RFP 151-16 Contact Center Operations.docx

MASSACHUSETTS BAY

TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP 151-16

CONTACT CENTER OPERATIONS

December 12, 2016

Responses Due: January 20, 2017 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Dear Bidders, I am pleased to announce the MBTAs RFP for Contact Center Operations. As you will see in the accompanying document, responses are due on January 20, 2017 at 12 noon EST.

The MBTA wishes to review proposals for transitioning contact center and customer contact services currently provided by MBTA’s Customer Communications Department to a third party provider. This is in accordance with the MBTA’s plan to restructure the Customer Communications Department to become more cost efficient, to provide higher quality customer service, and to provide more timely complaint resolution. The Customer Communications Department, which operates the Customer Call Center, plans to restructure itself into the Complaint Resolution Department, a smaller organization with complete focus on customer resolution and improving customer service delivery. This organization will also be responsible for managing any contract with a third party contact center vendor.

I encourage all interested bidders to participate in this important process and we look forward to your responses.

Please be aware that you may receive communications from Unions representing MBTA employees claiming that bidders on this RFP may have obligations under Section 13C of the FTA (Federal Transit Act) or related "section 13C agreements". We want to assure you that the MBTA respectfully disagrees with that contention. We do not believe that Section 13C would impose any obligation on any bidder.

Please feel free to address any questions about this matter to Nicholas Easley, Senior Director of Flexible Contracting at neasley@mbta.com.

Best Regards, Gerard J. Polcari Chief Procurement Officer Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

PURPOSE

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is to solicit proposals from interested firms (“Respondents”) to provide contact center operations to support the MBTA’s Customer Experience Department in delivering exceptional customer service to all MBTA riders. No federal funds are to be used in connection with the issuance of this RFP or in the contract that will be entered into with the successful bidder.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS

ORGANIZATION OF THE PROPOSAL

The proposal shall be no more than one hundred (100) double-sided pages of text, charts, attachments, etc., and shall not exceed the page limit for each Section as specified. It shall be organized as follows:

Section 1: Executive Summary Section 1.2: Minimum Requirements: Section I Section 1.3: Detailed Proposal and Operational Plan: Section II Section 1.3: Past Performance Section 1.4: M/WBE Participation and Training materials Section 1.5: MBTA Contract Form, Terms and Conditions, and Certifications Section 1.6: Pricing and Price Structure (Appendix A)

DUE DATE AND DELIVERY METHOD

Sealed proposals are due on January 20, 2017 not later than 12:00 noon EST for the work described herein. Submission instructions are located on the CommBuys web site.

SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

Estimated 2/1/2017 to 2/10/2017 Proposal Evaluations & Oral Presentations

Estimated 2/10/2017 Finalize Technical Scoring

Estimated 2/13/2017 Review Pricing

Estimated 2/15/2017 Best & Final Offer

Estimated 2/28/2017

Recommendation to Financial Management Control Board On Selection of Finalist for Contact Center Operations to 3rd Party Provider. Request for Notice to Proceed to Contract Award pending final contract negotiations.

Estimated 4/1/2017 Anticipated Contract Award

QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Any questions about, request for clarification to, or requests for relief from, the requirements of this RFP must be submitted in writing to, and received by, the MBTA before 12:00 noon on January 6, 2017. Please only use the CommBuys web site for submission of questions. Improperly addressed emails may not receive proper and timely attention.

All questions and MBTA answers will be furnished to all recipients of the RFP per the schedule above. Should the MBTA make changes to any specification, stipulation, requirement, or procedure, notification will be made to all Respondents in the form of a written Addendum. No officer, agent, or employee of the MBTA is authorized to amend any provision contained in the RFP, including the specifications, unless such amendment is issued as an addendum and sent to all Respondents in accordance with this section.

Interested Respondents should not contact any other employee, selection committee member, Board of Director member, or agent of the MBTA concerning the subject matter of the Request for Proposal or related matters. Any Respondents contacting any such person shall be disqualified.

LATE SUBMISSIONS, MODIFICATIONS, AND WITHDRAWALS

Any offer received at the Procurement & Logistics Department after the exact time specified for receipt will not be considered unless:

· It is the only offer received by the Authority.

· Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice to the Authority or in person by the Respondent or an authorized representative of Respondent at any time before the award (i.e., the point at which the MBTA formally approves the award).

REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

The MBTA reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, if such action is determined to be in the best interests of the Authority. Unless all proposals are rejected, award shall be made to that Proposer whose proposal, conforming to the solicitation, in the judgment of the MBTA, will be most advantageous to the MBTA, price/cost and other factors considered.

