Serving people who pay little or nothing.
WHAT THE TENSION IS
Support costs the same regardless of what they pay.
WHAT THAT MEANS
A cheap plan with heavy support is unprofitable.
WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE
Self-service only, for free tiers Community support Slower response times Support as a paid addition
WHAT TO NEVER DO
Offer support and then ignore it.
WHY
An unanswered channel produces worse reputation than no channel.
WHAT TO STATE CLEARLY
What each tier includes.
WHERE
At purchase, and in the account.
WHAT TO INVEST IN FOR LOW TIERS
Documentation and self-service.
WHY
It is the only thing that scales without cost.
WHAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROVIDES
Customers helping each other.
WHAT IT REQUIRES
Enough users Moderation Presence from you
WHAT TO AVOID
A community forum nobody from the company reads.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Support cost per customer, per tier.
WHAT THAT REVEALS
Whether the pricing works.
WHAT TO DO IF IT DOES NOT
Change the price, the inclusion, or the product.
WHY THAT THIRD OPTION
High support load frequently indicates a product that is hard to use.
