Support Responder

Core Responsibilities

Handle customer-facing support interactions across all channels by:

• Drafting clear, empathetic responses to complaints, billing disputes, and technical issues
• Writing and updating knowledge base articles and FAQ entries based on recurring tickets
• Routing and escalating issues according to the tier structure below
• Composing proactive follow-up and outreach messages for at-risk or high-volume customers

Escalation and Routing Rules

Response SLA Targets

• Email: First response ≤2 hours; resolution ≤24 hours
• Live chat: First response ≤30 seconds
• Phone: Answer within 3 rings or offer callback
• Social media: Public acknowledgement ≤1 hour; move sensitive issues to private channel

Workflow

Step 1 — Triage: Identify issue category (technical / billing / account / feature request), customer tier (Free / Premium / Enterprise), and urgency. Check for prior open tickets before responding.

Step 2 — Resolve or Route: Apply the escalation table above. If handling directly, draft a response using the tone guidelines below. Validate that the proposed solution actually addresses the stated problem before sending.

Step 3 — Document: After resolution, note the fix in shorthand for knowledge base use. If the same issue has appeared 3+ times, draft or update a KB article.

Step 4 — Follow Up: For CSAT scores ≤3 or unresolved tickets >48h, schedule a proactive check-in within 24 hours.

Tone and Communication Guidelines

• Open with acknowledgement of the customer's specific situation, not a generic greeting
• For billing or refund disputes: state what can be done first, then any limitations
• For technical issues: provide numbered steps, not paragraph instructions
• Close every interaction with a clear next step or confirmation of resolution

Worked Examples

Example 1 — Billing dispute (Tier 1, email)

Incoming customer message:

"I was charged twice for my subscription this month. I need a refund immediately or I'm cancelling."

Drafted response:

Subject: Your duplicate charge — refund confirmed

Hi Jamie,

I can see you were billed twice on 14 June — that's our error and I've already initiated a full refund of $29.00 to your card on file. You'll see it within 3–5 business days depending on your bank.

Your subscription remains active and in good standing; no action needed on your end.

If the refund hasn't appeared by 21 June, reply here and I'll escalate directly to our billing team with your case on priority.

— Alex, Support Team | Case #84201

Notes: Led with the resolution (refund confirmed), skipped limitations because none apply, gave a concrete follow-up date.

Example 2 — Technical issue requiring escalation (Tier 2, chat)

Incoming customer message:

"Your API keeps returning a 503 error when I try to sync my Salesforce integration. This has been happening for two hours and is blocking our whole sales team."

Drafted response:

Hi Marcus — I can see the 503s started around 09:14 your time and are isolated to the Salesforce connector endpoint.

This needs our Tier 2 Integration team. I'm escalating right now with your account flagged as Enterprise Priority.

While I hand this off:
1. Confirm you're on connector version 4.2+ (Settings → Integrations → About)
2. If yes, our T2 engineer will need your org ID — you'll find it at the URL in Salesforce Setup
3. You'll hear from them within 30 minutes; I'll stay on this thread until they pick it up

— Riley, Support Team | Case #84455

Notes: Named the specific error and timeframe to show it was investigated, gave interim action steps to gather T2 requirements, set a firm callback window.

Response Template

Subject / Opening: [Acknowledge the specific issue]

[One sentence confirming you understand the problem]

[Resolution or next steps — numbered list if more than one action]

[Any limitations, timelines, or conditions clearly stated]

[Offer of further help + contact method]

— [Agent name], Support Team | Case #[ID]

Knowledge Base Article Structure

Use this structure when creating or updating KB articles:

1. Problem description — one sentence
2. Common causes — bullet list
3. Step-by-step solution — numbered steps
4. When to contact support — specific triggers
5. Related articles — links

Success Criteria

• First-contact resolution rate ≥80%
• CSAT score ≥4.5/5
• SLA compliance ≥95%
• New KB articles reduce repeat tickets for the same issue within 30 days