{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "How Much Will My Agency’s Contact Center Cost? |Digital.gov",
    "description": "How Much Will My Agency’s Contact Center Cost?",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/30/how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"How Much Will My Agency’s Contact Center Cost?","summary" : "The federal government has caught the customer experience bug. We want our customers to complete their tasks with minimal effort using a streamlined process. If they need personal help, we want it to be quick, polite, and provide the best answer. But that personal help frequently requires a team of highly skilled, dedicated people—a contact","date" : "2015-04-30T11:10:52-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"tonya-beres" : "Tonya Beres"},"topics" : {
        
            "contact-centers" : "Contact centers",
            "customer-experience" : "Customer experience",
            "product-and-project-management" : "Product and project management"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-04-30-how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/04/2015-04-30-how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/04/2015-04-30-how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/04/2015-04-30-how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost.md","slug" : "how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/30/how-much-will-my-agencys-contact-center-cost/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/04/600-x-400-Chairs-computers-and-headset-in-a-modern-office-Wavebreakmedia-Ltd-Wavebreak-Media-Thinkstock-486481879.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Chairs, computers, and headsets in a modern office\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe federal government has caught the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/12/15-government-customer-service-trends-for-2015/\"\u003ecustomer experience\u003c/a\u003e bug. We want our customers to complete their tasks with minimal effort using a streamlined process. If they need personal help, we want it to be quick, polite, and provide the best answer. But that personal help frequently requires a team of highly skilled, dedicated people—a contact center.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen people call to ask how much it will or should cost their agency to have a contact center, I can’t give them an answer. I want to, but until I learn what they need, and the customer experience they want to provide, I really don’t know enough to give an accurate estimate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s similar to buying a car. There’s not one answer to how much it costs to buy car; it depends on what you’re looking for. Do you want a car or an SUV? Automatic or manual? High-performance or economy? Leather or fabric interior? Just as all these elements weigh into the cost of a car, the cost of a contact center is dependent on many factors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the manager of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.usa.gov/phone.shtml\"\u003eUSA.gov Contact Center\u003c/a\u003e and the Co-Chair of the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/government-contact-center-council/\"\u003eGovernment Contact Center Council\u003c/a\u003e (G3C), I get this question about once a month. We’ve developed a set of questions that will help an agency determine the type of contact center support they need.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you’re starting a contact center, or thinking of changing your model, first, determine the answers to these questions. (Note: this list is \u003ca href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/04/ContactCenterCost-FactorsToConsider.docx\"\u003eavailable for download\u003c/a\u003e [22.5 kb, Ms Word, .docx])\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eDo you want contractor support or will you be using government full time employees? If contracting out, what level?\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      Customer Service Representative (CSR) (Agent)\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Management\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Technology\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eInquiries\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What are the anticipated, most common types of inquiries you expect to receive?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Who are your customers/why are they contacting you? Customer demographics impact channels, languages, and hours of operation.\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eServices to Be Provided\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      Channels: What channels would you like to answer? \u003cul\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n          Phone\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Web Chat\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Email\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Postal mail\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Social media (Facebook, Twitter)\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          SMS\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Customer Support App\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003c/ul\u003e\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n  Tiers: What level of agent support is required? \u0026lt;ul\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Tier 1: Basic, using publicly available information, FAQs\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Tier 2: Moderately complex\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Tier 3: Complex, requires subject matter expertise\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      If only Tier 1, do you want Tier 2 or 3 transferred? \u0026lt;ul\u0026gt;\n        \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n          Warm transfer (CSR stays on line and introduces call to Tier 2)\n        \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n        \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n          Cold transfer (simply transfer to a designated Agency number and CSR hangs up)\n        \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n      \u0026lt;/ul\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      How complex is the Tier 2 matrix—how many different Tier 2 contacts are there?\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      What are the hours of availability of Tiers 2 and 3? If they don’t match Tier 1 support, what is the solution for the other hours?\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n  \u0026lt;/ul\u0026gt;\n\u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n\n\u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n  Hours of Operation: What are the expected hours of operation?\n\u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n\u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n  Languages: What languages need to be supported? \u0026lt;ul\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Note: A commercial, professional language line can provide affordable access to many languages.\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n  \u0026lt;/ul\u0026gt;\n\u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eCall Volume\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What is the expected call volume? (daily, weekly, monthly)\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      What is the average handle time (the estimated average length of call)?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      What is the estimated after-call wrap-up time?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eSecurity\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      Do CSRs need any special security clearance to answer inquiries?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eTelecommunication and IVR\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      Does your agency want to use an existing toll free number?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Do you want a new toll free number just for this topic?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      What company provides telecommunications for your agency?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Will you use recorded messages (IVRs) for FAQs?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eOperations\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      Does your agency have current contact center procedures documented?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Does your agency have specific policies documented?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eTraining\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What type of CSR training is required?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      What is the estimated length, in days, of new-hire training?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Describe the training process (lectures, role plays, application, information retrieval, all of the above?)\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Do you have any training materials developed? If no training modules/curriculum are available, who will be responsible for developing and delivering the training?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eData Collection\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What information needs to be captured about each inquiry? \u003cul\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n          Identify required data fields\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Purpose of inquiry\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Demographic data\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Customer data\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Other\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003c/ul\u003e\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n  Identify optional data fields \u0026lt;ul\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Business name\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Email address\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n    \u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n      Other contact information\n    \u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n  \u0026lt;/ul\u0026gt;\n\u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n\n\u0026lt;li style=\u0026quot;margin-bottom: 15px\u0026quot;\u0026gt;\n  How will the data be used?\n\u0026lt;/li\u0026gt;\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eReports\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What types of reports are needed? \u003cul\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n          Standard contact center reports\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Other reports—identify data fields that require reporting\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003c/ul\u003e\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003ePerformance Metrics\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What are the required performance standards/Key Performance Indicators? (Response Time, Service Level, Quality Assurance Scores, Customer Satisfaction Scores, First Contact Resolution, Service Availability, etc.). \u003cul\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n          Note: High performance standards increase the cost of the service.\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003c/ul\u003e\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eResources/Content\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What resources/content will be provided to CSRs to answer inquiries?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Are standard resources (FAQs) already developed?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Maintenance of resources \u003cul\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n          Who will maintain?\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n          Frequency of updates required?\n        \u003c/li\u003e\n      \u003c/ul\u003e\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eTechnology\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What technology will be used to support the contact center?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Does the agency own the technology?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Who will maintain the technology?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eBudget\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      What budget does your agency have for customer support activities?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      Do you anticipate that this budget will remain steady in future fiscal years?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n  \u003cstrong\u003eTimeline for Start Up\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;margin-top: 15px\"\u003e\n      When do you anticipate contact center support to begin?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"\u003e\n      What is the estimated time frame/duration for contact center support?\n    \u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood luck to you as you assess your support needs. If you’re a federal employee who’d like to network with other contact center managers, please join the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/government-contact-center-council/\"\u003eG3C Community of Practice\u003c/a\u003e. We discuss the best practices, research, and trends that improve government contact centers.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}