What is a Computer Support Specialist?

The field of information technology is continuing to see steady, even above average growth.  With advances in areas such as the IoT, artificial intelligence and cloud technologies to name just a few, there is no reason to think the trend in this continued growth will end anytime soon.  Of course, technology tools exist to serve users and as long as users have questions that need answering or require some other type of assistance, there will always be a need for Computer Support Specialists.  In this post, we will discuss some of the typical responsibilities of someone who is employed as a Computer Support Specialist.

Support Desk

Traditionally organizations, especially large ones, had a group of employees who fielded questions from other employees, mainly through phone support, but sometimes through email.  These support specialists were thoroughly trained in the use of all hardware and software used by everyone in the organization, since at any give time a user could have an issue with one of the organization’s printers (for example), or they might have a question about how to best complete a task using a corporate software application.  These types of positions always require patience and great “people skills” on the part of the support specialist, since users are often frustrated by the time they contact the support desk.  Support specialists will potentially troubleshoot hardware problems for printer/copiers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and PCs, in addition to their organization’s software applications.

Beyond Phone Support

Some Computer Support Specialists depending upon the company they work for, never field questions or resolve issues by way of a phone conversation.  With the advent of CRM software applications like Zendesk, chat boxes, and even some social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, support specialists have multiple arenas in which they may help their customer base.  They may field questions and resolve issues strictly by way of email, they might use a chat box to converse with a customer, or they might respond to questions or issues on a social media site.

Regardless of the mechanism in which support specialists interact with their user base, they will always need a great skill set in using a variety of software applications and hardware, along with an ability to remember their primary responsibility is to help.