Design a VIP Experience for Your Service Desk

Design a VIP Experience for Your Service Desk

Keep the C-suite satisfied without sacrificing service to the rest of the organization.

Analyst Perspective

Stop being reactive to VIP demands and formalize their service offering.

Natalie Sansone, PHD

Research Director,
Infrastructure & Operations
Info-Tech Research Group

In a perfect world, executives wouldn’t need any special treatment because the service desk could rapidly resolve every ticket, regardless of the submitter, keeping satisfaction levels high across the board.

But we know that’s not the case for most organizations. Executives and VIPs demand higher levels of service because the reality in most companies is that their time is worth more. And any IT leader who’s had a VIP complain about their service knows that their voice also carries more weight than that of a regular dissatisfied user.

That said, most service desks feel strapped for resources and don’t know how to improve service for VIPs without sacrificing service to the rest of the organization.

The key is to stop being reactive to VIP demands and formalize your VIP service procedures so that you can properly set expectations for the service, monitor and measure it, and continually evaluate it to make changes if necessary.

A VIP offering doesn’t have to mean a white glove concierge service, either – it could simply mean prioritizing VIP tickets differently. How do you decide which level of service to offer? Start by assessing your specific needs based on demand, gather requirements from relevant stakeholders, choose the right approach to fit your business needs and capabilities, clearly define and document all aspects of the service then communicate it so that everyone is on the same page as to what is in and out of scope, and continually monitor and evaluate the service to make changes and improvements as needed.

Executive Summary

Info-Tech Insight

The reality for most organizations is that VIPs need special treatment. But providing VIP service shouldn’t come at the expense of good service delivery for the rest of the organization. To be successful with your approach, formalize the VIP offering to bring consistency and clear expectations for both users and the IT staff delivering the service.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

• A VIP calls because their personal printer isn’t working, but you also have a network issue affecting payroll being able to issue paychecks. The VIP wants their issue fixed immediately despite there being a workaround and a higher priority incident needing resources.
• The COO calls the CIO after hours about issues they’re having with their email. The CIO immediately deploys a field tech back to the office to help the COO. Once the tech arrives, the COO says the issue could have waited until the morning.
• The company president wants IT to spend a day at their house setting up their new personal laptop to be able to connect into the office before their vacation tomorrow. It would take away one FTE from an already understaffed service desk.
• The CEO brings their child’s new iPhone in and asks the service desk if they have time to set it up as a favor today. The service desk manager instructs the T2 apps specialist to drop his other tickets to work on this immediately.
• Two tickets come in at the same time – one is from an SVP who can’t log in to Teams and has an online meeting in half an hour, and the other is for a department of 10 who can’t access the network. The service desk doesn’t know who to help first.

Different organizations can take very different approaches to VIP requests

CASE STUDIES

A well-designed and communicated VIP support service can deliver many benefits

A successfully designed VIP service will lead to:

• Executives and VIPs can easily contact the service desk and receive exceptional support and customer service from a knowledgeable technician, increasing their trust in the service desk.
• All service desk tickets are prioritized appropriately and effectively in order to maximize overall ticket resolution and fulfillment times.
• All users have a clear understanding of how to get in touch with the service desk and expected SLAs for specific ticket types.
• Critical, business-impacting issues still receive priority service ahead of minor tickets submitted by a VIP.
• All service desk technicians are clear on processes and procedures for prioritizing and handling VIP tickets.
• Executives are satisfied with the service they receive and the value that IT provides
• Reduced VIP downtime, contributing to overall organization productivity and growth.

A poorly designed or reactive VIP service will lead to:

• VIPs expect immediate service for non-critical issues, including after-hours.
• VIPs circumvent the correct process and contact the CIO or service desk manager directly for all their issues.
• Service desk resources stretched thin, or poor allocation of resources leads to degraded service for the majority of users.
• More critical business issues are pushed back in order to fix non-critical executive issues.
• Service desk is not clear how to prioritize tickets and always addresses VIP tickets first regardless of priority.
• The service desk automatically acts on VIP tickets even when the VIP doesn’t require it or realize they’re getting a different level of service.
• Non-VIP users are aware of the different service levels and try to request the same priority for their tickets. Support costs are over budget.

