COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          8g 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting     November 16 ,2021 
DATE:     October 22, 2021 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Julie Collins, Director, Aviation Customer Experience & Brand Strategy 
Dawn Hunter, Director, Aviation Commercial Management 
Stephanie Nelson, Manager, Airport Parking Revenue 
SUBJECT:  Consolidated Contact Center Services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 
Amount of this request:               $1,500,000 
Total estimated project cost:          $1,500,000 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute a five-year service
contract for consolidated contact center services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA),
for an amount not to exceed $1,500,000. 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
With the SEA Airport's exponential growth over the past five years and technology expanding the
ways customers communicate, multiple departments within the Aviation Division currently
provide customer service for the Airport's various communications channels (website, phone,
email, social media, SMS text, etc.) with differing systems, staffing levels, and hours of operation. 
This procurement will consolidate the various department efforts into a unified customer service
model with standardized systems and processes and procure a contact center vendor to augment 
internal staffing and provide supplemental coverage to ensure 24/7/365 customer service 
response at SEA Airport.
JUSTIFICATION 
As a top-ten U.S. airport and a major international travel hub, there is an expectation for
24/7/365 customer service assistance at SEA Airport. However, with the Airport's exponential
passenger growth over the past five years, the addition of new technologies used for customer
communications (e.g., SMS text messaging, social media platforms, websites, e-commerce sales),
and the added complexities of travel since COVID, there is a need to supplement internal staffing 
to meet the growth in customer service inquiries and provide timely assistance to passengers
using the facility. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.


COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 2 of 6 
Meeting Date: November 16, 2021 
In 2022, a consolidated contact center vendor will assist AV Commercial Management in
maintaining  existing customer service  coverage  for the Airport's e-commerce/pre-booking
website (https://booking.portseattle.org).  Launched in Nov 2019, the site allows customers to
pre-purchase airport services (parking, lounge passes, etc.) in advance of arrival. Inquiries
currently average 900-1000 per month; these inquiries are anticipated to increase concurrently
with pre-booking customer adoption (est. 15-35% increase/year over the life of the contract).
Due to the unprecedented growth in sales from the site in less than two years and internal
staffing limitations, AV Commercial Management has had to rely heavily on contracted staff from
an expiring consulting contract to manage customer service for the site. This procurement will
utilize existing budget funding to replace the staffing services provided by the expiring contract 
and will ensure no degradation in customer service coverage for the site. Maintaining adequate
customer service coverage is critical, as e-commerce/online sales have become a substantial
source of revenue for the Airport generating more than $12M in 2021 ($15.4M since inception);
estimated sales in 2022 are $13.2M. 
For AV Customer Service needs, it is anticipated contact center vendor service assistance would
begin in 2023 (reliant on budget funding) to help meet the significant growth in general customer
service inquiries at the Airport and provide additional staffing coverage to meet customer
expectations for 24/7/365 service. AV Customer Service staff currently respond to 1100-1400
customer service inquiries per month from various Airport communications channels (webforms,
phone calls, voicemails, emails, social media, and SMS text) during customary Monday  Friday
business hours but are only able to provide minimal coverage during evening/weekend hours. 
Any substantial increase to these inquiries (est. 12% increase/year over the life of the contract)
will  degrade  level  of  service  provided  to  customers  due  to  current  department  staffing
limitations. 
Procurement of a contact center vendor, and the flexibility and scalability it provides, is a costeffective
alternative to hiring additional Port staff to maintain an acceptable level of customer
service and to expand coverage to 24/7/365. The flexibility provided by this procurement would
allow the AV Commercial Management to maintain its existing level of service for its e-commerce
website and allow AV Customer Service to supplement internal staff as required to handle peak
hour surges in customer service inquiries across all Airport communications channels and support
passengers that require assistance outside of regular business hours. 
It is necessary to authorize and execute a contract expeditiously as the consultant managing
customer service for the e-commerce/pre-booking website has notified staff that they will be
terminating their contract and closing their business on December 31, 2021 due to impacts from
the COVID-19 pandemic.  If this replacement contract is not authorized, internal staff will be
unable to maintain an acceptable level of customer service coverage for the website and online
sales will need to be significantly reduced or eliminated in 2022 which will negatively impact nonaeronautical
revenue by an estimated $13-14M.  Staff are in the process of hiring emergency
hires to serve as a stopgap between the termination of the prior consulting contract and the
execution of this new contract (est. June 2022). 

