<h1>Adding Support Categories</h1>

<p>The support category system helps you organize customer support tickets efficiently. By categorizing tickets, you can route them to the appropriate support staff and track performance by category.</p>

<h2>Support Category Types</h2>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Technical Support</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Bug reports and technical issues</li>
            <li>Installation problems</li>
            <li>Integration questions</li>
            <li>Performance issues</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Feature Requests</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>New feature suggestions</li>
            <li>Enhancement requests</li>
            <li>Customization requests</li>
            <li>Integration requests</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>General Inquiry</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>General questions</li>
            <li>Pricing information</li>
            <li>Account questions</li>
            <li>Documentation requests</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Billing & Payments</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Payment questions</li>
            <li>Refund requests</li>
            <li>Subscription issues</li>
            <li>Invoice questions</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Pre-Sales</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Product information</li>
            <li>Demo requests</li>
            <li>Custom quotes</li>
            <li>Partnership inquiries</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ul>

<h2>Creating Support Categories</h2>
<ol>
    <li><strong>Access Support Management</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Log in to admin panel</li>
            <li>Navigate to "Support" → "Categories"</li>
            <li>Click "Add New Category"</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Basic Information</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Enter category name</li>
            <li>Create unique slug</li>
            <li>Write category description</li>
            <li>Set display order</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Configuration Settings</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Set category priority (Low, Medium, High, Urgent)</li>
            <li>Configure auto-assignment rules</li>
            <li>Set response time SLAs</li>
            <li>Define category status</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Staff Assignment</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Assign specific staff members</li>
            <li>Set backup staff for escalations</li>
            <li>Configure notification preferences</li>
        </ul>
    </li>

    <li><strong>Access Control</strong>
        <ul>
            <li>Set visibility permissions</li>
            <li>Configure customer access</li>
            <li>Define category restrictions</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ol>

<h2>Category Management Features</h2>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Ticket Routing</strong> - Automatic ticket assignment</li>
    <li><strong>SLA Management</strong> - Response time tracking</li>
    <li><strong>Performance Analytics</strong> - Category performance reports</li>
    <li><strong>Staff Workload</strong> - Balance support team workload</li>
    <li><strong>Escalation Rules</strong> - Automatic escalation procedures</li>
    <li><strong>Customer Feedback</strong> - Category satisfaction ratings</li>
</ul>

<h2>Best Practices</h2>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Clear Naming</strong> - Use descriptive category names</li>
    <li><strong>Logical Organization</strong> - Group related issues together</li>
    <li><strong>Staff Expertise</strong> - Assign categories to skilled staff</li>
    <li><strong>Regular Review</strong> - Update categories based on trends</li>
    <li><strong>Customer Experience</strong> - Ensure categories are customer-friendly</li>
</ul>

<h2>Category Analytics</h2>
<p>Track category performance with detailed analytics:</p>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Ticket Volume</strong> - Number of tickets per category</li>
    <li><strong>Response Times</strong> - Average response time by category</li>
    <li><strong>Resolution Rates</strong> - Ticket resolution statistics</li>
    <li><strong>Customer Satisfaction</strong> - Category-specific ratings</li>
    <li><strong>Staff Performance</strong> - Individual staff metrics</li>
</ul>

<h2>Automation Rules</h2>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Auto-Assignment</strong> - Automatically assign tickets to staff</li>
    <li><strong>Escalation</strong> - Escalate tickets based on time or priority</li>
    <li><strong>Notifications</strong> - Send alerts for new tickets</li>
    <li><strong>Follow-ups</strong> - Automatic follow-up emails</li>
</ul>

<p>Well-organized support categories improve response times, customer satisfaction, and team efficiency. Take the time to set up your categories thoughtfully for the best results.</p>