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When you hired Safety Net, you probably knew you were hiring a team with a breadth of expertise and different job functions, which is a best practice for quality IT providers and IT departments. Support Services is our largest team. If you ever wondered what that group and its members do, read on!
Support Services Technician
These friendly folks triage your support requests (and resolve some of the basic ones, too). Whether you reach out via live chat, email, the web site support form, or phone, you’ll usually interface with one of these individuals. They capture all the details, and if they can’t resolve things for you immediately, they make it so other technicians have all the info needed to handle the request as quickly as possible.
So – expect them to ask lots of questions! They know the industry lingo, yet they know the importance of communicating clearly with those who aren’t tech-savvy. They may capture screenshots, send out requests for authorization, and handle documentation of your devices. Our support services technicians utilize many methods (determining support ticket classifications, instant messaging, etc.) to get specialists to address your request. Sometimes, if needed, they’ll even shout out to others in network operating center to get on it!
Desktop Deployment Technician
You need a new laptop, tablet or desktop set up? The DDT is your man (or woman)! This role specializes in the configuration and re-configuration of machines, which may include setting those up at your site. The number of steps we take to put a computer on your domain may surprise you. Any steps missed could be a security concern or result in software not working correctly, so this person is the king/queen of checklists and process documents.
He or she also becomes familiar with key applications your business runs on and gets a little obsessive about all their quirks for proper installation. Control freak? We prefer “precisionist.”
Support Services Specialists
Our support services specialists are split into two teams of three to four technicians. These teams are specialized by industry, allowing them to be more familiar with the systems, configurations, and regulations of specific businesses. A few years ago, the teams created their own names internally, “The 404” and “Into the Fire.”
Support services specialists have handling requests down to such a science, that they are responsible for the bulk of reactive support for dozens of companies! (Pretty cool, isn’t it?) They even do it across two office locations, staying connected through instant messaging and team huddles. Unlike corporate helpdesks, where technicians are typically very limited as to what they’re allowed to do, ours are trained and empowered to resolve the vast majority of needs, including some server and networking-level tasks.
Network Administrators
The rock stars. IT professionals with more years of experience (than some would like to admit!), and a higher level of knowledge of servers and network troubleshooting. When a support services specialist is faced with something he/she hasn’t seen before, the network administrator coaches through it, contacts vendors when necessary, or takes over the ticket if in-depth research and troubleshooting are required. Each Support Services Team has one of these (backed up by other staff members); those individuals are chosen as much for their ability to be effective mentors and team leaders as their technical skills.
Network Engineers
While not part of the Support Services Group, network engineers often jump in to help on the big stuff, or when a request involves a piece of software or device on which they are the experts. Many of them started in Support Services, gained more experience and certifications and then were promoted to project work.
There you have it. For those days when four different clients’ staff members have clicked on an infected email attachment and an internet service provider is down, affecting multiple clients, know that our Support Services Team is tackling these issues, hopefully reducing your stress and finding a quick resolution.
Note: This is the first in a series of blogs that explain what Safety Net’s different IT departments and the services we provide.
