Support tiers
Support tiers are numbered levels of support — typically Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 — that reflect increasing specialization and authority.
Tier 1 is frontline support: agents who handle the majority of incoming requests using standard knowledge and saved replies. Tier 2 is specialist support for issues requiring deeper product knowledge or elevated permissions. Tier 3 typically involves engineers or subject-matter experts for complex technical problems.
Not every team needs three tiers. Many small teams run a single tier where all agents handle everything, escalating only in extreme cases. Tiers become more useful as volume and product complexity grow.
Support tiers also sometimes refer to service levels offered to customers — for example, basic, professional, and enterprise support plans — each with different SLA commitments and access to higher-tier agents.