Support Training

Genspark Support
Agent Training

Your guide to Plain & Stripe

Welcome to the team 👋

What we'll cover today

📬

Module 1: Plain

Your support inbox — threads, views, labels, snippets

💳

Module 2: Stripe

Billing & payments — statuses, refunds, cancellations

🎯

Module 3: Real-World Scenarios

6 common situations — what to do, step by step

📋

Module 4: Quick Reference

Cheat sheets you'll keep open every day

Your two core tools

Plain

Where customer conversations live.
Your support inbox, ticketing, and communication hub.

Threads Views Snippets Labels

Stripe + Stimulator

Where billing lives. Payment history, subscriptions, refunds, cancellations, and plan downgrades.

Payments Refunds Subscriptions Downgrades
💡 Rule of thumb: Plain is where you talk to customers. Stripe is where you act on their billing.

How we sound

✅ Say this ❌ Not this
"Happy to help with that!" "Thank you for contacting support."
"It looks like your subscription renewed on March 1." "Per our records, the renewal date was March 1st."
"I've gone ahead and processed that refund." "Your refund request has been processed."
"Let me know if anything else comes up!" "Please don't hesitate to contact us."
💬
Warm. Friendly. Direct. Human.

You're a person helping a person — write like it.

Module 1

Plain

Your support ticketing platform

Threads Views & Queues Labels Snippets Customer Cards Escalation

Key concepts in Plain

Thread
One customer conversation, start to finish
Customer
The person reaching out to us
View
Your filtered window into the queue
Queue
All threads waiting for attention
Label
A tag that categorizes a thread
Thread Fields
Structured data: plan, user ID, billing email…
Customer Card
Live info panel about the customer
Snippet
A pre-written reply template — always personalise

Working from Views

A view is your filtered window into the queue.

📋

Shared Views

Team-wide queues. Work from these daily. These are the main place you'll find incoming threads.

👤

Personal Views

Yours only. Threads assigned specifically to you.

⚠️ Always keep empty — action everything in them.
⚠️
Your assigned views: [PLACEHOLDER — to be filled in by your team lead before you start]

Anatomy of a Thread

📜 Timeline — Left column

Full conversation history. Emails in & out, internal notes, status changes — everything in chronological order.

👤 Customer Panel — Right column

Customer card, thread fields, prior threads. Check this before every reply.

✏️ Composer — Bottom

Switch between Reply (customer-facing), Note (internal), or Snippet (template). Use Cmd+K to switch modes quickly.

Thread lifecycle:

🟡 Open → 🔵 In Progress → 🟠 Snoozed → 🟢 Done

The 3 ways to respond

💬

Reply

Sends to the customer. Customer-facing only. Goes directly to their inbox.

Always personalise. Always read the full thread first.

🔒

Internal Note

Team-only. Customer never sees it.

Use for: escalation context, decisions, handoff notes.

If someone picks this up after you — leave enough context for them to act.

📝

Snippet

Pre-written template. Insert and personalise before sending.

⚠️ Never send without reading it first.

Most-Used Snippets

📝
⚠️ PLACEHOLDER

Your team lead will fill in the snippet library here. For each snippet, note:

Snippet name — When to use it — Any personalisation required

💡 Tip: You can find all snippets in Plain via Cmd+K → type "snippet" → or use the composer toolbar.

Labels

Labels categorize threads and drive routing and reporting.

How to apply: Right panel → Labels → Type to search → Click to apply
Multiple labels can be on one thread.
⚠️ If a label is wrong — change it. Accuracy matters for routing and reporting.
Nested labels: Up to 3 levels deep. Applying a child label automatically applies its parents.
🏷️
⚠️ PLACEHOLDER — Genspark label taxonomy to be added here by team lead.

Customer Card

Always check before replying. It's in the right panel of every thread.

💳

Last payment

Date + amount of most recent charge

📅

Next billing date

When they'll be charged next

💰

Credit balance

Genspark credits currently on account

📸
Screenshot placeholder
[Example customer card to be added here]
💡 Cross-reference with Stripe for deeper billing detail — especially for refund decisions.

Thread Fields

Structured data. Pre-filled. Use it — don't ask the customer to repeat it.

Field Why it matters
User ID Needed for escalations and engineering requests
Plan type Know what they're subscribed to before you respond
Billing email
⚠️ May differ from login email
 Use this for all Stripe searches — not their login email
Login method Useful for diagnosing account access issues

Check prior threads. Merge duplicates.

Before replying → scroll down in the right panel → check recent threads from this customer.

