Outsourcing business processes, including IT development, back-office functions, and contact center services, is essential in today’s business world. Market globalization, fierce competition, and the drive to optimize resources push companies to find efficient and cost-effective solutions from external service providers.
Despite the growing popularity of outsourcing, many potential clients do not fully understand the details, particularly how the cost of contact center services is calculated. There is a common misconception that service providers offer fixed-price solutions.
In reality, determining the cost of contact center services is a complex process influenced by many factors. In this article, Bohdan Lysenko, Business Development Specialist at Global Bilgi, will explain the stages of calculating the cost of contact center services and clarify the nuances of pricing.
“What’s the cost of outsourcing your contact center?”
We totally get it – you want an exact answer right away, preferably in dollars and cents. But do you want your customers to receive the best service? Do you want a business partner with a flawless reputation in Ukraine and abroad? Is the growth of your company’s financial performance important to you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, congratulations, you’re on the right track! We care deeply about the growth of all our clients’ business projects. That’s why we’ve developed a standardized questionnaire for potential clients to fill out. This form takes into account all the factors that influence the price. It helps us understand our potential client’s needs, identify their pain points, and gather the necessary information to prepare a transparent commercial proposal.
A contact center outsourcing: what determines the price?
The price of outsourcing a contact center depends on many factors. To accurately calculate the cost, we need answers to a series of operational and technical questions from our questionnaire. Below, I’ll outline the main points that influence the pricing.
Inbound or outbound contact center
The first thing we ask potential clients is what type of contact center they need. Will it be customer service for inbound calls only, or will the contact center be focused on outbound calls (telemarketing, surveys, etc.)? It’s important to understand that the key performance indicators (KPIs) for inbound and outbound contact centers are different.
Type of product/service
Are you providing medical or financial services, selling electronics, or involved in transportation? The industry your business operates in will determine the profile of the agents we assign to your project. Naturally, services of qualified specialists in software or contact centers for medical facilities will “cost” more.
To preempt your question: no, we don’t have operators on standby waiting for their services to be needed. For each new client or project, our HR department, with its extensive experience in recruiting contact center staff, quickly finds agents with the appropriate qualifications.
Work schedule
The work schedule of the agents can vary. When preparing a price quote, we consider work during the day, evening (6 PM to 10 PM), and night (10 PM to 6 AM) as per Article 54 of the Labor Code of Ukraine.
Estimated call volume
Our planning experts need an estimated breakdown of the workload for the contact center during the day to determine the required number of agent hours or FTE (full-time equivalent) for the project. Let me give you an example:
If 50 agents are needed to serve the customers in the call center at the same time per shift, how many employees are needed to support the entire project on a monthly basis?
One of the great advantages of Global Bilgi is our planning, reporting and monitoring department, which takes into account not only the number of employees but also the seasonality of the workload, the turnover rate (which occurs in contact centers) and other factors when answering this question to ensure that your project is adequately staffed to meet the set KPIs.
Contact Center KPIs
Contact center KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are metrics used to evaluate performance. They help companies to
- define goals
- track progress
- measure efficiency
- motivate employees
- improve customer service.
The most important KPIs for contact centers include service level, average speed of answer, first call resolution rate and average call handling time. It’s also important to consider customer satisfaction metrics such as CSAT, NPS, etc.
The price of outsourcing contact center services largely depends on the efficiency indicators set by the customer. It’s understandable that the higher the requirements for performance indicators, the more employees are needed to meet them.
Languages of the service
Another important factor that also affects the price. We recruit specialists for a multilingual contact center, but you should be prepared for the fact that the services of employees who speak foreign languages will cost more.
Additional staffing
There’s a common belief that simply providing operators with computers and headsets will ensure smooth operation. However, based on our experience, we’ve learned that an effective contact center requires a specific organizational structure, including:
- Project Managers: they handle all communication with the client regarding work-related matters.
- Team Leaders (Supervisors): experienced operators who oversee groups of 15 operators.
- Helpdesk Specialists: they offer technical support to the operators.
- Reporting and Planning Specialists: they optimize the operators’ workflow and provide valuable insights for the client’s business.
- QA Specialists: responsible for evaluating service quality, as maintaining high standards is crucial to us.
While outsourcing a call center with additional personnel may incur a higher cost, our clients’ experiences demonstrate that this investment pays off through improved financial performance and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Telephony and Integration
You can’t determine the cost of outsourcing contact center services without technical information, which includes answers to questions such as:
- Does the client already have a phone number for receiving calls, or will one need to be purchased?
- What type of number is needed (mobile, landline, local, international, toll-free)?
- What connection technology will be used (SIP, ISDN, PSTN, SIM card)?
- What are the integration requirements?
Technical information not only forms the basis for pricing contact center services but also opens up possibilities for expanding collaboration. Besides offering outsourcing business process services, our company specializes in developing software for contact centers. For our potential clients, we can provide a modern cloud call center platform called Sirius. With Sirius, enterprises of any scale can easily set up a technologically advanced, omnichannel service center capable of handling a large volume of inquiries.
Policy on agent salary increases
At Global Bilgi, we have a policy of regularly increasing the salaries of our contact center agents. When preparing a commercial proposal, it’s essential to consider the duration of the contract with the client, i.e., the project’s timeframe.
Wondering what comes next after you’ve completed the questionnaire?
Once the potential client has provided their answers, we follow our company’s established procedure to gather initial estimates from our planning, HR, IT, and finance departments. Using this information, a business development specialist creates a commercial proposal.
We offer a transparent price for the contact center outsourcing, detailing all client expenses for the project throughout the expected collaboration period. Additionally, we commit to meeting key performance indicators (KPIs).
It’s worth noting that our company operates in Ukraine with full transparency and is a responsible VAT payer. If the client company is also subject to VAT, we provide a price excluding VAT in the commercial proposal.
Should the client accept the pricing proposal, we move forward by signing a contract and any necessary additional agreements. These documents establish the legal framework for our collaboration and outline the responsibilities of both parties.
Contact center service pricing: conclusions
The price of outsourcing contact center services depends on many factors. At Global Bilgi, we approach pricing with maximum transparency, providing potential clients with comprehensive information not only about the factors influencing pricing but also about all the benefits that the client’s business will gain from partnering with us.
Currently, our company is one of the leaders in providing outsourcing services for contact centers. Thanks to our proprietary technological developments and experienced staff, we ensure the highest quality of service for our partners’ clients.
To find out the price for contact center services from Global Bilgi, click the “Contact Us” button and fill out the form. We will contact you at your convenience and answer all your questions.
