Looking for a new contact center outsourcer is rarely as simple as it sounds. That’s why we’ve pulled together our top “How To” procurement tips so you don’t have to spend hours hunting down the resources.

1. The End-to-End Contact Center
Solutions Buyer’s Guide
What you need to know when looking for a new
contact center outsourcer.

2. How to Calculate Call Center Outsourcing Costs
When calculating outsourcing costs, you need this foundational knowledge:
Understanding an “agent hour”
In-house, you’re paying 100% of an agent hour. What are you paying for an
outsourced agent hour? (HINT: It’s less than 100%.)
Realizing a reduction in FTE
Better technology, intelligent workforce management, and cross-trained
agents all result in a level of flexibility that can decrease your requirement
for full-time employees. (Good luck achieving that in-house…)
Understanding “all-in”
When you outsource, the quote you’ll get doesn’t just cover agent wages. It’s also
management, technology, and human resource costs. (Make sure your comparisons are
apples-to-apples.)
1
2
3
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 2

3. A Sample Contact Center RFP Timeline
DAY 1
DAY 32-45DAY 22-
30
DAY 9DAY 4
DAY
46
DAY
31
DAY
21
DAY 5
RFP Issued Vendor
Questions
Deadline
Submission Due Shortlist Top
Contenders
Select
Vendor
Intent to Reply
Deadline
Answers
Distributed
Review Process Site Visits of
Shortlisted
Vendors
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 3

4. Contact Center RFP Questions to Ask Vendors
For a comprehensive Contact Center RFP that will help you identify the
right strategic partner, questions need to be spread across the following
categories: 1. Company Facts
2. Client Relationships
3. Corporate Culture
4. Agent Hiring & Training
5. Agent Engagement
6. Capabilities & Experience
7. Reporting Customization
8. Team Overview & Commitment
9. Technology Compatibility
10. Pricing Models
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 4

5. Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Writing a Contact Center RFP
2 43 5
6 10987
1
Relying on a
limited
procurement pool
Neglecting to set
parameters around
document
length/size
Not streamlining
questions from
multiple
stakeholders
Neglecting to
investigate
employee
engagement
Asking questions
about metrics that are
open to interpretation
Overlooking the
big picture/future
state with
technology
Duplicating RFP
templates from
other industries
Focusing on
individuals instead
of roles who’ll be
doing the work
Overlooking the
value of high
quality reporting
Neglecting to ask
about worst case
scenario customer
service
Bonus: Ask about management team tenure
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 5

6. How to Choose the Best Contact Center (For You)
When choosing the best contact center for you, ask the following questions:
How does their corporate culture align with your own?
How will their KPIs and reporting help evolve your business?
What differentiates them from their closest competitors?
What third-party testimonials or awards validate their core competitive differentiators?
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 6

7. So You Finally Chose a Contact Center Outsourcing. What
Next?
What comes next?
The Initial Meeting:
Getting Aligned
Technical Planning
and Requirements
Call Volume
Forecasting
Process
Agent Profiling,
Recruiting and
Scheduling
Strategy
Reporting
Requirements and
Quality Assurance
2 43 51
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 7

8. How to Extend Your Customer Experience Strategy to Your
Outsourcing Team
Here’s how to get on the same page as your outsourced contact center:
1.
2.
3.
Define the measurement system
Keep in-house and outsourced team consistent across all customer touch points
Assimilate the outsourced team into your culture
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 8

9. The Economics of Nearshore vs
Offshore Contact Centers Outsourcing Team
In recent years, there have been several high-profile instances of
contact centers moving back to North American shores after a stint
overseas.
The service expectations of customers and the reality of most low
cost, offshore solutions can lead to negative CSATs and a dip in
lifetime customer loyalty.
The cost of creating cultural compatibility is now being built into
many offshore offerings. In other words, there is an added budget
line in an RFP dedicated to training agents to be able to talk about
North American pop culture, weather, and sports.
That’s why for big enterprise solutions, we expect to see even
more conversions over to US and Canadian Call Centers.
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 9

10. Get deep and specific with your historical data. Insights into what happened last
year can shed light on what’s likely going to happen this year.
Preach the importance of collaboration in forecasting. If the forecast is off, it can
have a domino effect.
Keep your eyes on the metrics that matter. Good service level measurements will
always tie back to specific service goals that match your brand promise.
Build the right parameters for your game. Monthly service level or daily service
level? Be realistic.
Give your WFM team the freedom to focus on the future. Don’t fall into “paralysis
by analysis.” Your WFM team needs to learn from the data and make go-forward
plans.
How to Succeed as a Client:
Helping Your Outsourcer’s Workforce Management Team
Win
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 10

11. For more detail and insight,
download your End-to-End Contact Center
Solutions Buyer’s Guide today.
The End-to-End Contact Center Solutions Buyer’s Guide www.blueocean.ca 11
7051 Bayers Road, Suite 400
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 4V2 Canada
1-866-658-2969