How to Strengthen Contact Center RFP Process
One area that could improve the relationship between contact center vendors and leadership is taking time and inputting effort for the vendors to fully understand the contact center business. Typically, the vendor selection process unfolds as follows:
- The contact center decides to upgrade or replace one of its platforms.
- Leadership meets with multiple vendors to discuss their business needs and explain how the current platform meets those needs while outlining desired improvements in specific areas (X, Y, Z).
- Vendors return with customized proposals demonstrating how their platform can solve X, Y, and Z.
- Contact center leadership selects the vendor they believe is best suited to address these issues.
- During implementation, contact center operators responsible for deploying the software encounter unforeseen constraints, leading to new problems (A, B, C).
- Ultimately, while the contact center resolves its initial challenges (X, Y, Z), it is now forced to develop workaround solutions for the newly introduced issues (A, B, C). In effect, the contact center has merely exchanged one set of problems for another.
What causes this recurring cycle? The main driver is a narrow focus on resolving immediate issues while failing to account for the broader business processes that should not be disrupted. Additionally, vendors, despite their best efforts, may lack a full understanding of the contact center's operational ecosystem, leading to unintended consequences.
How to Prevent This Issue
To avoid this cycle, contact centers should adopt a more thorough approach during the RFP process:
- Clearly outline the core components of the business that cannot be disrupted. Establishing non-negotiable elements ensures that any new platform will not interfere with critical processes.
- If core business components will be affected, require vendors to propose solutions to mitigate or even improve those areas. This proactive approach encourages vendors to think beyond the immediate problem and consider the broader business impact.
- Whenever possible, pilot the platform with a small, independent business unit before full-scale implementation. This allows leadership to assess not only whether the platform resolves the intended issues but also whether it negatively impacts other essential business operations.
- Maintain a balanced perspective. The goal is not to avoid all change but to ensure that the net impact of an upgrade is overwhelmingly positive. If certain core components must be affected, leadership should weigh the long-term benefits against the short-term disruptions.
Upgrading or replacing a contact center platform should be a step toward operational efficiency, not an exchange of one set of problems for another. By taking a more integrated approach during the RFP process—defining vendor limitations, anticipating potential disruptions, and piloting solutions where possible—contact centers can make more informed decisions. This ensures that technology upgrades genuinely drive improvements rather than introducing new complications that require workarounds. The ultimate goal should be a vendor partnership that not only solves current challenges but also enhances the overall stability and effectiveness of the contact center's operations.