Technical support (often called tech support) assists customers in diagnosing and resolving issues related to software, hardware, APIs, or integrations. Unlike general customer service, it requires agents to have deep product knowledge and problem-solving skills, often working from runbooks, diagnostic tools, or code-level access.
Tech support is typically tiered:
- Tier 1 handles common, scripted issues (resets, basic config)
- Tier 2 covers complex troubleshooting requiring product expertise
- Tier 3 involves engineers or developers for bugs and edge cases
Key metrics include first contact resolution (FCR) rate, mean time to resolution (MTTR), and escalation rate. For example, a SaaS company might measure how often Tier 1 agents resolve API authentication errors without escalating to engineering. Strong technical support directly reduces churn and builds product trust.