bss, the 2011 Census contact centre provider, and Office for National Statistics (ONS) will host a seminar at the 2012 Call Centre Focus Conference on how to successfully manage a contact centre when undertaking such a significant project. The presentation entitled: '1m phone calls in 10 weeks' will take place on 3 October at the Customer Engagement Theatre, National Hall Olympia, London. The session will be hosted by Ian Cope, 2011 Census Director from ONS and Lissa Davenport, Head of Operations at bss.

bss, which employed over 900 people for the project, was part of the consortium that provided support for the operational systems needed for the 2011 Census. Delegates attending the session will have the opportunity to learn more about the extensive planning process, the key considerations for short-term projects and how to successfully work with multiple partners. Other topics covered during the session include: how to project plan when there is no room for error, successfully motivating staff on short-term projects, beyond monetary incentives and managing huge call volumes in a short period of time.

Dani Muir, Sales and Marketing Director at bss says:"The best practice principals from our seminar will be applicable to any organisation who wants to enhance their customer contact approach. Of course, no matter what project you implement, working collaboratively with your partners and having a transparent approach, coupled with excellent planning and project management skills, is paramount. It is our organisational philosophy and ethos that once again proved to be a successful formula in ensuring the success of our contact centre for the 2011 Census."

@bss_insight will be live Tweeting during the speech. We will be using the hashtag #bss2011census.