Support Levels

Technical Support Levels

When it comes to technical support, for better management, support is often subdivided in to tiers or levels in order to serve customers or a business. The main reason to split the support in a multi-tiered system is to provide the best possible service in the most efficient manner.

By offering level 1, level 2, and level 3 technical support services, we can ensure that our customers receive the appropriate level of support to resolve their technical issues quickly and efficiently. Outlined below is a sum up of the main characteristics of a support role which Hosting Support Guru implements – which are once again based on ITIL process descriptions.

1st Level Support

  • This is the initial Support Levels responsible for basic customer issues. They mainly handle all support incidents which can be closed by using basic tools like a web hosting control panel, custom scripts, etc.
  • The responsibility of 1st Level Support is to register and classify received incidents and to undertake an immediate effort in order to restore a failed IT Service as quickly as possible. It is important for the 1st Level Support executive to identify what the customer is trying to accomplish so that time is not wasted on attempting to solve a symptom instead of a problem
  • The goal for 1st Level Support is to handle 70% to 80% of the problems before finding it necessary to escalate the issue
  • If no ad-hoc solution can be achieved, 1st Level Support will transfer the incident to expert 2nd Level Support
  • 1st Level Support also processes service requests and keeps users informed about their incidents’ status at agreed intervals which are defined in the Service Level Agreement

2nd Level Support

  • They are more in-depth technical Support Levels than 1st Level Support and therefore costs more as the technicians are more experienced and knowledgeable
  • 2nd Level Support takes over incidents which cannot be solved immediately with the means of 1st Level Support. Before commencing with the troubleshooting process, 2nd Level Support will review the work that has already been carried our by the 1st Level Support
  • If necessary, 2nd Level Support will request external support, e.g. from software or hardware manufacturers, data centres or your internal support team. The aim is to restore a failed service as quickly as possible
  • If no solution can be found, the 2nd Level Support passes on the incident to either 3rd Level Support or escalated to IT Operations Manager for a review

3rd Level Support

  • This is the highest level of support responsible for handling the most difficult or advanced problems
  • The 3rd Level Support Engineers are experts in their fields and are responsible for not only assisting both 1st Level Support and 2nd Level Support, but with the research and development of solutions to new or unknown issues
  • 3rd Level Support is typically requested by 2nd Level Support or by customers who have signed up exclusively for 3rd Level Support

Infrastructure Manager

  • The Infrastructure Manager is responsible for the provision and operation of certain infrastructure components which are required for by the team of Hosting Support Guru to provide services to a client
  • Manages all aspects of managing the physical environment, for example power and cooling, building access management and environmental monitoring
  • The main role is to ensure frictionless operation of the infrastructure housed at our offices and supports project activities pertaining to changes in the infrastructure Support

IT Operations Manager

  • This role has the task of caring for the quality and quantity of the services provided
  • Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are defined and designed with the client
  • Also responsible for the monitoring of the agreed quality parameters and if necessary introduces counteractive measures
  • Ensures the sufficient availability of the IT infrastructure, so that the availability-levels agreed in the SLAs can be adhered to