IT Support
IT support refers to various services which entities offer to end users of digital information products or services. In simple terms, IT support provides assistance regarding specific issues with a computer software product or service, and not providing technical support in general, application or feature-by- Feature support. As an IT professional, you are expected to have good knowledge about hardware, operating systems, networking, memory, database, processing power, graphics cards, software, documentation, web design and so on. Being a highly skilled IT professional is the key for ensuring maximum productivity from your organization’s workforce, as a team leader you have to constantly guide, motivate and encourage your subordinates in carrying out their responsibilities and tasks related to IT support. The IT support department has the responsibility to track down problems and errors so that they can be rectified before they result in a major loss for the organization.
To be a successful IT support specialist, you should possess certain IT support skills.
The first and foremost thing that you should possess is excellent communication skill. Communication plays an important role in all the IT-related activities and tasks. A successful IT support specialist always has a pleasant and efficient speech, which he or she uses while explaining a technical problem, solution, or software fault to the concerned individuals. If your speech is well-structured, it will help to reflect on the exact problem, and then explain the probable solutions provided for it.
Other than that, he or she must also posses a high level of IT knowledge. As we all know that, the support specialist holds a variety of computer systems and software and if a single system fails, then the entire network needs to be checked. This means that the technical support person needs to have a solid knowledge about various computer systems ranging from Microsoft Windows, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Nortel, etc.
To have a better command on various computer systems operating systems, one must possess a strong command on technical. It is not enough if you are well versed in software and internet browsing. You should have a good understanding of computer hardware as well. This will help you to resolve issues related to computer hardware such as sound cards, hard disk set up, motherboard, sound card, Video card, USB and Firewire. If you think you do not have sufficient knowledge on these technicalities, then you can take the help of IT professionals from a reputable IT support company. These professionals will train you on various aspects of IT support.
Nowadays, there are various companies offering IT support.
However, choosing the right company requires some level of skill. First of all, you should analyze the skill set of the technicians offered by any particular company. It is important to choose an IT technician, who is knowledgeable, friendly, and able to provide timely response to your queries and support requirements. It is a must that the technicians provided by a given company has obtained the minimum qualifications required to work for them.
- The next level of IT support involves in providing troubleshooting services.
- IT technician is qualified to troubleshoot computer hardware and software related problems.
- Therefore, in order to be eligible for the troubleshooting services, you need to have a good command over the English language.
IT tech support can be provided by the company itself or by a third party. In case of companies, who offer troubleshooting services through e-mail or telephonic communication, you must have a valid pass along with some level of IT experience.
Some of the IT support companies offer managed IT services, in which the IT support company is provided with a list of software applications and other devices to be supported by their team. With managed services, you do not need to purchase any hardware or software applications separately. IT support companies can install the software applications on your computers via remote desktop support. Therefore, with managed services, you will not need to install the application on your own.
The final IT support level is a Technical Account Manager (TAM). As the name suggests, this job profile includes handling the technical aspects of a particular network or operating systems. In addition, it involves the installation of hardware and software applications, and updates to such applications.