Customer Service SOP
Framework
IRON LAW: Tier the Support, Not the Customer
Every customer deserves quality service. But not every issue needs a
senior specialist. Route by ISSUE COMPLEXITY, not by customer "importance."
L1 handles 70-80% of volume (simple, repeatable)
L2 handles 15-20% (requires expertise)
L3 handles 5% (requires engineering or management)
Three-Tier Support Model
| Tier |
Handles |
Skills Required |
Resolution Target |
| L1 (Basic) |
FAQ, order status, password reset, simple returns |
Script-following, product basics, empathy |
< 5 minutes, first-contact resolution |
| L2 (Specialist) |
Technical issues, billing disputes, complex returns, product defects |
Deep product knowledge, judgment, negotiation |
< 24 hours |
| L3 (Expert) |
System bugs, legal/compliance, executive escalations, crisis |
Engineering, legal, or management involvement |
< 72 hours, case-by-case |
Case Categorization
| Category |
Examples |
Priority |
SLA (First Response) |
| Critical |
Service outage, security breach, safety issue |
P1 |
< 15 minutes |
| High |
Payment failure, account locked, order error |
P2 |
< 1 hour |
| Medium |
Product question, feature request, general complaint |
P3 |
< 4 hours |
| Low |
Feedback, suggestion, general inquiry |
P4 |
< 24 hours |
Complaint Handling: LAST Framework
- Listen: Let the customer express fully without interrupting
- Apologize: Acknowledge their frustration sincerely ("I'm sorry this happened")
- Solve: Offer a concrete solution or next step
- Thank: Thank them for bringing it to your attention
Escalation Rules
| Trigger |
Escalate To |
Timeline |
| L1 can't resolve in 15 min |
L2 |
Immediate warm handoff |
| Customer requests supervisor |
L2 or Team Lead |
Within 5 minutes |
| Issue involves refund > NT$X |
L2 (approval authority) |
Same interaction |
| Legal threat or media mention |
L3 + Legal + PR |
Immediate |
| Repeat contact (3+ on same issue) |
L2 + investigation |
After 3rd contact |
Response Template Structure
[Greeting] Hi {name}, thank you for contacting us.
[Acknowledge] I understand you're experiencing {issue}.
[Action] Here's what I've done / Here's what we'll do:
1. {specific action}
2. {timeline}
[Next steps] {what the customer should expect / do next}
[Close] Is there anything else I can help you with?
Output Format
# Customer Service SOP: {Business}
## Support Tiers
| Tier | Scope | Team Size | Tools |
|------|-------|----------|-------|
| L1 | {scope} | {N people} | {tools} |
| L2 | {scope} | {N} | {tools} |
| L3 | {scope} | {N} | {tools} |
## SLA Targets
| Priority | First Response | Resolution | Escalation |
|----------|--------------|-----------|-----------|
| P1 | {time} | {time} | {to whom} |
| P2 | ... | ... | ... |
## Top 10 Contact Reasons
| # | Reason | Volume % | Resolution | Template? |
|---|--------|---------|-----------|----------|
| 1 | {reason} | {%} | L1/L2 | Y/N |
## Escalation Flowchart
{Decision tree for when to escalate}
## Quality Metrics
| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| First Contact Resolution | > 70% |
| CSAT | > 4.2/5 |
| Avg Response Time | < {X} hours |
| Escalation Rate | < 20% |
Gotchas
- SLAs must be MEASURABLE: "Respond quickly" is not an SLA. "First response within 1 hour for P2 tickets" is. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.
- Warm handoff > cold transfer: When escalating, the L1 agent should brief L2 before transferring. Forcing the customer to repeat their story destroys satisfaction.
- Empower L1 with resolution authority: If L1 must escalate every refund, 70% of volume goes to L2 unnecessarily. Give L1 authority for refunds under a threshold (e.g., NT$500).
- Templates are starting points, not scripts: Robotic copy-paste responses feel worse than no response. Agents should personalize templates to the specific situation.
- Taiwan CS expectations: Taiwan customers expect fast LINE response (within minutes during business hours), polite and apologetic tone, and willingness to go the extra mile. The bar for "good service" is high.
