Computer Support Specialists

It is relatively rare today to find a business that does not rely on computers for at least something. Some use them heavily and in many areas: daily operations, such as employee time clocks; monthly projects, such as payroll and sales accounting; and major reengineering of fundamental business procedures, such as form automation in government agencies, insurance companies, and banks. Additionally, the Internet has become a key place to gather information, buy products or services, and conduct business. As more companies become reliant on computers and the Internet, it becomes increasingly critical that they function properly all the time.

Any computer or Internet downtime can be extremely expensive, in terms of work left undone and sales not made. When employees experience problems with their computer system or Internet, they call computer support for help. Computer support specialists investigate and resolve problems in computer and Internet functioning.

Computer support can generally be broken up into two distinct areas, although these distinctions vary greatly with the nature, size, and scope of the company. The two most prevalent areas are user support and technical support. Most computer support specialists perform some combination of the tasks explained below.

The jobs of computer support specialists vary according to whom they assist and what they troubleshoot or fix. Some specialists help private users exclusively; others are on call to a major corporate buyer. Some work with computer hardware and software, while others help with printer, modem, and fax problems. User support specialists, also known as help desk specialists, work directly with users themselves, who call when they experience problems. The support specialist listens carefully to the user’s explanation of the precise nature of the problem and the commands entered that seem to have caused it. Some companies have developed complex software that allows the support specialist to enter a description of the problem and wait for the computer to provide suggestions about what the user should do.

The initial goal is to isolate the source of the problem. If user error is the culprit, the user support specialist explains procedures related to the program in question, whether it is a graphics, database, word processing, or printing program. If the problem seems to lie in the hardware or software, the specialist asks the user to enter certain commands in order to see if the computer makes the appropriate response. If it does not, the support specialist is closer to isolating the cause. The support specialist consults supervisors, programmers, and others in order to outline the cause and possible solutions.

Some user support specialists conduct “live chats” online with customers who are having difficulty using a company’s Web site, accessing content, or making an online purchase. They also interact with online customers via e-mail or telephone.

Some technical support specialists who work for computer companies are mainly involved with solving problems whose cause has been determined to lie in the computer system’s operating system, hardware, or software. They make exhaustive use of resources, such as colleagues or books, and try to solve the problem through a variety of methods, including program modifications and the replacement of certain hardware or software.

Technical support specialists employed in the information systems departments of large corporations do this kind of troubleshooting as well. They also oversee the daily operations of the various computer systems, Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), and other systems in the company. Sometimes they compare the system’s work capacity to the actual daily workload in order to determine if upgrades are needed. In addition, they might help out other computer professionals in the company with modifying commercial software for their company’s particular needs.

All computer support work must be well documented. Support specialists write detailed technical reports on every problem they work on. They try to tie together different problems on the same software, so programmers can make adjustments that address all of the issues. Record keeping is crucial because designers, programmers, and engineers use technical support reports to revise current products and improve future ones. Some support specialists help write training manuals. They are often required to read trade magazines and company newsletters in order to keep up to date on their products and the field in general.