Support Reporting
Part of Support software costs
Checking storage and history limits
Check storage, attachments, customer-visible history and reporting windows in a proposed support plan.
Check what the account can store and where older information remains usable. Storage capacity, an agent's access to an old case, a customer's conversation view and a report's look-back period are separate limits. A shorter view does not mean the underlying conversation was deleted.
List the data and the surfaces that need it
Estimate current ticket data and attachments from the existing system where possible. Note expected growth and unusually large files. Separately list the older cases agents must retrieve, reports the team must reproduce and history customers are meant to see.
| Surface | Question for the proposed plan |
|---|---|
| Account storage | Which data objects count towards each allowance? |
| Attachments | Is file capacity separate, and are upload sizes limited? |
| Agent history | Can authorised staff find older cases and files? |
| Customer history | Which earlier conversations can a returning customer see? |
| Reports | How far back can the required report analyse data? |
| Export | Can required records and files be retrieved before a platform change? |
Ask for the exact edition and account type. A public limit may not describe an older contract or a separately purchased allowance.
Key Storage and Access Metrics for Australian Teams
- Max Attachment Size (Messenger)
- 100 MB
- Customer History Visibility (No JWT)
- Last 14 days only
- Agent Seat Impact on Storage
- Adding/removing seats adjusts available storage; check dashboard before changes
Keep unlike limits separate
Zendesk documents separate storage components: tickets, files, custom objects, users and external content. Default storage limits vary by plan and agent count, and additional storage can be purchased. Adding or removing agent seats affects available data and file storage, so compare the revised allowance with actual use before changing seat count. Its storage dashboard provides detailed charts and historical data.
Check the account's billing model and current plan. Help Scout's All Channels report covers the last two years on Standard and the account lifetime on Plus and Pro. This is a reporting-access limit. Confirm each report the team needs.
Intercom documents a different customer-view limit. On any Messenger channel without Messenger Security using JWTs, end users see only recent history: conversations with no user-visible message in the last 14 days are hidden from the user's list.
Older conversations remain available to teammates in the Inbox. The rule applies separately to web, iOS and Android Messenger channels; it is a customer-visibility limit. Check which channels have Messenger Security configured.
Upload limits also depend on the route. Intercom documents a 100 MB limit for an individual attachment sent via Messenger and a 20 MB total limit for an incoming email, including attachments. Those are upload limits, not an overall account-storage allowance.
Turn the limits into a purchase check
Compare current use, the plan allowance and projected headroom in the same units. Ask whether reaching a limit means an add-on, a restriction or a data-management action.
For history, choose an old de-identified case and ask where an authorised agent, a customer and a report user would find the information in the proposed setup. Record the expected result and the quoted plan.
Do not remove old cases solely to cut a charge before the organisation has settled what it must retain and how staff will retrieve it.
