Request for proposal (RFP) is a vital document that decides the fate of contact center outsourcing process to a great extent. Companies usually feel pressured while preparing RFP because an improper one may result in partnership with wrong vendor.

We have compiled some important tips that will help you in creating finest RFP to help you outsource customer support and related processes effectively.

Things to do:

• Include Multiple Questions to Know Basis Facts of Vendor

This will give you a clear idea of size of the organization and their ability to handle different types of projects. You can ask questions like experience of the vendor in the industry, number of full-time agents employed by vendor and number of agents that are working on contract basis. Other than this, ask the details about multilingual services offered by the company along with their hours of operation.

• Ask Questions Directly

Make sure all the questions are asked in direct manner so that response from vendor is not vague. Also increase the number of questions to generate maximum details related to the working of the outsourcing vendor.

• Include Hypothetical Scenarios

By putting imaginary scenarios and hypothetical questions, you will come to know about the creativity of the vendor and their ability to handle the project in challenging situations. You will also be able to analyze the willingness of contact center to work with you in long term.

• Introduce Yourself

Providing information about your major functions as an organization along with values and objectives will help the vendors to analyze requirements in better manner. It will also increase the chances of choosing the vendor that matches your objectives. 

• Include Statistics and Graphs

Putting flow charts, statistics and graphs etc. may sound like a time-taking process while preparing RFP but it will definitely result in clear communication with potential vendors.

• Ask About Agent Training in Detail

Only properly trained agents are able to handle different types of customers from every industry. Therefore, asking about agent training in detail is essential to ensure that your project will be handled by proficient team. Make sure to ask about uniqueness of agent training program used by the service provider. You must also put questions related to size of training class, experience of trainers and preparation of training modules for each project. 

Things to Avoid:

• Not Including Glossary and Expansion of Abbreviations 

It is not necessary that your potential vendor knows every technical term and abbreviation associated with your business or industry. Therefore, not adding expansion to abbreviation and glossary may confuse the vendor due to which you will not receive appropriate response for the proposal. You must create separate sections for the same in RFP to ensure clear communication. Other than this, not adding table of contents is another mistake that must be avoided by the companies. 

• Copying Templates of Other Industries 

It is a very common mistake committed by companies looking to Outsource Call Center Processes. They use RFP templates of industries other than call center due to which effective communication is not established between firms and vendors. Therefore, companies should only use the RFP templates that are strictly based on call center process. 

• Not Asking About Call Center Metrics in Detail 

Companies generally include only basic questions related to call center metrics and reporting while preparing the RFP. As a result, they are not able to analyze the ability of contact center firm to manage quality in the operations.

Ask them about all the important metrics in detail to know the level of their quality. Also ask about unique KPIs used by them to manage the quality in a project. Other than this, you should ask the vendor about their practices to evolve the metrics with changing trends of the market.

• Not Asking About Technology in Comprehensive Manner

Technology acts as backbone in processes like customer support. Therefore, asking about technology used by vendor in limited manner will result in choosing the wrong partner for outsourcing. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss how they utilize their technology to enhance the experience of end-customers. You must also discuss about future plans of vendor related to enhancement of technology.

A comprehensive RFP with all the necessary points and questions included in a structured manner will ensure that you get best vendor as per necessities of your business. It is also play an important part in establishing a successful relationship with your outsourcing vendor.