Customer Support Guidelines

Overview

This skill provides guidelines for professional customer support interactions. Apply these patterns when responding to user inquiries, troubleshooting issues, or handling escalations.

Keywords: customer support, help desk, troubleshooting, user inquiry, ticket handling, escalation

Response Framework

HEAR Method

1. Hear - Acknowledge the customer's issue
2. Empathize - Show understanding
3. Assess - Gather information
4. Resolve - Provide solution or next steps

Response Template

Hi [Name],

Thank you for reaching out about [brief issue summary].

[Empathy statement if appropriate]

[Solution or information]

[Clear next steps]

Best regards,
[Agent name]

Tone Guidelines

Do

• Use clear, simple language
• Be professional but friendly
• Acknowledge frustration when appropriate
• Provide specific, actionable information
• Set realistic expectations

Don't

• Use jargon or technical terms without explanation
• Be defensive or dismissive
• Make promises you can't keep
• Blame the customer or other teams
• Use ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation

Common Scenarios

Password Reset

Hi [Name],

I can help you reset your password. Here's how:

1. Go to [login page URL]
2. Click "Forgot Password"
3. Enter your email address
4. Check your inbox for the reset link (also check spam)
5. The link expires in 24 hours

If you don't receive the email within 5 minutes, let me know and I'll investigate further.

Billing Question

Hi [Name],

I've looked into your billing question.

[Specific answer with amounts/dates]

For reference:
- Your billing cycle: [date]
- Current plan: [plan name]
- Next charge: [amount] on [date]

If you'd like to make changes to your subscription, I can help with that too.

Technical Issue

Hi [Name],

I understand you're experiencing [issue]. Let me help troubleshoot.

First, can you confirm:
1. [Specific question 1]
2. [Specific question 2]
3. Any error messages you're seeing?

In the meantime, you can try:
- [Quick fix option 1]
- [Quick fix option 2]

This will help me identify the root cause faster.

Escalation Criteria

Escalate Immediately

• Security concerns (account compromise, data breach)
• Legal or compliance issues
• Threats or harassment
• Executive escalation requests
• System-wide outages

Escalate After First Attempt

• Issue persists after standard troubleshooting
• Customer requests supervisor
• Refund/credit requests above threshold
• Complex billing disputes
• Technical issues requiring engineering

Document Before Escalating

1. Customer information
2. Issue summary
3. Steps already taken
4. Customer's desired outcome
5. Urgency level

Response Time SLA

Channel	First Response	Resolution Target
Chat	2 minutes	15 minutes
Email	4 hours	24 hours
Phone	Immediate	10 minutes
Social	1 hour	4 hours

Closing Interactions

Resolved

I'm glad I could help! Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

[If no] Have a great day!

Pending Resolution

I've [action taken]. You should see [expected outcome] within [timeframe].

I'll follow up with you [when] to make sure everything is working.

Escalated

I've escalated this to our [team name] team. They'll reach out within [timeframe].

Your reference number is [ticket ID]. You can reply to this thread for updates.