Special Interest Groups

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) bring together members with a shared interest in a specific topic for in-depth discussion over several meetings.

SIGs are small groups of UWEBC members that meet multiple times for in-depth discussion and benchmarking on topics that cannot be adequately addressed in a single meeting. SIGs fill the gap between Peer Groups, which focus on one topic per meeting, and Member-to-Member Advising, where two to four companies share information on highly specialized, company-specific topics.

How do SIGs work?

  • SIGs last for six months to a year, sometimes longer, depending on the topic
  • Participants join when the SIG launches and commit to the series of meetings
  • Each meeting covers, in-depth, multiple facets of a single topic
  • SIGs meet either virtually or in person, depending on the particulars of the topic and the needs of SIG participants
people talking and smiling

Current Special Interest Groups

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Agile IT

Created for individuals leading information technology-specific Agile teams among UWEBC member companies

This forum allows members to interact, share opinions and expertise, and leverage experiences on business intelligence and analytics. The SIG addresses a variety of topics and issues pertinent to the successful deployment and operation of Agile methodologies and practices within IT teams.

The objective is to serve as an educational and professional resource, as well as a support platform and network for Agile team leads, coaches and product owners. It will allow participants to glean validated operational paradigms, ideas and best practices from other member companies and adopt them to their own Agile environments.

If you would like to learn more about the Agile IT SIG , please review the SIG’s charter document and/or contact IT Practice Director Heidi Rozmiarek.

Launched May 2016

Next Event

Peer Group: IT / Agile IT Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
08/28/24 Agile IT Special Interest Group - Topic To Be Announced Soon Information Technology Focus Area IT / Agile IT Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: IT / Agile IT Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
02/29/24 Agile IT Special Interest Group - Harmonizing Agile and DevOps: Accelerating Software Delivery in Tech Teams Information Technology Focus Area IT / Agile IT Special Interest Group Event Details
08/29/23 Agile IT Special Interest Group Meeting - Best Practices for Leadership in an Agile Organization Information Technology Focus Area IT / Agile IT Special Interest Group Event Details

Contact Center Quality Monitoring

Connect with fellow practitioners on what is happening in the contact center Quality Monitoring space and help develop a strategy for ongoing success in its practice.

This is a forum for practitioners of Quality Monitoring to collaborate with peers to learn from each other’s experiences and practices. In this space, we will discuss the current tools, strategies, and challenges contact centers experience in the Quality Monitoring space. The Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group (SIG) is a collaborative space for participants to:

  • Discuss trends, tools, challenges, and strategies in Quality Monitoring.
  • Learn about successful strategies to overcome Quality Monitoring challenges from other UWEBC practitioners.
  • Meet and connect with other Quality Monitoring practitioners from across industries.

Participation in the Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group is encouraged for any Quality Monitoring practitioners within our UWEBC member organizations. All participants are required to register. To learn more about any of our Special Interest Groups, or to be added to the invite list for these exclusive practitioner events, please contact matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu. If you would like to learn more about the Contact Center Quality Monitoring SIG, please review the SIG’s charter and/or contact UWEBC Customer Service Practice Director Matthew Cone at matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu or 608-263-0635.

Launched January 2023

Next Event

Peer Group: CS / Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
06/13/24 Contact Center Quality Monitoring - Special Interest Group Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: CS / Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
02/08/24 Contact Center Quality Monitoring - Special Interest Group Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group Event Details
10/19/23 Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Contact Center Quality Monitoring Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Quality Monitoring Special Interest Group Event Details

Contact Center Workforce Management

Connect with fellow practitioners on what is happening in the contact center Workforce Management space and help develop a strategy for ongoing success in its practice.

This is a forum for practitioners of Workforce Management to collaborate with peers to learn from each other’s experiences and practices. In this space, we will discuss the current tools, strategies, and challenges contact centers experience in the Workforce Management space. The Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group (SIG) is a collaborative space for participants to:

  • Discuss trends, tools, challenges, and strategies in Workforce Management.
  • Learn about successful strategies to overcome Workforce Management challenges from other UWEBC practitioners.
  • Meet and connect with other Workforce Management practitioners from across industries.

Participation in the Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group is encouraged for any Workforce Management practitioners within our UWEBC member organizations. All participants are required to register. To learn more about any of our Special Interest Groups, or to be added to the invite list for these exclusive practitioner events, please contact matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu. If you would like to learn more about the Contact Center Workforce Management SIG, please review the SIG’s charter and/or contact UWEBC Customer Service Practice Director Matthew Cone at matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu or 608-263-0635.

Launched February 2023

Next Event

Peer Group: CS / Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
04/02/24 Contact Center Workforce Management - Special Interest Group Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: CS / Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
11/09/23 Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Contact Center Workforce Management Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group Event Details
07/20/23 Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Contact Center Workforce Management Customer Service Focus Area CS / Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group Event Details

Future of Contact Centers

Keep your finger on the pulse of the ever-changing technology and service trends of the contact center and capitalize on these impending changes within your organization.

