Customer Support for a One-Person Startup

Supporting 50+ businesses as a solo founder is brutal. Here's how I manage.

The System

WhatsApp Groups: One per customer. Fast, familiar, works on their phones.

Shared Google Sheet: Track issues, status, resolution. Low-tech but it works.

Office Hours: Support from 9 AM - 6 PM weekdays. Emergencies only on weekends.

The Rules

Teach, Don't Do: Show customers how to fix it themselves. They'll be faster next time.

Document Everything: Common questions become docs. Docs become fewer questions.

Prioritize: Not everything is urgent. Production down? Urgent. Feature request? Not urgent.

The Hard Part

Saying no. To feature requests. To scope creep. To "just one more thing."

Your time is finite. Protect it.

The Reward

When a customer solves their own problem because you taught them well last time.