How to put important customers straight through to the right manager: a rule for VIP calls
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
An important customer, such as a wholesale buyer, a contract client or someone with a big order, shouldn’t wait in a queue or answer the same general questions again and again. Spot them with a short list, put the call straight through to their manager, and agree in advance who answers if the manager doesn’t. Before connecting, tell the manager who is calling and why. An AI operator transfers such calls to a staff member’s phone by your rule.
Who is an important customer
Decide by a rule, not by gut feeling. Usually they are:
- Wholesale buyers and dealers: they come back every month with big orders.
- Contract clients: they have a service, repair or supply contract with you.
- Customers with an open deal: they spoke to a manager yesterday and are giving an answer today.
- Callers with a big order: for example, over 50 million so‘m.
- A regular customer coming back with a complaint: losing them is expensive.
Keep the list short: if everyone is VIP, nobody is. The amount is only an example.
Three ways to put important customers through
| Way | How it works | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| The manager’s personal number | The customer gets the manager’s direct number | If the manager is on holiday or busy, the call is lost |
| A number list in the phone system (PBX) | Numbers on the list skip the general queue and go to the manager | Fails if the customer calls from another phone; the list needs updating |
| The first operator to answer asks | “Which company are you from?”, “Who is your manager?”, then connects by the answer | A couple of questions take a few seconds |
Many companies combine two: a personal number plus transfer through the operator.
How to write the transfer rule
- List the signs of an important customer: the words that give them away (“wholesale”, “contract”, the manager’s name).
- For each sign, write whom to transfer to: name and phone.
- Name a backup: who answers if the manager doesn’t pick up within 20 seconds or is on holiday.
- Agree what to say before connecting: “Jasur, it’s Dilshod from Baraka Market, about a wholesale order.” The manager won’t have to ask everything again.
- If nobody answers, give the customer an exact time, “Jasur will call you back in 15 minutes”, and set a task.
- Once a month, check how many calls from important customers were put through and how many had to wait.
Sample call: a wholesale buyer
Mustahkam distributes building materials. The first operator answers:
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Mustahkam, this is Malika. Go ahead, please.
Caller: Hello, it’s Dilshod from Baraka Market. I’d like to speak to Jasur about a wholesale order.
Sado: Of course, Dilshod. Could you tell me briefly what you need? I’ll pass it on to Jasur.
Caller: Cement, 200 bags, for next week.
Sado: Got it, I’ve noted that. I’m putting you through to Jasur now, one second.
The customer didn’t queue and didn’t repeat anything. The operator noted the name, company and order, which both the manager and the CRM need.
How an AI operator puts important customers through
An AI operator for incoming calls answers every call in about a second and transfers the call to a staff member’s phone by the rule you set. The rule is based on the conversation: for example, the caller mentions a wholesale order, names their manager or says “I want to talk to a person”. Before transferring, the operator asks for the name, company and question, and the answers are saved in the portal with the recording and transcript.
The operator answers simple questions itself: prices, address, hours. So managers get only the calls that matter. Common questions: FAQ. How it differs from a call centre: AI operator vs call centre. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How do you recognise an important customer?
With a short rule: wholesale or contract client, an open deal, a big order, or a caller who names their manager. Write the rule down so every staff member works the same way.
What if the manager doesn’t pick up?
Name a backup in advance. If they’re busy too, give the customer an exact call-back time and set a task: “We’ll call you back in 15 minutes.”
How does the AI operator know whom to transfer the call to?
By the rule you set: which words or situations go to which staff member’s phone. Sado’s team sets up the rule with you.