WAIVER OF INFORMALITIES, DEVIATIONS, MISTAKES, AND MATTERS OF FORM

The MBTA reserves the right to waive any informalities, deviations, mistakes, and matters of form rather than substance of the Proposal documents, which can be waived or corrected without prejudice to the Respondents. The Chief Procurement Officer is the only authorized agent who can waive rules.

CANCELLATION OF SOLICITATION

The Authority reserves the right to cancel this solicitation at any time prior to execution of the Agreement by all parties and without any liability against the Authority.

ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

The Authority requires a minimum Acceptance Period of ninety (90) calendar days. “Acceptance Period” for purposes of this solicitation means the number of calendar days available to the MBTA for awarding a contract based on the Due Date specified in this solicitation for receipt of proposals.

APPEALS PROCEDURES

Bid appeals or protests relative to this procurement will be reviewed and adjudicated in accordance with the MBTA's Appeals/Protest Procedure - Goods & Services. A copy of this procedure is available by contacting the MBTA Procurement & Logistics Department, Room 2810, Ten Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116.

SUBMITTALS

Pursuant to this RFP, Respondents are required to comply with the terms and conditions stated herein in order to be deemed responsive and responsible.

Respondents responding to this RFP must fully complete, sign, and submit the forms indicated. All forms must be current and, if requested, must be notarized. Respondents shall not: (1) leave any section of a form blank; (2) mark any section of a form not applicable (N/A); (3) make reference to other documents; or (4) make any response conditional. The MBTA reserves the right to request additional information for clarification purposes, either written or oral, from Respondent prior to award.

If a proposal does not meet all of the requirements listed in the RFP, the Respondent’s proposal may be disqualified. Failure by the Respondent to examine all information pertaining to this solicitation or participate in an on-site visit, if scheduled by the Authority, will be at the Respondent’s risk.

The MBTA reserves the right to request additional information of each Respondent in order to clarify documentation submitted in response to the Request for Proposal.

PRICING, STRUCTURE, AND LENGTH

Pricing Proposals must be submitted separately from Technical Proposals as an attachment marked “CONFIDENTIAL” in the COMMBUYS submittal. The Proposal shall include labor, materials, equipment, supplies (as specified), expertise, and any other costs necessary to provide the services as outlined in the RFP.

The Pricing Proposal Form must be clearly marked as such. Please clearly identify what services, if any, you do not provide within your proposal. All costs shall be reflected within the Proposal Pricing Form, no additional assessments or surcharges may be included.

In pricing for work described in Section 4.0 Scope of Work and clarified in Section 5.0 Contact Center Operations please provide pricing for the first three (3) years of the contract and two (2) option years of the period of performance. In addition, the Respondent should provide costs covering the transition period (if any) prior to beginning of contract year one. Appendix A provides detailed instructions. Respondents are instructed to complete the Pricing Form electronically, sign and date.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

In order to be considered and reviewed by the selection committee, respondents must be able to provide positive verification of the following criteria:

· Experience - At least three current or previous contracts of similar size and scope

· Please provide the name of the project, and the client’s contact information

· This is included in the minimum requirements (Section 6.5.1)

· Financial Stability

· Three years of audited financial statements

· This is included in the minimum requirements (Section 6.5.7)

INTRODUCTION

MBTA wishes to review proposals for transitioning contact center and customer contact services currently provided by MBTA’s Customer Communications Department to a third party provider. This is in accordance with the MBTA’s plan to restructure the Customer Communications Department to become more cost efficient, to provide higher quality customer service, and to provide more timely complaint resolution. The Customer Communications Department, which operates the Customer Call Center, plans to restructure itself into the Complaint Resolution Department, a smaller organization with complete focus on customer resolution and improving customer service delivery. This organization will also be responsible for managing any contract with a third party contact center vendor.

The initial point of contact with customers will be handled by the third party provider. Contacts will include inbound telephone calls, web form submissions, emails and other evolving social contact media such as chat and texting. The third party provider will be primarily responsible for responding to customer inquiries, recording customers’ complaints and feedback, providing all data from these calls to the MBTA, and working with the MBTA to resolve outstanding customer complaints. The MBTA seeks a provider who has proven ability to input information from 100% of customer contacts and can provide clear, effective reporting to help MBTA understand customers’ needs. MBTA will use this information to make ongoing customer service improvements.

MBTA seeks to leverage a third party providers’ expertise to improve the overall customer experience of contacting the MBTA, including civil rights complaints, and disability/accessibility questions. Additional opportunities to improve contact services include expanded automation, a streamlined call tree, additional access to languages, and new technological advances (e.g. voice recognition) added to the contact center’s capabilities. Improving the customer experience is very important to MBTA and Respondents should clearly state how they intend to receive calls as well as record and transfer accurate, comprehensive information to enable the T directly improve overall customer experience.

