We recommend five explicit budget lines: implementation, production usage, assurance, human fallback and exit. Avoid hiding monitoring inside an unspecified support allowance.
Before signing, require answers to these questions:
- What is billable? Define attempts, connected calls, minutes, transfers, repeat contacts and any outcome-based unit.
- Who may change production? Name the approver and require a change record.
- What proves completion? Specify the system of record and how disputes are resolved.
- Who owns an incident? Define first response, customer recovery and responsibility across suppliers.
- Can we leave? Specify number portability, configuration export, record access and deletion obligations.
These are our recommended contractual questions, not statements that every supplier offers those rights by default.