Customer Support Team Leads are responsible for leading and coordinating the activities of the client technology services and support area of IT. They provide Level 2 support and work with vendors on Level 3 support. They resolve complex and/or non-routine problems for internal and external customers. They provide technical leadership of the maintenance and support for all client products.
Customer Support members respond to requests for IT support, logging problems, generating trouble tickets, attempting to diagnose and resolve problems, and if necessary, escalating the problem to the appropriate level of expertise.
They are responsible for documenting solutions to problems and developing end-user guidelines. On an ongoing basis, they work to improve customer support processes and practices. In addition, they evaluate and recommend client software and hardware and write proposals for purchasing new or upgraded products.
Individuals in the Customer Support job family require an understanding of the foundation architecture, hardware and software used by the organization. They demonstrate skill in various custom or packaged hardware and software. They have the ability to gather information on issues and have diagnostic capabilities to enable them to describe or resolve problems. These individuals ensure that client needs are addressed and resolved in accordance with service level agreements.
Project Planning:
- Leads the project planning and requirements phase.
- Assists management with monitoring expenses.
Service Desk:
- Responds to Level 2 support and works with vendors on Level 3 support.
- Oversees updates on issues to ensure client satisfaction and productivity.
- Researches trouble issues which affect multiple clients.
- Generates activity and status reports.
- Reviews and approves checklists and scripts.
- Works with vendor technical support personnel on solutions for clients.
Client Technology Support:
- Assess/analyzes the need for and implements performance upgrades to PCs including installation of new hardware or software on an individual or large-scale basis.
- Designs and deploys client support processes.
- Plans and schedules the installation and deployment projects.
- Leads the planning, building, upgrading, and maintenance of client technologies.
- Makes decisions on configuration options.
- Participates in the design and implements equipment replacement plan.
Technical Support:
- Diagnoses and resolves client workstation and mobile device hardware and software issues.
- Initiates and completes outcome investigations for problems.
- Creates temporary solutions until permanent solutions can be implemented.
- Assists systems, programming and vendor professionals as needed to resolve problems.
- Coordinates the resolution of escalated application, hardware and software problems.
- Partners with Network and Systems Administration teams to ensure efficient operations of the desktop computing environment.
Security:
- Ensures adherence to the integrity controls, regulations, and guidelines.
- Reports exceptions and escalate as appropriate.
- Makes recommendations and changes as appropriate.
Inventory Management:
- Oversees IT inventory for all IT equipment and/or software in accordance with company policy and procedures.
Service Level Management:
- Collaborates in the development of service-level objectives.
- Monitors service-level objectives to ensure that requirements are met or exceeded.
- Develops client satisfaction metrics and service procedures.
- Makes recommendations to approve performance and client satisfaction metrics.
- Follows up in a timely manner to ensure customer satisfaction.
Service Improvements:
- Monitors key section metrics (quality measures, customer satisfaction ratings, service level objectives, etc.) against plan and adjust processes as appropriate.
- Reviews tracking log to identify recurring problems, or problems affecting a large number of clients.
- Develops procedures and controls for service improvements.
- Recommends solutions to common problems and updates frequently asked questions documentation.
Testing:
- Coordinates testing with IT groups.
Training:
- Identifies customer training needs based on common problems.
- Provides training to less experienced technical support staff and end users on usage of software and equipment.
Documentation:
- Develops the documentation for processes and ensures the overall scope, quality and effectiveness of the documentation continues to grow.
- Oversees the creation and modification of documentation of issue resolutions within the Knowledge Base.
- Updates manuals/guides to incorporate new recommended products.
Communications/Consulting:
- Alerts IT groups and management about recurring problems.
- Communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical personnel.
- Serves as liaison to IT Departments to complete corporate wide projects, communicate issues, concerns, and questions, and understands changing IT system requirements, changing technology, and best practices.
Business Continuity:
- Provides input to the design of backup and recovery procedures.
Research/Evaluations:
- Designs standard image and designs alternate images, as needed.
- Evaluates and recommends new standard products for corporate standards list.
- Participates in working groups related to standards.
Coaching/Mentoring:
- Mentors less experienced staff in multiple areas of expertise.
- Excellent computer skills including client services technologies and products to include workstations and mobile devices hardware and software.
- Strong diagnostic skills and a working knowledge of current technologies.
- Typically has 1 to 3 years of IT work experience in computer systems or support.
- Typically requires 7 or more years of relevant technical and business work experience.
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally, as necessary.
- Effective in written and verbal communication in English.