Technical support for software products is an integral part of successful company operations. It ensures the continuous functioning of the product and addresses various technical issues that hinder users from fully utilizing the company’s product.


Essentially, software technical support exists to enhance functionality and maintain the security level of the software. It enables companies to better meet customer needs and gain a competitive advantage on the market. This is possible because technical support identifies and resolves issues, failures, or errors in the software before its release.

In this article, we will talk about the role of technical support for software products in the development life cycle, what it entails, and showcase some technical support cases from our company.

Software Technical Support in SDLC

The final IT product includes a cycle of processes designed for successful software deployment in the market. In order for users to receive a quality product, it is necessary to go through all the stages of SDLC.

SDLC is a structured process that encompasses all stages of the software development life cycle. It defines the stages of software development aimed at creating high-quality software products that meet customer expectations.

SDLC stages:

1. Planning

During the planning stage, tasks such as cost-benefit analysis, work schedule creation, and evaluation of current resources allocated for the project implementation are addressed. For example, if a client wants to create a financial transactions application, clear requirements should be defined, such as which transactions will be performed, how they will be conducted, in which currency they will be transmitted, and so on. Once the requirements gathering is complete, an analysis is conducted to verify other stages of IT product development. Subsequently, a Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document is created.

2. Architectural Design

At this stage, the requirements gathered in the SRS document are used as input data to create the software architecture for the development of the IT system.

3. Software Development

During the development stage, engineers analyze the requirements and determine solutions for software creation. Design involves considering the integration of existing modules into the product, selecting technology, and development tools. The IT team also addresses how to integrate the new software optimally into the organization’s existing IT infrastructure.

4. Testing

To check the software for errors, the development team combines automated and manual testing. Quality assurance involves checking the software for errors and ensuring it meets customer requirements. Since the teams test the code written by developers, the testing phase often occurs simultaneously with the development phase.

5. Deployment

The IT product undergoes deployment in the production environment or undergoes User Acceptance Testing (UAT) according to the client’s requirements. In the case of UAT, a copy of the production environment is created, where the client and developers perform testing. If the client is satisfied with the results, they provide approval for release.

6. Software Support

During the software technical support stage, the main focus is on meeting the client’s software product needs and ensuring the system operates according to established specifications.

This stage includes four types of work:

• Bug fixing.
• Updating and modifying the system.
• Monitoring and analyzing software performance.
• Enhancing the functionality of the IT system.

Software technical support specialists monitor the overall performance of the system, its security, and usability for users. They identify new ways to improve existing software and initiate the cycle again.

What is included in software technical support?

There are three types of software technical support, all of which continuously improve the program and ensure its alignment with the ever-changing needs of users. Let’s dive into each type in more detail.

Types of technical support for software products

1. Infrastructure Support

This type of support ensures the round-the-clock availability and uninterrupted operation of servers for corporate systems, telephony networks, communication systems, and call centers.

2. User Support

When users reach out for assistance, customer technical support allows IT specialists to identify the nuances of software issues, find and propose solutions, and provide recommendations for preventing similar occurrences in the future.

3. Software Product Maintenance

At this stage, modifications are made to eliminate defects and deficiencies in the software system that have been identified, as well as to add new features to enhance usability.

For a company, software technical support allows them to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving IT market by optimizing and improving software functionality.

4 Levels of technical support

Software product technical support encompasses four levels, each of which performs specific tasks that are integral to the overall SDLC process.

1. Level 1 – First Line Software Technical Support (L1)

The first line support serves as the initial point of contact for clients seeking assistance with software issues. On this level, creating a sense of psychological comfort for the client is important. L1 specialists play the role of “lightning rods” in cases where users encounter problems with the product that evoke emotional reactions. They guide the conversation in the right direction, help overcome difficulties, and assure the client that any issue will be resolved.

Tasks of the first line support include:

• Receiving accurate requests from clients.
• Filtering non-technical support-related inquiries.
• Evaluating task complexity and finding solutions.

To handle customer inquiries over the phone, hardware or software-based PBXs (Private Branch Exchanges) and IT systems for call processing automation, such as cloud-based HelpDesk systems, are used.