💡 Golden rule: Never make a customer repeat themselves.
To merge a duplicate thread:
  1. Press Cmd+K
  2. Type "Merge thread"
  3. Select the thread to merge into
  4. Confirm

Merge when: same customer, same issue, multiple open threads.

Escalation

When to escalate:

  • Beyond your permissions
  • Engineering/product involvement needed
  • Billing edge cases outside standard process
  • Unsure about the right call — ask

How to escalate:

  • Write an internal note with full context
  • Assign the thread to the right person
  • Apply the escalation label
    • ⚠️ Leave a note the next person can act on without asking you. Context is everything.
    Module 2

    Stripe

    Billing & payments

    Billing Statuses Refund Policy Processing Refunds Cancellations Plan Downgrade

    What you use Stripe (+ Stimulator) for

    • ✅ Check billing status
    • ✅ View payment history
    • ✅ Cancel subscriptions
    • ✅ Process refunds
    • ✅ Execute plan downgrades (with Stimulator)
    Finding a customer in Stripe:
    Stripe dashboard → Customers → Search by billing email
    Finding a customer in Stimulator:
    Paste the member ID to load subscription details
    ⚠️ Billing email may differ from login email.
    Always use the billing email from Plain thread fields.

    Subscription Statuses

    🟢 Active Running normally. All good.
    🟡 Past due Payment failed, Stripe is retrying. Customer may be locked out.
    🔴 Canceled Subscription has ended.
    ⚪ Trialing In free trial period — no charge yet.
    ⏸️ Paused Temporarily paused — subscription not active.
    💡 If status seems wrong → check payment history → escalate if still unclear.

    Refund Policy

    Subscription type Refund window
    Monthly subscription 24 hours from charge
    Annual subscription 72 hours from charge
    EU / UK / Turkey 14 days from purchase
    ⚠️ Always verify the charge timestamp in Stripe before processing.
    ⚠️ No second refunds after one has already been approved.

    When exceptions can be made

    Both of the following must be true:

    1️⃣ No platform use

    Customer has NOT used the platform — check activity in the customer card.

    2️⃣ No credits used

    Customer has NOT used any Genspark credits — check credit balance.

    • → Check customer card + activity before deciding
    • → If approving: process refund + add internal note explaining why
    • → Lean toward the customer when in doubt
    💙 When declining: be kind. Reference the policy clearly. Don't leave them feeling dismissed.

    Processing a Refund in Stripe

    1. Open the customer record in Stripe
    2. Go to Payments → find the charge
    3. Click the payment
    4. Click Refund
    5. Choose: Full or Partial refund
    6. Confirm
    After refund: Confirm to customer (5–10 business days) → close thread in Plain.
    📸
    Screenshot placeholder
    [Stripe refund flow screenshot to be added here]

    Subscription Cancellations

    ✅ Self-service (preferred)

    Direct the customer to cancel themselves:

    Profile icon → View Plan → Cancel subscription

    Use when: customer is just asking how to cancel, no refund involved.

    🔧 Agent-assisted

    In Stripe: Subscriptions → Click → Cancel

    End of period (default) — subscription runs until next billing date
    Immediate — only when processing a refund simultaneously

    Customer Plan Downgrade

    Use the Stimulator tool + Stripe together. Have both open before you start.

    🔧

    Stimulator Tool

    Look up the customer by member ID and execute the plan change using the "New Price" dropdown and "Downgrade & Bill Now" button.

    💳

    Stripe

    After the downgrade: refresh the page, zero out the invoice balance, then refund the second most recent invoice.

    ⚠️ Prices in Stimulator are WITHOUT tax. Stripe shows prices WITH tax. Always cross-reference.

    Plan Downgrade: Step by Step

    1. Open both Stripe and the Stimulator tool
    2. Paste member ID in Stimulator to load subscription
    3. Verify current plan & billing cycle in Stripe
    4. In Stimulator → New Price dropdown → select target plan
    5. Click "Downgrade & Bill Now" — do NOT check the refund box
    6. Refresh Stripe → note the Customer Invoice Balance
    7. Adjust Balance → set type to Debit → enter exact amount → apply (new balance = $0.00)
    8. Go to Invoices → find second most recent invoice → refund it
    ⚠️ Critical: "Refund latest active payment" checkbox must be UNCHECKED when clicking Downgrade & Bill Now. Refund happens separately in step 8.
    💡 Balance adjustment type = Debit (not Credit) to bring the balance to $0.
    Module 3

    Real-World Scenarios

    Putting it all together

    Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 Scenario 4 Scenario 5 Scenario 6
    1

    Refund within policy

    Customer was charged and wants a refund.

