Technical Support Jobs (how to be a good one?)

laptoplaptop Member Posts: 214
in IT Jobs / Degrees
Hi,

I'm preparing for CompTIA A+ and looking for entry level technical support jobs.

How do you become good at technical support when you're new to this role? (without prior experience except textbook knowledge)

Let's say a client call in to ask for help. But, I don't know the answer to it...What happens in most situations? Are there instructions to follow? I'll be really nervous if I don't know how to resolve their situation. Most likely you won't have time to ask the expert guy sitting next to me? True?

I want an entry level job as a technical support person. Then move my way up. But, I'm worried about my lack of knowledge.

Recommendations?
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Comments

  • bikeandskibikeandski Member Posts: 69 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Google

    It will be your best friend, trust me...
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  • genXrcistgenXrcist Member Posts: 531
    80% of your calls will be repeat questions so don't worry, you'll have time to learn. On the job no less.

    Most people are nervous when they first start taking support calls. Just remember that the vast majority of people who are calling for help know far less than you do. Speak with confidence and don't be afraid to use the phrase "Let me verifiy the solution for you, hold please."

    :)
    1) CCNP Goal: by August 2012
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  • qwertyiopqwertyiop Member Posts: 725 ■■■□□□□□□□
    bikeandski wrote: »
    Google

    It will be your best friend, trust me...

    I'd say take down whatever symptoms you can get from them and put them on hold, then Google till you get a answer.
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  • Daniel333Daniel333 Member Posts: 2,077 ■■■■■■□□□□
    It depends on the envionment. My first help desk job had a 5 min max with clients and a very clean escalation process.

    Anyhow, A+ and MCDST will give you a lot of situations you will run into. The company will train you in any special software they use. And to top it off you'll have notes from all the tickets opened before you worked there you can read.
    -Daniel
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  • JavonRJavonR Member Posts: 245
    genXrcist wrote: »
    80% of your calls will be repeat questions so don't worry, you'll have time to learn. On the job no less.

    Most people are nervous when they first start taking support calls. Just remember that the vast majority of people who are calling for help know far less than you do. Speak with confidence and don't be afraid to use the phrase "Let me verifiy the solution for you, hold please."

    :)

    I also agree with this statement. However, it's more like 95% of the calls are repeat questions :). Just remember, if you don't know the answer just google it! Don't bother your supervisors if you can help it.... they will respect you more if you can figure things out by yourself.
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy Mod Posts: 4,518 Mod
    CompTIA Server+ will give you good foundation, but don't waste a lot of time on it.
    Certs: GSTRT, GPEN, GCFA, CISM, CRISC, RHCE

    Check out my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ug_ruisDUXc

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  • eansdadeansdad Member Posts: 775 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Get ready for a lot of "I forgot my password" and " What is my log in" calls. Expecially on monday morning or the day after a long weekend.
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  • PC509PC509 Member Posts: 803 ■■■■■■□□□□
    Like said, many are the repeat questions. Or the simple ones that you'll either know the answer to, and will find out easily using Google or the company will tell you ahead of time during training... Otherwise, you can Google the problems as you are talking with them, and come up with a solution pretty fast.

    The biggest part of IT isn't being able to fix things with the knowledge you have. You will learn something new everyday, come across a problem you've never had before... The best skills to have are problem solving skills. Know where to go and where to look for a solution. Technet, Google, various forums, etc. can all help you out. 99.999% of the time, someone else has had the same problem, you just have to look it up and find the solution that they found worked. The other .001% is difficult, but you'll be ready. :)

    Good luck! It's a good learning experience for when you move up!
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  • the_Grinchthe_Grinch Member Posts: 4,165 ■■■■■■■■■■
    You'll more then likely have a knowledge base at your work. I know when I worked for an ISP they had a pretty solid knowledge base that could answer just about any question. Like others have said, Google is your friend. I also don't think you'll have a problem asking for help as it is impossible to know everything. Research first and if you find nothing, then ask for help!
    WIP:
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  • blargoeblargoe Member Posts: 4,174 ■■■■■■■■■□
    One big key is not necessarily know the answer, but knowing WHERE TO FIND the answer.

