Are you considering procuring a customer service solution? There is a lot to consider when drawing up requirements ahead of a procurement process. At Responda Group, we have spent over 30 years delivering customer service to a wide variety of clients. We have put together the factors that can be beneficial to include in a procurement to ensure an efficient, flexible and high-quality customer service solution.
- High level of service
It is naturally important that the customer service provider has a good service level and meets the end customer's expectations for good service. Consider what is important for your specific end customers and invite providers to a dialogue to gain knowledge about the tools available to ensure a good customer experience. - Flexible availability
Set requirements for flexibility so that your availability can be increased or decreased as needed and at short notice, allowing you to change capacity and be available round the clock if necessary. - The advantage of economies of scale
Feel free to set minimum capacity requirements. A large supplier is more flexible than a small one. Being able to offer service from around a hundred telephone operators ensures delivery and that you can maintain a high level of service round the clock. It also means that you do not need to specify or order a certain level of capacity for a specific day or time of day. - Skills and experience
Becoming a good customer service advisor requires the right profile, initial training and ongoing professional development. Request an account of what the recruitment process looks like, what training and skills development customer service advisors receive, and how quality is assured over time. - Language proficiency
Do you need more languages than Swedish, for example English or several Nordic languages? Ensure that the language proficiency is at a high level and that there is a plan for skills development so that quality is maintained over time. - Accession to a collective agreement
The supplier should be party to a collective agreement so that employees receive reasonable pay and conditions that are standard for the sector. It is also beneficial if the supplier is a member of the industry association Kontakta, which promotes professionalism and quality within the sector. - Work environment, wellness and health
As employers, all companies have a duty to take the measures necessary to prevent ill health or accidents in the workplace. During a procurement process, one should check that these are being followed in a satisfactory manner. When procuring customer service, it is also relevant to look at how work is carried out regarding the sound environment, the ergonomic design of the workplace, routines for breaking up monotonous work, and so on. The same applies to how they work with health-prevention measures—parameters that have a direct impact on the quality of the customer service. - Guarantee of quality and safety
The supplier undertakes to be the primary point of contact for your customers. This contact is frequently decisive for your customer satisfaction. It is therefore important, even at the procurement stage, to verify that requirements regarding ethics and security align with those you have for your own organisation. The supplier should describe how they work to maintain high quality. They should also have a code of conduct as a governing document for their organisation that regulates shared business principles and ethical values. - Statistics
Consider what statistics are relevant for your business to know and clarify what the supplier can provide. The number of cases, call duration and response times are a few examples of relevant metrics, but think bigger to capture important customer insights for your business as a whole. - Invite suppliers Start a conversation
Customer service companies often work with a range of different clients across many industries and have experience, tips and suggestions on how delivery can be carried out in a quality-assured and forward-leaning manner. Take advantage of their experience and dare to ask questions. Also ask for references from clients with similar assignments who can provide feedback on various dimensions of the assignment.