MBTA will benefit from a more flexibly staffed contact center that can dynamically scale to the needs of the organization and its customers. MBTA believes that it may be able to benefit from more cost effective contact center services while increasing contact center operating hours.

Finally, MBTA seeks to make any potential transition to a third party provider as smooth as possible so that customer service remains high, and prompt complaint resolution is maintained throughout the process.

OVERVIEW AND HISTORY OF MBTA’S CUSTOMER CONTACT CENTER AND CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT The Customer Call Center is a full-service customer contact center providing fare and service information, offering trip planning, taking complaints and handling all other customer inquiries. When compared to peer agency customer contact centers, MBTA provides one of the few that combines travel directions, schedule and fare information, complaint resolution, and switchboard operations in one department.

There are currently 20 MBTA customer support representatives and 4 customer support supervisors responsible for answering these calls, emails, web forms, letters and other inquiries. Current call hours are Monday-Friday: 6:30AM – 6:00PM. MBTA currently takes calls in Spanish, Haitian-French Creole, Cantonese/Mandarin, and Cape Verdean-Creole. About 2.3% of calls are non-English.

In fiscal year 2016 (July 2015 – June 2016), there were 336,000 calls handled by the MBTA Call Center from its customers, with an average talk time of 1 minute, 54 seconds. The majority of calls are resolved quickly. ~83% of calls are inquiries related to schedules, services, trip planning/directions, fare policies, and Charlie Cards & Tickets. The MBTA also receives a small portion of calls as suggestions and commendations (~1%). The remaining calls, ~16%, are complaints which require notifications to be sent to various MBTA departments for resolution. The Customer Communication Department is currently responsible for ensuring timely resolution. The future Complaint Resolution Department will be solely focused on this activity.

MBTA received 23,823 emails in fiscal year 2016. These are both emails and submissions generated via online forms. MBTA works to respond to these emails promptly. Currently, because the MBTA Call Center is only open Monday-to-Friday, email submissions are the only way to make submissions to the Customer Communications Department over the weekend. Emails are not responded to or resolved until the following week if sent over the weekend.

Prior to September 2016, MBTA was able to provide weekend contact center services. However, because of budgetary constraints, MBTA reduced its open hours to weekdays only. MBTA would like to explore cost effectively increasing hours going into the future.

SCOPE OF WORK

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES FOR THIRD PARTY CONTACT CENTER OPERATION

MBTA’s costs associated with operating a contact center and resolving customer complaints far exceed the costs of comparable private sector operations. MBTA is seeking to engage the support of a specialized contact center provider which has the scale of operations and experience required to offer more cost-effective customer service. Partnering with an industry leader will better serve MBTA riders and Massachusetts taxpayers through several improvements over MBTA operations.

Achieve Cost Savings: Industry partners could help MBTA achieve cost savings by utilizing existing contact center infrastructure to share the costs of overhead with a larger customer base, and utilize industry best practices to manage productivity. Industry also has greater flexibility to expand contact center hours and dynamically staff operations to meet customer demand. Scaling capacity to meet current and future needs is a key advantage of third party services.

Internal focus on complaint resolution: Instead of balancing complaint resolution with informational calls, MBTA internal staff will be able to focus their whole time and energy on ensuring that customers’ issues are being addressed, are resolved, and do not become ongoing problems. MBTA will work closely with the contact center to ensure that all complaints are being properly communicated to the organization so that they may be addressed. MBTA hopes to improve overall accountability to its riders.

Improve access to information: A third party contact center will focus on improving first call resolution and more efficient delivery of information to customers. Instead of balancing complaint resolution with improved call quality, a third party operator will be able to focus its efforts on improving the information provided to customers. The respondent will be expected to work closely with MBTA to continuously improve the quality of information.

Technology and customer experience: Third party contact centers may be able to provide technology more cost-effectively to customers because of their ability to spread out the cost of that technology between multiple clients. MBTA would like to benefit from this technology to better provide information to our customers. Previous MBTA investments in technology have been successful in implementing better call routing and providing accurate automated information to customers. MBTA is looking for vendors who are better positioned to manage future technological improvements. Technology will allow customer contact to occur on a variety of platforms (call, email, etc.), and in the future, third party partners could efficiently make changes to allow customers to contact MBTA on the best available platforms

PROPOSED DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN THE THIRD PARTY PROVIDER AND MBTA

This section provides a high-level view of the MBTA’s assignment of the respective roles – particularly responsibility and accountability for contact center operations. It is the intention of MBTA, where possible, to assign full responsibility to the Respondent, and to serve in only an oversight/advisory role.

