Doing it without a team.
WHAT THE REALITY IS
Support is one of several things one person does.
WHAT MATTERS MOST WITH LIMITED TIME
A single place requests arrive An honest stated response time Templates for the common questions Documentation for the rest
WHAT TO AUTOMATE FIRST
Acknowledgement, with a reference and an expectation.
WHY
It buys time and prevents chasing.
WHAT TO BATCH
Support, into defined periods rather than constant interruption.
WHY
Constant interruption prevents everything else.
WHAT TO PUBLISH
When you answer.
WHY
It makes batching acceptable rather than negligent.
WHAT TO PRIORITISE
Anything broken, over anything else.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT REPEATED QUESTIONS
Write the answer once, publicly.
WHY THAT IS THE HIGHEST-RETURN ACTIVITY AVAILABLE
It removes the question permanently.
WHAT TO RESIST
Answering everything immediately to seem responsive.
WHY
It is unsustainable, and it sets an expectation you will break.
WHAT TO PREPARE FOR
Absence: illness, travel, leave.
WHAT THAT REQUIRES
An automatic message stating when you return Documentation sufficient for someone else
WHAT TO TRACK EVEN INFORMALLY
What people ask about.
WHAT TO DO WITH IT
Fix the top one.
