The changing nature of customer engagement and lessons learnt from recent natural disasters will be among the topics at the Financial Ombudsman Service’s (FOS) national conference next month.

The conference, to be held in Melbourne on October 16 and 17, will also look at industry trends and the government response. Other areas for discussion include the adviser-client relationship in financial advice, and industry codes.

On the second day lead ombudsmen, industry members and consumer advocates will discuss and take questions on dispute resolution.

On October 15 FOS will hold a pre-conference afternoon session – “a day in the life of a dispute” – working through the five steps of the handling process and considering why some disputes take longer than others. The FOS team will also reveal its “top five tips for a smooth process”.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission will give an industry update at the conference and there will be a networking dinner on October 16.