The attached Appendix B details this division of roles using the so-called “RACI” methodology. For each task or decision, the letters used in this framework designate the role of the involved parties as follows:

R = Responsible – this party must perform a set of actions related to the task to a specified level of completeness.

A = Accountable – this party must ensure the completion of the task or decision, and is authorized to make the go/no-go or yes/no decisions.

C = Consulted – the Accountable party must engage in a dialog with this party prior to rendering a decision or declaring an action “completed.” Often a party given a “C” may need to provide either data or a professional opinion.

I = Informed – the Accountable party must inform this party following a decision or a “completed” task.

Note: For any task or decision only one (1) party may be assigned Accountability (“A”). The Accountable party may, for a particular task or decision, also have Responsibility (“R”) for some or all of the actions related to that task or decision. This is designated as “A/R.”

MBTA AND RESPONDENT OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Respondent will assume responsibility for call/contact center operations. The Respondent will be responsible for:

· Staffing the contact center with trained and qualified individuals

· Providing contact center services in languages as required by MBTA’s program for compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

· Providing contact center services for a set schedule each day

· Providing contact center services in accordance with set SLAs

· Providing contact center services on the platforms described herein

· Responding to MBTA customers’ inquiries and properly recording their complaints

· Clearly recording all complaints so that follow-up with departments regarding complaint content is minimized

· Ensuring all required information is recorded properly from all incidents and that all incidents can be individually identified and tracked using unique identification numbers

· Ensuring that complaints are routed properly to the correct departments at MBTA

· Ensuring that MBTA departments can communicate with the contact center on an ongoing basis to ask for clarifying information on complaints received by the contact center

· Ensuring that information/data integrates with MBTA systems, and all IT issues with data transmission are resolved rapidly

· Managing technology for the purpose of operating the contact center

· Providing reporting capabilities to record the content of inbound calls so that MBTA can act upon issues on behalf of its customers

· Setting capacity of contact center as required for MBTA to help customers

· Communicating needs to MBTA to continue operating within terms of agreement with MBTA

· Complying with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements

· Maintaining required insurance In support of the contact center responsibilities undertaken by the Respondent, the MBTA will provide the following support:

· Accurate feeds of schedule, service, and trip planning information to the contact center to aid with call resolution

· Updated information for service and other changes at MBTA to provide up-to-date information

· Ongoing support for contact center to increase first call/contact resolution

· Updated lists of internal MBTA contacts for contact center to correctly route communications

· 24/7 access to Transit Police and Operations Control Center so that Respondent may refer all emergency situations for immediate resolution

CONTACT CENTER OPERATIONS

MBTA currently operates a Customer Call Center which is responsible for offering trip planning, providing fare and service information, taking complaints, and handling all other customer questions. The Customer Call Center is located within the Customer Communications Department. This department is also responsible for complaint resolution. MBTA seeks to separate these functions into two distinct parts. The intent of this RFP is to seek third party providers for contact center services in order to realign internal resources towards complaint resolution. Current processes performed by the Customer Communications Department and the Call Center are provided for reference in Appendix H. MBTA urges Respondents to provide innovative solutions while meeting stated requirements.

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT CURRENTLY UTILIZED BY MBTA CUSTOMER CALL CENTER

MBTA currently utilizes an Avaya voice over IP (VOIP) system. The Avaya system also includes the Automated Call Directory (ACD). The ACD is used to manage the phone tree (see Appendix G for details) which allows the Customer Call Center to automatically triage calls. An interactive voice response (IVR) for real-time service alerts was installed as a part of Winter Resiliency work in November 2015 to automate service alerts for commuter rail, subway, ferry, and bus lines. Also, as of late 2015, the Call Center has remote capacity for at-home work so that a full staff can assist customers during severe weather and emergency events.

EMAIL AND WEB FORMS

MBTA accepts comments via email and online web forms. MBTA expects that Respondent would be able to respond to inquiries and correctly direct complaints generated from both of these sources. The form is available online here: http://www.mbta.com/customer_support/feedback/ MBTA also receives complaints through its Beta website, which includes photo-sending capability. The Respondent would be expected to respond to complaints from this source as well. The form is available online here: https://beta.mbta.com/customer-support

AUTOMATED CALL DISTRIBUTION (ACD) SYSTEM

In order to correctly route calls to the appropriate channels, the Respondent will be expected to provide an ACD or similar system. Currently, the Customer Call Center ACD is able to route calls to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) for Service Alerts, the Charlie Card store, the Keolis (Commuter Rail) Call Center, and MBTA’s paratransit service ‘The RIDE’. Continuing to properly route calls for quick resolution is important to MBTA. See Appendix G for the current call tree.

INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR)

MBTA currently uses a text-to-speech IVR system for service alerts. Installed in November 2015 as a part of Winter Resiliency work, it is intended to be able to automatically provide alerts to MBTA customers. This is particularly important during times of service disruption due to high call volume, during closed hours of the MBTA Call Center, and during periods when the Call Center is unable to be fully staffed. The Respondent will be responsible for providing equal or increased automated services through an IVR or comparable system. In addition to service alerts, MBTA is interested in potential for increased automation of information currently provided by MBTA Call Center representatives.

HEAT SOFTWARE SYSTEM

All calls, emails, web forms, and other contacts to the MBTA Call Center are logged or imported into the MBTA’s HEAT software system. This system is used to generate entries for each incident, whether or not they require follow-up. The Call Center ensures that the information is correctly logged for each incident. Each incident is given a unique identification number. Incidents requiring follow-up are assigned to the department that is capable of resolving the issue. The Customer Communications Department monitors that the complaint is resolved by the department using the HEAT software system. Once resolved, the Call Center communicates resolution to the customer.

The HEAT software system records individual customers’ information, which allows the Call Center to track who is calling into the system on an ongoing basis. Using a customer’s profile, HEAT is able to locate all of the incident identification numbers associated with that customer and find previous contacts that the customer has made. With this capability, the Call Center can communicate the status of existing complaints to customers who enquire.

The HEAT software system is also used to communicate to representatives in the Call Center to tell them about service updates they are likely to be asked about by MBTA customers. The respondent will be expected to include in their proposal a method for clearly communicating ongoing service updates to customer service representatives.

The HEAT software system is also used to produce reports based on this information. The Customer Communications Department uses these reports to monitor customer service and react to any upticks in comments or complaints about certain parts of the system. HEAT’s reporting capabilities are core to the department and important for the MBTA to improve overall service.

MBTA plans on continuing to use its HEAT software system internally after contracting Contact Center services to a third party provider. Any provider should propose how the systems they plan to use (Heat or otherwise) will integrate with the current software solution.

For screenshots of HEAT, please see Appendix I.

HEAT SOFTWARE SYSTEM UPGRADE

HEAT Software Helpdesk software, called Incident Reporting Information System (IRIS) at the MBTA, has been in use since 2008. Two different departments in the MBTA depend on IRIS. Customer Communications (CC) uses IRIS at the MBTA Call Center to track calls from the riding public. Calls are triaged, assigned to other departments to resolve, and followed up, all via IRIS. Additionally, comments and complaints entered on the MBTA web site are automatically uploaded into IRIS for CC to answer. CC was using IRIS seven days a week with extended business hours on weekdays; hours recently reduced to five days per week. The Operations Control Center (OCC) uses IRIS to track internal calls from MBTA transportation personnel. In addition to failures in service and delays, many items tracked are safety-related data points such as keeping tabs on personnel on the subway right-of-way. The OCC depends on IRIS 24/7.

Therefore, to keep IRIS running smoothly it is necessary to upgrade the application from the version that was most recently upgraded in 2013, version 9.6.0, to HEAT Service Management, v2016.1. Benefits of the new version include (1) changes requested by CC or OCC can be added easily; (2) utilizing the upgrade window to improve current practices; (3) the new version is browser based, eliminating the need to put an icon on every pc; (4) compliance with server and software end-of-support issues.

The project is divided into five phases. The first two phases bring over the current IRIS users, CC and OCC; Phase 3 gives System Wide Accessibility access and extensions to the CC data they analyze in spreadsheets; Phase 4 brings the OCC Information Officers (those who follow twitter) into IRIS and off spreadsheets; Phase 5 will bring the GM Correspondence log into IRIS. Phases 3-5 overlap customer base with Phase 1. Phase 5 is the only phase at this time not yet contacted to begin analysis.

REMOTE CAPACITY

MBTA made an investment to allow customer service representatives to work from home. During significant weather events, which typically coincide with high call volume, the MBTA is now able to ensure that its Call Center can be up and running even if its Call Center representatives are unable to commute to work. Although remote capacity is not required by Respondent, plans for spikes in volume, disaster recovery, and weather events will be required of the Respondent as a part of their proposal to ensure that customer call volume will be met, particularly when weather conditions disrupt MBTA service.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MBTA considers its current technology to be the minimum requirements. Respondent should prove that they can either meet or exceed these minimum system requirements, or provide a substitutable alternative.