Follow Info-Tech’s approach to design a successful VIP support model

1. Understand the support models available, from white glove service to the same service for everyone.
2. Gather business requirements from all relevant stakeholders.
3. Based on your business needs, choose the right approach.
4. Define and document all details of the VIP service offering.
5. Communicate and market the offering to VIPs so they’re aware of what’s in scope.
6. Monitor volume and track metrics to evaluate what’s working.
7. Continually improve or modify the service as needed over time.

Blueprint deliverables

Insight Summary

Key Insight

The reality for most organizations is that VIPs need special treatment. But providing VIP service shouldn’t be at the expense of good service delivery for the rest of the organization. To be successful with your approach, formalize the VIP offering to bring consistency and clear expectations for both users and the IT staff delivering the service.

Additional insights:

Step 1: Understand the different support models

Step overview:

• Understand the support models available, from white glove service to the same service for everyone

First, define what “VIP support” means in your organization

VIP support from the service desk usually refers to an elevated level of service (i.e. faster, after-hours, off-site, and/or with more experienced resources) that is provided to those at the executive level of the organization.

A VIP typically includes executives across the business (e.g. CIO, CEO, CxO, VPs) and sometimes the executive assistants who work directly with them. However, it can also include non-executive-level but critical business roles in some organizations.

The level of VIP service provided can differ from receiving prioritization in the queue to having a dedicated, full-time technician providing “white glove” service.

Info-Tech Insight

You don’t have to use the term “VIP”, as long as you clearly define the terms you are using. Some organizations use the term “VIR” to refer to very important roles rather than people, and some define “critical users” to reflect who should receive prioritized service, for example.

There are essentially two options for VIP support, but multiple determining factors

Option 1: Same service for everyone

What does it look like?

VIP tickets are prioritized in the same way as every other ticket – with an assessment by impact and urgency. This allows every ticket to be prioritized appropriately according to how big the impact of the issue is and how quickly it needs to be resolved – regardless of who the submitter is. This means that VIPs with very urgent issues will still receive immediate support, as would a non-VIP user with a critical issue.

Who is it best suited for?

• Small organizations and IT teams.
• Executives don’t want special treatment.
• Not enough service desk resources or budget to provide prioritized or dedicated VIP service.
• Service desk is already efficient and meeting SLAs for all requests and incidents.

Pros

• Highest level of consistency in service because the same process is followed for all user groups.
• Ensures that service doesn’t suffer for non-VIP users for teams with a limited number of service desk staff.
• No additional cost.
• Potential to argue for more resources if executive service expectations aren’t met.

Cons

• Does not work if executives expect or require elevated service regardless of issue type.
• Potential for increase in management escalations or complaints from dissatisfied executives. Some may end up jumping the queue as a result, which results in unstandardized VIP treatment only for some users.

Info-Tech Insight

Don’t design a VIP service solely out of fear that VIPs will be unhappy with the standard level of support the service desk provides. In some cases, it is better to focus your efforts on improving your standard support for everyone rather than only for a small percentage of users, especially if providing that elevated VIP support would further deteriorate service levels for the rest of the organization.

Option 2: Prioritized service for VIPs

What does it look like?

• VIPs still go through the service desk but receive higher priority than non-VIP tickets.
• Requests from VIP submitters are still evaluated using the standard prioritization matrix but are bumped up in urgency or priority. More critical issues can still take precedence.
• Existing service desk resources are still used to resolve the request, but requests are just placed closer to the “front of the line.”
• VIP users are identified in the ticketing system and may have a separate number to call or are routed differently/skip the queue within the ACD/IVR.

