Is Your Service Level Different for VIP Clients?

Managing clients and ensuring you meet the required service levels is important for successful contact centres, but what happens when you throw VIPs into the mix?

Ульяна asked our LinkedIn Community of industry professionals; “‘Please let me know what SL you have set for calls? Is it different for VIP clients?”

So, what is the answer? We’ve rounded up some of the advice shared…

It’s Based on What Your Contract Says

Yes, service levels for regular calls and VIP calls can be different if that is what your contract has specified.

Based on the number of calls, the AHT, call complexity, etc., your solutions architect should be able to calculate the specific service levels.

This is important because your cost and pricing models will be affected by this.

Thanks to Imad

80%/60s With VIP Queue Prioritization

Too often these posts about specific metrics ask what is “best”. The answer to that question is invariably, “It depends on what delivers the greatest business value most cost effectively.”

It’s fine to ask what others are doing, though. We’re currently using 80%/60s with VIP queue prioritization, but no difference on SLA.

Thanks to Doug

VIP and Sales at 90/20

VIP and sales queues can be set to 90%/20s.

Thanks to Mohammed

VIP Is Higher

My set-up is SLA 80% in 20 sec, VIP is higher 90%, 95%, etc… It depends on budget.

Thanks to Aleksandar

VIP Priority

Over the years and companies, I’ve used several: 70% in 30s, 80% in 20s, all the way up to 100% in 30s (never achieved long term).

VIP calls tended to have the same SLA, but a priority over the other calls based on call routing. This way it’s easier to balance customer experience overall.

Thanks to Simon

It Depends on the Sector

You cannot say anything if you don’t know about sector. 80/20 is fine usually. But it is not good if you are talking about emergency services like for an ambulance!

You should also give priority on the queue if you have VIP customers… Waiting less time than others is also part of being a VIP!

Thanks to Emir

Look at Your Average Abandon Times as a Guide

I would look at your average abandon times for the last few months and use that to guide you in your SLA.

Let’s say your customers abandon at 120 seconds, then set the goal as 50 seconds. Customers are willing to wait a little longer if your CSAT and outcomes are good.

80/20 has been around since the dawn of time and customer expectations have moved on from this in my opinion.

Thanks to Matthew

Don’t Set the Target Too High

We almost always set our target at 80/20. If you set the target too high you will often end up either missing the target or overstaffing to meet an unrealistic SLA.

Thanks to Sam

If you are looking for more information on Service Levels, read these articles next:

• How to Calculate Contact Centre Service Level
• 14 Best Practices for Maximizing Your Service Level
• What Are the Contact Centre Service Level Standards?

Author: Robyn Coppell