre & Claims), Compasscorp
A grounded look at where generative AI is genuinely changing contact centre outcomes today, and where the claims are running ahead of the evidence.
• Get a clear-eyed view of what generative AI can reliably do today
• Learn the questions to ask vendors to cut through inflated claims
• - Identify one realistic generative AI use case for your own centre
Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology
12:20 pm - 12:50 pm PANEL | Agentic AI and the Future of Frontline Support Kate Dalton - Chief Customer Officer, Compass EducationMatt Penman - Executive Leader - Contact Centre Operations, Residential Tenancies Authority
Practitioners discuss how agentic AI is starting to reshape frontline support roles, and what that shift means for workforce planning.
• Understand what agentic AI actually changes for frontline teams
• Hear how leading centres are planning workforce roles around it
- Get an early view of the skills your team will need next
Where government stops running on yesterday's tech
Public Service 2030
11:30 am - 11:50 am PRESENTATION | The Citizen Experience Mandate: Modernising Government Contact Centres
A look at the growing pressure on government contact centres to modernise citizen experience, and what's realistically achievable within public sector constraints.
• Understand the citizen experience expectations now shaping government mandates
• Learn what modernisation looks like within realistic budget and compliance limits
• - Get practical first steps that don't require a full system overhaul
Public Service 2030
11:50 am - 12:20 pm PANEL | Balancing Compliance, Cost and Citizen Expectations
Public sector leaders discuss how they balance strict compliance requirements against rising citizen expectations, on constrained budgets.
• Hear how peers prioritise when compliance, cost and service quality compete
• Get practical approaches to stretching a constrained budget further
• - Learn where other agencies found genuine efficiency without cutting corners
Public Service 2030
12:20 pm - 12:50 pm CASE STUDY | Digital-First Service Delivery: A State Government Case Study
A detailed walkthrough of one state government's shift to digital-first service delivery, including what worked and what they'd do differently.
• See a real, complete digital-first transformation from start to finish
• Learn the specific mistakes worth avoiding
• - Take home a rough blueprint for a similar transition
12:50 pm - 1:50 pm
NETWORKING LUNCH
Join peers from across industries for a networking lunch - sixty minutes to debrief the morning sessions, continue the conversations the morning started, and build the relationships that make delivery happen. For invited guests, exclusive VIP Hosted Lunches run concurrently, bringing senior executives and select partners together for high-impact, off-the-record discussion on the sector's most pressing challenges. By invitation only.
The Handshake Boardroom
11:30 am - 11:50 am FIRESIDE CHAT | Leading Through Disruption: A CX Leader's PlaybookA senior CX leader shares how they've led their team through repeated waves of disruption, from technology shifts to budget cuts.
• Get a practical playbook for leading teams through ongoing change
• Learn how to keep morale intact during disruption
• - Hear honest reflections on what leadership approaches didn't work
The Handshake Boardroom
11:50 am - 12:20 pm PANEL | The Modern Contact Centre Leader: From Cost Centre to Strategic Driver Gabrijela Juel - General Manager - Domain Workflow Solutions, DomainLeaders discuss how they've repositioned the contact centre from a cost line to a recognised strategic function within their organisation.
• Learn the language and metrics that shift executive perception
• Get real examples of contact centres earning a strategic seat
• - Take home an approach for making your own case internally
The Handshake Boardroom
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm AUDIENCE INTERACTIVE | Leadership Hot Seat: Audience Questions, LiveA senior leadership panel takes unscripted, live questions directly from the floor. No pre-approved topics, no safe answers.
• Get direct answers to the questions you actually have
• Hear how leaders think on their feet under real scrutiny
• - Walk away with insights shaped by the room, not a script
Omnichannel & Self-Service Excellence
1:50 pm - 2:10 pm VENDOR SPOTLIGHT | From Call Centre to Self-Service: What Actually Shifted the NumbersA sponsor case study focused specifically on call deflection, what channel mix looked like before and after, and which self-service features actually reduced live agent volume versus which ones didn't move the needle.
• See real before-and-after channel mix data, not projected deflection rates
• Learn which specific self-service features moved the needle, and which didn't
• Get a clearer view of what's worth prioritising in your own deflection strategy
Omnichannel & Self-Service Excellence
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm PANEL DISCUSSION| Omnichannel Without the Chaos: Unifying the Experience
Practitioners share how they've unified fragmented channel experiences into something genuinely seamless, without a total system rebuild.
