{"id":37371,"date":"2026-10-06T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/how-do-you-substantiate-an-investment-proposal-for-customer-contact-when-reliable-savings-figures-are-missing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T11:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:39:51","slug":"how-do-you-substantiate-an-investment-proposal-for-customer-contact-when-reliable-savings-figures-are-missing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/contact-center\/how-do-you-substantiate-an-investment-proposal-for-customer-contact-when-reliable-savings-figures-are-missing\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you substantiate an investment proposal for customer contact when reliable savings figures are missing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><p>Substantiating an investment proposal for customer contact without reliable historical savings figures is difficult, but certainly not impossible. The key lies in making hidden costs visible, working with well-founded assumptions, and combining financial and non-financial arguments. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions managers encounter when building a convincing business case for customer contact improvement.<\/p>\n<h2>Which cost items are hidden in poor customer contact?<\/h2>\n<p>Poor customer contact costs organizations significantly more than just direct personnel costs. The largest hidden cost items are repeat contact, inefficient handling, employee loss due to workload, and missed revenue from customers who drop out. These items are rarely measured systematically, but together they often form a substantial part of the total operational costs.<\/p>\n<p>Many organizations measure customer satisfaction and handling times but skip the connection to financial impact. Consider the following hidden cost items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Repeat contact:<\/strong> Customers who contact you multiple times for the same problem double or triple the handling costs per question. In environments without central control over channels, this is one of the largest cost drivers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manual registration and searching:<\/strong> Employees who have to look up information in multiple systems or enter data manually spend a significant portion of their time on non-productive work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turnover and absenteeism:<\/strong> High workload due to repetitive tasks and insufficient support leads to the outflow of experienced employees. Recruitment, selection, and onboarding are costly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Missed revenue:<\/strong> Customers who wait a long time, cannot be reached, or are dissatisfied, switch to a competitor or do not make a repeat purchase. This loss of revenue is rarely visible in customer contact reports.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Escalations and complaint handling:<\/strong> Contacts that escalate to higher levels or become formal complaints are structurally more expensive than regular handling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By identifying and quantifying these items separately, a realistic picture of the actual costs of the current situation quickly emerges. That is the foundation of every strong <a href=\"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/business-analysis\/\">business case for customer contact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you estimate savings without historical data?<\/h2>\n<p>Without historical data, you work with well-founded assumptions based on industry standards, operational observations, and calculations from known volumes. This is a legitimate and widely used approach when substantiating an investment proposal, as long as your assumptions are transparent and traceable.<\/p>\n<p>Start with what you do know: the number of contact moments per month, the average handling time, the staffing levels, and the most common contact reasons. Combine this with a number of lines of reasoning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Estimate repeat contact percentage:<\/strong> Ask employees how many contacts they believe are a repeat of a previous contact. A rough estimate of 20 to 40 percent is realistic in many service environments. Multiply this by the average cost per contact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Measure time wastage:<\/strong> Have an employee keep track for a day of how much time is spent searching, waiting for systems, or manual registration. This gives a direct translation to FTE costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Industry averages as an anchor:<\/strong> Sectors such as housing associations, utilities, and government face similar challenges. Use available benchmarks as a reference point, but present them as indicative, not as a guarantee.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scenario calculations:<\/strong> Create three scenarios: a conservative, a realistic, and an optimistic scenario. This shows the range of possible savings and makes the uncertainty explicit instead of hiding it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The goal is not to provide exact figures, but to make it plausible that the investment pays for itself. A well-substantiated estimate is stronger than no figure at all.<\/p>\n<h2>Which non-financial arguments strengthen a business case?<\/h2>\n<p>Non-financial arguments strengthen a business case for customer contact improvement by identifying risks and strategic values that fall outside the direct ROI calculation, but are often decisive for boards and directors. Think of reputation risk, employee well-being, compliance, and strategic agility.<\/p>\n<p>Some arguments that resonate well with boards in practice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reputation risk:<\/strong> Poor accessibility and long waiting times lead to negative reviews, complaints to regulators, or media attention. For organizations in the public sector or with a service obligation, this is a concrete risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Employee well-being and employer brand:<\/strong> Employees working with outdated systems and repetitive tasks are less engaged and more often sick. An improvement in the work environment strengthens the employer brand in a tight labor market.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compliance and data management:<\/strong> Fragmented systems make it harder to comply with privacy legislation and internal security requirements. Consolidation reduces this risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strategic scalability:<\/strong> A modern customer contact environment makes it possible to grow without hiring proportionally more staff. That is an argument that resonates strongly with growing organizations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Combine financial and non-financial arguments in your proposal. A board rarely weighs figures alone.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you present uncertain figures credibly to the board?<\/h2>\n<p>You present uncertain figures credibly by explicitly naming the uncertainty, making your assumptions transparent, and working with ranges instead of point estimates. Boards appreciate honesty about uncertainty more than seemingly exact figures that are not traceable.<\/p>\n<p>Practical approach for a credible presentation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>State your assumptions explicitly:<\/strong> Don&#8217;t say &#8220;we save 15 FTE,&#8221; but &#8220;if we reduce repeat contact by 30 percent based on our estimate of the current volume, then that yields a saving of X to Y FTE.&#8221; This is traceable and testable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use three scenarios:<\/strong> A conservative scenario that remains positive even with disappointing results gives a board confidence. It shows that you have weighed the risks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link to known reference values:<\/strong> Translate savings into recognizable units, such as cost per contact, cost per customer, or percentage of the total wage bill. This makes abstract amounts concrete.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Propose a validation moment:<\/strong> Offer to test the assumptions against actual results after a pilot phase. This lowers the threshold for approval and shows confidence in your own calculations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A business case for customer contact does not have to be perfect to be approved. It must be convincing, and that starts with transparency.<\/p>\n<h2>When is a phased approach financially smarter?