    If you're talking calls, listen to the caller, and don't talk over them, they hate that.
    IT guy since 12/00

    Recent: 11/2019 - RHCSA (RHEL 7); 2/2019 - Updated VCP to 6.5 (just a few days before VMware discontinued the re-cert policy...)
    Working on: RHCE/Ansible
    Future: Probably continued Red Hat Immersion, Possibly VCAP Design, or maybe a completely different path. Depends on job demands...
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  • laptoplaptop Member Posts: 214
    Thanks

    I'll keep those advices in mind.
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  • brad-brad- Member Posts: 1,218
    1) Google.
    2) Have a good software and hardware toolkit
    3) Be patient
    4) Their problems are your problems.
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  • BradleyHUBradleyHU Member Posts: 918 ■■■■□□□□□□
    yeah google is your friend....

    but when you say technical support, do you mean supporting software, or is it pc/laptop, mobile devices, peripherals, email, software, network connectivity and all that other good stuff? cuz some companies use that title for different meanings...some are true tech support, just support a specific thing, and others support everything, which is really what desktop support is....
    Link Me
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  • rsuttonrsutton Member Posts: 1,029 ■■■■■□□□□□
    laptop wrote: »
    How do you become good at technical support when you're new to this role? (without prior experience except textbook knowledge)

    My first three or four years in IT were doing Technical Support. I had no college degree nor certifications (I still don't). Fortunately you can study and gather many skills that will help you pass the interview and land your job.

    Some general things that will be helpful for you to understand: TCP/IP basics - what is an IP? How do you get one? What is the difference between an internal and an external IP & how do you identify which is which. Windows basics - if you will be supporting home users make sure you have a solid understanding of Windows XP, tools, troubleshooting etc. There will be other things you want to learn ad hoc after you look at what you will be supporting, IE come prepared to the interview.

    That is the tech basics; but you will also have to have good interpersonal skills, patience and a genuine desire of wanting to help others. These are the qualities that make a good tech support technician.
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  • loxleynewloxleynew Member Posts: 405
    Technical support = Google user. haha

    Seriously though if people knew how to use google and/or read tech. support level 1 positions would be all but non existent except to reset passwords.
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  • ilcram19-2ilcram19-2 Banned Posts: 436
    troubleshoot everything
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  • JockVSJockJockVSJock Member Posts: 1,118
    95% of the people are going to disqualify themselves with the following, when calling in:

    'I don't know what I'm doing' or 'I'm not a techie'

    This is to your advantage, however don't get cocky or berate the person calling in.

    Also take lots of notes and look for ways to grow your skillset.
    ***Freedom of Speech, Just Watch What You Say*** Example, Beware of CompTIA Certs (Deleted From Google Cached)

    "Its easier to deceive the masses then to convince the masses that they have been deceived."
    -unknown
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  • jediknightjediknight Member Posts: 113
    The thing with technical support jobs as already mentioned is that you will find that many "tickets" or "calls" will be ones you've done in the past. The company you work for will have a training plan for you which will cover all the tools you'll use and during that time you will get accustomed to many of the day to day calls you'll get. Every technical support desk I've worked for gave me adequate training for me to do my job and had escalation procedures in place for issues I could not resolve.

    The bottom line is that there will "always" be some issue that you will not know how to solve; even if you've been working there years I guarantee you something will come up you've never seen. So don't sweat it, as long as you have the foundation knowledge and you are always staying up to date on your skills, you'll be fine.
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  • BdeadbuddyBdeadbuddy Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 9 ■□□□□□□□□□
    I'm really surprised... i thought i was the only one using google to find solution to some of my issues... :)

    Seriously, i'd like to ask you old wise technicians that have been working for ages in IT

    What the hell were you doing before google ?
    Could everything be found in books, BBS weren't that great as today's forums either.

    Thanks for sharing
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