2. Level 2 – Second Line Software Technical Support (L2)

At the second level of technical support, accumulated client issues are resolved. The support team at this level provides comprehensive assistance for both software and hardware. Requests are distributed among specialized groups. This work can be performed by first-line dispatchers or dedicated second-line specialists.

Example: Users contact the first line of technical support with their inquiries, rather than directly reaching out to second-line specialists. The first line transfers the information to the second line, who then assign tasks to the remaining support levels if they cannot resolve the problems themselves. This approach allows the technical department to avoid interruptions and focus on resolving current issues.

Tasks of the second line include:

• Data recovery.
• Network setup (wired and wireless).
• Software updates.
• Diagnosing and assisting with issues related to device or software performance.
• Equipment replacement.

Second-line and subsequent levels of technical support utilize specialized systems to record and process customer inquiries. Tools are chosen based on the company’s adopted technologies and approaches, such as remote access to customer workstations and equipment monitoring and servicing tools.

3. Level 3 – Third Line Software Technical Support (L3)

The third level of software product technical support deals with solving narrow-focused tasks that specialists from the previous levels cannot handle. It focuses on handling complex incidents that can have serious consequences and reputation risks for the company.

Tasks of the third level include:

• Analyzing the performance of the core product and meeting customer needs.
• Developing and implementing methods to improve the product.

For example, if the reason for the support request is equipment or software malfunctions, third-level specialists escalate the issue to the next technical level.

3. Level 4 – Fourth Line Software Technical Support (L4)

The fourth level of technical support, also known as L4, comes into play when problems cannot be resolved at the third level. The L4 team consists of developers who model, test, and prioritize the issue in order to fix a critical bug or release a new version of the application.

Tasks of the fourth level include:

• Conducting a comprehensive analysis of the product’s performance and meeting customer needs.
• Forming projects for improving and enhancing the product and implementing them.
• Collaborating with vendors, such as outsourcing agencies, to develop joint solutions.

Software product technical support ensures the detection and resolution of IT incidents, which are disruptions in the operation of an organization’s IT systems that can impact individual users or the entire organization. In short, an IT incident refers to any negative situation in software.

Incident Classification

1. According to the type of incident:

• Security breaches: hacks, data theft, malware, etc.
• Technical failures: server crashes, network issues, hardware failures, etc.
• Software and application problems: software errors, misconfigurations or updates, program crashes, etc.

2. According to severity level:

• Low severity: minor incidents with a small impact on system operation or business processes. Example: failure affecting 15% of users.
• High severity: incidents significantly impacting IT system functionality or business processes. Example: failure affecting 50% of users.
• Critical incidents: major security breaches or significant disruptions to business processes requiring immediate intervention. Example: failure affecting 90% of users.

3. According to business processes:

• Financial consequences: incidents leading to financial losses.
• Reputational consequences: incidents that can negatively impact the organization’s reputation.
• Operational consequences: incidents resulting in disruptions to normal business processes.

What are the risks of not having incident management for a company?

Effective incident management addresses every aspect of an incident throughout the product lifecycle, including:

• Prolonged downtimes and operational issues: Without effective incident management, software problems and malfunctions remain unresolved, leading to prolonged downtimes and operational issues for the company. This poses risks of revenue loss and damage to reputation.
• Impaired customer relationships: When customers face problems and do not receive adequate technical support, it negatively affects their satisfaction and trust in the company. They may seek alternative solutions or share their negative experiences with others, resulting in decreased sales.
• Loss of competitiveness: Companies that do not prioritize incident management may lag behind competitors who provide higher levels of support.
• Escalating support costs: Without incident management, issues can accumulate and become more complex. This may require hiring more qualified specialists or engaging external consultants for problem resolution, leading to additional support costs.

Lack of incident management can have a detrimental impact on various aspects of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including software effectiveness, customer satisfaction, product competitiveness, and financial performance. Therefore, it is crucial to allocate resources and attention to effective incident management.

This is achieved through Service Level Agreements (SLAs), which establish guidelines for incident management. SLAs serve as contractual agreements detailing the process of addressing IT system disruptions and ensuring timely recovery.

