Outsourcing to Save Call-Center Costs

* required services;

* service level standards for total call length, abandonment rate and average call;

* a request for references and a boilerplate contract; and

* details about order management systems needed, systems integration (including your e-commerce site).

4. Decide what to keep in-house. Keep your customer service internal. This gives you a way to monitor the service levels of the outsource company.