The Contact Center, according to Gartner, supports customer interactions across a range of channels, including phone calls, email, web chat, web collaboration, and the emerging adoption of social media interactions. With the speed of development in tools, technologies, capabilities, and interfaces, this recently updated definition seems to be on the verge of being outdated. The Future of Contact Centers (FoCC) Special Interest Group (SIG) is a collaborative space for participants to:

  • Discuss trends, tools, challenges, and strategies that may impact contact centers in the not-so-distant future.
  • Learn about new approaches to addressing rising needs from other UWEBC participants.
  • Meet and connect with other participants that share this forward-looking enthusiasm.

Participation in the Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group is encouraged for any contact center practitioners within our UWEBC member organizations who are comfortable wading through the ambiguity of what could be to have the best chance of being prepared for it. All participants are required to register. To learn more about any of our Special Interest Groups, please contact matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu. If you would like to learn more about the FoCC SIG, please review the SIG’s charter and/or contact UWEBC Customer Service Practice Director Matthew Cone at matthew.cone@uwebc.wisc.edu or 608-263-0635.

Launched January 2023

Next Event

Peer Group: CS / Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
07/11/24 Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group - Topic To Be Announced Soon Customer Service Focus Area CS / Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: CS / Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
03/14/24 Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group - Generative AI in Text Channels: Co-Pilots, Chatbots and more! Customer Service Focus Area CS / Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group Event Details
10/26/23 Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group Meeting - Large Language Models: ChatGPT in Customer Care Customer Service Focus Area CS / Future of Contact Centers Special Interest Group Event Details

Human Resources Executives

Created for members who are heads of Human Resources (such as CHROs, SVPs and VPs)

This group provides a platform for engaging UWEBC members’ in-house HR executives in discussions on strategic issues relevant to their organizations and serves as a trusted network and forum for professional development and learning about emerging HR issues

Collaborate and network with HR executives facing similar challenges and opportunities. This group provides a platform for engaging UWEBC members’ in-house HR executives in discussions on strategic issues relevant to their organizations.

If you would like to learn more about the Human Resources Executives SIG, please contact UWEBC Director Doug Barton.

Launched October 2015

Next Event

Peer Group: Human Resources Executives Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
04/05/24 HR Executives Group - Executive Roundtable on Current and Emerging HR Issues Human Resources Focus Area Human Resources Executives Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: Human Resources Executives Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
03/08/24 HR Executives Group - Fostering a Resilient Organizational Culture in Hybrid Work Environments Human Resources Focus Area Human Resources Executives Special Interest Group Event Details
02/02/24 HR Executives Group - Executive Roundtable on Current and Emerging HR Issues Human Resources Focus Area Human Resources Executives Special Interest Group Event Details

Predictive Analytics

Explore the latest trends in predictive analytics and connect with industry professionals at our special interest group. Join us to learn and share knowledge in the field.

The group is designed to bring together professionals from various industries to share their knowledge and experience with predictive analytics. The group will explore the latest techniques and technologies in the field and discuss how they can be applied to solve real-world problems. Discussions will include topics such as machine learning, data mining, and statistical modeling. The group will also provide networking opportunities for attendees, allowing them to connect with other professionals in the field and stay up to date with the latest developments in predictive analytics.

If you would like to learn more about this Special Interest Group, please contact IT Practice Director Heidi Rozmiarek at heidi.rozmiarek@wisc.edu or 608-890-1291.

Launched February 2023

Next Event

Peer Group: IT / Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
08/21/24 Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group Meeting - Topic To Be Announced Soon Information Technology Focus Area IT / Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: IT / Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
02/23/24 Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group - Exploring Synthetic Data in Predictive Analytics Information Technology Focus Area IT / Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group Event Details
09/07/23 Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Securing Generative AI Information Technology Focus Area IT / Predictive Analytics Special Interest Group Event Details

Product Management

Created for member company product management professionals and product innovation leaders managing key phases of the product life cycle

This group provides a forum to explore best practices for bringing new products to market or developing and enhancing existing products, and is open to all physical goods and services members seeking to improve their current product portfolios.

Glean leading practices and learnings to enhance product management capabilities, product marketing operations and product marketplace success. Roles may vary by meeting topic.

Spanning several sessions, this SIG will provide a valuable opportunity for participants to:

  • Discuss topics of shared interest related to product management at a deeper level
  • Compare approaches for addressing shared challenges
  • Discover new ideas and best practices for product management capabilities, product marketing operations and product marketplace success

If you would like to learn more about the Product Management SIG, please review the SIG’s charter document and/or contact UWEBC Marketing Practice Director Tom Hershberger.