Our company applies suitable SLA metrics to each incident:

1. We timely update the software product to the latest version of the system.
2. We enhance the design for user comfort.
3. We establish optimal architecture to align with the company’s tasks and processes.
4. We adjust the program code to meet the needs of the business.
5. We conduct IT system analysis and explore new ways to achieve the company’s goals.

SLA in ITIL Services

According to ITIL services in IT, SLA contains information about the mutual obligations of the service provider and the conditions of service provision. It also defines the rights and responsibilities of the customer regarding the use of these services.

The concept of ITIL services in IT ensures that the Service Desk becomes the sole conduit between the IT team and users. Proper organization of technical support begins with the registration of a customer’s request, which is the primary source of information about the level of service satisfaction and the quality of service.

Our team also provides ITIL services in IT. How does it work?

• We register incoming requests from users.
• We provide real-time information to technical specialists.
• We determine the urgency and criticality of the incident.
• We resolve the issue within the defined SLA timeframe.

Results that companies achieve from ITIL services:

• Tracking IT expenses.
• Software optimization by eliminating errors in the IT system and enhancing functionality, when necessary.
• Maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
• Ensuring proper functioning of the product on new systems/devices.
• Seamless operation of the software product, leading to revenue retention.

2 software technical support cases from our company

Case 1: Establishing an application support group for operational efficiency and deployment quality

Task:

The client required a 14×5 application support group for all modules of the Data Engineering application, databases, file systems, peripheral devices, and multiple platforms.

Solution:

Our team conducted a thorough assessment of the requirements and implemented preventive and prescriptive enhancements through daily health checks and customer incident management at L1, L2, and L3 levels.

Result:

Our team’s application support services resulted in a reduction in incidents at all levels, improved data quality, ensured application uptime, increased customer satisfaction, and added value to the business and managerial users’ support services.

Case 2: Round-the-clock DevOps support services for an e-commerce platform

Task:

E-commerce partners needed assistance in supporting multiple websites, including regular maintenance of existing servers on AWS and other hosting platforms, provisioning and configuration of web servers (such as Elastic Cache, Sphinx, Varnish, etc.), availability for troubleshooting and other issues. Troubleshooting and DevOps support during non-business hours, holidays, and weekends were crucial for the company.

Solution:

To ensure business continuity and uninterrupted operation of all client websites 24/7/365, our team implemented a solution for round-the-clock incident management and DevOps support, including handling 100 incidents and 60 hours of DevOps tasks. The solution consisted of three stages, including discovery and planning, setup and transition, and ongoing support.

Our team conducted an expertise of the client’s current AWS environment and ensured coverage of target infrastructures and workloads with monitoring tools (Zabbix, CloudWatch + Grafana for consolidated data visualization), making the solution flexible and cost-effective, and ensuring that incident notification and management tools (using PagerDuty and Jira ServiceDesk) and all escalation rules were properly configured.

We then launched 24/7/365 Level 2 DevOps support to manage the infrastructure, with a response time for issue resolution of 5-15 minutes in accordance with SLA, including non-business hours and holidays.

Result:

With an efficient solution implemented for e-commerce partners, we were able to prevent up to 70% of all incidents that could lead to downtime. In the remaining cases, incident investigation time was reduced from 60 to 10 minutes. Moreover, thanks to the configuration of Jira ServiceDesk, all tasks and incidents were resolved on time without any downtime for client websites. The client’s infrastructure became more secure, cost-effective, and seamlessly operated 24/7.

About Technical Product Support in SDLC

Technical support plays a critical role in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It provides ongoing assistance to users in utilizing IT products and ensures the smooth operation of the software after its release and deployment.

At the beginning of the SDLC, technical support is involved in gathering requirements and determining product functionality to ensure it meets user needs. During development, technical support specialists provide feedback to developers to improve product quality and address potential issues.

After product release, technical support plays a vital role in maintaining operational stability and resolving user issues. It provides support for installation, configuration, and product updates, as well as assists users in dealing with technical questions and malfunctions.

Through technical support in the SDLC, a company ensures high quality, user satisfaction, timely issue resolution, and enhances the stability and reliability of the product.

Thank you for your attention! 🙂