Technical Support Representative - What is it All About?

"This is Brad, technical representative. How can I help you?". We all know this phrase, whether we hear it on the phone, on email or on a chat.   Most of the time we hear it when we contact a phone or an Internet company, but also a credit or insurance company.  With your permission folks, I'll elaborate a bit on the technical support world of the Internet and phone industries.

I'll try to answer the following question:

1. What does a technical support representative do?

2. What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?

3. Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?

4. Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?


What does a technical support representative do


Putting it simple, a technical support representative is responsible to maintain a technical service. As simple as that.  Whether it's the Internet service we all have to make us browser the web, the cell phone we use every day or the hosting service for our site or blog.   Even a slight technical problem may cause our site, phone or web browsing stop functioning and our day get spoilt.

Technically, the technical support representative is responsible for the following:

1. Understanding the problem which the user is facing.

2. Figuring out how to fix the mentioned problem.

3. Going step by step with the user to solve the problem.

4. Transferring a report to the superiors for statistical analysis and archiving. 


What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?


Most people think that technical support representative don't have many promotion prospects.  This belief isn't necessarily true.  Let's have a look at some of the promotion prospects for them:

1. Team leader - running a group of technical support representatives,  usually of 5-10 people.

2. Technical support engineer - with a degree in the respective technical field (electronics, software etc.), the representative can work as  an engineer for supporting customers  i.e understanding a technical system and advising the customers about the proper use of them.

3. Running an independent technical laboratory - many niches of technical support enable their employees to run their own businesses.   For example, a representative in the cellular industry may open a small business dealing with fixing and modifying cell phones.


Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?

"In the eyes of the beholder" - if you have support & advice for others, you may find your home at this field.  For people who are suitable for this niche, giving guidance and help to other people in fields they master can be definitely fulfilling.

 But the issue is that people tend to get into this field because they have no other alternatives.  Many employees in the field come from technical backgrounds (engineers, technicians) with no job prospects in their professions.  This leads to   unsuitable technical representatives who tend to burn out relatively fast.


Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?

I can count 2 main reasons:

1. The meager payout - most technical support jobs offer wages about 1/2 as high as engineering jobs.  This figure leads to unserious regards for this profession.  Employees just can't relate to their jobs very seriously when they earn 1/3 to 1/2 the sum the engineers at the same company earn.

2.  Lack of compatibility - most technical support representatives don't have the tendency for giving assistance and advice.  They're just   not for this sort of a job.  They're mostly technical nerds having to put up with this kind of  a job because they have no other option.