How can you make your support more efficient by adopting Tiered support?

How can you make your support more efficient by adopting Tiered support?

One of the main issues most businesses face is handling support conversations as they expand. As the business scales up, the chat load also increases exponentially. So, it becomes hard for your existing operators to handle all of the chats, hiring new operators also does not come cheap, and training them takes time.

In our last post, we saw insider tips from support reps of SalesIQ themselves. In this post, let us see how you can bring more structure to your support as you expand your business without disrupting your support workflow.
 
"Organizing is what you do before you do something so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up."  
  - A A Milne  
 

What is Tiered support?    

Tiered support is the concept of organizing your support on multiple levels based on your customer's requirements.

Our take on Tiered support   

There are a lot of blogs and posts on tiered support; each has a different opinion on this topic, and many change based on the product they are selling. In this post, you'll see our take on how to approach tiered support using Zoho SalesIQ.
 
 If I have a business, will this be helpful for me? 
 
Yes and no, it depends on the type of business that you have. A large business with a high daily chat volume can gain a lot by adopting Tiered support. A budding business with little chat volume would not.
 
Now, let me explain the reasons clearly; every large business will have a lot of customers who might have the same questions; having your operators attend to all of these customers could not only result in inefficient support, it can also result in exhaustion of your operators.
 
Whereas in a small business, it would be more valuable to connect directly with your visitors. Now, let's take a look at the tiered support stages using SalesIQ. 

Tiered support stages using SalesIQ   

Tier 0: Enabling self-help for visitors  

The first stage of the Tiered support is to make the users find answers to all the commonly occurring issues by themselves. This can be achieved by enabling the knowledge base in your SalesIQ chat window. With the knowledge base enabled, you can display articles and FAQs, and they will be able to get answers to their questions from there.
 
To enable Knowledge base for your brand:
  1. Navigate to Settings > Brands > Your brand name > Configurations.
  2. Switch to the Channels tab in this section. And toggle on the Knowledge base for the desired platform.
If you wish to provide a messenger-first experience for your customers, you can use our AI-powered Answer bot to assist visitors with their basic questions. With the help of natural language processing, the bot will understand the user's intent, provide the right article for your help guide, and make it look like they are conversing with a human operator.
 

Tier 1: Deploying chatbots to provide personalized assistance

The next step in the Tiered support list is to enable advanced bots that can do more than address your visitors' questions. Zobot allows you to perform advanced functions like pushing leads to Zoho CRM, logging support tickets for conversations, adding visitors to newsletter, mailing lists, etc. These bots can be the perfect filter stage to know what the visitor wants. If visitors require a human operator, they can transfer the chat to a human operator.



Tier 2: Allowing customers to reach your human operators  

In this stage, the chats that were transferred by the bots and the chats where the visitors have requested to connect with an operator can be routed to your frontline support.

Issues that are too complex to be solved by the self-service knowledge base and bots can be handled in this stage. Issues with onboarding, account problems, etc., can be better addressed by a human more effectively, and the visitors will feel more satisfied when they know that an actual person is helping them.
 

Tier 3: Routing customers to the operator with the required expertise  

This is the last stage of the Tiered support; at certain times, you might have visitors with higher value support requirements; in such cases, it is wiser to route them directly to the operator with the right expertise. Chat routing can enable you to route chats of desired visitors to the operators or departments you specify.  
 
This final stage can be helpful for the following conditions:
  1. Escalated chats.
  2. Chats that would require the right expertise.
  3. VIP and high-priority chats and calls.
You can implement these four tiers of support using Zoho SalesIQ. Please let us know what support structure you are currently using for your organization in the comments.
 
Regards,
Naveen


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books

                                    Can I implement Blueprint or Validation Rules for Invoices in Zoho Books? Example, use case could be, Agent confirms from client that payment is done, but bank only syncs transactions tomorrow. in this case, Agent can update invoice status to done, and
                                  • Resetting auto-number on new year

                                    Hi everyone! We have an auto-number with prefix "D{YYYY}-", it generates numbers like D2025-1, D2025-2, etc... How can we have it auto-reset at the beginning of the next year, so that it goes to D2026-1? Thanks!
                                  • The Social Wall: December 2025

                                    Hello everyone! As we wrap up the final edition of the Social Wall for 2025, it’s the perfect time to look at what went live during December. QR code generator From paying for coffee to scanning metro tickets, QR codes are everywhere and have made everyday
                                  • Custom AI solutions with QuickML for Zoho CRM