Who is it best suited for?

• Organizations that want or need to give VIPs expedited or enhanced service, but that don’t have the resources to dedicate to a completely separate VIP service desk team.

Pros

• Meets the need of executives for faster service.
• Balances the need for prioritized service to VIPs while not sacrificing resources to handle most user requests.
• All tickets still go through a single point of contact to be triaged and monitored by the service desk.
• Easy to measure and compare performance of VIP service vs. standard service because processes are the same.

Cons

• Slight cost associated with implementing changes to phone system if necessary.
• Makes other users aware that VIPs receive “special treatment” – some may try to jump the queue themselves.
• May not meet the expectations of some executives who prefer dedicated, face-to-face resources to resolve their issues.

Info-Tech Insight

If you’re already informally bumping VIP tickets up the queue, this may be the most appropriate model for you. Bring formalization to your process by clearly defining exactly where VIP tickets fit in your prioritization matrix to ensure they are handled consistently and that VIPs are aware of the process.

Option 3: Dedicated VIP service

What does it look like?

• VIPs contact a dedicated service desk and receive immediate/expedited support, often face to face.
• Often a separate phone number or point of contact.
• Similar to concierge service or “white glove” service models.
• At least one dedicated FTE with good customer service skills and technical knowledge who builds trust with executives.

Who is it best suited for?

• Larger enterprises with many VIP users to support, but where VIPs are geographically clustered (as geography sprawls, the cost of the service will spiral).
• IT organizations with enough resources on the service desk to support a dedicated VIP function.
• Organizations where executives require immediate, in-person support.

Pros

• Most of the time, this model results in the fastest service delivery to executives.
• Most personal method of delivering support with help often provided in person and from familiar, trusted technicians.
• Usually leads to the highest level of satisfaction with the service desk from executives.

Cons

• Most expensive model; usually requires at least one dedicated, experienced FTE to support and sometimes after-hours support.
• Essentially two separate service desks; can result in a disconnect between staff.
• Career path and cross-training opportunities for the dedicated staff may be limited; role can be exhausting.
• Reporting on the service can be more complicated and tickets are often logged after the fact.
• If not done well, quality of service can suffer for the rest of the organization.

Info-Tech Insight

This type of model is essential in many large enterprises where the success of the company can depend on VIPs having access to dedicated support to minimize downtime as much as possible. However, it also requires the highest level of planning and dedication to get right. Without carefully documented processes and procedures and highly trained staff to support the model, it will fail to deliver the expected benefits.

Step 2: Capture business needs

Step overview:

• Analyze your data and gather requirements to determine whether there is a need for a VIP service.

Assess current state and metrics

Analyze ticket data

• What volume of tickets are you supporting? How many of those tickets come from VIP users?
• What is your current resolution time for incidents and requests? How well are you currently meeting SLAs?
• How quickly are executive/VIP tickets being resolved? How long do they have to wait for a response?
• How many after-hours requests do you receive?

Assess resourcing

• How many users do you support; what percentage of them would be identified as VIP users?
• How many service desk technicians do you have at each tier?
• How well are you currently meeting demand? Would you be able to meet demand if you dedicated one or more Tier 2 technicians to VIP support?
• If you would need to hire additional resources, is there budget to do so?

Use the data to inform your assessment

• Do you have a current problem with service delivery to VIPs and/or all users that needs to be addressed by changing the VIP support model?
• Do you have the demand to support the need for a VIP service?
• Do you have the resources to support providing VIP service?

Leverage Info-Tech’s tools to inform your assessment

Analyze your ticket data and reports to understand how well you’re currently meeting SLAs, your average response and resolution times, and the volume and type of requests you get from VIPs in order to understand the need for changing your current model. If you don’t have the ticket data to inform your assessment, leverage Info-Tech’s Service Desk Ticket Analysis Tool.

