VIPs

Manage VIP contacts with privilege levels for priority handling.

Overview

VIPs (Very Important People) are contacts who deserve special treatment. When an agent processes an email from a VIP, it can check the sender's status and adjust its response accordingly—prioritizing their requests, using a more personalized tone, or escalating faster.

How VIP Handling Works

The Flow

Email arrives from sender
    ↓
Agent checks VIP status (lookup_vip tool)
    ↓
If VIP: Apply special handling rules
    ↓
Process with appropriate priority

VIP Data

Each VIP record contains:

• Email address - Primary identifier
• Name - Display name
• Company - Organization affiliation
• Privilege level - Priority (1-5)
• Notes - Special handling instructions

Viewing VIPs

Navigate to Configuration > Contacts & Directory > VIPs to see all configured VIP contacts.

VIP List

Column	Description
Name	Contact name
Email	Email address
Company	Organization
Level	Privilege level (1-5)
Notes	Special instructions
Created	When added

Filtering and Search

• Search - Find by name, email, or company
• Level filter - Show specific privilege levels
• Sort - By name, level, or date added

Adding VIPs

Single VIP

1. Navigate to VIPs
2. Click Add VIP
3. Enter details:

Field	Required	Description
Email	Yes	Primary email address
Name	No	Contact's full name
Company	No	Organization name
Privilege Level	Yes	Priority (1-5)
Notes	No	Special handling instructions

4. Click Save

Bulk Import

For adding many VIPs at once:

1. Prepare a CSV file:

email,name,company,privilege_level,notes
ceo@bigcorp.com,John Smith,BigCorp Inc,5,CEO - always prioritize
vp@bigcorp.com,Jane Doe,BigCorp Inc,4,VP Sales

2. Click Import
3. Upload the CSV
4. Map columns
5. Review and confirm

Understanding Privilege Levels

Level Scale

Level	Meaning	Typical Contacts
5	Highest priority	C-suite, major clients
4	Very high	VPs, key accounts
3	High	Directors, important clients
2	Elevated	Managers, regular clients
1	Above normal	Known contacts

How Agents Use Levels

Agents can be instructed to:

• Level 5: Respond immediately, escalate all issues, CC manager
• Level 4: Priority response, personal attention
• Level 3: Faster response, extra care
• Level 2: Acknowledge VIP status, standard+ service
• Level 1: Note VIP status, standard service with awareness

Example Instructions

Add to agent instructions:

Before processing any email, check if the sender is a VIP using lookup_vip.

If VIP level 5:
- Treat as highest priority
- Provide extra detailed, personalized response
- If any issue, escalate immediately
- Include "We greatly value your business" in response

If VIP level 3-4:
- Prioritize their request
- Provide thorough response
- Escalate if unable to fully resolve

If VIP level 1-2:
- Acknowledge as valued customer
- Provide good service
- Standard escalation rules apply

Managing VIPs

Editing VIPs

1. Click on a VIP in the list
2. Update fields as needed
3. Click Save

Deleting VIPs

1. Click the delete icon
2. Confirm deletion

Or bulk delete:

1. Select multiple VIPs
2. Click Delete Selected
3. Confirm

Updating Privilege Levels

When a contact's importance changes:

1. Find the VIP
2. Edit their record
3. Adjust the privilege level
4. Update notes if needed

VIP Notes

What to Include

Notes provide context for special handling:

Good examples:

• "CEO - always escalate issues immediately"
• "Prefers email over phone calls"
• "Has existing support ticket #12345"
• "Budget holder for Q1 renewal"
• "Was unhappy with last interaction - extra care needed"

Not helpful:

• "Important"
• "VIP"
• "Handle with care"

Using Notes in Agents

Instruct agents to read and use notes:

When a VIP is identified, read their notes carefully.
Apply any special handling instructions mentioned.
If notes indicate past issues, acknowledge and address sensitively.

VIP Lookup Tool

lookup_vip Tool

Agents use this tool to check sender status:

Input: Email address Output:

{
  "isVip": true,
  "level": 4,
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "company": "BigCorp Inc",
  "notes": "VP Sales - key decision maker"
}

Enabling VIP Checks

1. Assign lookup_vip tool to the agent
2. Add instructions to check VIP status
3. Provide guidance on how to use VIP information

Without VIP Tool

If an agent doesn't have the lookup_vip tool:

• It won't know about VIP status
• All senders treated equally
• Appropriate for agents where VIP status doesn't matter

Best Practices

Keeping VIP List Current

• Review quarterly for accuracy
• Remove contacts who leave companies
• Update levels as relationships change
• Add new important contacts promptly

Appropriate Use of Levels

• Reserve level 5 for truly critical contacts
• Don't inflate levels (everything can't be highest priority)
• Document reasoning for high levels
• Audit periodically for consistency

Agent Instructions

• Be specific about how to use VIP information
• Provide examples of appropriate responses
• Define escalation criteria per level
• Include fallback for unknown contacts

Privacy Considerations

• VIP data is business-sensitive
• Limit who can view/edit VIP list
• Don't expose VIP notes in customer-facing communications
• Audit access to VIP data

Integration with Other Features

With Agents

Agents can:

• Check VIP status before processing
• Adjust response tone based on level
• Prioritize VIP requests
• Escalate differently for VIPs

With Executions

In execution details:

• VIP status shown for sender
• See how agent used VIP information
• Track VIP-related decisions

With Escalations

VIP escalations can be:

• Automatically marked high priority
• Routed to specific teams
• Handled with shorter SLAs

Reporting

VIP Activity

Track VIP interactions:

1. Go to Operations > Activity > Agent Executions
2. Search for VIP email addresses
3. Review handling patterns
4. Identify improvement opportunities

Coverage Analysis

Ensure important contacts are covered:

1. Export VIP list
2. Compare with key client list
3. Add missing contacts
4. Review level assignments

Troubleshooting

VIP Not Recognized

Symptoms: Agent doesn't treat sender as VIP

Solutions:

1. Verify email address matches exactly
2. Check VIP record exists
3. Confirm agent has lookup_vip tool
4. Review agent instructions

Wrong Level Applied

Symptoms: VIP treated at wrong priority

Solutions:

1. Verify VIP level in record
2. Check agent instructions for level handling
3. Review execution to see what agent saw

Lookup Failing

Symptoms: lookup_vip returns errors

Solutions:

1. Check VIP service is running
2. Verify database connectivity
3. Review error logs

Related Topics

• Monitored Mailboxes
• Agents
• Tools
• Agent Executions