Launched April 2020

Next Event

Peer Group: MKG / Product Management Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
03/21/24 Product Management Special Interest Group - Building User-Centric Products: Strategies for Deep User Engagement and Satisfaction Marketing Focus Area MKG / Product Management Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: MKG / Product Management Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
12/13/23 Product Management Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Addressing Misaligned Stakeholder Expectations: Harmonizing Visions for Product Success! Marketing Focus Area MKG / Product Management Special Interest Group Event Details
04/04/23 Product Management Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Navigating the Internet of Things: How Product Managers Can Overcome the Challenges of Connected Products Marketing Focus Area MKG / Product Management Special Interest Group Event Details

Sales & Operations Planning

Connect with fellow practitioners on what is happening in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) space and help develop a strategy for ongoing success in this practice.

This is a forum for practitioners of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) to collaborate with peers to learn from each other’s experiences and practices. In this space, we will discuss the current tools, strategies, and challenges that planners and leaders experience in the S&OP process. The S&OP Special Interest Group (SIG) is a collaborative space for participants to:

  • Discuss trends, tools, challenges, and strategies in the S&OP process.
  • Learn about successful strategies to overcome planning challenges from other UWEBC practitioners.
  • Meet and connect with other S&OP practitioners from across industries.

Participation in the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) Special Interest Group is encouraged for any S&OP practitioners and leaders within our UWEBC member organizations. All participants are required to register. To learn more about any of our Special Interest Groups, or to be added to the invite list for these exclusive practitioner events, please contact jenny.patzlaff@uwebc.wisc.edu. If you would like to learn more about the S&OP SIG, please review the SIG’s charter and/or contact UWEBC Supply Chain Practice Director, Jenny Patzlaff, at jenny.patzlaff@uwebc.wisc.edu or 608-890-1298.

Launched June 2023

Next Event

Peer Group: SCM / Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
06/11/24 Sales & Operations Planning Special Interest Group - Topic To Be Announced Soon Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: SCM / Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
11/21/23 Sales & Operations Planning Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - S&OP: What Does Success Look Like? Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group Event Details
06/06/23 Sales & Operations Planning Special Interest Group Hybrid Meeting - Sales & Operations Planning - Kickoff Meeting Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Sales and Operations Planning Special Interest Group Event Details

Trade Compliance

Created for member vice presidents, customs brokers, directors, managers and practitioners with direct responsibility to trade compliance initiatives, including those that outsource this function

Those involved in import/export activities and trade compliance interact, share opinions and expertise, and leverage each other’s experiences. Explore the foundational elements of building and maintaining solid trade compliance programs, departments, and processes for long term success.

Attendees:

  • Engage with a trusted peer-to-peer network of trade compliance leaders, customs brokers, import/export professionals and those who support trade activities, such as legal and compliance departments
  • Identify opportunities to further enhance their current trade compliance processes and structures
  • Validate their organization’s compliance strategies and practices through knowledge exchange with other participants and subject-matter experts

If you would like to learn more about the Trade Compliance SIG, please review the SIG’s charter document and/or contact UWEBC Supply Chain Practice Director Jenny Patzlaff.

Launched November 2019

Next Event

Peer Group: SCM / Trade Compliance Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
04/09/24 Trade Compliance Special Interest Group (in-person event) - Reinventing Trade Compliance Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Trade Compliance Special Interest Group Event Details

Past Events

Peer Group: SCM / Trade Compliance Special Interest Group
Date Title Focus Area Peer Group
10/27/23 Trade Compliance Special Interest Group Virtual Meeting - Trade Compliance pop-up event: AD/CVD petition and impact Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Trade Compliance Special Interest Group Event Details
07/27/23 Trade Compliance Special Interest Group Meeting - Canada Changes and other Timely Topics Supply Chain Management Focus Area SCM / Trade Compliance Special Interest Group Event Details

Completed Special Interest Groups

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Customer Experience Measurement and Action Planning SIG

The Customer Experience (CX) Measurement and Action Planning Special Interest Group was a collaborative learning forum for individuals responsible for improving their organization’s methods and processes for customer listening, insight discovery and action planning to improve the customer experience. Completed July 2022.

Indirect Procurement SIG

The Indirect Procurement Special Interest Group focused on common challenges and opportunities for improving process and reducing costs in the area of indirect procurement. Completed February 2022.

B2B Marketing SIG

The Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing Special Interest Group was a practice-sharing community for leaders of marketing teams at product manufacturers and distributors that primarily support business customers (retailers, dealers, distributors and/or commercial end users). Completed December 2021.

E-Retailer SIG

The E-Retailer Special Interest Group was for companies whose dominant share of product sales and company revenue comes from online direct marketing, enabling in-depth discussion of processes and practices, tactics and challenges. Completed May 2021.

