1st Line IT Support

Job 1st Line IT Support

1st Line IT Support

1st line IT support is playing a significant role for any business and/or organization as they are the first line to interact with the end-users. Any organization needs to have an effective and expert team at their first line of IT support to earn the confidence of their client base. A wrong conception is spread widely that the role of 1st line IT Support professionals are not that much important compared to any high-level programmer, system analyst, and database administrator, which is not appropriate at all. 1st level IT support professionals are required to have in-depth knowledge about the services and products offered by the organization. Different clients might have different queries which are usually dealt with by the 1st line IT supporter. For example, a software development company may have a line of products in its showcase. In that case, the employees of the 1st line IT Support of the organization must know almost every detail of all the products.

The most important part of the 1st line IT support professionals is to know about the configuration and troubleshooting issues as they receive the queries regarding these issues. They must have enough knowledge to provide immediate support to the clients and/or refer them to the relevant department if required. 1st line IT support professionals must know about the types of queries from the client and have adequate knowledge and skills to serve the client promptly. The primary focus of IT and other organizations is to establish a strong support line for the clients and customers they are serving. Due to the rising demand of the clients, companies are now seeking a strong support line to complement their existing support team.

The Role of the 1st Line IT Support Professionals

The primary role of the 1st line IT support professionals is to assist the clients promptly and professionally. They must keep in mind that different clients have different queries and they should know how to respond most effectively to resolve the issues of the customers. The 1st line IT supporter needs to be self-driven, dynamic, intelligent, and so on. They must keep in mind that they are responsible as the first communication medium with their existing and/or new clients and the satisfaction of the clients depends mostly on their first response.

The 1st line IT indeed supports professionals will only have a bird’s eye view over the technical business aspect of the organization. In many cases, it might not be possible for them to provide the required technical and/or business solutions to the clients when the depth of the problem is a bit complicated. In such cases, the 1st line IT supporters are required to forward the clients to the responsible person and/or department from where they can get the proper assistance.

Job Description of the 1st Line IT Support professional

1st line IT support professionals are required to continue with different and diversified job roles, that include:

  • Act as the first point of contact for clients who are looking for technical assistance over the phone or online.
  • They are also responsible for documenting each case, every time they deal with a client and note the ultimate result of the solution
  • They must also need to know the process of managing the support of service request that is related mostly to the technical aspects like servers, workstations, computer networks, application software, system software, and so on
  • They must be able to provide on-site support for client networks and applications
  • They must also be able to provide remote support and solutions to the clients over the phone for client applications and networks.

Appropriate candidates for 1st Line IT Support Professional

  • It is expected that an appropriate candidate for 1st line IT support professional must have at least two or more years of experience within the same or similar job description.
  • Ist Line IT Support is being considered as an excellent opportunity for an IT support engineer to accelerate his or her career growth.
  • Job opportunities for 1st line IT support professionals are always available as the companies are in continuous need of expert and experienced IT support professionals.

Skills required for a 1st Line IT Support Professional:

1st Line IT support professionals are mostly required to have a basic to advanced level of IT knowledge including some fundamental business knowledge, as well. Followings are some primary requirements that a 1st Line IT Support Professional must have to prove his or her experience and expertise:

  • Administrative support on Windows 7, 8, and 10 based operating system
  • Fundamental knowledge on Active Directory Administration, including setting up new users, configuring Office 365 mailbox, etc
  • Basic knowledge of computer networking which covers Local Area Networks, ADSL Broadband, Router configurations, Switch configuration, Vlans, and so on.
  • A clear understanding of the type of networking cable needed for different types of network including data transmission and/or IT/Telephone System
  • An effective communication and customer service skill
  • Serving the organization as a quick learner for new applications and technologies
  • Experienced in resolving issues on different operating systems including Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows Vista, and so on.
  • Be able to resolve any technical issues regarding different versions of Microsoft Office, including Office 2003 to 2006
  • A clear understanding about deploy, monitor and configure Microsoft Office 365
  • Basic administrative knowledge on the exchange server and mobile email technologies

The job roles of both the 1st line and 2nd line IT Support professional are also referred to as Support Analyst, Help Desk Specialist, 1st/2nd Line Engineer, IT Support Engineer, Technical Engineer, and so on.

Officially no specific prerequisite is mentioned for 1st line and/or 2nd line IT Support expert. Hence, it is ideal if you have one or more certifications like MCSE, MCSA, CCNA, CCNP, and so on.

The average salary of 1st line IT Support professional is between £21,000 to £25,000