Level 0 support? That's what you get when you call Bad Bob, isn't it?

Seriously though folks, when I think of Level 0 support, I think of support that is given to a customer without the direct interaction from a customer support representative.  One such method is online support forums.  Support forums are great for those customers who are looking for multiple points of view. 

On forums, customers can talk to each other about issues that are happening with a certain product as well as ask questions about how to use a company’s product.  Just as grade school teachers tell their classes to pay attention because odds are that someone else has the exact same question, so it is true in a forum.  If one person has a question about something, odds are that someone else on the forum has experienced what that one person has.

Another example of Level 0 support is an online knowledgebase.  Knowledgebases hold information from forums, incident tickets, FAQs, solutions, downloads, and more.  They allow customers to perform searches of topics from all over the website.  Customers are more capable of helping themselves and avoiding the 45 minute wait on the telephone hoping that their cell phone battery doesn’t die or dinner doesn’t burn.  Customers have more freedom and the reduced calls relieves phone congestion to the call center and allows the company agents to better handle the calls that do come in.

Lastly, online help manuals are great Level 0 support tools.  Like knowledgebases, help manuals allow customers to help themselves if they wish.  They allow customers access to more detailed information than what they would find normally on an FAQ page or in a forum.  Some people... well, a great many people... require not just written instructions but detailed pictures and charts as well. A help manual provides precisely those things.

However, if a customer needs to talk to someone, these types of resources can only enhance the customer's experience. At the end of the day, successful customer support involves meeting and exceeding the customer expectations.