PRINCIPAL TASKS FOR CONTACT CENTER RESPONDENT

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The primary responsibility of the Respondent will be to provide high quality customer service to MBTA’s riders. If there is any more information the MBTA needs the Respondent to be able to provide to customers, the Respondent will make that information available, whether or not it is listed in the information below.

The Respondent will be able to provide information to customers including, but not limited to, the following:

· Inquiries

· MBTA Alerts and Countdown clock

· Bus/Subway/Ferry Schedules (Commuter Rail inquiries transferred to Keolis)

· Bus/Subway/Ferry Service Inquiry (Commuter Rail inquiries transferred to Keolis)

· Charlie Cards & Tickets

· Disability ID Cards

· Elevator/Escalator

· Fare Gate/Fare Box

· Fare Policy

· Lost and Found

· Maintenance

· Mobile Applications

· Mobile Ticketing for Ferries

· Parking

· Privacy Policy

· Refunds

· Senior ID Cards

· Student Cards

· T-Alert

· Trip Planning

· Website The Respondent will also be responsible for recording the following contacts and working with MBTA to accurately route them to appropriate departments at the MBTA:

· Complaints

· Service

· Employee

· Charlie Card/Ticket and other Fare Collection System

· Maintenance

· Cleanliness

· Schedule

· Key complaint types (civil rights, disability-accessibility, etc.) will need to be flagged appropriately

· Suggestions

· Commendations

TRANSITION FROM MBTA OPERATIONS

In order to prepare for transfer of contact center operations from MBTA to Respondent, the Respondent must provide MBTA with a Transition Plan after award of the Contract. Transition Plans must include, but not be limited to include, the following:

· Address all legal regulations and requirements

· Listing/obtaining of office space, furniture, equipment, telephone and data lines

· Installation of any furniture, equipment, telephone and data lines, if necessary

· System Security and Security aspects related to a safe environment for staff

· Transfer and organization of documentation

· Transfer of electronic data to MBTA

· Coordination of enabling or disabling of logon IDs, if necessary

· Establishing or terminating contracts for other services in order to comply with MBTA contact center requirements

· Implementation of standard operating procedures, generally accepted accounting procedures, generally accepted audit standards, and security over the computer system

· Training of staff

· Risk analyses and their proposed solution(s), and their assessment for the transition

· Transfer of services including cutover dates

· Staffing plan, including key management hires

· Plans, if any, to hire any existing MBTA personnel

· Hardware and/or Software Tools

· Hardware and Software platforms utilized

· Performance Testing Period

PERFORMANCE TESTING PERIOD

The end-to-end performance test period will begin during the transition period. The end-to-end performance test period shall be to test complete business processes as required for the utmost reliability of the contact center, and shall include at a minimum:

· Test existing system applications and services as appropriate;

· Validate system set-up for transactions and user access;

· Confirm use of system in performing business processes;

· Verify performance of business critical functions;

· Confirm integrity of business process, data, services, security, and end-products;

· Verify all requirements of the RFP have been met;

· Speed of performance;

· Rate of errors or failures;

If it is determined that the scheduled End-To-End Performance Test Period does not allow for all business processes to be tested (i.e. rounds, inspections, audits), then the Respondent will, at no charge to MBTA, provide all resources necessary to correct the problems of the system and services for an additional period, until the system is free from performance problems and meets all specifications as defined in this RFP. If performance problems or specification problems continue, MBTA will reserve the right to transition contact center services to another provider.

END OF CONTRACT TRANSITION PLAN

Respondent is also required to provide a ”Transition-Out” plan as an end-of-contract transition prior to the conclusion of the contract awarded as a result of this RFP. This Plan shall document and demonstrate how the contact center services and operations will be transferred to a potential new contractor, or to an insourced environment. In addition to this Transition-Out Plan, the Respondent shall be required to document all hardware and software platforms, scripts, business processes, databases, hardware architecture, tools, etc., used in their operations. The Contractor shall provide technical support to ensure a smooth, effective, reliable transition. All materials developed for servicing the MBTA (e.g. training manuals, how-to manuals, etc.) must be provided to the MBTA as a part of transition-out.

TRAINING OF NEW CONTACT CENTER REPRESENTATIVES

All training costs are the Respondent’s responsibility. MBTA will not accept any separate invoicing for training and/or associated expenses, unless specifically authorized and agreed to by MBTA in advance and in writing.

Upon award of the Contract, MBTA shall conduct an initial up to two- week training program where indicated and needed, which will consist of product knowledge system training for key personnel; and all applicable state and federal training before implementation. Once those personnel have completed initial training, ongoing training will be Respondent’s responsibility, including for any new hires during the term of the contract.

