Technical support

Technical support is the services of masters, manufacturers and software suppliers aimed at correcting computer and network systems. They help users maintain equipment and programs in working condition, eliminate defects and upgrade systems
 

The area of ​​technical support includes all mechanical and electronic equipment, virtual systems and communication networks. All these are the constituent elements for the daily work of the company.
Technical support helps its customers solve problems that arise while working with equipment, software and networks.

How is technical support provided?

Technical support is provided by manufacturers of goods and services, as well as intermediaries who have received licensed permission to debug equipment, software, and networks. Often, large organizations themselves open a technical support and administration department, which helps employees solve the problem immediately on the spot.
There are four technical support options:
  1. warranty service - free of charge within the prescribed period;
  2. service, after the warranty - paid;
  3. premium service on an ongoing basis, for an additional fee;
  4. self-service in the form of service - and helpdesk.
The source of free round-the-clock technical support is specialized forums and websites. When choosing a source, pay attention to the degree of qualification of the author of articles and recommendations.
Technical support is provided after contacting the user or collecting information about the failure by the manufacturer (as is the case with some software). Today these are the options for fixing errors in the work:
  1. consultation by phone, email or online chat;
  2. Through online remote access services;
  3. through web-based tools for maintaining websites, network administration, etc .;
  4. using material tools at the breakdown site or at a service center.
After the user requests for help, an application is drawn up, in which all the data on fixing the error is recorded. Today this is done in electronic format, preserving the entire history of appeals.

Technical Support Levels

Technical support is divided into levels to organize affordable and timely assistance to customers. Company needs and ways of help determine the number of levels.
In properly organized technical support levels, specialists are responsible for their sectors, which are connected to honey. So everyone reduces the risk of escalation of the problem throughout the system, takes responsibility for the client. Standardly limited to three levels of technical support.
 
Line / Level # 1
At this level, the basic problems of clients are determined and solved:
  1. They collect information about the user: location, equipment, major breakdowns and finding out their causes.
  1. The main task is to collect the most detailed information about the cause and consequences of a malfunction in the equipment from the client. Data is recorded in the database for tracking and troubleshooting.
  1. After collecting information and analysis, a first-level specialist puts forward the possible causes of failure and a plan for elimination. The basis is taken of well-known algorithms that are built on typical faults.
First-line staff operates with basic concepts and algorithms. Their primary task is to collect data and put forward a theory. This is the treatment of 70 to 80% of customer equipment malfunctions. Based on this information, a first-level specialist decides: to fix the problem on their own or to advance it to the next line of technical support.
 
The first level in a number of areas (such as banking, telephony, network services) processes user applications through a call center, web chat and other similar communication channels.
The responsibilities of the first line include informing customers about the possibilities and rules of operation of the products. In many companies, the competence of the technical support managers of Line No. 1 includes only consultation and primary data processing. An example is Internet service providers.
This is the first round of the "funnel" of technical support, which aims to reduce the number of problems by filtering simple and complex tasks. On the first line there are new precedents and problems for transferring to the next level.
 
Line / Level # 2
Maintenance of the line is much more expensive, since it is aimed at solving complex problems and atypical cases of malfunctions.
Specialists of the second level are able to eliminate problems of a technical nature, remotely or locally. Their responsibilities include in-depth study of a product or service.
At the second level, administration is carried out, which includes analytics, “troubleshooting” (troubleshooting). Specialists are responsible for employees of the previous level, assist them in processing complex or atypical information, and in finding alternative solutions.
If a case that does not have precedents and alternative approaches to solving the problem falls into the administration department, specialists must escalate it to Line No. 3.
Some companies share the work for lines above the first by sector, hiring highly specialized employees to set the scope for responsibility.
 
Line / Level # 3
In most models, this is the highest level of technical support. It employs specialists with higher education who are engaged in research, in addition to solving problems and helping other departments.
The duties of third-level specialists include the development of new techniques and action algorithms for junior specialists. They investigate typical equipment failures and service failures, and create new solutions. Another responsibility is to search for possible malfunctions of the finished product, as well as related third-party equipment.
The third level is in direct contact with the manufacturer or supplier of products, receiving data for solving problems from the first person.
 
Line / Level #4
Some tech support models include a fourth tier, which deals with relationships with service providers and product manufacturers. The competence of employees includes solving problems with hardware and software. This department is called Research and Development.
To coordinate the work of technical support and third-party manufacturers, they use the standard Service Level Agreement, which indicates the rights and obligations of both parties in solving the problem.
 
Form not found or is not published
Found a typo? Please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.