Customer Support

Customer support is more focused and technical than the broader concept of customer service. It specifically addresses post-purchase assistance: answering how-to questions, diagnosing technical issues, processing returns and exchanges, managing account changes, and resolving complaints. Support teams are typically organized into tiers — Tier 1 handles common issues, Tier 2 addresses more complex problems, and Tier 3 manages escalations requiring specialized expertise.

AI is reshaping this tiered model by handling the vast majority of Tier 1 and many Tier 2 interactions autonomously, freeing human agents to focus on complex cases that require empathy, judgment, or creative problem-solving. Key metrics include first contact resolution, average handle time, customer satisfaction score, and cost per resolution.