If MBTA wishes to conduct additional trainings for Respondent’s employees, the Respondent must make its employees available to receive those trainings.

The Contractor shall train and manage staff assigned to the Contact Center as follows:

· Provide copies of all training materials to the MBTA on an ongoing basis for MBTA approval.

· MBTA will approve all new trainings.

· Develop, conduct and maintain a comprehensive and continuous training program providing Respondent’s employees with the appropriate knowledge and current information to perform services required by MBTA.

· Develop and continuously update training manuals and training records. Work with MBTA to include all appropriate and up-to-date information in manuals and records. MBTA will provide all information as needed.

· Ensure that all staff is trained in federal, state and local policies and procedures

· Ensure that all staff is trained in MBTA operations

· Ensure that Respondent employees receive ongoing training to transmit latest changes in MBTA operations and practices, thereby providing best customer experience possible

· Conduct training that would include (but not be limited to):

· Sensitivity awareness and diversity training

· Projecting positive and helpful attitude

· Communicating with confidence and competence

· Adhere to confidentiality policies and procedures

· Customer service enhancement

· Response to emergencies

· Properly record and characterize inquiries

· Include training on flagging of key complaint types, such as diversity and civil rights complaints, and disability-accessible complaints

· Accent Reduction

CONTACT CENTER OPERATIONS

LOCATION

The Customer Contact Center must be located in the contiguous United States (48 states plus Washington D.C.). MBTA prefers locations in Massachusetts although it is realized that this may not be possible for all respondents.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The MBTA Customer Call Center is currently open Monday-to-Friday, 6:30AM – 6:00PM. Due to budgetary pressures, MBTA had to remove weekend contact center operations beginning in September 2016. MBTA expects Respondent to: increase service hours, restore weekend, early morning, and evening contact center service (listed in no particular order)and expand operating hours Monday-to-Sunday, all while reducing overall costs to the authority.

MBTA requests that respondent proposes how contact center hours may be expanded.

DATA ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

In order for MBTA to provide high quality service to customers, MBTA relies on high quality data to effectively measure performance, respond to service issues, and resolve customer complaints. The MBTA targets that 100% of incidents coming into the contact center in which any information is exchanged between caller and customer service representative be recorded and classified into an information system. Proper recording of data will be a key Service Level Agreement and will incur penalties for improper data input. MBTA seeks to reduce follow-up on any individual complaint with Respondent’s contact center representatives, and instead have digital communications suffice.

MBTA is currently using HEAT for these data-input purposes. MBTA requests that the Respondent provide a technology solution for data that can leverage or interface with our current solution.

For a screenshots of HEAT, please see Appendix I.

VOLUME EXPECTATIONS

MBTA expects that the contact center will respond to all call and emails and resolve as many of these as quickly as possible. Each incident should be entered into an information system and properly classified. For complaints which require the involvement of MBTA, contact center will work with internal MBTA Complaint Resolution Department to ensure that systems properly route all complaints to appropriate departments. Appendix C provides call and email volume for fiscal years 2014-2016 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2016).

Major service disruptions could cause a serious hardship on Respondent to adequately respond to MBTA customers’ information requests. There will be occasions where an instant backup contact center group will be needed to support increased volume. Appendix C provides monthly call and email volume and can be used to estimate variations in volume (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2016). Appendix D provides average weekly call and email volume from September 2016 to November 2016. MBTA requests that respondent proposes how they will meet changing volumes. Because MBTA call volume is heavily affected by daily system performance, the respondent must demonstrate a plan to accommodate at least a 70% increase in daily call volume over the average daily volume. This number is set to reflect the daily volume variations experienced during the winter of 2015 in which the MBTA had major service disruptions due to weather events.

STAFFING CAPABILITIES

MBTA will not prescribe a complete staffing plan, although the Respondent will be expected to have the following:

· Account Manager (100% allocation to MBTA): A designated Account Manager who will be dedicated to the MBTA. The Account Manager will be directly responsible for coordinating and managing the delivery of Services. The Account Manager will work with the MBTA to address day-to-day issues. The Account Manager will also interface with the MBTA’s Contracting Officer to address MBTA’s strategies and the parties’ relationship under this Agreement. In the event that MBTA is dissatisfied with Contractor’s Account Manager, the Contractor agrees to remove and replace the Account Manager within two (2) weeks of receipt of notification from the MBTA.