B2B Customer Service SIG – Supervisors Forum

The Business-to-Business (B2B) Customer Service Special Interest Group – Supervisors Forum was a collaborative learning community for those in frontline staff supervisory roles within customer service teams at product manufacturers and distributors that primarily support business customers (retailers, dealers, distributors and/or commercial end users). Completed June 2020.

B2B Customer Service SIG – Senior Leaders Forum

The Business-to-Business (B2B) Customer Service Special Interest Group – Senior Leaders Forum was a knowledge-sharing community tailored for leaders of customer service teams at product manufacturers and distributors that primarily support business customers (retailers, dealers, distributors and/or commercial end users). Completed October 2019.

Contact Center Workforce Management SIG

The Contact Center Workforce Management Special Interest Group was a collaborative learning forum for those with operational responsibility for the workforce management (WFM) function — or any of its constituent activities of volume forecasting, staff capacity planning and staff scheduling — within their organization’s customer contact center(s). Completed October 2019.

General Counsel SIG

UWEBC Peer Groups enable strong collaborative learning and peer-to-peer interaction for executives and managers from UWEBC Member organizations. The General Counsel SIG provided a platform for engaging member companies’ in-house legal staffs about the legal implications of business topics often addressed by UWEBC Peer Groups. Completed December 2016.

Transportation SIG

Transportation professionals’ jobs comprise a wide variety of responsibilities that can’t be covered in just one meeting. The purpose of this Special Interest Group was to delve into the many facets of transportation management that are relevant to UWEBC member companies over a series of meetings. Completed November 2016.

Inside Sales SIG

The Inside Sales SIG was a collaborative learning community for leaders of inside sales organizations to compare and discuss strategies, methods, processes and tools to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Over the course of several sessions, participants engaged in discussions with peers at other companies on a range of topics (chosen by participants). The SIG also served as a network of inside sales managers that participants leveraged as a knowledge resource on an ongoing basis. Completed June 2016.

Business Intelligence SIG

The BI SIG was designed for individuals leading business intelligence (BI) and analytics efforts to interact, contribute opinions and learn from shared experiences. The group discussed many factors necessary to successfully deploy and operate a BI and analytics program, including reference architecture, predictive solutions and capabilities, and big data. Completed December 2015.

Contact Center Agent Training SIG

The Contact Center Agent Training SIG was a forum for those with responsibility for designing and delivering agent training to discuss topics related to initial and on-going training. Participants gleaned leading practices  to improve training efficiency and effectiveness by learning about the strategies, practices, processes and tools utilized by other companies participating in the group. Completed July 2015.

Lean IT SIG

As more UWEBC members lead Lean, Process Innovation or Process Optimization initiatives within their company, they need an outlet to interact, share opinions and expertise, and leverage peers’ experiences. The Lean IT Special Interest Group addressed a variety of topics, methods and practices crucial to successful deployment and operation of Lean IT. Completed July 2015.

Direct Merchant Distribution Operations SIG

This SIG provided a forum for members to learn about distribution planning and operating practices, procedures, and processes utilized by the participating companies. It enabled a deeper dive into specific supply chain topics relevant to Direct Merchant and gleaned validated leading practices from knowledge of others Direct Merchants approaches to Distribution Operations. Completed March 2015.

Indirect Procurement SIG

The Indirect Procurement Special Interest Group was a platform for participating UWEBC member companies to discuss common challenges and opportunities for improving processes and reducing costs in the area of indirect spend. The Indirect Procurement SIG was initially launched in March, 2010 and in session until June 2012. Due to demand, the SIG was reconvened in October 2013. Completed October 2014.

S&OP SIG

The S&OP Special Interest Group offered a forum for individuals involved in the sales and operations planning process within UWEBC member companies to interact, share opinions and expertise, and leverage each other’s experiences. Completed January 2020.

SharePoint SIG

Microsoft SharePoint was a collaboration platform popular among UWEBC member companies. This SIG examined in-depth SharePoint best practices. Topics included business case, security, pilot, implementation, and steady-state management. Completed May 2014.

Internet Merchandising SIG

Take a deeper dive into internet-merchandising practices and processes than is possible in a single peer-group meeting. Topics included efforts on homepages, landing pages, within shopping carts, emails and social media platforms. For not only those directly responsible for internet merchandising at their respective companies but also creative teams and marketers who assist with internet-merchandising projects. Completed December 2013.

Contact Center Workforce Management SIG

This SIG was a forum for managers responsible for this function to discuss common issues and challenges they encounter in different aspects of executing WFM – and to compare strategies and practices for addressing them. Completed May 2013.

Contact Center Quality Monitoring SIG

A forum for contact center quality process leaders to compare notes with peers on effective quality monitoring practices and strategies for leveraging QM investment to its fullest potential. Completed September 2011.