    1. Check thread fields: plan type + billing email
    2. Look up in Stripe → find the charge
    3. Check timestamp: within 24h (monthly) or 72h (annual)?
    4. Yes → process refund → reply → set thread to Done in Plain
    "Happy to help! I can see you were charged on [date]. Since you're within our refund window, I've processed a full refund of [amount]. Should appear within 5–10 business days!"
    2

    Refund outside window — unused account

    1. Confirm charge date in Stripe
    2. Check customer card: any usage? Any credits used?
    3. Both unused → approve exception → process refund → add internal note
    ✅ If approving:
    "I can see you haven't had a chance to use the account, so I'm happy to make an exception here. Refund processed!"
    ❌ If declining:
    "Our refund window for [monthly/annual] is [24h/72h]. Because there's been usage on the account, I'm unable to process a refund this time. Sorry about that!"
    3

    Customer wants to cancel

    💡 Always try self-service first.
    Tell the customer:
    Profile icon → View Plan → Cancel subscription

    Use self-service when:

    Customer is just asking how to cancel, no refund involved.

    Handle in Stripe when:

    Paired with a refund, or customer unable to self-serve.

    Immediate cancellation only when processing a refund simultaneously.

    4

    Closed subscription — product didn't work

    Customer already cancelled + wants a refund.

    • Apply standard policy as a baseline
    • Be more lenient if the product genuinely didn't meet expectations
    • Use judgment: how close to the window? What's the amount? Does it feel genuine?
    • Document your reasoning in an internal note
    💡 Judgment calls: When in doubt, lean toward the customer. It builds trust and rarely costs us more than the refund itself.
    5

    Customer Plan Downgrade

    See Slides 23–24 for the full step-by-step process.

    Open Stimulator + Stripe → Load member ID → Select new plan → Downgrade & Bill Now → Zero out invoice balance in Stripe → Refund 2nd most recent invoice
    ⚠️ Do NOT check the refund box in Stimulator when clicking "Downgrade & Bill Now." The refund is handled separately in Stripe.
    6

    Payment failed — customer locked out

    1. Check billing status in Stripe — confirm it's Past due
    2. Find the failed payment and note the date
    3. Let customer know what happened + direct to update payment method
    "It looks like your last payment didn't go through on [date]. You can update your payment method here: Profile icon → Edit Billing → Update payment method. Once updated, your subscription should be back to normal!"
    Module 4

    Quick Reference

    Keep this handy

    Refund Policy Escalation Guide Plain Shortcuts Stripe Quick Actions

    Refund Policy — Quick Reference

    Subscription type Window Notes
    Monthly 24 hours From charge date
    Annual 72 hours From charge date
    EU / UK / Turkey 14 days From purchase date (legal right)
    Exception Case-by-case Account unused: no platform use + no credits used
    ⚠️ No second refunds after one has already been approved. Always check payment history first.

    Escalation Guide

    Situation Action
    Plan downgrade request Use Stimulator + Stripe — follow the 8-step process (Slides 23–24)
    Refund exception (unused account) Agent decides — document your reasoning in a note
    Engineering / product issue Internal note with context → assign to eng team
    Billing confusion / unusual status Ask the team in Slack first — don't guess
    Beyond your permissions Note + assign → never try to work around it
    💡 Rule: Always leave a note. The person picking it up should be able to act without asking you.

    Plain Shortcuts

    Shortcut Action
    Cmd+K Command palette — do almost everything from here
    J / K Move down / up between threads
    Cmd+Enter Send reply
    Cmd+K → "Merge thread" Merge duplicate threads
    Cmd+K → "Snooze" Snooze thread (set a reminder)
    Cmd+K → "Copy ID" Copy customer or thread ID for escalations
    💡 Tip: Learn Cmd+K first — it unlocks everything. The command palette is your power tool.

    Stripe + Stimulator Quick Reference

    Task Where / How
    Find a customer Stripe: Customers → Search by billing email
    Check subscription status Stripe: Customer → Subscriptions tab
    View payment history Stripe: Customer → Payments tab
    Cancel subscription Stripe: Subscriptions → Click subscription → Cancel
    Process a refund Stripe: Payments → Click charge → Refund
    Downgrade a plan Stimulator: paste member ID → New Price → Downgrade & Bill Now (no refund box) → then Stripe: zero balance + refund 2nd invoice
    ⚠️ Always search by billing email (from Plain thread fields) — not the customer's login email.
    🎉

    You've got this.

    Questions? Ask your team lead — no question is too small.

    Warm Friendly Direct Human

    "The customer is just a person having a frustrating day. You can make it better."