Service Desk Ticket Analysis Tool

Use this tool to identify trends and patterns in your ticket data. The ticket summary dashboard contains multiple reports analyzing how tickets come in, who requests them, who resolves them, and how long it takes to resolve them.

If you need help understanding how well your current staff is able to handle your current ticket volume, leverage Info-Tech’s Service Desk Staffing Calculator to analyze demand and ticket volume trends. While not specifically designed to analyze VIP tickets, you could run the assessment separately for VIP volume if you have that data available.

Service Desk Staffing Calculator

Use this tool to help you estimate the optimal resource allocation to support your demand over time.

Engage stakeholders to understand their requirements

Follow your organization’s requirements gathering process to identify and prioritize stakeholders, conduct stakeholder interviews, and identify, track, and prioritize their requirements and expectations for service delivery.

Gather requirements from VIP stakeholders

1. Identify which stakeholders need to be consulted.
2. Prioritize stakeholders in terms of influence and interest in order to identify who to engage in the requirements gathering process.
3. Build a plan for gathering the requirements of key stakeholders in terms of VIP service delivery.
4. Conduct requirements gathering and record the results of each stakeholder interaction.
5. Analyze and summarize the results to determine the top expectations and requirements for VIP service desk support.

If your organization does not have a defined requirements gathering process or template, leverage Info-Tech tools and templates:

The Improve Requirements Gathering blueprint can be adapted from software requirements gathering to service desk.

The PMO Requirements Gathering Tool can be adapted from interviewing stakeholders on their PMO requirements to service desk requirements.

Info-Tech Insight

Don’t guess at what your VIPs need or want – ask them and involve them in the service design. Many IT leaders sacrifice overall service quality to prioritize VIPs, thinking they expect immediate service. However, they later find out that the VIPs just assumed the service they were receiving was the standard service and many of their issues can wait.

Identify additional challenges and opportunities by collecting perceptions of business users and stakeholders

CIO Business Vision

Info-Tech's CIO Business Vision program is a low-effort, high-impact program that will give you detailed report cards on the organization’s satisfaction with IT’s core services. Use these insights to understand your key business stakeholders, find out what is important to them, and improve your interactions.

End User Satisfaction

Info-Tech’s End User Satisfaction Program helps you measure end-user satisfaction and importance ratings of core IT services, IT communications, and business enablement to help you decide which IT service capabilities need to be addressed to meet the demands of the business.

Learn more about Info-Tech’s CIO Business Vision or End User Satisfaction Program .

Step 3: Choose the right approach

Step overview:

• Based on your assessment from Step 2, decide on the best way to move forward with your VIP service model.

Use your assessment results to choose the most appropriate support model

The table below is a rough guide for how the results of your assessments may line up to the most appropriate model for your organization:

Info-Tech Insight

If you’re in the position of deciding how to improve service to VIPs, it’s unlikely that you will end up choosing the “same service” model. If your data analysis tells you that you are currently meeting every metric target for all users, this may actually indicate that you’re overstaffed at the service desk.

If you choose a specialized VIP support model, ensure there is a strong, defined need before moving forward

Do not proceed if:

• Your decision is purely reactive in response to a perceived need or challenges you’re currently experiencing
• The demand is coming from a single dissatisfied executive without requirements from other VIPs being collected.
• Your assessment data does not support the demand for a dedicated VIP function.
• You don’t have the resources or support required to be successful in the approach.

Proceed with a VIP model if:

• You’re prepared to scale and support the model over the long term.
• Business stakeholders have clearly expressed a need for improved VIP service.
• Data shows that there is a high volume of urgent requests from VIPs.
• You have the budget and resources required to support an enhanced VIP service delivery model.

Step 4: Design the service offering

Step overview:

• Define and document all processes, procedures, and responsibilities relevant to the VIP support offering.

