# What is Tiered Support (L1, L2, L3)?

> A support structure where harder issues move up through levels of expertise.

Canonical: https://www.decimal.app/glossary/tiered-support · Last reviewed: 2026-09-23

Tiered support splits work into levels: L1 handles common questions, L2 handles deeper technical issues, and L3, often engineering, handles bugs and code-level problems.

## Why it matters

Tiers protect experts' time, but every move up a tier adds a handoff and a wait. Many teams find L3 is overloaded with tickets L2 could close with better tools.

## Best practices

1. Define exit criteria per tier. What has to be true before a ticket moves up.
2. Equip lower tiers. Access and tooling move tickets down the ladder.
3. Track tier-skipping. Tickets that jump straight to L3 point to gaps.

## How Decimal helps

Decimal gives L1 and L2 the investigation L3 would do, so more tickets close lower in the stack.

## Related terms

- [Escalation Path](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/escalation-path): The defined route a ticket follows when the current owner can't resolve it.
- [Engineering Escalation](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/engineering-escalation): A ticket support hands to engineering because it needs code-level investigation.
- [Swarming](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/swarming): Pulling the right experts onto a hard ticket together instead of passing it up tiers.
- [Support Engineer](https://www.decimal.app/glossary/support-engineer): A support role that investigates technical issues with engineering-level skills.

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