Follow-The-Sun model for 24/7 support and service

Follow-The-Sun model for 24/7 support and service

Insight from Zendesk.

There are many advantages to building a team with people from around the world. One of my favorites is that it can help you operate round the clock with the Follow The Sun model.

While you’re shutting down your laptop at 5 PM, someone on the other side of the world is cracking their knuckles, ready to tackle the tickets that came in during your day. No downtime, no “sorry, we’re closed,” just round-the-clock, top-notch support. 

It’s a dream for customers and a powerful way for companies to stay competitive.

But how do you actually make it work without losing your mind—or worse, your team? Let’s get into some tips for executing this model effectively.

First things first—hire strategically. And I can’t stress enough how important this is. You can’t “follow the sun” if your team members are over 12 hours apart.

Think about key time zones that will allow you to pass off work seamlessly throughout the day. Typically, a solid Follow The Sun model involves people based in three key regions:

1. Americas: Covering the west to east coast, your American team can handle the first wave of the workday.

2. EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa): This region takes over from the Americas, ensuring that when one team sleeps, another takes over.

3. APAC (Asia-Pacific): Covering the other side of the clock, this team keeps the business running during U.S. nighttime hours.

As a rule of thumb, your APAC team can begin to pick up the slack in the afternoon hours of EMEA. Each team only needs to cover a standard workday, but when they pass the baton, it’s like hitting “refresh” on your operations.

When passing the baton to someone (which could be an unresolved customer issue or a mystery project update), you need to be strategic.

Every time a team “closes up shop” for the day, there should be a simple process for them to document key updates, priorities, and anything that still needs attention. Consider these things:

• Daily standups with recordings: If teams aren’t able to sync up live, have them record a daily wrap-up of completed tasks and what’s pending. These recordings can be reviewed by the incoming team.

• Standardized documentation: Keep notes in a clear, standard format so no one needs a decoder ring to understand them. You can use collaborative tools like Notion, Confluence, or good old Google Docs.

• Priority flags: Use priority flags for urgent tasks or bugs that the next team should tackle first thing.

Think of it as a “shift change” at a hospital (minus the coffee IV drip). The smoother this handoff, the less gets lost, and the happier your customers are.

The Follow The Sun model sounds amazing, but it’s only as good as the people behind it. This model can make it tempting to reach out to “off-duty” team members for little questions, but don’t fall into that trap. 

Stick to the model’s structure and respect their hours. Your team will appreciate it, and you’ll reduce burnout—a win-win.