Attachment L UI Call Center RFP Requirements Specs FINAL .xlsx

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00_Vendor Instructions UI Call Center RFP – Vendor Workbook Instructions and Examples

Certain Specifications in 03_Additional Specs require vendors to describe pricing methodology, pricing assumptions, billing approach, and commercial models.

These responses must NOT include any dollar amounts.

All numeric pricing, unit rates, cost tables, and financial values must be entered exclusively in the 05_Pricing workbook.

The rows below are examples only to illustrate the expected level of detail when completing the Specifications Matrix.

Offerors must provide similar responses for all Specifications listed in the matrix.

01_Requirements

The Vendor must have a minimum of five (5) years of organizational experience operating large‑scale, high‑volume call centers in the government sector or comparable regulated public‑service environments.

REQ‑2.3 Evidence & References:

The Vendor must provide at least three (3) references for comparable government‑sector or regulated public‑service call center engagements. Each reference must include contract duration, program supported, scale of operations, and measurable performance results. Please complete ATTACHMENT G: REFERENCES in its entirety.

02_Key Specifications

03_Additional Specs Note : Specifications in this worksheet may request pricing methodology or assumptions.

However, vendors must NOT include any dollar amounts in this sheet.

All pricing values must be submitted only in the 05_Pricing workbook.

• organizational structure (with org chart)

• agent‑to‑supervisor, supervisor‑to‑manager, trainer, QA, and lead ratios

• allocation of IT support, IT security staff, Workforce Management WFM managers, reporting specialists

• onsite vs remote staffing distribution

• subcontractor usage

• skill tiering approach

• escalation framework (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) Please provide in your offer your staffing plan in a tabular format with the following columns for all applicable roles:

| Role | Ratio | FTE count |Dedicated or Shared Resource | Notes/Comments (optional) |

The Vendor to describe a comprehensive staffing adjustment plan that details how staffing levels are monitored and modified to address variances between forecasted and actual call and live-chat volumes. Specifically, describe:

The processes and tools used to monitor both real-time and historical volume trends.

The decision criteria that to trigger staffing increases or reductions.

The frequency of staffing reviews (e.g., daily, weekly).

The methods for executing schedule adjustments, reassignments, or supplemental staffing to ensure consistent service levels.

Describe your ability to rapidly scale staffing during unexpected high-volume events (e.g., pandemic-level call surges). Describe how the solution can recruit, train, and deploy fully operational agents without contractual restrictions on variable headcount.

Describe, at a minimum:

• Onboarding timelines for new agents (in days) from recruitment to production readiness.

• Maximum number of agents that can be onboarded within defined timeframes (e.g., 7, 14, 30 days).

• Historical examples or benchmarks demonstrating ability to scale operations during surge events.

• Operational continuity measures implemented during rapid staffing ramp-ups.

• Risk mitigation strategies to maintain service levels during surge conditions.

• Policies and procedures governing emergency staffing scale-ups, including any pricing models applicable for temporary surge capacity.

People Staffing AR-1A-8 The vendor-to-tier Model Scenario – Sustained Volume Changes:

Describe how staffing levels are adjusted when actual call volumes consistently exceed or fall below the selected call-volume tier (for example, 20,000–30,000 calls per month). Describe the ability of the solution to increase or decrease staffing levels without contractual restrictions tied to fixed headcount commitments. Specifically, describe:

• Onboarding timelines for additional agents and offboarding timelines for reduced staffing (in days).

• Maximum number of agents that can be added or released within defined timeframes.

• Historical benchmarks demonstrating the vendor’s ability to scale operations up or down based on sustained demand changes.

• Operational continuity measures used during workforce adjustments to maintain service levels.

• Risk mitigation strategies for managing sustained call volume fluctuations.

• Policies and procedures governing long-term staffing adjustments, including pricing models associated with scaling operations up or down.

Describe your solution's cost-optimization initiatives implemented in comparable Unemployment Insurance (UI) or public-sector contact center engagements. Describe whether and how you have reduced operational costs through process innovation, automation, and self-service capabilities. Specifically, describe:

1) Specific cost‑reduction initiatives deployed (e.g., automation tools, self‑service channels, workflow streamlining).

2) The methodology used to calculate cost reduction.

3) The timeframe during which cost reductions were achieved.

4) Quantified results, including percentage reduction in operational cost or cost per contact.

5) Supporting evidence such as case studies, performance metrics, dashboards, or customer references demonstrating the impact of these initiatives.

Process Optimization AR-1A-26 Process Optimization – Contact Center Operational Performance Describe how process-improvement strategies were implemented in comparable Unemployment Insurance (UI) or public-sector contact center operations that resulted in measurable operational improvements. Describe:

• Baseline performance metrics prior to process improvements (e.g., Average Handle Time (AHT), Average Speed of Answer (ASA), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), backlog levels).

• Target performance metrics and the actual results achieved after improvements were implemented.

• The timeframe in which the improvements were realized.

• Methods, tools, or technologies used to achieve improvements (e.g., process redesign, workflow automation, AI tools, analytics platforms, quality assurance programs).