· Dedicated Supervisors (100% allocation to MBTA): At least one (1) dedicated supervisor for MBTA customer service calls on staff at all times the contact center is open. Dedicated supervisor will be responsible for managing a number of customer service representatives, and monitoring incoming calls. Dedicated supervisors will communicate with MBTA on ongoing basis to relay sharp increases in call volume if received. Dedicated Supervisors will also be responsible for determining if escalation is necessary. It will be their responsibility to communicate issues and events to the Operations Control Center (OCC) or transit police if immediate resolution is required. These events are typically related to safety and accessibility, but it will be up to discretion of the Dedicated Supervisor, based on their training, to determine whether or not the OCC needs to be contacted.

· IT Management: Implement IT infrastructure and accommodate all appropriate IT integration in order to accurately capture key inquiry details, providing reporting capabilities, and transmitting information to MBTA. Ensure that all information transmitted to MBTA is done so correctly on an ongoing basis. Work with MBTA to resolve any issues with IT infrastructure. Work with MBTA to update IT infrastructure on an ongoing basis as required by the MBTA.

· Customer Service Representatives: Trained customer service representatives capable of answering calls and/or digital communications from MBTA customers. Provide information to MBTA customers in a polite and timely manner. Accurately record key call and email details into system. Ensure that data/information transmitted to MBTA, particularly for complaints, fully and accurately describes issues to be resolved.

· MBTA requires that there are at least two (2) dedicated customer service representatives (100% allocation to MBTA) tasked with answering only MBTA calls when the contact center is open

· MBTA requires that at least one of these dedicated customer service representatives be English/Spanish bilingual

STAFF TURNOVER AND NOTIFICATION

In the case that Respondent’s dedicated resources (Account Manager, Dedicated Supervisors, and Customer Service Representatives) are to be reassigned or leave employment at the Respondent's operations, MBTA should receive two days of notification of leave. MBTA also requires that Respondent fill those positions within two weeks of departure of the previous dedicated resource, and fill them immediately on a temporary basis.

IMMEDIATE/EMERGENCY INTERVENTIONS

If Respondent’s contact center receives information that must be acted upon immediately (e.g. erratic bus driving, suspected operator DUI, need for immediate police action), it is the responsibility of the Respondent to immediately contact the MBTA’s Operations Control Center (OCC). If contact center receives calls requiring immediate/ emergency intervention and fails to contact appropriate officials at MBTA, MBTA will assess penalties on the Respondent.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

One of the primary goals of shifting contact center operations to a third party provider is enhanced reporting capabilities. The Respondent must provide MBTA with daily, weekly, monthly, and annual reports which provide transparency into contact center operations. The respondent will be required to make all data and reports available through a web-based system, and provide reports requested by MBTA management based on an agreed upon schedule. MBTA can add to the reports provided by the respondent at the discretion of the MBTA and at the expense of the Respondent. Reports will include but not be limited to:

· Call Logs with all recorded information

· Count of calls by wait time/average speed to answer, abandonment, first call resolution, call duration, and other critical statistics

· Includes average wait time/average speed to answer, abandonment, first call resolution, call duration, and other critical statistics

· Call and Email Volume

· Includes calls resolved using IVR and calls requiring contact center representative intervention

· Statistics on call content

· Statistics on language used to communicate with caller

· MBTA required interventions

· Description and log of all calls which require immediate intervention of transit police, operations control center, other MBTA departments The MBTA is open to the respondent providing suggestions regarding the reports it receives to help understand the quality of service being provided to its customers.

RECORDING CALLS

All calls must be recorded and retrievable for at least one year. The Respondent should discuss how they will comply with this requirement in their proposal.

QUALITY AUDIT REQUIREMENTS

MBTA requires that the Respondent provide access to all data and operations for MBTA audits as defined in service level agreements. MBTA will use Audits to determine whether or not Respondent is complying with agreed upon contract and service levels. Audits will measure whether or not callers are receiving accurate, up-to-date information from the contact center, as well as whether the contact center is providing accurate information to callers.

MBTA will conduct a Secret Shopper auditing program to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service provided by the contact center vendor. The MBTA may use an independent third party vendor to administer this program on behalf of MBTA. Secret Shoppers will conduct multiple anonymous phone calls, anonymous emails, or anonymous contact over evolving social contact media to the contact center. Secret Shoppers will engage the contact center with various inquiries that are common to MBTA customers.

For each phone call, Secret Shoppers will rate the performance of the Customer Service Representative based on a predetermined set of criteria developed by MBTA. The rating criteria will be consolidated into a call scoring report. The call scoring report template will be provided to the contact center vendor upon awarding of contract. Completed Secret Shopper scoring reports will be provided to the contact center vendor on a monthly basis.

Secret Shoppers will also use their calls to measure whether or not Customer Service Representatives are properly inputting data into the information system used by the Respondent.