Clearly define the service and eligible users

1. Define exactly what the service is before going into the procedural details. High-level examples to start from are provided below:

Prioritized Service Model

When a designated VIP user contacts the service desk with a question, incident, or service request, their ticket will be prioritized over non-VIP tickets following the prioritization matrix. This process has been designed in accordance with business needs and requirements, as defined VIP users have more urgent demands on their time and the impact of downtime is greater as it has the potential to impact the business. However, all tickets, VIP tickets included, must still be prioritized by impact and urgency. Incidents that are more critical will still be resolved before VIP tickets in accordance with the prioritization process.

Dedicated Service Model

VIP support is a team of dedicated field technicians available to provide an elevated level of service including deskside support for executives and designated VIP users. VIP users have the ability to contact the VIP support service through a dedicated phone number and will receive expedited ticket handling and resolution by dedicated Tier 2 specialists with experience dealing with executives and their unique needs and requirements. This process has been designed in accordance with business needs and requirements.

2 Identify VIP-eligible users

• Define who qualifies as a VIP to receive VIP support or be eligible to contact the dedicated VIP service desk/concierge desk.
• If other users or EAs can submit tickets on behalf of VIPs, identify those individuals as well.
• Review the list and cut back if necessary. Less is usually more here, especially when starting out. If everyone is a VIP, then no one is truly a VIP.
• Identify who maintains ownership over the list of eligible VIP users and how any changes to the list or requests for changes will be handled.
• Ensure that all VIP-eligible users are clearly identified in the ITSM system.

Map out the VIP process in a workflow

Use a visual workflow to document the process for resolving or fulfilling VIP tickets, from when the ticket is submitted to when it gets closed.

Your workflow should address the following:

• How should the ticket be prioritized?
• When are escalations necessary?
• What happens if a user requests VIP service but is not defined as eligible?
• Should the user verify that the issue is resolved before the ticket is closed?
• What automatic notifications or communications need to go out and when?
• What manual communications or notifications need to be sent out (e.g. when a ticket is escalated or reassigned)?

Use the VIP Support Process Workflow Example as a template to map out your own process.

Define and document all VIP processes and procedures

Define all aspects of the service so that every VIP request will follow the same standardized process and VIPs will have clear expectations for the service they receive. This may include:

• How VIPs should contact the service desk
• How VIP tickets will be prioritized
• SLAs and service expectations for VIP tickets
• Ticket resolution or fulfillment steps and process
• Escalation points and contacts
• After-hours requests process

If VIP user requests receive enhanced priority, for example, define exactly how those requests should be prioritized using your prioritization matrix. An example is found below and in the Service Desk VIP Procedures Template.

Use Info-Tech’s Service Desk VIP Procedures Template as a guide

This template is designed to assist with documenting your service desk procedures for handling VIP or executive tickets. The template is not meant to cover all possible VIP support models but is an example of one support model only. It should be adapted and customized to reflect your specific support model and procedures.

It includes the following sections:

1. VIP support description/overview
2. VIP support entitlement (who is eligible)
3. Procedures
   • Ticket submission and triage
   • Ticket prioritization
   • SLAs and escalation
   • VIP ticket resolution process
   • After-hours requests
4. Monitoring and reporting

Download the Service Desk VIP Procedures Template

Allocate resources or assign responsibilities specific to VIP support

• Clarify the expectations of any service desk agent who will be handling VIP tickets; they should demonstrate excellent customer service skills and expertise, respect for the VIP and the sensitivity of their data, and prompt service.
• Use a RACI chart to clarify responsibility and accountability for VIP-specific support tasks.
• If you will be moving to a dedicated VIP support team, clearly define the responsibilities of any new roles or tasks. Sample responsibilities can be found on the right.
• If you will be changing the role of an existing service desk agent to become focused solely on providing VIP support, clarify how the responsibilities of other service desk agents may change too, if at all.
• Be clear on expectations of agents for after-hours support, especially if there will be a change to the current service provision.