                                    Hello everyone, Earlier, we introduced Custom AI Solutions in CRM that let you access QuickML for your custom AI needs. Building on that foundation, we’ve now enabled a deeper integration: QuickML models can be seamlessly integrated into CRM, and surface
                                  • Helper Functions and DRY principle

                                    Hello everyone, I believe Deluge should be able to use 'Helper functions' inside the main function. I know I can create different standalones, but this is not helpful and confusing. I don't want 10000 different standalones, and I dont want to have to
                                  • Introducing workflow automation for the Products module

                                    Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to Bigin's Products module. The Products module in Bigin now supports Workflows, enabling you to automate routine actions. Along with this update,
                                  • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

                                    Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient
                                  • Zia Formula Expression Generator for Formula fields

                                    Hello everyone! Formula fields are super useful when you want your CRM to calculate things for you but writing the expression is where most people slow down. You know what you want, but you’re not fully sure which function to use, how the syntax should
                                  • Issue with Zoho Creator Form Full-Screen View in CRM Related List Integration

                                    Hi Team, We have created a custom application in Zoho Creator and integrated it into Zoho CRM as a related list under the Vendor module, which we have renamed as Consignors. Within the Creator application, there is a form named “Pickup Request.” Inside
                                  • Wrapping up 2025 on a high note: CRM Release Highlights of the year

                                    Dear Customers, 2025 was an eventful year for us at Zoho CRM. We’ve had releases of all sizes and impact, and we are excited to look back, break it down, and rediscover them with you! Before we rewind—we’d like to take a minute and sincerely thank you
                                  • Customer Parent Account or Sub-Customer Account

                                    Some of clients as they have 50 to 300 branches, they required separate account statement with outlet name and number; which means we have to open new account for each branch individually. However, the main issue is that, when they make a payment, they
                                  • Projects custom colors replaced by default orange

                                    Since yesterday, projects uploaded to Zoho, to which I had assigned a custom color, have lost the customization and reverted to the default color (orange). Has anyone else had the same problem? If so, how did you resolve it?
                                  • Restrict Users access to login into CRM?

                                    I’m wanting my employees to be able to utilize the Zoho CRM Lookup field within Zoho Forms. For them to use lookup field in Zoho Forms it is my understanding that they need to be licensed for Forms and the CRM. However, I don’t want them to be able to
                                  • Introducing Connected Records to bring business context to every aspect of your work in Zoho CRM for Everyone

                                    Hello Everyone, We are excited to unveil phase one of a powerful enhancement to CRM for Everyone - Connected Records, available only in CRM's Nextgen UI. With CRM for Everyone, businesses can onboard all customer-facing teams onto the CRM platform to
                                  • Unknown table or alias 'A1'

                                    I would like to create a subquery but i am getting the following error: Unknown table or alias 'A1' used in select query. This is the sql statement:  SELECT A1.active_paying_customers, A1.active_trial_customers, A1.new_paying_signup, date(A1.date_active_customers), 
                                  • in the Zoho creator i have address field based the customer lookup im selecting the addresss , some times the customer address getting as null i want to show as blank

                                    in the Zoho creator i have address field based the customer lookup im selecting the addresss , some times the customer address getting as null ,i want to show as blank instead of showing null. input.Billing_Address.address_line_1 = ifNUll(input.Customers_Name.Address.address_line_1,"");
                                  • Question about upgrade and storage space Zoho Notebook

                                    After upgarding my Zoho Notebook plan, I am running into the following issue. I just upgraded from a free Zoho Notebook subscription to Pro Lite after I got a notification in my Window Zoho Notebook desktop app saying that I had run out of space. However,
                                  • how to add email to existing organization i w

                                    I am already registered my organization and i have an email id. I need one more email id but i can't find anywhere .i want the cheapest email id . how to add ?
                                  • add zoho account

                                    How to add a zoho mail to previous zoho account? I have two
                                  • Name changed in settings for mailbox but still not changed when typed in To field

                                    In the email account secretary@ i have updaetd the new staff members details but the old members name still appears when I type secretary@ in the To field. I cant work out where Zoho is finding the old name from. I have deleted the browser cache. If I
                                  • Printing to a brother label maker

                                    I see allot of really old unanswered posts asking how to print to a label maker from a zoho creator app. Has their been any progress on providing the capability to create a customized height & width page or print template or whatever to print labels?
                                  • Sync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)

