Support deep links: 'go to Settings → Privacy → Export' loses half your readers
A support reply that opens the app on the exact screen instead of describing the route to it. Unglamorous, and it measurably cuts tickets.
Updated Sep 3, 2026
Who runs this
- Mobile product teams
What it uses
- Re-engagement links
- Smart routing
- Per-link source and placement tagging
Every support team has a set of replies that describe a route through the app. 'Tap your profile, then Settings, then Privacy, then Export data.' The person reading it is on their phone, with the app one swipe away, following a four-step description of taps they could be making. Some get lost at step two and reply again. That reply is a ticket you paid for twice.
What problem does this solve?
The reply should contain a link that opens the app on the screen the reply is describing. If the person has uninstalled, the same link takes them through the store and lands on that screen after. And because support links are tagged, you learn which screens people can't find — which is a product problem wearing a support costume.
How do you set the links up?
A link per destination screen, saved as a snippet in the help desk. The deep link path is the screen; the source tag says it came from support and which macro it was in. There's nothing per-user in the payload, so the links are static and safe to share.
{
"deepLinkPath": "/settings/privacy/export",
"customData": {"src": "support", "macro": "data-export-how"}
}Where else does the same link belong?
| Surface | What changes |
|---|---|
| Help centre articles | Same link; the source tag says help-centre instead of support |
| In-app FAQ | Opens the screen directly; still tagged, so you learn what the FAQ is for |
| Chatbot replies | The bot can hand off to the screen instead of explaining the route |
| Release notes | 'Try it here' opens the new feature rather than describing where it is |
One link per screen, reused everywhere that screen is mentioned. The tags tell you which surfaces send people there.
What does the data tell you?
The screens with the most support-link taps are the screens people can't find on their own. That is a navigation problem, and it's now measured. Teams that do this usually find that two or three screens account for most of the taps, and moving those screens one level up in the app removes a category of tickets.
Which metric should you watch?
Repeat-contact rate on tickets that contained a deep link versus tickets that described a route. If the link cuts the second reply, it's paid for itself; the product insight from which screens get linked most is the bonus.
Related use cases
Packaging
Per-SKU packaging: a code on the box that opens that product's setup
Companion apps for physical products. The code on the box should land on the setup, manual or refill screen for the thing in the box.
Email links
Email and lifecycle links: opening the app when it's installed, the store when it isn't
The oldest failure in mobile email — a campaign link that opens Safari on a phone that already has the app.
Every one of these depends on the same two things: link context surviving an install, and an honest answer to which click produced it. The scoring model is published in full on our methodology page, and you can check any domain's association files with our free link validator.