# Customer Support Outsourcing Checklist A working checklist for deciding whether to outsource, preparing properly, choosing a provider and getting to a clean go-live. Provided free by VoiceSupportCrew. Copy it, edit it, use it with any provider — including ones that are not us. --- ## Part 1 — Readiness assessment Answer honestly. Every "no" is work to do before outsourcing, not a reason to avoid it. - [ ] I know how many contacts we receive per day, by channel - [ ] I know roughly how long an average contact takes to handle end to end - [ ] I know what hours we need covered (not just the hours we are open) - [ ] I can name the top ten questions customers ask - [ ] Written answers to those questions exist somewhere other than one person's head - [ ] We have a documented refund / discount / goodwill policy with actual numbers in it - [ ] I can name the person on our side who will own this relationship - [ ] That person has several hours a week available during the first month - [ ] I know which systems agents will need access to - [ ] I can create user accounts in those systems with limited permissions - [ ] I know what "good" looks like well enough to describe it to someone outside the business **Scoring:** 9-11 ticked — you are ready. 5-8 — start preparing the gaps now, you are a few weeks out. Under 5 — the preparation is the project. Do it regardless of who ends up doing the work. --- ## Part 2 — Material to prepare ### Product and service information - [ ] Plain-language description of what you sell - [ ] Specifications, sizes, compatibility, inclusions and exclusions - [ ] Pricing structure, and what agents may and may not quote - [ ] The things customers routinely misunderstand ### Process documentation - [ ] Your top 10-15 contact types and how each is handled - [ ] Step-by-step workflows for the tasks agents will perform - [ ] Screen recordings of key workflows (more useful than written steps) - [ ] Refund, discount and goodwill authority — with thresholds ### Scripts and wording - [ ] Greeting and sign-off - [ ] Core conversation flow - [ ] Approved answers to the six most common objections or complaints - [ ] Wording for situations you cannot resolve - [ ] Any legally required disclosures for your industry or region ### Escalation - [ ] What triggers an escalation (be specific, not "anything unusual") - [ ] Who receives each type, with a named backup - [ ] How urgently, and through which channel - [ ] What the agent tells the customer while it escalates ### Access - [ ] List of systems agents need - [ ] Permission level required for each (aim for the minimum that works) - [ ] Who creates and revokes accounts on your side - [ ] Any VPN, IP allowlisting or MFA requirements --- ## Part 3 — Questions to ask any provider ### Team structure 1. Are agents dedicated to my campaign, or shared across several clients? 2. What is the minimum team size, and why? 3. What happens when an agent is absent? 4. What is the process if an agent is not performing? 5. How much notice is needed to add agents? To reduce? 6. Who manages the agents day to day? ### Pricing 7. What exactly is included in the hourly rate? 8. What is billed separately? (Telecom, licences, setup, QA, supervision) 9. Am I billed for staffed hours or productive hours? 10. Are weekend and overnight hours priced differently? 11. Is there a setup or onboarding fee? 12. What are the contract length and notice periods? ### Operations 13. What reporting is included as standard? 14. How often will I receive it, and in what format? 15. How is quality assured, and is it included or extra? 16. Who writes the scripts, and who approves them? 17. How long is onboarding for a campaign like mine? 18. What do you need from me, and by when? ### Data and compliance 19. What security controls do you actually operate? (Ask for specifics, not adjectives) 20. Do you hold any certifications? (Verify any claimed — do not take it on trust) 21. How is access granted and revoked? 22. For outbound campaigns: who is responsible for data compliance, and what is that based on? ### Warning signs in the answers - Guaranteed sales, appointments or revenue figures - Vagueness about what is billed separately - Reluctance to discuss what happens when things go wrong - Certification claims that cannot be evidenced - Pressure to sign before scoping is complete - No questions asked about your business --- ## Part 4 — Confirm in the agreement - [ ] Rate per agent-hour, and exactly which hours are billable - [ ] What is billed separately, itemised - [ ] Team size and the process for changing it - [ ] Notice period for changes and for termination - [ ] Reporting deliverables and frequency - [ ] Escalation contacts on both sides - [ ] Confidentiality obligations - [ ] Data handling and what happens on termination - [ ] Who owns the scripts, recordings and campaign data - [ ] For outbound: the allocation of compliance responsibility - [ ] What is explicitly NOT guaranteed --- ## Part 5 — Go-live checklist ### Before the first live contact - [ ] All system access created and tested by the agents themselves - [ ] Scripts approved in writing - [ ] Escalation contacts confirmed and reachable - [ ] Agents have completed training and scenario practice - [ ] A test call or chat has been run end to end - [ ] Reporting format agreed and a sample produced - [ ] Your internal team knows the arrangement is starting ### First two weeks - [ ] Review sampled conversations daily in week one - [ ] Log every question agents ask — this is your documentation gap list - [ ] Confirm escalations are arriving and being actioned - [ ] Check that notes and dispositions are usable - [ ] Hold a structured review at the end of week two ### First month review agenda 1. Volume handled versus expected 2. Quality — sample five random conversations together 3. Escalation themes and what they reveal 4. Documentation gaps found and closed 5. Whether the agent count is right 6. What to change for month two --- *This checklist is general operational guidance, not legal advice. Have any agreement reviewed for your jurisdiction and circumstances.* *More free templates and guides: voicesupportcrew.com/downloads*