Technical Support
Levels (Tiers) of Technical Support
This tier refers to self-help through the form of chatbots, digital virtual assistants, or FAQ sections that allow the user to resolve any issues they might have on their own.
Tier 1 deals with the most basic problems that a user might encounter. This includes solving usage problems and fulfilling service desk requests that need IT involvement. Usually, if the problem is not resolved it is moved to a higher tier.
Tier 2 provides more in-depth technical support than Tier 1 about the issues that have been processed from Tier 1. Usually, in Tier 2 the support personnel have a deeper knowledge of the product or service but they are not necessarily the programmers who designed the product.
If the issue hasn’t been resolved by Tier 2 then the specialists provide expert product and service support in order to resolve the problem. Duplication of the issue is usually a method of defining the root causes of the problem. The technical support in this tier usually is conducted by specialists who are highly skilled and might include developers who took part in the creation of the service or product
This level universally is not used, however, it is often a representation of an escalation point beyond the organization. This includes problems and issues that are not directly related to a product or service by the company. Tier 4 are hardware or software vendors and business partners who provide outside support for problems that are outside of the scope of the company.