IT Support Tiers Guide: Tires 0-4 Differences & Best Practices

Written by Buchanan Technologies | Jan 22, 2026 10:30:11 AM

From 0 to 4, there’s a wide range of support options

Support means much more than just having someone available to answer calls. It’s a complete process designed to resolve customer issues with speed and ease. That’s why businesses with fast, accurate, and friendly IT support typically also have higher customer satisfaction rates as well.

But did you know there are multiple tiers of IT support? Let’s uncover the differences.

What are the Tiers of IT Support?

IT technical support tiers are often identified by numbers: Tier 0, Tier 1, Tier 2, etc. The naming conventions and categories will vary by company, based on staff size, expertise, and their IT support model.

Most companies have three tiers of IT support, with the most common level being Tier 2.

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What Are the Differences Between IT Support Tiers?

The areas of responsibility for each tier may vary from company to company, but in general they look like this:

Tier 0 Support: This level relies on automated or self-service solution for the user, and as a result, offers the most potential for savings. With strategic investments in your knowledge base and digital ticketing systems, and the right mix of FAQs and chatbots, your organization can offer a higher level of service at a reasonable cost.
Tier 1 Support: This is typically considered an organization’s “first line of defense.” Tier 1 support staff will usually be charged with solving basic issues like password resets, printer configurations, and basic troubleshooting.
Tier 2 Support: When a customer issue goes beyond the skill set of a Tier 1 team member, that issue then escalates to Tier 2. Your Tier 2 team should have the knowledge and skills to handle more complex customer issues and use remote control tools.
Tier 3 Support: Tier 3 is usually the highest level of technical skill in an organization, and often includes the product engineers or developers. Tier 3 personnel are involved when the only way to resolve a customer issue is a design change, enhancement, or bug fix that requires a software or hardware update to the product.
Tier 4 Support: This tier is not actually part of a company’s support team, but rather external support for products or components provided by the company but supported by someone else (a supplier or third-party service provider).

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The standard IT support tiers at a glance:

Tier	Skill Level	Responsibilities
1	Low	Initial customer contact; resolving routine issues
2	Medium	Resolving issues beyond the capabilities of Tier 1
3	High	Product design changes, patches, and updates when no other resolution is available
4	Varies	External support for third-party systems, components, or services

The Benefits of IT Help Desk Support Tiers

Organizing your IT support by tiers brings numerous benefits, including:

Most common and routine issues get resolved on the first call.
Higher-skilled personnel can focus on more complex issues.
Resources are allocated more efficiently.
The IT tiers of support have well-defined areas of responsibility.

So, how do you go about structuring your support tiers? That’s next.

Choosing Tiers for Your Support Team

If you’re organizing IT support tiers for your technical support team, here are the questions you need to answer:

What is the skill level of your staff? Can you handle complex issues in-house? Do you need to train existing staff or bring higher-skilled technicians on board?
What is your call volume? How many Tier 1 representatives do you need to handle the load? How many service desks are needed?
Multiple in-house tiers? More tiers of IT user support mean more complexity in your process.
Should you outsource Tier 1? Third-party help desk providers may be a cost-effective alternative to in-house staff, especially if 24/7 coverage is required.

IT support level tiers are essential for business operations, but organizing them is not an easy task.

If you need IT support for your business, trust the experts at Buchanan. We’ve been providing world-class service to satisfied clients across North America for more than 30 years. Whether you’re looking for service desk support or fully managed IT services, we’re ready to help. Contact us today!

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