Sample responsibilities for a dedicated VIP support technician/specialist may include:

• Resolve support tickets for all eligible VIP users following established processes and procedures.
• Provide both onsite and remote support to executives.
• Quickly and effectively diagnose and resolve technical issues with minimal disruption to the executive team.
• Establish trust with executives/VIPs by maintaining confidentiality and privacy while providing technical support.
• Set up, monitor, and support high-priority meetings, conferences, and events.
• Demonstrate excellent communication and customer service skills when providing support to executives.
• Coordinate more complex support issues with higher level support staff and track tickets through to resolution when needed.
• Learn new technology and software ahead of implementation to train and support executive teams for use.
• Conduct individual or group training as needed to educate on applications or how to best use technology to enhance productivity.
• Proactively manage, maintain, update, and upgrade end-user devices as needed.

Configure your ITSM tool to support your processes

• Identify and configure VIP users in the system to ensure that they are easily identifiable in the system (e.g. there may be a symbol beside their name).
• Configure automations or build ticket templates that would automatically set the urgency or priority of VIP tickets.
• Configure any business rules or workflows that apply to the VIP support process.
• Define any automated notifications that need to be sent when a VIP ticket is submitted, assigned, escalated, or resolved (e.g. notify service desk manager or a specific DL).
• Define metrics and customize dashboards and reports to monitor VIP tickets and measure the success of the VIP service.
• Configure any SLAs that apply only to VIPs to ensure displayed SLAs are accurate.

Step 5: Launch the service

Step overview:

• Communicate and market the service to all relevant stakeholders so everyone is on the same page as to how it works and what’s in scope.

Communicate the new or revised service to relevant stakeholders ahead of the launch

If you did your due diligence, the VIP service launch won’t be a surprise to executives. However, it’s critical to

continue the engagement and communicate the details of the service well to ensure there are no misperceptions about the

service when it launches.

Goals of communicating and marketing the service:

1. Create awareness and understanding of the purpose of the VIP service and what it means for eligible users.
2. Solidify commitment and buy-in for the service from all stakeholders.
3. Ensure that all users know how to access the service and any changes to the way they should interact with the service desk.
4. Set expectations for new/revised service levels.
5. Reduce and address any concerns about the change in process.

Info-Tech Insight

This step isn’t only for the launch of new services. Even if you’re enhancing or right-sizing an existing VIP service, take the opportunity to market the improvements, remind users of the correct processes, and collect feedback.

Leverage Info-Tech’s communication template to structure your presentation

This template can be customized to use as an executive presentation to communicate and market the service to VIP users. It includes:

• Key takeaways
• Current-state assessment
• Requirements gathering and feedback results
• Objectives for the service
• Anticipated benefits
• Service entitlement
• How the service works
• Escalations and feedback contacts
• Timeline of next steps

Info-Tech Insight

If you’re launching a dedicated concierge service for VIPs, highlight the exclusivity of the service in your marketing to draw users in. For example, if eligible VIPs get a separate number to call, expedited SLAs, or access to more tenured service desk experts, promote this added value of the service.

Download the VIP Support Service Communication Template

Step 6: Monitor and measure

Step overview:

• Measure and monitor the success of the program by tracking and reporting on targeted metrics.

Evaluate and demonstrate the success of the program with key metrics

Targeted metrics to evaluate the success of the VIP program will be critical to understanding and demonstrating whether the service is delivering the intended value. Track key metrics to:

• Track if and how well you’re meeting your defined SLAs for VIP support.
• Measure demand for VIP support (i.e. ticket volume and types of tickets) and evaluate against resource supply to determine whether a staffing adjustment is needed to meet demand.
• Measure the cost of providing the VIP service in order to report back to executives.
• Leverage real data to quantitatively demonstrate that you’re providing enhanced service to VIPs if there is an escalation or negative feedback from one individual.
• Monitor service delivery to non-VIP users to ensure that service to the rest of the organization isn’t impacted by the VIP service
• Evaluate the types of ticket that are submitted to the VIP service to inform training plans, self-service options, device upgrades, or alternatives to reduce future volume.

