Tiered support? More like “tear’d” support.
Tiered support is a methodology commonly practiced by any institution that proffers customer service. When a customer calls in, they’re connected to a tech who can offer basic advice. If that tech cannot resolve the issue, the customer’s call is transferred to the next tier of techs that know more than the last. Rinse, repeat, until the customer is passed on to the tech that eventually solves the problem.
This is a horrible practice, and I know you already agree with me.
Remember how quickly your issue was resolved the last time you called a company for support? I didn’t think so. The first person you talk to is an unskilled, untrained, and woefully unqualified person who’s reading verbatim from a manual written by someone who knows what they’re doing; the someone you wish you could be talking to.
Step 3 is Profit
So why do companies use this system? It’s cheap. Hell, it’s really cheap. After all, they don’t make money from troubleshooting your issues. They make money from you paying for a product. Customer service is simply a business expense, and knowledgeable employees are expensive.
To put it plainly: spending money on helping you does not make more money, and therefore is not worth it.
“Did you try turning it off and on again?”
Companies would rather spend their dollars on advertising or other things that can make sales. Advertising will bring customers in, but it won’t keep them. Spend your dollars on things that will build meaningful, lasting relationships instead.
Don’t force them to navigate a byzantine menu. Give them a person after a few rings instead of hold music. Make sure that real person can do what your customer is asking for in the first place. They deserve it.
Throw tiered support in the trash where it belongs and start treating your customers like people and not a line item. Don’t just say their “call is important to us” — prove it.