References
- For CSAT/NPS survey design, see the cs-analytics skill
- For chatbot-human handoff design, see the cs-chatbot-design skill
1---2name: cs-sop3description: "Design customer service operations including tiered support (L1/L2/L3), response templates, SLA definitions, escalation procedures, and complaint handling. Use this skill when the user needs to set up a CS team, create service standards, design escalation flows, or improve response quality — even if they say 'our CS is a mess', 'how should we handle complaints', 'set up support tiers', or 'create CS SOPs'.".4---56# Customer Service SOP78## Framework910```11IRON LAW: Tier the Support, Not the Customer1213Every customer deserves quality service. But not every issue needs a14senior specialist. Route by ISSUE COMPLEXITY, not by customer "importance."1516L1 handles 70-80% of volume (simple, repeatable)17L2 handles 15-20% (requires expertise)18L3 handles 5% (requires engineering or management)19```2021### Three-Tier Support Model2223| Tier | Handles | Skills Required | Resolution Target |24|------|---------|----------------|------------------|25| **L1 (Basic)** | FAQ, order status, password reset, simple returns | Script-following, product basics, empathy | < 5 minutes, first-contact resolution |26| **L2 (Specialist)** | Technical issues, billing disputes, complex returns, product defects | Deep product knowledge, judgment, negotiation | < 24 hours |27| **L3 (Expert)** | System bugs, legal/compliance, executive escalations, crisis | Engineering, legal, or management involvement | < 72 hours, case-by-case |2829### Case Categorization3031| Category | Examples | Priority | SLA (First Response) |32|----------|---------|----------|---------------------|33| **Critical** | Service outage, security breach, safety issue | P1 | < 15 minutes |34| **High** | Payment failure, account locked, order error | P2 | < 1 hour |35| **Medium** | Product question, feature request, general complaint | P3 | < 4 hours |36| **Low** | Feedback, suggestion, general inquiry | P4 | < 24 hours |3738### Complaint Handling: LAST Framework39401. **Listen**: Let the customer express fully without interrupting412. **Apologize**: Acknowledge their frustration sincerely ("I'm sorry this happened")423. **Solve**: Offer a concrete solution or next step434. **Thank**: Thank them for bringing it to your attention4445### Escalation Rules4647| Trigger | Escalate To | Timeline |48|---------|-----------|---------|49| L1 can't resolve in 15 min | L2 | Immediate warm handoff |50| Customer requests supervisor | L2 or Team Lead | Within 5 minutes |51| Issue involves refund > NT$X | L2 (approval authority) | Same interaction |52| Legal threat or media mention | L3 + Legal + PR | Immediate |53| Repeat contact (3+ on same issue) | L2 + investigation | After 3rd contact |5455### Response Template Structure5657```58[Greeting] Hi {name}, thank you for contacting us.5960[Acknowledge] I understand you're experiencing {issue}.6162[Action] Here's what I've done / Here's what we'll do:631. {specific action}642. {timeline}6566[Next steps] {what the customer should expect / do next}6768[Close] Is there anything else I can help you with?69```7071## Output Format7273```markdown74# Customer Service SOP: {Business}7576## Support Tiers77| Tier | Scope | Team Size | Tools |78|------|-------|----------|-------|79| L1 | {scope} | {N people} | {tools} |80| L2 | {scope} | {N} | {tools} |81| L3 | {scope} | {N} | {tools} |8283## SLA Targets84| Priority | First Response | Resolution | Escalation |85|----------|--------------|-----------|-----------|86| P1 | {time} | {time} | {to whom} |87| P2 | ... | ... | ... |8889## Top 10 Contact Reasons90| # | Reason | Volume % | Resolution | Template? |91|---|--------|---------|-----------|----------|92| 1 | {reason} | {%} | L1/L2 | Y/N |9394## Escalation Flowchart95{Decision tree for when to escalate}9697## Quality Metrics98| Metric | Target |99|--------|--------|100| First Contact Resolution | > 70% |101| CSAT | > 4.2/5 |102| Avg Response Time | < {X} hours |103| Escalation Rate | < 20% |104```105106## Gotchas107108- **SLAs must be MEASURABLE**: "Respond quickly" is not an SLA. "First response within 1 hour for P2 tickets" is. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.109- **Warm handoff > cold transfer**: When escalating, the L1 agent should brief L2 before transferring. Forcing the customer to repeat their story destroys satisfaction.110- **Empower L1 with resolution authority**: If L1 must escalate every refund, 70% of volume goes to L2 unnecessarily. Give L1 authority for refunds under a threshold (e.g., NT$500).111- **Templates are starting points, not scripts**: Robotic copy-paste responses feel worse than no response. Agents should personalize templates to the specific situation.112- **Taiwan CS expectations**: Taiwan customers expect fast LINE response (within minutes during business hours), polite and apologetic tone, and willingness to go the extra mile. The bar for "good service" is high.113114## References115116- For CSAT/NPS survey design, see the cs-analytics skill117- For chatbot-human handoff design, see the cs-chatbot-design skill
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