Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services

Last weekend I was at the mall and witnessed the very long line of people in front of the Apple store waiting to buy the latest version of the iPhone.  I thought it was a little insane to wait in such a long line - especially for those customers who have been long-time supporters of Apple. 

The line in front of the Apple store at Fashion Valley, San Diego

I used to think that segmenting customers based on how much money they spend with you was wrong. I believed that every customer should be treated the same way no matter how much they buy, however, after reading Seth Godin's post, Scarcity, my thinking has changed. I think companies should give special privileges to people who are loyal to them. Godin says:

"Treat different customers differently. Apple, for example, knows how to contact every single existing customer. Why not offer VIP status to big spenders? Or to those that make a lot of calls? Let them cut the line. It's not fair? What's fair mean? I can't think of anything more fair than treating the people who treat you well, better."

This reminds me of the time I worked at Nordstrom and before the big Anniversary Sale we would call our "best" customers and invite them to come into the store to preview or pre-buy items before the actual sale started.  It made those customers feel special and I was able to take my time helping them instead of feeling stressed out during sale day. 

How are you treating your best customers?