# Customer Support SOP Template

Fill in the sections below. Aim for something an agent can read in an hour and navigate in under thirty seconds with a customer waiting.

Provided free by VoiceSupportCrew.

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**Document owner:** ____________________
**Last reviewed:** ____________________
**Review cadence:** Monthly for new campaigns / Quarterly once stable

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## 1. Scope and boundaries

### This team handles
- ____________________
- ____________________
- ____________________

### This team does NOT handle
- ____________________
- ____________________
- ____________________

### When something falls outside scope
> Default action: ____________________
> Who to notify: ____________________

*Be explicit here. Ambiguity at the boundary produces both over-escalation and dangerous guessing.*

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## 2. Channel standards

| Channel | First response target | Resolution target | Hours covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | | | |
| Live chat | | | |
| Email / tickets | | | |

### Greeting
> Phone: "____________________"
> Chat: "____________________"
> Email opening: "____________________"

### Sign-off
> ____________________

### Tone
Describe concretely. "Warm but efficient, no corporate filler, never blame the customer" is useful. "On-brand and professional" is not.

> ____________________

### When to move channels
> Move a chat to a call when: ____________________
> Move a call to email when: ____________________

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## 3. Contact types and handling

Repeat this block for each of your top 10-15 contact types. Stop at fifteen — the long tail belongs in escalation.

### Contact type: ____________________

**What the customer wants:**
____________________

**Information to gather:**
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________

**Steps to resolve:**
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________

**What to record:**
- Disposition: ____________________
- Required note contents: ____________________

**Escalate if:**
____________________

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## 4. Decision rules and authority limits

Write thresholds with numbers. Never leave these as judgement calls.

| Situation | Agent may | Escalate if |
|---|---|---|
| Refund request | Approve up to $______ within ______ days | Above that value, or outside the window |
| Discount request | Up to ______% | Above that, or on ______ products |
| Goodwill gesture | Up to $______ | Above that value |
| Delivery issue | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Account access | Reset after standard verification | Verification fails or account is flagged |
| Complaint | Apologise, resolve, log | Legal action, regulator or media mentioned |
| | | |

### Agents must never
- Promise a timeline not confirmed by ____________________
- Make claims about ____________________
- Discuss ____________________
- Take payment card details unless: ____________________

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## 5. Escalation

### Triggers

**Authority** — resolution exceeds the limits above
**Knowledge** — no documented answer exists
**Risk** — legal action, regulator, media, safety, data breach, serious allegation
**Emotion** — customer requests a manager, or the conversation has deteriorated
**Time** — issue older than ______ or more than ______ contacts without resolution

### Tiers

| Tier | Handles | Owner | Backup | Acknowledge within |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Documented contacts within authority | Agent | — | — |
| 2 | Authority exceptions, unhappy customers | | | |
| 3 | Legal, regulatory, safety, security, media | | | |

### What the agent says during escalation

> "____________________"

Include: what will happen, who will do it, and by when. Avoid "I'll pass this to my manager" — it sounds like the end of your involvement.

### Customer update cadence while unresolved
> Every ______, even if the update is "still working on it".

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## 6. Documentation standards

### Required on every contact
- [ ] Disposition selected from the approved list
- [ ] Customer record updated
- [ ] Note covering: what they wanted, what was done, what happens next
- [ ] Follow-up task created if anything is outstanding

### Disposition list

| Disposition | Use when |
|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |

### Example of a good note
> "Customer called re order #12345 showing delivered but not received. Checked tracking — marked delivered to rear entrance 14/03. Customer confirmed no rear entrance at property. Raised carrier investigation ref CI-889. Told customer we will contact them by Friday with the outcome. Follow-up task set for Thursday."

### Example of a poor note
> "Delivery issue. Sorted."

*Agents copy examples far more reliably than they follow instructions. Include both.*

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## 7. Edge cases and difficult situations

### Abusive customer
> Warning wording: "____________________"
> End the contact if: ____________________
> Log as: ____________________

### Request outside policy
> Wording: "____________________"
> Then: ____________________

### No documented answer
> Wording: "____________________"
> Then: escalate to ______ and log the gap

### System outage
> Tell the customer: "____________________"
> Internal action: ____________________

### Suspected fraud
> Do not: ____________________
> Do: ____________________
> Notify: ____________________

### Media or regulator contact
> Do not comment. Take details and escalate immediately to: ____________________

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## 8. Maintenance

### Gap log
Every time an agent hits a situation this document does not cover, log it here. A running gap list is more valuable than a perfect document.

| Date | Situation | Resolved how | SOP updated? |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |

### Review
- [ ] Work through the gap list
- [ ] Update affected sections
- [ ] Note the change date
- [ ] Tell the team what changed — a silent update is a change nobody applies

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*More free templates and guides: voicesupportcrew.com/downloads*