Building expertise on first level support

The most viable option to gain an entry point into IT is via the getting into a role as a support candidate. It is one of the most challenging fields as it requires one to be an expert of the product that needs expertise aid. Providing First Level of Support is as good as developing proficiency on a particular subject as well as developing common skill-set for smooth delivery.

To succeed and meet expectations in a first level support project requires one to work on two main areas of knowledge and to keep polishing it with hands on experience. The two areas that will be improved and that need to be well acquainted to get the work started are:

1. Technical / Hard-skills
2. Soft-skills

With the help of the above to higher classification we have a lot many detailed skills that one can strengthen by constantly upgrading the knowledge and indulging in various scenarios to figure out the best way to provide the required outcome to a customer’s demand / query. To detail out the various skills that do fall under the above two mentioned buckets and the actual career enhancements achieved and learnt by experiencing first level of support / Helpdesk projects can be explained in below.

An employee who would be associated into first level support activities will build up mainly on the technical expertise and the offering of the tool / product along with the nature and working of the company and its end users. This gives an accelerated learning opportunity to adapt the latest demands and confusions that help one understand about what is working best for a customer that is using a particular product and what is not. This in turn would bring up opportunities for the helpdesk staff to understand business requirements and provide inputs and be best critics for a development project or an upgrade project.

The kind of knowledge repository a first level support has achieved can internally be helpful to not only help end users get resolution of the queries, issues demands but also help the vendor / company developing the products to understand with the help of the tickets raised the user friendliness and popularity.

Types of skills acquired are:

• Analytical skills –Ability to outline the support needed by a customer
• Time Management –Enhancement of time management skills by catering to SLA  agreements to provide assistance on various types of requests
• Process Management – by following a set of procedure and process and ITIL certification, abiding to processes is highly enhanced and reduces the risk of discrepancies and mistakes
• Technical skills – Support staff becomes capable of developing and learning all aspects of IT since not all issues have a root cause detection in the product but a range of other applications / tools / operating system that the product interferes with
• Communication –Key build up is communication via phone support / electronically, but letting out straight and clear communication is vital and it enhances with experience and right exposure
• Multi Talented: In today’s times of cost reduction and effectiveness, a support desk may not be only to cater to one application. The helpdesk is often looked upon as a single point to resolve issues for multiple applications. This would imply that the learning’s of the support staff is also in multiple areas and handling different complexities of business
• Customer Relationship – The tact of handling a customer is essential skill one needs to develop over time. By just resolving the queries is not a main area a first level support team should cater to, but building a healthy and comfortable rapport helps in sustainability. Providing support beyond one’s reach is another sign that needs attention, since most customers are clueless about the next steps they need to follow if need be to achieve complete resolution. For example internal policies and procedures are sometime not made clear to them and by just closing it out with a statement that we are unable to assist as it is not in our hands is not appreciated. Rather guide the customer to the best next possible route to avoid leaving it on a bad note.

Providing First Level support does not provide guarantee on only the above mentioned skills but a level of customer confidence and technically sound development of exposure is gained. Support staff can also turn their head to fields where a Business Relation Partner / Business Analyst is needed or become a consultant. With enhanced skills on customer management, time management, trouble-shooting skills the prospects of moving onto higher roles and job opportunities are open. Continuous upgrades to the products open up avenues in training as well to the support staff to take up.

About Author:

Onkar Lalla is a Consultant and an important part of the Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd.  think tank. Within Systems Plus, he actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. He can be contacted at onkar.l@spluspl.com