Application support: an overview of its benefits and challenges

Imagine a user struggling to complete a payment on your ecommerce app. But getting a quick resolution from your application support team makes their transactions smooth and customers satisfied.

Since many companies are already enjoying this service, you can do it too. Venture into application support and stop feeling left behind.

Application support is a service that helps software work well for its users. This service includes resolving technical issues, performing regular maintenance and providing guidance with the help of internal teams of support analysts, customer success managers and QA engineers.

According to reports, 67% of customers have a high standard for good experiences, emphasising the importance of businesses to meet these expectations through quality application support.

So, we’ve brought you a comprehensive guide on application support, its benefits, best practices and more. Let’s explore application support!

Overview of application support operations

Let's look at the structured processes and key performance indicators essential for maintaining and optimising application performance. 👇

Operational frameworks for application support

An operational framework in application support is a structured approach that outlines the processes needed for an efficient and effective functioning of an application. Here’s a list of key steps to an effective operational framework that includes the following:

• Incident management - processes for identifying, recording and resolving user issues
• Problem management - root-cause analysis and long-term solutions to prevent recurring issues
• Change management - processes for implementing changes and updates in the application
• Communication - regular and transparent communication with users for essential updates on incident status, planned maintenance‌ and new features
• Monitoring and reporting - continuous monitoring of application performance and user feedback helps identify potential issues before they become critical. Also, regular reporting keeps stakeholders informed about the application's health and support activities
• Escalation procedures - clear escalation paths, ensure that complex or high-priority issues are handled by the appropriate team members or external vendors
• Training and development - ongoing training for support staff keeps them equipped with the latest knowledge and skills to handle user issues effectively

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for evaluating support

KPIs help in measuring the effectiveness of application support operations. Here are some common KPIs used to evaluate support:

• First Response Time (FRT) - the time it takes for the support team to recognise and respond to a user's issue. A shorter FRT shows a more responsive support team
• Resolution time - the time it takes to fully resolve an issue from the moment it's reported. This KPI helps identify areas where the support process can be improved
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) - these are measured through surveys. CSAT scores provide direct feedback from users about their support experience. High CSAT scores indicate that users are happy with the support they receive
• Ticket volume - the number of support tickets generated over a specific period. This can help identify trends and areas where the application may need improvement
• Ticket reopen rate - percentage of tickets that are reopened after being initially closed. A high reopen rate may indicate that issues are not being resolved effectively
• Escalation rate - percentage of tickets that need to be escalated to higher levels of support. A high escalation rate can indicate that the initial support team lacks the necessary skills or resources

Key benefits of application support

Here’s a list of 5 key benefits of using application support.

1 - Improved user experience

When users encounter problems, they expect prompt help. Therefore, addressing these issues timely can help in reducing user frustration and improving their overall experience.

2 - Proactive maintenance

Application support helps in actively monitoring system performance and identifying potential issues before they become critical. It also makes timely updates to prevent bugs and helps keep the application running smoothly.

3 - Improved reputation

The reputation of an application is heavily influenced by the quality of its support. Users who receive prompt and helpful support will have a positive view of the application and the organisation behind it. Moreover, satisfied users are more likely to recommend the application to others.

4 - Data-driven improvements

Application support provides valuable insights into user issues and behaviour. By analysing support tickets and user feedback, organisations can identify common areas for improvement.

5 - User feedback and engagement

Application support provides a direct channel for user feedback and engagement. Through support interactions, users can provide valuable input and concerns on the application's performance.

Professional roles in application support

Application support involves a variety of roles, each with specific responsibilities and skills. Here are some of the key professional roles in application support:

Application support analyst

These professionals hold strong communication skills as they act as the first point of contact for users, handling initial support requests. They diagnose issues‌ and provide solutions instantly or escalate problems to more specialised teams.

Technical support engineer

This role focuses on more complex issues requiring advanced technical expertise like coding, configuration‌ or integration issues. Therefore, technical support engineers ‌are often experienced with the application's architecture and hold ‌strong analytical and debugging abilities.

