Social Futures is shortlisted for the 2026 Best Customer Contact Transformation award, after introducing a dedicated Customer Experience team and redesigning how people access support. Social Futures will join organisations from across Australia and New Zealand on 18 March at the Customer Contact Week Excellence Awards in Sydney, where the winners will be announced.
Social Futures is celebrating national recognition after being shortlisted for the 2026 Best Customer Contact Transformation award at the Customer Contact Week Excellence Awards.
The nomination recognises the organisation’s recent transformation of how people access support, creating a simpler and more immediately responsive first point of contact for community members seeking help.
During 2024–25, Social Futures’ 372 employees supported 32,191 people on their journey to inclusion, wellbeing and independence.
Over the past 18 months, the organisation has redesigned its customer contact approach, moving from a fragmented, program-specific system to a unified, person-centred model supported by a dedicated Customer Experience team who are trauma-informed and equipped with deep training and practical skills in areas including mental health, de-escalation, and child-protection.
Manager Customer Contact Services, Vanessa Lyngsted, said the nomination reflects the organisation’s commitment to making it easier for people to connect with the support they need, when they need it.
“Every call we answer is someone reaching out for help, and our goal is to make that first conversation feel welcoming, respectful and supportive,” Ms Lyngsted said.
“Our Customer Experience team is informed on all Social Futures service options, so we can guide people to the right support quickly and ensure no one feels lost in the system.
“By having a team that is knowledgeable across all programs, we can offer holistic solutions. A person calling for one service may be recommended other options they were unaware of, creating a ‘no wrong door’ experience that genuinely helps them.”
The transformation included consolidating dozens of contact points into a single 1800 number and equipping staff with clear workflows, training, and technology to ensure enquiries are handled quickly and with care.
Before this change, people could contact Social Futures in more than 40 different ways, at times making it difficult for individuals to navigate services and sometimes resulting in missed calls or delayed responses.
Today, the 1800 number receives around 900 calls each month and achieves a call answer rate of 95 per cent within 30 seconds, ensuring people can reach timely support when they need it most.
The new approach has also strengthened Social Futures’ ability to support staff within the programs by reducing administrative workload, allowing program teams to focus on delivering specialised support to communities across regional NSW and Southeast Queensland.
Social Futures will join organisations from across Australia and New Zealand on 18 March at the Customer Contact Week Excellence Awards in Sydney, where the winners will be announced.
