Support Fundamentals
Understanding Support Engineering
- What you Need to Know
-
Support Engineering Role Definition
- Bridge the gap between customers and complex technical products
- Solve technical problems for customers using products and services
- Communicate complex concepts in simple, understandable terms
- Document solutions for future reference and team knowledge
- Resources:
- What is Technical Support? - HubSpot - Comprehensive overview of technical support roles
- CompTIA A+ IT Support Fundamentals - Professor Messer - Professional IT support practices and methodologies
- The Support Engineer's Handbook - GitLab - Real-world support practices and workflows
-
Support Tier Structure and Career Progression
- Tier 1 Support (L1): First point of contact, handle common documented issues
- Tier 2 Support (L2): Handle escalated technical issues, deeper product knowledge
- Tier 3 Support (L3): Expert-level support, complex debugging, code-level analysis
- Resources:
- Support Engineering Career Guide - Intercom - Career progression insights and pathways
- Support Career Paths - Support Driven - Professional development guidance
- Technical Support Career Roadmap - CompTIA - Industry certification pathways
-
Customer Communication Excellence
- What you Need to Know
-
Professional Communication Principles
- Empathy-first approach in all customer interactions
- Clear, concise communication avoiding technical jargon
- Proactive updates and transparent communication
- Active listening techniques and emotional acknowledgment
- Resources:
- Customer Service Communication Skills - Coursera - Professional communication techniques (Free audit available)
- Writing Effective Support Emails - Help Scout - Email best practices and templates
- Active Listening Techniques - MindTools - Communication and listening skills development
-
Written and Verbal Communication Best Practices
- Structured email templates with clear status updates and next steps
- Professional phone and chat communication scripts
- Setting and managing customer expectations effectively
- Resources:
- Business Communication - Coursera - University of Pennsylvania (Free audit)
- Professional Email Writing - edX - UC Berkeley professional writing course
- Customer Service Excellence - HubSpot - Customer service best practices and strategies
-
Systematic Troubleshooting Methodologies
- What you Need to Know
-
STAR Troubleshooting Method
- Situation: Understand the problem completely
- Task: Define what needs to be solved clearly
- Action: Take systematic, documented steps
- Result: Verify the solution works and document outcomes
- Resources:
- CompTIA A+ Troubleshooting Methodology - Professor Messer - Systematic troubleshooting approach
- Troubleshooting Methodology - CompTIA - Industry-standard systematic approach
- CompTIA A+ Hardware Troubleshooting - Professor Messer - Hardware problem diagnosis techniques
-
Technical Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques
- Browser developer tools for web application debugging
- Network diagnostic commands and connectivity testing
- Log analysis techniques and error investigation
- Issue reproduction and variable isolation methods
- Resources:
- Browser Developer Tools Guide - MDN - Technical debugging with browser tools
- Log Analysis Basics - Splunk - Log investigation and analysis techniques
- Network Troubleshooting Guide - Cisco - Network connectivity diagnosis
-
Documentation and Knowledge Management
- What you Need to Know
-
Documentation Types and Best Practices
- Runbooks for step-by-step procedures and processes
- Knowledge base articles for common issues and solutions
- Incident reports for post-mortem analysis and prevention
- Clear writing guidelines and consistent formatting standards
- Resources:
- Technical Writing Course - Google - Free comprehensive technical writing course
- Documentation Best Practices - GitLab - Real-world documentation standards and guidelines
- Knowledge Base Setup Guide - Notion - Knowledge management system creation
-
Knowledge Base Organization and Maintenance
- Structured organization systems for easy information retrieval
- Regular updates and content validation processes
- Screenshot and visual documentation techniques
- Cross-referencing and related article linking
- Resources:
- Markdown Guide - Complete Markdown formatting reference
- Information Architecture - Coursera - Content organization principles (Free audit)
- Documentation Tools Comparison - GitHub - Free documentation platforms and tools
-
Escalation Management and Process
- What you Need to Know
-
Escalation Triggers and Decision Making
- Technical escalation criteria (code-level debugging, security issues, product changes)
- Customer escalation scenarios (manager requests, service complaints, high-value accounts)
- Proper escalation preparation and information gathering
- Resources:
- Escalation Management Best Practices - Zendesk - Process guidelines and best practices
- Customer Expectation Management - HubSpot - Communication strategies during escalations
- Incident Management Guide - Atlassian - Incident handling and escalation procedures
-
Escalation Communication and Follow-up
- Structured escalation templates and handoff procedures
- Customer expectation setting during escalation process
- Progress monitoring and regular update communication
- Resources:
- Crisis Communication - Coursera - Managing difficult customer situations (Free audit)
- Incident Response Communication - PagerDuty - Professional incident communication
- Support Team Collaboration - Support Driven - Internal team communication best practices
-
Ready to Continue? Advance to Module 2: Technical Foundations to build essential technical troubleshooting skills and system administration knowledge.