<\/h2>\n<p>A phased approach is financially smarter when the total investment is large, the uncertainty about savings is high, or the organization first wants to build support and evidence before committing fully. By starting with a defined pilot or a partial solution, you limit the initial risk and generate measurable results that substantiate the follow-up.<\/p>\n<p>A phased approach also has organizational benefits. Changes in customer contact environments affect employees, systems, and processes simultaneously. A step-by-step implementation gives the organization time to adjust, steer, and learn. This reduces not only the financial risk but also the implementation risk.<\/p>\n<p>Choose a phased approach if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The investment exceeds the internal approval threshold and you need evidence first<\/li>\n<li>The organization needs to replace multiple systems or suppliers at once, making a big-bang approach risky<\/li>\n<li>There is little internal support and a visible success in a first phase can build that support<\/li>\n<li>You want to validate the assumptions from your business case before making the full investment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A phased approach does not mean you start without direction. A clear architecture and long-term vision are essential even in a step-by-step rollout, so that each phase builds on the previous one without building up technical debt.<\/p>\n<h2>How Pegamento helps substantiate your investment proposal for customer contact<\/h2>\n<p>We understand that getting an investment in customer contact approved internally is one of the hardest steps. Not because the improvement isn&#8217;t necessary, but because the figures are missing to make it convincing. That is exactly where we help.<\/p>\n<p>What we do for you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Business analysis and cost mapping:<\/strong> Together, we map out the hidden costs based on your current volumes, systems, and processes, so you have a realistic starting point.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scenario calculations:<\/strong> We build conservative, realistic, and optimistic scenarios that you can present to the board or management team, including a phased approach with validation moments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Custom solutions with standard building blocks:<\/strong> No costly custom work, but a smart combination of proven modules for AI, contact center technology, process automation, and Agentic AI\u2014the evolution from executive bots to self-thinking assistants that take independent initiative.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Everything under one roof:<\/strong> From analysis to implementation, management, and continuous optimization. No silos, no complex supplier management, but one point of contact for the total package.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We work with certified processes according to ISO 27001 (information security), ISO 9001, and ISO 26000, so you can also rely on us for security and quality. Want to know how to make your investment proposal for customer contact strong? <a href=\"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/contact-us\/\">Contact us<\/a> and we will think along with you immediately.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-seoaic-faq-block\">\n    <h2 class=\"seoaic-faq-section-title\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n            <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                How long does it take on average for an investment in customer contact to pay for itself?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                The payback period varies greatly per organization and chosen approach, but in practice, many organizations see the first measurable results within 6 to 12 months after implementation. With a phased approach, the first phase can even pay for itself faster, because you start with the components that have the greatest direct impact. A conservative scenario in your business case helps to show a positive outcome even with disappointing results.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                Which KPIs are best to use to measure progress after implementation?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                The most valuable KPIs for customer contact improvement are the repeat contact percentage (First Contact Resolution), the average handling time, employee turnover, and the customer satisfaction score (CSAT or NPS). Link these measurement points directly to the assumptions from your business case, so that after a pilot phase you can demonstrate whether the expected savings were realistic. This also makes it easier to get a follow-up phase approved internally.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                What are the most common mistakes when drafting a business case for customer contact?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                The most common mistake is underestimating hidden costs such as repeat contact, turnover, and escalations, making the current situation seem cheaper than it actually is. A second common mistake is presenting a single figure without showing the underlying assumptions, which undermines credibility with critical board members. Finally, the non-financial side\u2014such as reputation risk and employee well-being\u2014is too often omitted, even though this is frequently decisive for directors.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                How do I involve employees from the customer contact team in substantiating the business case?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                Employees are an indispensable source of qualitative and quantitative information: they know exactly where time is lost, which questions keep coming back, and where systems fall short. Use targeted observations or short interviews to quantify time wastage and repeat contact, and incorporate these findings as substantiation for your assumptions. This not only increases the credibility of your business case but also creates early support for the change on the work floor.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                Is a business case for customer contact also relevant for smaller organizations with a limited contact volume?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                Yes, even for smaller organizations it pays to map out the costs of poor customer contact, even if the absolute amounts are lower. Especially in smaller teams, the impact of turnover, manual registration, and repeat contact per employee is relatively large, and improvements are often faster and cheaper to implement. A compact business case with two or three well-substantiated cost items is already sufficient to justify an investment internally.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                How do I deal with resistance from the IT department or other internal stakeholders?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                Resistance from IT often arises from concerns about system integration, security, or extra management burdens\u2014address these concerns proactively by paying attention to technical architecture, compliance requirements, and the management model in your business case. Involve IT early as a sparring partner instead of as an executing party afterwards, so that their expertise strengthens the business case instead of delaying it. Also show how a modern customer contact environment actually reduces the technical debt of fragmented systems.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n                <div class=\"seoaic-faq-item\">\n            <h3 class=\"seoaic-question\">\n                When is it wise to engage external support when drafting the business case?            <\/h3>\n            <p class=\"seoaic-answer\">\n                External support is valuable when internal knowledge about customer contact costs or benchmark data is missing, or when the business case is politically sensitive and an independent substantiation increases credibility. An external party can also help identify blind spots\u2014costs or risks that are taken for granted internally and therefore not included. Make sure the external party understands the specific context of your organization and sector well, so that the assumptions remain realistic and recognizable for the board.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Substantiating an investment proposal for customer contact without data? Discover how hidden costs and scenarios convince.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contact-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37373,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37371\/revisions\/37373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}