Info-Tech Insight

If your data definitively shows the VIP offering delivers enhanced service levels, publish these results to business leadership. A successful VIP service is a great accomplishment to market and build credibility for the service desk.

Tie metrics to critical success factors

Sample Critical Success Factors

• Increased executive satisfaction with the service desk
• Improved response and resolution times to VIP tickets
• Demand for the service is matched by supply

Sample Metrics

• End-user satisfaction scores on VIP tickets
• Executive satisfaction with the service desk as measured on a broader annual survey
• Response and resolution times for VIP tickets
• Percentage of SLAs met for VIP tickets
• VIP ticket volume
• Average speed of answer for VIP calls

Download Define Service Desk Metrics that Matter and the Service Desk Metrics Workbook for help defining CSFs, KPIs, and key metrics

Step 7: Continually improve

Step overview:

• Continually evaluate the program to identify opportunities for improvement or modifications to the service support model.

Continually evaluate the service to identify improvements

Executives are happy, resolution times are on target – now what? Even if everything seems to be working well, never stop monitoring, measuring, and evaluating the service. Not only can metrics change, but there can also always be ways to improve service.

• Continual improvement should be a mindset – there are always opportunities for improvement, and someone should be responsible for identifying and tracking these opportunities so that they actually get done.
• Just as you asked for feedback and involvement from VIPs (and their assistants who may submit tickets on their behalf) in designing the service, you should continually collect that feedback and use it to inform improvements to the service.
• End-user satisfaction surveys, especially broader, more targeted surveys, are also a great source of improvement ideas.
• Even if end users don’t perceive any need for improvement, IT should still assess how they can make their own processes more efficient or offer alternatives to make delivery easier.

Download Info-Tech’s Build a Continual Improvement Program blueprint to help you build a process around continual improvement, and use the Continual Improvement Register tool to help you identify and prioritize improvement initiatives.

Info-Tech Insight

Don’t limit your continual improvement efforts to the VIP service. Once you’ve successfully elevated the VIP service, look to how you can apply elements of that service to elevate support to the rest of the organization. For example, through providing a roaming service desk, a concierge desk, a Genius-Bar-style walk-in service, etc.

Expand, reduce, or modify as needed

Expand

• If the service offering has been successful and/or your data shows underuse of VIP-dedicated resources, you may be able to expand the offering to identify additional roles as VIP-eligible.
• Be cautious not to expand the service too widely; not only should it feel exclusive to VIPs, but you need to be able to support it.
• Also consider whether elements that have been successful in the VIP program (e.g. a concierge desk, after-hours support) should be expanded to be offered to non-VIPs.

Reduce

• If VIPs are not using the service as much as anticipated or data shows supply outweighs demand, you may consider scaling back the service to save costs and resources.
• However, be careful in how you approach this – it shouldn’t negatively impact service to existing users.
• Rather, evaluate costly services like after-hours support and whether it’s necessary based on demand, adjust SLAs if needed, or reallocate service desk resources or responsibilities. For example, if demand doesn’t justify a dedicated service desk technician, either add non-VIP tasks to their responsibilities or consider moving to a prioritized model.

Modify

• The support model doesn’t need to be set in stone. If elements aren’t working, change them! If the entire support model isn’t working, reevaluate if it’s the best model for your organization.
• Don’t make decisions in a vacuum, though. Just as executives were involved in decision-making at the outset, continually gather their feedback and use it to inform the service design.

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Works Cited

Munger, Nate. “Why You Should Provide VIP Customer Support.” Intercom, 13 Jan. 2016. Accessed Jan. 2023.

Ogilvie, Ryan. “We Did Away With VIP Support and Got More Efficient.” HDI, 17 Sep. 2020. Accessed Jan. 2023.