Sample ACD and CTI RFP

Sample RFP for ACD and CTI
Introduction
Objectives of RFP
The purpose of this request is to invite prospective vendors to submit a proposal to supply an automated (ACD or CTI) system. This Request for Proposal (RFP) provides potential vendors with the relevant operational, performance, application, and architectural requirements of the system. This information enables vendors to respond in a format that makes for a fair comparison and ensures that the proposed solution meets the requirements.
Overview of Add Company name:
Complete the following:
ADD: Name of company, description of business, location. Objective of call center group, number of call center agents, number of call centers, growth expectations, why a solution is required, what these solutions should achieve.
Background Information:
ADD: How is (ACD or CTI) currently being performed.
Call Center Environment:
ADD: Number of customer service agents , hours of operation of call center, number of call center agents, number of call centers, talk time, number of calls, growth expectations. Describe how the automated (ACD or CTI) system is expected to improve the call center environment.
Existing Technology Environment:
Call Center
PBX Hardware & ACD software, CTI Servers Add
Trunking Add: Number dedicated to the call center
LAN type, agent & reviewer desktop computers Add Non Call Center Environment
PBX Hardware & ACD software, CTI Servers Add
Trunking Add: Number dedicated to the call center
LAN type, agent & reviewer desktop computers Add
Instructions To Vendors
Project Schedule Add Company name plans to select a vendor by “Add Date”.
Add Date RFP sent to all potential bidders
Add Date Written responses are due
Add Date Presentation
Add Date Vendor selected
Closing Time and Date
The response to the RFP should be submitted to Add Name of main contact no later than Add Date.
Responses must be sent to: Name of Contact
Address to send information
Phone number and fax number
Email address
Clarification
Clarification regarding this RFP can be done by contacting:
Name
IT contact & call center contact
Phone number.
Number of Copies
X number of printed copies of your response are required.
Right to Reject
Add Company name reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this RFP even if all the stated requirements are met. In addition, Add Company name may enter into negotiations with more than one vendor simultaneously and award the transaction to any vendor in negotiations without prior notification to any other vendor.
Responding to Questions:
Vendor Profile
Please ensure that you answer the following questions:
1. State the number of years your firm has been in business.
2. Where are your head office, sales, and customer service offices located?
3. Number of employees in your company?
4. Number of employees in customer service?
5. Number of employees in product development?
6. Are your hardware and software dependent on third party vendors for manufacturing?
7. Provide a list of 5 references list including contact names that we may contact. For each reference provide names and phone numbers of the primary contact person.
8. Provide your income statement and balance sheet for each of the two most recently completed fiscal years certified by a certified public accountant (CPA).
Future Offerings:
1. What new technology does your company plan to utilize in the near future that would be an advantage to Add Your Company Name.
2. What is the history of new releases over the last 3 years?
Market Differentiation
1. Provide a brief summary of your company's history in the marketplace. Limit response to 2 pages.
2. Please describe any features, services, or practices you provide in relation to the products requested which set you apart from your competition.
Business Responses
(a) (ACD or CTI) Process
For each of the following items, please provide a detailed response as it applies to the (ACD or CTI) software:
a. Delayed announcements
b. Multiple ACD queues or splits
c. Queued call announcements
d. Skills matching
e. System interflow and intraflow
f. Night service recordings
g. Prioritization of trunks and trunk groups
h. Transaction codes
i. Supervisor position and console
j. Emergency alert capability
k. Call force handling
l. Advanced call routing
m. Service observation
n. Call work codes
o. Exception reports
p. Agent trace activity
q. Maximum number of ACD groups
r. Maximum announcements
s. Agent call intervention or barge in
t. Remote diagnostics
u. Memory protection