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 3 of 6 
Meeting Date: November 16, 2021 
Scope of Work 
Provide consolidated contact center services for SEA Airport across its various customer
communications channels (websites, phones, emails, social media platforms, SMS Text
messaging, Chat, e-commerce, etc.) to facilitate multi-channel, multi-tiered front-line customer
service support 24/7/365. Consultant will provide high-quality, timely customer service coverage 
focusing on the accuracy of information provided, the completeness of information, and priority
of first-call resolution. Consultant will also provide implementation services for integration with
existing customer relationship management, online sales and marketing systems (i.e., Zendesk,
Salesforce, Aeroparker, Cisco Telephony etc.) to facilitate active management and reporting of
all requested communications channels (as described above).  Type of service environment
(shared, dedicated or a combination thereof) will be determined based on SEA staffing
requirements and provided on a per minute basis. 
Estimated Costs 
$1,250,000*  Contact center vendor services, 5 yrs. 
+ $250,000  Consulting, implementation services, systems integration, data migration, training 
$1,500,000  Total contract value 
*Estimated contract value is based on a $1.50/minute rate for contact center services provided 
over the life of the contract. Actual cost of service may be lower based on negotiated per minute
rate with the selected provider and may significantly reduce costs incurred. (Per minute rates
currently average between $0.80/min. - $1.50/min. based on scope of work and contract value) 
Negotiated Per Minute Rate    Est Cost of Services / Life of Contract 
$0.80                          $    663,153 
$0.90                          $    746,048 
$1.00                          $    828,942 
$1.25                          $   1,036,177 
$1.50                          $   1,243,413 
Schedule 
The Port is in the process of developing a Request for Proposal advertisement with an expected
start of contract service date of May 1, 2022. 
Estimated Dates 
Advertise Solicitation             December 8, 2021 
Proposals Due                  January 12, 2022 
Port Executes Agreement       May 1, 2022 


Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 4 of 6 
Meeting Date: November 16, 2021 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1  Use existing Port of Seattle staff to provide 24/7/365 customer service coverage
at SEA. 
Cost Implications: Requires reallocation of Port staff from other departments or overtime for
non-salaried/hourly staff. Maintaining an acceptable level of service would require an additional 
24-30 daily work hours over two different areas of demand (AV Commercial Management/ecommerce
inquiries and AV Customer Service/general customer service inquiries).  This
expectation is not sustainable with current Port staffing limitations. 
Pros: 
(1)    Supplements existing Port staff in AV Commercial Management and AV Customer
Service departments to help respond to customer service inquiries as efficiently as
possible. 
Cons: 
(1)   There are not currently Port employees able to be reallocated to do this work. 
(2)   Excessive overtime hours would be required. 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2  Hire a contact center services vendor to supplement internal staffing and provide
contract staff to ensure 24/7/365 customer service coverage at SEA. 
Cost Implications: $1.5 million. 
Pros: 
(1)   Supplements existing Port staff in AV Commercial Management and AV Customer
Experience departments to help respond to customer service inquiries as efficiently
as possible. 
(2)   Maintains existing level of service for SEA Airport e-commerce sales and provides
expanded  customer service coverage for general customer service inquiries 
(24/7/365). 
(3)   Provides a flexible and scalable staffing model conducive to fluctuating customer
service needs (i.e., seasonal, emergent, peak, non-traditional business hours). 
(4)   Cost-effective alternative to hiring additional Port staff to maintain an acceptable
level of service. 
Cons: 
(1)   Requires spending $1.5 million of Port funds. 
This is the recommended alternative. 


Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.


COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 5 of 6 
Meeting Date: November 16, 2021 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Budget Status and Source of Funds 
Baseline budget in the amount of $72,000 is allocated within AV Commercial Management to
cover costs for contact center vendor services requested in this authorization, which will maintain
existing customer service coverage for the SEA e-commerce/pre-booking website. No additional
budget request is anticipated for this portion of the contract. If additional funds are required in
future contract years, the department will reallocate budget from other accounts. This has
already been taken into consideration and will be reallocated concurrently as customer adoption
for the booking site expands. 
Additional budget funding will be requested in 2023 by AV Customer Service to fully utilize the 
services of the contract and supplement customer service coverage provided by existing Port
staff during non-business hours and/or peak periods. If these funds are not approved, this
contract will provide flexibility, with vendor services provided on an as needed basis as requested
by the Port. 
The contract will not go beyond five years; based on estimated costs, cost of services is not
anticipated to exceed the  requested  authorized  amount,  however, the  Port  may  seek
Commission authorization to increase the contract value if required. 
ADDITIONAL DETAILS 
This procurement also supports the Aviation Division's long-term vision to implement a unified
communications center at SEA Airport within the next five years. A centralized multi-function
dispatch center, combining all Airport communications, security functions and systems (i.e.,
emergency response, maintenance requests, monitoring airport systems, public address paging,
passenger customer service and airside operations) ensure cohesive service response regardless
of issue and are typically found at most major large-hub airports. 
This procurement serves as the first phase of the larger unified communications center project
within the Aviation Division, consolidating customer service support for the Airport's highvolume
public-facing communications channels (website, phone, email, social media, SMS text,
etc.) across various Airport departments, and augment internal staffing with a third-party contact
center to ensure 24/7/365 customer service coverage at SEA. AV Operations will lead the second
phase by undertaking a study in 2022 to develop the overall design, strategy, and implementation
plan for a unified communications center at SEA.  The third phase will be the consolidation of
Airport communications, security functions and systems across all departments and the phased
implementation of the unified communications center beginning in 2023. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
(1) SEA Consolidated Contact Center Services  Preliminary Cost Estimate.pdf 
(2) Presentation slides 

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 6 of 6 
Meeting Date: November 16, 2021 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None 

















Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.