• Learn practical steps to unify channels without starting from scratch
• Hear where omnichannel projects commonly go wrong
• - Get a realistic view of the effort required to do it properly
Omnichannel & Self-Service Excellence
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm PRESENTATION |Designing Self-Service That Customers Actually Want to Use Christopher Douglas - Regional Director - Member Services, Accor
A practical breakdown of what separates self-service customers embrace from self-service they abandon within seconds.
• Understand the design principles behind self-service that gets used
• Learn the most common reasons customers abandon self-service tools
• - Get a checklist to audit your own self-service experience
Responsible AI in Government Contact Centres
1:50 pm - 2:10 pm PRESENTATION | Governance, Bias and Trust: AI in Public Sector Service
An honest look at the governance and bias risks specific to deploying AI in public sector service delivery, and how to manage them.
• Understand the specific bias risks AI introduces in public sector contexts
• Learn what governance structures leading agencies have put in place
• - Get a framework for building public trust into AI deployment
Responsible AI in Government Contact Centres
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm PANEL | Responsible AI Frameworks for Government: What Good Looks Like
Panellists compare responsible AI frameworks already in use across government agencies, and what separates genuinely effective ones from box-ticking.
• See real examples of responsible AI frameworks that work in practice
• Learn how to spot a framework that's genuine versus performative
• - Get a starting point for building your own
Responsible AI in Government Contact Centres
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm QUICKFIRE CASE STUDY | Piloting AI in a Regulated EnvironmentA step-by-step look at how one agency piloted AI within a heavily regulated environment, including approvals, safeguards and results.
• See a real pilot process from approval through to results
• Learn how to navigate regulatory sign-off faster
• - Take home lessons that shorten your own pilot timeline
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm
AFTERNOON RECHARGE
Take time to process the afternoon's insights, reconnect with industry peers, and explore the exhibition floor for the technologies enabling faster delivery, smarter service, and more resilient workforce.
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION GROUPS
IDG A
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Cloud Migration & InfrastructureA peer-led discussion on the real challenges of cloud migration, from timeline blowouts to vendor lock-in concerns.
- Trade real migration lessons with peers who've been through it
- Get answers to the specific infrastructure questions you're facing
- Leave with a shortlist of things to avoid
IDG B
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Generative AI & Conversational AI
An open discussion on what's actually working with generative and conversational AI deployments, beyond the demo stage.
- Hear unfiltered peer experiences beyond vendor demos
- Get honest answers on what's realistic to deploy this year
- Compare notes on measuring conversational AI performance
IDG C
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Agent Assist & Real-Time Guidance
A focused conversation on how agent assist tools are changing day-to-day frontline performance, not just theoretical benefits.
- Learn what real-time guidance tools deliver in practice
- Hear how peers measure agent assist impact
- Get honest views on adoption challenges with frontline teams
IDG D
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Workforce Management
A peer discussion on workforce management challenges in a hybrid, AI-augmented contact centre environment.
- Compare scheduling and forecasting approaches with peers
- Hear how others are adapting workforce planning for AI-augmented teams
- Get practical tips for improving forecast accuracy
IDG E
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm CRM & Customer Data Platforms
A discussion on getting genuine value out of CRM and customer data platforms, beyond the initial implementation.
• Learn how peers extract more value from existing CRM investments
• Hear common data quality issues and how others solved them
• - Compare integration approaches across different platforms
IDG F
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Unified Desktop & Agent Experience Tools
A conversation on how unified desktop tools are changing agent experience, and what still needs work.
• Hear real feedback on unified desktop adoption from peers
• Learn which agent experience improvements had the biggest impact
• - Get a sense of what's still unsolved in this space
IDG G
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Analytics & Customer Insights
A discussion on turning contact centre data into insights that actually change decisions, not just dashboards nobody looks at.
• Learn how peers turn raw data into decisions, not just reports
• Hear which analytics investments delivered real returns
• - Compare approaches to getting stakeholder buy-in for data initiatives
IDG H
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm Digital & Self-Service Channels
An open discussion on what's driving genuine digital channel adoption, and where customers still default back to a human.
• Understand why customers still bypass digital channels in some cases
• Learn what peers have done to close that gap
• - Compare channel adoption metrics across different organisations
4:40 pm - 5:10 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT | A Decade of Change: Reflections from a Veteran CX Leader
A veteran CX leader reflects on a decade of change in the industry, and what they'd tell their younger self starting out today.
• Gain perspective on which changes were genuinely transformative
• Hear hard-won lessons from a decade of experience
Walk away with grounded, practical wisdom