• Evidence of sustained improvement through reporting, dashboards, case studies, or operational performance metrics.

• Platform/product name, software version, and core modules available at contract start (e.g., voice, IVR, chat, email, WFM, QA, analytics).

• Hosting location/region and cloud provider.

• Tenancy model (e.g., shared, dedicated) and how tenants are isolated.

• Architecture overview materials that to be provided at implementation kickoff (e.g., high‑level architecture diagram, data‑flow overview, component list).

Technology Solution AR-1A-37 Describe the technology architecture of your solution and describe the key features that support scalability, agility, flexibility, configurability, and information security. At a minimum, describe:

• Load‑balancing approach and auto‑scaling capabilities

• Geographic redundancy and multi‑AZ/region failover design

• Encryption standards for data at rest and in transit

• Identity and access management options, including SSO/MFA

• Configuration and change‑management processes used to promote updates safely.

1)Integration Targets: UI Benefits system and related systems for customer identification, case management, and self-service through chat, IVR, and SMS.

2)Supported Standards: API protocols, authentication, and security measures.

3)Scalability & Reliability: How integrations handle high volumes and ensure consistent performance.

Knowledge Repository Structure: How you build and organize Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), FAQs, and policy documents.

Content Management: Processes for creating, updating, and validating knowledge articles to maintain accuracy and compliance.

Agent Access & Usability: How agents to search, retrieve, and use knowledge during live interactions (e.g., AI-powered suggestions, contextual prompts).

Integration: How the knowledge base integrates with the call center platform and other systems for seamless agent experience.

Continuous Improvement: Methods for capturing feedback and updating content based on evolving claimant needs and program changes.

Technology Solution -AI-First Service Delivery AR-1A-56 The vendor to describe in their offer how provide a Virtual Customer Assistant capability that supports automated claimant interactions through web chat, voice, SMS, email, or other digital channels.

The Virtual Customer Assistant may leverage conversational AI technologies to understand claimant inquiries, provide automated responses, and resolve common requests before routing interactions to live agents.

Vendors Vendor to describe in their offer how describe the capabilities, supported channels, authentication options, and examples of interactions that can be automated using the proposed solution.

• Supported survey channels and deployment methods (e.g., IVR post-call survey, web survey, chat survey).

• Average time required to configure and deploy a new survey (in days).

• Approval workflow required for survey deployment.

• Reporting capabilities including dashboards, response analysis, and export options.

Technology Solution AR-1A-59 Describe your solution's process for measuring Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) periodically across all service channels. Describe:

Sampling Method: How respondents are selected (e.g., random, post-interaction).

Measurement Frequency: How often CSAT is captured and analyzed.

Target Thresholds: Defined performance benchmarks for CSAT scores.

Reporting Cadence: How results are communicated, including examples of leadership dashboards and agency-level reports.

Technology Solution -AI-First Service Delivery AR-1A-60 Describe how all automation and AI capabilities included in the proposed solution to improve self-service and claimant experience. Describe the following:

a) IVR workflows,

b) call routing and deflection strategies,

c) Natural Language Processing (NLP) and

d) multi-language support, chatbots or virtual assistants, intent recognition capabilities, and how automation and AI to be configured for DES use cases.

Vendor to describe in their offer the expected automation potential of the solution including estimated digital containment rates or percentage of claimant interactions that may be resolved without live agent involvement. Vendors should clearly describe assumptions used to estimate automation levels and the methods used to measure effectiveness (e.g., containment rates, transfer reduction, chatbot resolution rates, intent accuracy).

Incident Types: Technology, operational, staffing, facility, security/privacy.

Notification SLAs: Timelines for initial alert and updates.

Channels & Recipients: How and to whom notifications are sent.

Content: Minimum details (impact, mitigation, ETA).

Escalation & Coordination: Roles and how you coordinate with DES for customer communication.

Post-Incident Reporting: Closure confirmation and root-cause analysis.

Describe how the solution supports dynamic messaging and an automated claim status bot for self‑service deflection.

Describe the solution’s IVR ability to:

• enable rapid prompt/message updates

• provide secure, real‑time claim status/payment retrieval via integration with the DES UI Benefits system

• use AI/NLU or menus for status inquiries

• track/report self‑service completion and deflection rates Specify cycle times for:

• simple prompt changes, and

• complex status flow updates Provide examples from UI/government engagements, including deflection rates.

1. Annual hours or change credits (or equivalent monetary value) included at no additional cost per contract year.

2. Eligible scope of changes (aligned with simple/medium complexity definitions, e.g., minor configuration changes, new IVR prompts/call flows, reporting tweaks, integration adjustments).

3. Tracking, request, and approval process for utilizing included hours/credits.

4. Rollover policy for unused hours/credits across contract years.

5. Pricing and process for additional hours beyond the included amount, with strategies to minimize cost burden and avoid procurement delays.

6. Approach to supporting CI goals and maintaining operational flexibility.

7. Examples from similar government/UI engagements demonstrating successful CI and cost management strategies.

Notification channels (e.g., email, SMS, IVR, web portal) Escalation procedures and roles responsible for communication Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for initial notification and status updates throughout the incident lifecycle.