Viki Patten at Evaluagent walks you through the final steps of making a business case for QA software, covering key risks, scalability, costs, and decision-making strategies.
If you’ve been following our series on how to make a business case for QA software, you’ll have already weighed up the challenges, got to grips with the key benefits, carried out extensive research, and now be ready to make your decision.
But there are a few last things you’ll want to consider before you pick your preferred partner…
Risks
Risk assessment with contact centre software works two ways: if you do implement it, and if you don’t.
Implementation Risks
The risks on implementation typically centre around integrations and the platform being able to ‘play nice’ with other technology that you use. If it doesn’t, you’ve not only cost yourself money, but valuable time too.
Another risk could be the level of upskilling required in the team to start using the software at a high-functioning level.
If the platform’s interface is overwhelming or puts users off, you’ll find people disengaging and not making the most of the functionality you’ve paid for.
It’s a good idea to get team members’ thoughts on different platforms by having them sense-check websites and attend demos to mitigate this.
Of course, there’s also the risk of a platform simply underdelivering. Explain in your business case how you’ll work with the provider’s team to prevent this from happening and set yourself up for the best chance of success.
Risks of Non-Action
Worried you’ll make a business case only for it to fall on deaf ears? This is your chance to anticipate all the potential reasons you’ll get a ‘no’ and use evidence to counteract potential pitfalls.
For example, if your metrics are well below industry standard, you need software to help drive efficiency. If software isn’t within budget, the cost could be greater if you’re not able to keep customers happy, or have to spend more resource on recruitment.
There’s also plenty of research available that shows just how heavily many contact centres are investing in technology and cloud-based solutions – hard data and the fear of being left behind can be enough for many Boards to pull the trigger.
Identify what risk looks like to your contact centre, have a plan for mitigation, and show that you’ve considered all angles.
Scalability
Let’s say you’ve a platform in mind and it looks like it’s ticking all the boxes. That’s brilliant – for right now. But many Boards and Directors aren’t just thinking about the now, they need to see consideration for the future too, since this will influence many of their spending decisions.
If your preferred partner is able to share their product roadmap with you, or demonstrate how they use customer feedback to directly develop their platform, that will pay dividends when it comes to showing how the platform will grow with you.
It’s all about showing how this isn’t just implementing some technology, but also making the goals of the contact centre – and wider business – a reality.
Costs
Naturally, we’ll be the first to say that price shouldn’t be the defining factor of your decision-making, but it will be crucial in helping you calculate that all-important return on investment we covered earlier.
Knowing the software provider’s pricing structure and terms is the minimum information a Board will expect to see.
But also ask about additional costs – like certain features behind paywalls, account management, or how user numbers affect costs.
Weigh up what matters most to you. Do you need hands-on management? Want flexibility in active accounts? Are those market-leading features within your budget – and will they make the difference a year from now?
It’s a good idea to have a general budget in mind of what you think is realistic to get signed off. But don’t be afraid to put forward the solution you think best matches your needs even if it’s a little higher. A compelling business case can make all the difference!
Making Your Decision
Now it’s decision time. The reality is this might be the only section Senior Management has time to read, so don’t run out of steam now.
Put forward your vendor of choice, succinctly summarizing the following:
- Your performance benchmarked against industry data
- Why there is a clear need to invest in technology
- Which platform you want to onboard
- Key platform benefits as they relate to your operation
- How certain features will help you solve specific challenges
- Any risk mitigation discussed with the vendor
- Pricing and timescales to implementation
- Expected performance outcomes
Ideally, this should take up no more than one page. If the reader wants more details, well, if you’ve put in the legwork, you should be able to evidence this.
And now you’re ready! Fingers crossed you get it all signed off and can start elevating your contact centre QA in no time!
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of EvaluAgent – View the Original Article
For more information about EvaluAgent - visit the EvaluAgent Website
About EvaluAgent
EvaluAgent provide software and services that help contact centres engage and motivate their staff to deliver great customer experiences. Find out more about EvaluAgent
Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.
Author: EvaluAgent
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson
Published On: 24th Oct 2024
Read more about - Guest Blogs, EvaluAgent, Viki Patten
