It is a credit to their skill and professionalism. The location flexibility of service bureaus paid off for other companies in surprising ways. VIPdesk , founded in 1997, provides live Web-based coordination of personal and convenience services to companies seeking to increase customer loyalty and employee retention. VIPdesk's national network of concierges, proprietary technology and innovative offerings serve 5.3 million users from companies like Diners Club, MasterCard and AOL's Digital City. Customers use VIPdesk's services through a co-branded Web site provided by VIPdesk's clients.
Users enter the site and choose a city and category.
All requests are segregated by city so a concierge agent with local knowledge in a particular city handles the request. On first glance, Bend, a small city located in rural central Oregon, does not appear to be a recruiting ground for concierges who would try to get hot Broadway tickets, reservations at fashionable restaurants, or book a flight to Paris at the last minute. Yet according to VIPdesk, the iSKY agents in Bend are friendly and customer service-oriented, which are vital attributes for the program. The client trains the iSKY employees to service its requests and has a quality assurance program in place, using its own manuals and training regimen. The customer service orientation is critical to our program, explains David Weaver, VIPdesk's senior vice president of client services.