Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution
“On-premises vs. cloud” is a false dichotomy.
Member Challenge
- 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.
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.
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Choose a Right-Sized Contact Solution – Executive Brief
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Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phases 1-3
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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.
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Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 1: Assess Contact Center Architectures
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Contact Center Playbook
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Contact Center Decision Points Tool
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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.
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Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 2: Gather Requirements and Shortlist Vendors
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Requirements Gathering Documentation Tool
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Enhanced RFI Template
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Contact Center Business Requirements Document
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Request for Quotation Template
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Long-Form RFP Template
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3. Score Vendors and Construct SOW
Score RFP/RFQ responses and decide upon a vendor before constructing a SOW.
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Choose a Right-Sized Contact Center Solution – Phase 3: Score Vendors and Construct SOW
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Contact Center RFP Scoring Tool
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Contact Center SOW Template and Guide
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