                                    Keeping your important files backed up and accessible has never been easier! With WorkDrive desktop app (TrueSync), you can now automatically sync specific desktop folders to WorkDrive Web, ensuring seamless, real-time updates across devices. Important:
                                  • Track online, in-office, and client location meetings separately with the new meeting venue option

                                    Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce meeting enhancements in Zoho CRM that bring more clarity and structure to how meetings are categorized. You can now specify the meeting venue to clearly indicate whether a meeting is being held online, at the
                                  • Calling the new 'Custom API' feature from within a Custom Widget

                                    From what I've learned it is not possible to call an endpoint from the new "Custom API" feature within a Creator Widget. The SDK's doesn't support it yet, when calling it natively you end up with CORS issues or at least I couldn't get it working even
                                  • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.32.0)

                                    Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Trident, which are designed to reinforce email security and protect your inbox from evolving threats. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. Deliver quarantined emails. Organization admins
                                  • Marketing Tip #5: Improve store speed with optimized images

                                    Slow-loading websites can turn visitors away. One of the biggest culprits? Large, uncompressed images. By optimizing your images, your store loads faster and creates a smoother shopping experience leading to higher sales. It also indirectly improves SEO.
                                  • SMS to customers from within Bigin

                                    Hi All, Is there anyone else crying out for Bigin SMS capability to send an SMS to customers directly from the Bigin interface? We have inbuilt telephony already with call recordings which works well. What's lacking is the ability to send and receive
                                  • Admins cannot see each others' Scheduled Reports?!

                                    Very frustrating that as an admin I cannot see what my reports my fellow admins have created and scheduled.  After asking about this on the help chat, I was told the issue is trust and security.  By giving someone Admin status, it means we trust them with those responsibilities. Please change this, it is not a good process to have to bother other users to change a report or change users within a report.
                                  • Automatically CC an address using Zoho CRM Email Templates

                                    Hi all - have searched but can't see a definitive answer. We have built multiple email templates in CRM. Every time we send this we want it to CC a particular address (the same address for every email sent) so that it populates the reply back into our
                                  • Writer update results in BitDefender blocking it as malware

                                    After updating Writer to latest update, Bitdefender blocked the app and writer no longer runs.
                                  • Is there a way to invoke deluge function from within a widget?

                                    Hi! I have custom functions in deluge and I was wondering whether there is any way to call this function through a widget? Something like on click of a button inside a widget, run the deluge custom function. Would this be possible?
                                  • Missing Import Options

                                    Hello, do I miss something or is there no space import option inside of this application? In ClickUp, you can import from every common application. We don't want to go through every page and export them one by one. That wastes time. We want to centralize
                                  • Zoho CRM Portal Field Level Permission Issue

                                    Hi Support Team, I am using the Zoho CRM Portal and configuring field-level editing permissions. However, we are unable to restrict portal users from editing certain fields. We have created a portal and provided View and Edit (Shared Only) access for
                                  • Why am I seeing deleted records in Zoho Analytics syncing with Zoho CRM?

                                    I have done a data sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics, and the recycle bin is empty. Why do I see deleted leads/deals/contacts in Zoho Analytics if it doesn't exist in Zoho CRM? How can I solve this problem? Thanks
                                  • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

                                    Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if
                                  • Introducing the Zoho Projects Learning Space

                                    Every product has its learning curve, and sometimes having a guided path makes the learning experience smoother. With that goal, we introduce a dedicated learning space for Zoho Projects, a platform where you can explore lessons, learn at your own pace,
                                  • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                    The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest update
                                  • Collaboration with customers made easy with Zoom Meeting and Zoho Desk integration

                                    Hello everyone! We are happy to announce that you can now integrate your Zoho Desk account with Zoom Meeting. The integration bridges the gap between digital communication and human connection, empowering teams to deliver timely support when it matters
                                  • CRM Canvas - Upload Attachments

                                    I am in the process of changing my screens to Canvas.  On one screen, I have tabs with related lists, one of which is attachments.  There doesn't appear to be a way to upload documents though.  Am I missing something really obvious?  Does anyone have
                                  • TrueSync regularly filling up my local disk

                                    Seems that WorkDrive's TrueSync randomly starts filling up my local hard drive space. None of the folders have been set as "Make Offline" but still it seems to randomly start making file offline. The settings of the app is so minimal and is of no real
                                  • Next Page