Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution
- IT needs a method to pinpoint which contact center solution best aligns with business objectives, adapting to a post-COVID world of remote work, flexibility, and scalability.
- Scoring RFP and RFQ proposals is a complex process, and it is difficult to map and gap without a clear view of the organization’s needs. SOWs can contain pitfalls that cause expensive headaches for the organization in the long run. Guidance through a SOW is required to best represent the organization’s interests.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- “On-premises versus cloud” is a false dichotomy. Contact center architectures come in all shapes and sizes, and organizations should discern whether a hybrid option best meets their needs.
- Contact centers should service customers – not capabilities. Capabilities must work for you, your agents, and your customers – not the other way around.
- Deliverables and responsibilities should be a contract’s focal point. While organizations are right to focus on avoiding unanticipated license charges, it is more important to clearly define how deliverables and responsibilities will be divided among the organization, the vendor, and potential third parties.
Impact and Result
- Assess the array of contact center architectures with Info-Tech’s Contact Center Decision Points Tool to select a right-sized solution.
- Build business requirements in a formalized process to achieve stakeholder buy-in.
- Use Info-Tech’s Contact Center RFP Scoring Tool to evaluate and choose from a range of vendors.
- Successfully navigate and avoid major pitfalls in a SOW construction.
- Justify each stage of the process with this blueprint’s key deliverable: the Contact Center Playbook.
Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to examine the current contact center marketspace, review Info-Tech’s methodology for choosing a right-sized contact center solution, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phases 1-3
1. Assess Contact Center Architectures
Establish your project vision and metrics of success before shortlisting potential contact center architectures and deciding which is right-sized for the organization.
- Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 1: Assess Contact Center Architectures
- Contact Center Playbook
- Contact Center Decision Points Tool
2. Gather Requirements and Shortlist Vendors
Build business requirements to achieve stakeholder buy-in, define key deliverables, and issue an RFP/RFQ to shortlisted vendors.
- Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 2: Gather Requirements and Shortlist Vendors
- Requirements Gathering Documentation Tool
- Lean RFP Template
- Contact Center Business Requirements Document
- Request for Quotation Template
- Long-Form RFP Template
3. Score Vendors and Construct SOW
Score RFP/RFQ responses and decide upon a vendor before constructing a SOW.
- Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 3: Score Vendors and Construct SOW
- Contact Center RFP Scoring Tool
- Contact Center SOW Template and Guide
Workshop: Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Assess Architecture
The Purpose
Shortlist and decide upon a right-sized contact center architecture.
Key Benefits Achieved
A high-level decision for a right-sized architecture
Activities
1.1 Define vision and mission statements.
1.2 Identify infrastructure metrics of success.
1.3 Confirm key performance indicators for contact center operations.
1.4 Complete architecture assessment.
1.5 Confirm right-sized architecture.
Outputs
Project outline
Metrics of success
KPIs confirmed
Quickly narrow down right-sized architecture
Decision on right-sized contact center architecture
2 Gather Requirements
The Purpose
Build business requirements and define key deliverables to achieve stakeholder buy-in and shortlist potential vendors.
Key Benefits Achieved
Key deliverables defined and a shortlist of no more than five vendors
Sections 7-8 of the Contact Center Playbook completed
Activities
2.1 Hold focus groups with key stakeholders.
2.2 Gather business, nonfunctional, and functional requirements.
2.3 Define key deliverables.
2.4 Shortlist five vendors that appear meet those requirements.
Outputs
User requirements identified
Business Requirements Document completed
Key deliverables defined
Shortlist of five vendors
3 Initial Vendor Scoring
The Purpose
Compare and evaluate shortlisted vendors against gathered requirements.
Key Benefits Achieved
Have a strong overview of which vendors are preferred for issuing RFP/RFQ
Section 9 of the Contact Center Playbook
Activities
3.1 Input requirements to the Contact Center RFP Scoring Tool. Define which are mandatory and which are desirable.
3.2 Determine which vendors best meet requirements.
3.3 Compare requirements met with anticipated TCO.
3.4 Compare and rank vendors.
Outputs
An assessment of requirements
Vendor scoring
A holistic overview of requirements scoring and vendor TCO
An initial ranking of vendors to shape RFP process after workshop end
4 SOW Walkthrough
The Purpose
Walk through the Contact Center SOW Template and Guide to identify how much time to allocate per section and who will be responsible for completing it.
Key Benefits Achieved
An understanding of a SOW that is designed to avoid major pitfalls with vendor management
Section 10 of the Contact Center Playbook
Activities
4.1 Get familiar with the SOW structure.
4.2 Identify which sections will demand greater time allocation.
4.3 Strategize how to avoid potential pitfalls.
4.4 Confirm reviewer responsibilities.
Outputs
A broad understanding of a SOW’s key sections
A determination of how much time should be allocated for reviewing major sections
A list of ways to avoid major pitfalls with vendor management
A list of reviewers, the sections they are responsible for reviewing, and their time allocation for their review
5 Communicate and Implement
The Purpose
Finalize deliverables and plan post-workshop communications.
Key Benefits Achieved
A completed Contact Center Playbook that justifies each decision of this workshop
Activities
5.1 Finalize deliverables.
5.2 Support communication efforts.
5.3 Identify resources in support of priority initiatives.
Outputs
Contact Center Playbook delivered
Post-workshop engagement to confirm satisfaction
Follow-up research that complements the workshop or leads workshop group in relevant new directions