News
What we heard at the Future of Service Conference 2026
Operations and customer leaders spent a day at the Future of Service Conference 2026. Here is what they told us about demand, staffing and the limits of automation.
News and insights
Every article, case study, white paper and In brief note we have published, newest first. Use the tabs to show one type at a time, or read straight down the list.
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Case study
Understanding the customer journey at a mutual insurer
A mutual insurer wanted to know why its customers kept calling back. We walked the claims journey with them and redesigned the steps that caused most repeat contact.
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White paper
How to make regulation work for you
Most service firms treat regulation as a cost to contain. This paper argues that outcome-based rules give operations leaders a strong case for simpler processes and less rework.
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In brief
Start with demand, not capacity
Most operations plan for the staff they have. Plan instead for the demand that arrives, and you will often find you need less capacity than you thought.
All articles
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What we heard at the Future of Service Conference 2026
News
Published
Operations and customer leaders spent a day at the Future of Service Conference 2026. Here is what they told us about demand, staffing and the limits of automation.
Read full article: What we heard at the Future of Service Conference 2026 -
Start with demand, not capacity
In brief
Published
Most operations plan for the staff they have. Plan instead for the demand that arrives, and you will often find you need less capacity than you thought.
Read full article: Start with demand, not capacity -
How to make regulation work for you
White paper
Published
Most service firms treat regulation as a cost to contain. This paper argues that outcome-based rules give operations leaders a strong case for simpler processes and less rework.
Download white paper: How to make regulation work for you -
Halveron opens a service academy for public-sector leaders
News
Published
A ten-month programme for managers who run public services, built around a live improvement project in each delegate's own organisation. The first cohort starts in January 2027.
Read full article: Halveron opens a service academy for public-sector leaders -
Understanding the customer journey at a mutual insurer
Case study
Published
A mutual insurer wanted to know why its customers kept calling back. We walked the claims journey with them and redesigned the steps that caused most repeat contact.
Find out how we did it: Understanding the customer journey at a mutual insurer -
Our 2026 contact-centre demand report
News
Published
We analysed 18.4 million customer contacts across 31 UK organisations. Contact volumes are falling slightly, but each contact is harder, and digital channels are absorbing demand rather than removing it.
Read full article: Our 2026 contact-centre demand report -
Failure demand on one page
In brief
Published
Failure demand is the work customers create when we fail to do something, or do it wrong. In most service operations it is a large cost, and a controllable one.
Read full article: Failure demand on one page -
Improving complaints handling at a water utility
Case study
Published
Complaints at a regional water company were rising and taking weeks to close. We helped frontline teams resolve most at first contact and fix the causes behind them.
Find out how we did it: Improving complaints handling at a water utility -
Sector review: technology in travel operations
White paper
Published
Our sector review asks where automation, self-service and better data have helped travel operators, and where they simply moved the work somewhere else.
Download white paper: Sector review: technology in travel operations -
The Lean Service Forum reaches 100 member organisations
News
Published
With the building society that hosted our June meeting joining as its hundredth member, the Lean Service Forum now brings together operations leaders from 100 organisations.
Read full article: The Lean Service Forum reaches 100 member organisations -
Driving back-office productivity at a regional bank
Case study
Published
A regional bank's back office was carrying an eleven-day backlog and heavy overtime. Better planning, standard work and daily team routines cleared it within four months.
Find out how we did it: Driving back-office productivity at a regional bank -
Coaching hybrid operations teams
In brief
Published
When half the team works from home, team leaders lose the quick desk-side conversations that did most of their coaching. Here is how to put them back.
Read full article: Coaching hybrid operations teams -
Improving change-delivery capability in a county council
Case study
Published
A county council had 64 change projects, a savings target and no common way to deliver them. We helped it cut the list, agree one method and train its people.
Find out how we did it: Improving change-delivery capability in a county council