A Call Center Services Request for Proposal (also called an RFP or RFQ) is a document issued by a company or organization when it wants to purchase answering services or other call center services.
Usually the objective is to have several call center companies bid on the work to get more competitive prices and the best service.
It is important that the RFP is written correctly. Poorly prepared RFPs can produce no bids or bids that waste your time. Writing a high-quality RFP can take several days.
We offer a free Call Center Services RFP Template to get you started.
Scroll down for the steps to writing a successful Call Center Services RFP.
Step 1) Before You Write
Before you start to write a Call Center Services RFP, determine your real needs, your wants, and what is possible. For example, don’t issue an RFP for answering a million calls per month when the most you would ever expect is 10,000 calls per month. Also, consider the types of services you may need. Do you need someone to answer calls, someone to make calls for you or both? Or, do you need a call center to act as your customer service department? For an overview of services to consider, see "Call Center Services (Overview).”
Step 2) Identify Your Real Needs and Your Wants
You may need 100,000 calls per month answered per month by live call center agents. It might be nice if all the agents are licensed insurance agents, but you need to decide if this is necessary. To identify things in the RFP as needed use words like “will,” “shall” and “must” to show that these are the “requirement”. Use words like “may”, “can” and “optional” to identify those things that are merely “wants.”
Step 3) Decide What the Winning Proposal Will Look Like
Each proposal you get will be different and have different strengths. Some proposals will focus on best quality, experience, lowest cost, or even a complete set of call center services. You should decide in advance whether you are looking for the best service, the lowest cost other strengths or a combination.
Step 4) Outline and Organize the Proposal Document
Your proposal will at least need sections for an introduction, requirements, selection criteria, timelines and the RFP to award process. Our free Call Center Services RFP Template will help you get started.
Step 5) Decide Who to Send the RFP to, and How to Send It
You may already know who the call center companies are that offer the services you want. If not, you can easily search the Internet for possible candidates.
Step 6) Send the RFP
