UK Customer Satisfaction Awards

Date Change FAQs

What is the rationale behind changing the date?

Our Annual Conference is renowned for being at the forefront of strategic thinking for the service profession. We are increasingly confident that in March 2021 we will still be going through some form of restrictions whereas in October, Organisations will have emerged the other side and we will have more important and valuable content to help steer us into the new environment.

Why change the date?

The Institute’s flagship event, attracting 350 to conference and 850 to the Awards celebration is unlikely to be permitted in March – even if large gatherings are allowed, we believe that there may still be a lack of confidence form organisations and individuals to participate in large numbers.

Why not hold a virtual Conference?

Our conference over the past 10 years has grown to be the ‘Annual Calendar event’ for the service profession. It has been designed to be intimate enough to generate meaningful networking and informative enough to shape future thinking. Neither of these causes, we feel, can be adequately served by a virtual event.

Why not hold a virtual Awards?

The UK Customer Satisfaction Awards celebrate service excellence at its absolute best. Our experience of ‘virtual awards’ or ’behind closed doors events’ is that they are lacklustre, impersonal and do not adequately reflect the importance of the achievement.

What is the new date?

We have moved the Conference and Awards to Tuesday 19th October 2021. The venue remains the same, Hilton on Park Lane. All areas of the venue will be Covid-safe and all government guidelines (if any are still in place) will of course be adhered to.

I have paid for my Conference attendance, what happens now?

If you are able to make the new date (and we hope you can) you need do nothing. We would like to offer all paid for ticket holders a small gesture of our appreciation in the form of:

• Priority seating at the conference
• 10% discount on our online store for the next 12 months
• A personalised video recognising service excellence in your organisation if you have undertaken one of our qualifications recently (members only)

If you are now no longer able to make the date, you can transfer your place to a colleague just by dropping an email to Isabella.deith@icsmail.co.uk and your colleague will benefit from the above benefits.

If you are no longer able to attend and no other colleague is able to take place, we will of course refund you in full for the amount you have already paid.

Will the speakers still be the same?

We are eagerly negotiating with our existing speakers and only one has not yet confirmed availability for the new date with us. At the time of writing we have not had any speakers stand down, but this can change over the coming days. We can assure all delegates that the speaker line up will be peppered with excellent speakers whose knowledge and experience will undoubtedly add value.

I entered the awards – what happens now?

The awards will re-open for entries with a new deadline. Because of the change of date, the Awards organisers will redact all financial information supplied on entries already received so that it doesn’t become out of date. New submissions received before the revised deadline will not require financial information due to the effects of the Coronavirus. Existing entrants can:

1. Do nothing, and your entry (with financial information redacted) will be seen by the shortlisting panel in the normal way, albeit in June 2021
2. Use the extended deadline to update their entries at any time before the new deadline
3. Submit completely new entries to replace existing entries or enter new categories
4. Withdraw from the awards (all materials submitted will be deleted in this instance)

Please email mike.faulkner@icsmail.co.uk to let us know your decision.

When is the new awards deadline?

Friday 21 May 2021

If the financial information is redacted will it disadvantage my entry?

No. The financial information – as a measure of the customer service impact – is less reliable this year than in previous years due to the extraordinary trading conditions. All entries into the awards will have the financial information removed, creating an even-playing field.

Are the awards still Free to Enter?

The Awards remain Free to Enter. Organisations can enter as many categories as they feel appropriate, but only one entry per category is permitted.

When will I hear if my entry has been successfully shortlisted or not?

All entrants will be notified of the status of their awards entry during week commencing 14 June 2021.

My organisation is planning a re-brand/restructure early next year does that affect the awards entry?

The re-brand or restructure does not directly affect the entry, however, as we publicise the Finalists on our website and in Awards Programme if you are launching a new logo please make sure that you inform mike.faulkner@icsmail.co.uk and provide the new logo in hi res eps / png / jpg format so that it may be replaced.

Are ticket prices rising?

No. The Institute is committed to offering value for money and has held prices for another year.

Key Dates

Booking Conference Tickets                      Ongoing

Booking Tables at Awards                          Ongoing

Entering Awards /Amending
Entries / Awards Deadline                         21 May 2021

Awards Shortlisting                                     01 June – 11 June 2021

Finalists Announced                                    14 June 2021 (the week of)

Conference & Awards                                 19 October 2021

We sincerely hope that you are not disappointed by our decision to create a live event which ultimately will add value, provide opportunity and express the right amount of recognition for some of the greatest examples of customer service ever witnessed. We appreciate that in certain circumstances the date change may prove difficult if diaries are already committed, however, if you are able to block out the 19^th October 2021 for our conference and/or awards you will experience a truly impressive event which will herald a return to sharing knowledge and celebrating success as it should be.

Sponsors

Morrison Utility Services

Morrison Utility Services, part of M Group Services is a dedicated utility service provider, working in long term frameworks on behalf of regulated utility companies across the electricity, gas and water sectors in the UK. Our workforce of over 5,000 operates daily in local communities, working hard to keep customers, communities and stakeholders connected to their essential services; households and businesses warm, taps flowing, lights on and appliances running.

www.morrisonus.com
@MorrisonUtility

Cabot Credit Management

Cabot Credit Management is over 20 years old and is one of the largest credit management service providers in Europe, and the market leader in the UK and Ireland. Their Mission is to ‘Help Each and Every Customer to Financial Recovery’ and we do this through traditional and digital customer treatments.

Customers can find it difficult to acknowledge their debts and having a brand that is honest, competent and trustworthy is so important. We help customers take positive steps and focus on tailoring personal solutions for them. Our customers and people are at the heart of Cabot’s culture.

www.cabotcm.com
@CabotFinancial

Ipsos Mori

Ipsos MORI is an industry leader in designing, implementing and delivering Customer Experience programmes. We drive to the ‘So What’ by helping organisations retain customers, recover those at risk, grow share of spend, increase satisfaction/loyalty/advocacy and improve operational efficiency. Our tailored programmes deliver a Return on Customer Experience Investment (ROCXI)’ with a team of expert CX practitioners helping organisations at all stages of CX measurement and management, using a unique blend of professional services, VoC measurement (with a best in class platform ecosystem) and advanced analytics.

www.ipsos.com
@IpsosMORI