1. Does your system have an automated attendant?
2. Describe your system’s ability to route calls by any combination of the call origination number (ANI), the call destination number (DNIS) and the PBX line.
3. What ACD statistics are available for a specific agent throughout the day?
4. Does your system allow remote access for users and/or system administrators?
5. Will your system allow management to remove ACD queues from service during off-peak hours and return them as needed?
6. Will your system permit the moving of agents between queues?
7. Can your system make agents active or inactive as important statistics are gathered on agents’ performance?
8. Describe your system’s ability to provide agent reporting that tracks activities by agent group.
9. Can your system provide DNIS reporting by period, by queue, by DNIS number, by day of the week, and by day of the month?
10. Does your system have an alarm feature to help call center supervisors define performance thresholds to keep tabs on workload, workflow, queue wait time and so forth?
11. Explain your system’s ability to use GUI to take a call, transfer it, send it to voice mail, etc.
12. Does your system support the ability to perform screen pops of virtually any application, including help desk and customer service products from Software Artistry, Remedy, Vantive, Clarify and others?
(b) Reporting:
1. Does your system provide wizards to automatically generate custom reports?
2. Can report criteria be saved for later use to maximize database storage? Does the reporting function store the entire report or just the report criteria?
3. Does your reporting function offer both text and graphical reports?
4. Can the format of the graphical reports be modified?
5. Does the system provide the capability of exporting the data from all reports to a Text file to allow for the manipulation of the data as desired by the users?
6. Does the system provide a report with a visual graph based upon a custom field? Provide a copy of the report, as it would look printed out.
7. Does the system provide a report with a visual graph that shows the (ACD or CTI) process by day, week, or month? Provide a copy of the report, as it would look printed out.
(c) System Administration
1. Does your system provide multiple levels of security access?
2. Does your system allow for the definition of Groups, if so can users belong to multiple groups?
3. Can privileges be customized on a per user basis?
4. Can your system administration function upload user data from current databases?
5. Does your system support the custom definition of user fields in the System Administration function?
(d) Training
1. What is the background of the people responsible for training the call center on the application? Detail their experience working in a call center environment.
2. What type of user training is available and can it be customized to meet the specific needs of our call center group?
3. Do you provide hands-on on-site training?
4. How many trainers do you have dedicated just to training?
5. How much training time (hours/days) is customary?
6. Describe a typical training program?
7. Is future training or customized training available? What type is available?
8. Where is your help desk located and do you have field offices that are available to assist in the event of a problem? Where are the field offices?
(e) Installation & Customer Support For each of the following items, please provide a detailed response as it applies to the (ACD or CTI) software:
a. Delivery, installation & cutover
b. General procedures
c. Completion date
d. Database loading
e. Subcontractors
f. Project manager/installation crew
g. User training
h. Cutover plans
i. Acceptance

1. How long does a typical installation require for your solution?
2. What kinds of resources are required of our company?
3. How many people are dedicated to your customer support organization? Describe the customer support capabilities.
4. What are the escalation procedures?
5. What is your Software maintenance & support policy? Please provide a copy of the agreement.
6. Is remote diagnostic support available? Describe how it occurs.
7. Do you have a user group for your product? How often do they meet and where was the last meeting?
8. Do customers and users groups influence release of the product? Describe.
9. Is telephone support provided? If yes, is this a toll-free service?
10. What is your guaranteed response time for user support?
11. What support is available for implementation?
(f) Technical Requirements
For each of the following items, please provide a detailed response as it applies to the (ACD or CTI) software:
a. General overview of system specifications
b. Technology
c. Equipment specifications
d. Cable plan and wiring
e. Equipment room
f. Environment
g. Electrical requirements
h. Battery backup
i. Back-up processor and critical redundancy
j. Measure of reliability

1. Describe the archive capabilities and back-up/recovery capabilities.
2. Describe the various levels of security for this solution.
3. Is your system scaleable? Describe how for the various components.
4. What are the work station requirements?
5. What are the server requirements?
6. Describe the requirements to interface the system to other call center systems.
7. Does a third party vendor manufacture your hardware and software?
(g) Pricing for the Proposed System
Please answer the following questions:
1. Does this pricing include any of the following:
o Incremental costs for upgrades and expansions?
o Recurring and annual costs?
o Maintenance costs?
o Training materials?
o Documentation (number of copies)?
o On-line help desk?
2. Identify any other products that must be licensed/purchased for use with the package or any of its components.
3. Describe any ancillary equipment required, but not included, in the solution pricing.
4. Describe any Desktop/LAN equipment required, but not included, in the solution pricing (i.e. local disk space, memory, operating system, network connectivity standards/protocols supported, dial-up modem for support, dedicated server, storage, etc.).