Industry Professional's Guide to Technical Support

Becoming a Technical Support Professional

Customer Service vs. Technical Support

Why do companies use technical support?

• Troubleshooting technical issues
• Setting up accounts
• Repairing and replacing
• Assisting with network security
• Training on hardware and software
• Logging and tracking
• Fostering positive relationships

Who uses technical support?

Why is technical support important?

• Companies provide solutions to customers
• Positive experiences = increase in business
• More trustworthy
• Customer retention
• Troubleshooting help
• Product improvement
• More desirable products

Why choose technical support?

Why should you pick technical support?

• Learn more about technology
• Learn techniques for solving
• Develop your professional skills
• Build transferrable skills
• Learn how to network to seek out
• Open the door to many more careers

Career Opportunities in Technical Support

Technical support work environment

• On-site at offices or call centers
• Business offices and professional spaces
• Remote working
• Supporting clients and customers
• Answering questions
• Resolving technical issues

Technical support paths

• Entry-level jobs
• On-the-job training
• Experience
• Tiered approaches
  • Lower-tier
  • Mid-tier
  • Upper-tier

Current jobs in technical support

Technical support career advantages:

Technical Support Roles and Responsibilities

Many names of technical support

• Technical Support Representative
• Computer Support Representative
• Technical/IT Support Technician
• Desktop Support Technician
• IT Help Desk Support Specialist
• Desktop/IT Support Analyst

Roles of technical support

Help Desk & Support Technicians

Technical Support Specialists & Engineers

IT Support Analysts & Specialists

Service Desk Technicians & Analysts

A day of Technical Support

Introduction to IT Infrastructure

• Hardware
  • PCs
  • Mobile devices
  • Servers
  • Data centers
  • Hubs
  • Routers
  • Switches
• Software
  • CMS
  • CRM
  • ERP
  • Collaboration, productivity, and business-specific apps
  • Web servers
  • Operating systems
• Network
  • Routers
  • Data centers
  • Hubs
  • Switches
  • Security Software

Types of IT infrastructure

• Traditional IT infrastructure
• Cloud IT infrastructure

Troubleshooting IT Infrastructure

• Troubleshooting within the IT infrastructure
• A customer’s computer isn’t working
• The client needs password reset
• Customers are unable to access
• A cyber threat is identified and neutralized
• Communication allows working quickly to identify issues and implement solutions