Senior application support engineer

This role provides leadership and mentorship to junior team members and handles the most complex issues. Hence, senior application engineers have extensive technical expertise, leadership and mentoring skills.

Application support manager

Application support managers oversee the entire support team, maintain efficient operations, monitor the team's performance and do strategic planning. This role usually hires people with strong leadership and management skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities.

Customer success manager

The customer success manager focuses on the overall satisfaction of users. They work closely with users to understand their needs and provide guidance. Customer success managers often have‌ strong customer service skills with an ability to build and maintain relationships. They also think strategically and have a deep understanding of the application and its use cases.

Quality Assurance (QA) engineer

A QA engineer tests the application to identify and report bugs and issues for the application to meet quality standards. Ideally, a QA engineer should have ‌strong QA skills, such as attention to detail and the ability to write and execute test cases.

Tackling application support challenges

Let’s look at 5 of the most common application support challenges and how you can overcome them.

Complexity and scale

As applications become more complex and user bases grow, managing support can become overwhelming. This might lead to slower response times and increased operational costs.

Solution

Implement scalable support solutions where different levels of experts handle issues based on its complexity. You can also use cloud-based support tools and platforms to manage large volumes of support requests efficiently.

User expectations

Users today expect fast, reliable‌ and personalised support. Failing to meet these expectations can lead to user frustration.

Solution

Adopt ‌multiple support channels (eg, phone, email and chat‌) with quick response times and personalised solutions. Also, regularly gather and act on user feedback to improve the support experience.

Skill gaps

Keeping the support team up-to-date with the latest technologies and application features can be challenging. This might lead to slower issue resolution and user dissatisfaction.

Solution

Invest in continuous training programs, regular workshops, online courses‌ and hands-on training sessions. You can also start by implementing a culture of learning and collaboration for team members to stay informed and skilled.

Security and Compliance

Making sure that support processes and tools follow security and regulatory standards is important but can be difficult to manage.

Solution

Implement security protocols and conduct regular audits to identify and address problems. You can also provide compliance training to support staff and use secure communication channels and data protection measures to maintain the integrity and trust of the application.

Resource allocation

Efficiently allocating resources to support tasks can be difficult, especially during peak times or when dealing with unexpected issues, leading to delays.

Solution

Adopt AI tools to manage routine tasks as it can free up human resources for more complex issues.

Evolving best practices in application support

Application support is constantly evolving, driven by advancements in technology and changing user expectations. Here are some of the evolving best practices in application support.

Monitoring and maintenance

Advanced monitoring tools and techniques for support teams can detect and address issues before they impact users. These advanced monitoring tools often use predictive analytics‌ and automated alerts, which help in identifying performance issues, security vulnerabilities and other potential problems early, for improving user satisfaction.

User-centric support

User-centric support teams are encouraged to understand user needs and use customer feedback to drive improvements. This makes support more user-friendly and helps organisations improve user satisfaction and loyalty, leading to an enhanced brand reputation.

Continuous learning and development

Continuous learning and development is essential for maintaining a capable support team. Therefore, regular training sessions, updates on new features‌ make your team members well-equipped to handle a wide range of issues.

This practice improves the team's ability to resolve problems quickly and propagates a culture of ongoing improvement and innovation.

Collaborative problem-solving

Collaborative problem solving is becoming a cornerstone of effective application support. As collaboration accelerates, the resolution of complex issues becomes easier and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. It also makes sure that the application remains strong and user-friendly.

Automation and AI integration

Automation and AI integration are changing application support processes. By using automation for tasks such as initial user interactions, support teams can increase efficiency and reduce response times. AI-driven chatbots can also help find and fix common problems quickly and let support staff focus on more complex problems.

Conclusion

With ‌established application support, you can transform user frustration into satisfaction. It not only improves your brand's reputation and user experience but also provides data-driven insights and feedback for improvement.

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