Job
Descriptions
Most
Technical Support Representatives work in
a call center with other Technical Support
Representatives or Help Desk Technicians.
They are on the telephone most of the day,
trying to understand and fix the problems
end-users are having. Some of these problems
are simple and can be fixed in a couple of
minutes, while others might take up to an
hour or longer to solve. Some of this time
is spent waiting for the customer to perform
tasks such as restarting their computer. Patience
is a critical skill for this occupation! Some
questions come in via email, and some Technical
Support Representatives might focus just on
email requests.
Technical
Support Representatives often document each
call, including the problem encountered and
the solution they provided.
In
some companies, software is available to assist
the Representatives: an "expert system"
helps them identify the problem and then provides
step-by-step instructions that are read to
the end-user. In other companies, the Representative
must have this knowledge in their own heads,
being assisted only by documentation and other
Representatives. At very small companies,
there might be just one or two individuals
supporting the product.
Because
some companies offer technical support around
the clock, variable work schedules are available.
The
Technical Support Representatives described
in this section offer frontline support to
end-users. Technical Support Engineers typically
work one step removed from the customer, handling
the most difficult situations encountered
by Technical Support Representatives (usually
newly identified product defects). Technical
Support Engineers might also be involved in
providing technical assistance to Technical
Writers documenting that particular product,
as well as providing training classes for
new users.
Entry
Level: $6 - 22 / hour ($15 / hour average)
Experienced,
New to Job: $10 - 31 / hour ($18 / hour average)
Experienced
in Job: $13 - 37 / hour ($24 / hour average)
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