There are a countless number of jobs within IT Support that differ in many ways such as level of experience, the recipient of the support required and certain niches within IT Support. However, there are certain skills you will need to work in IT Support that will apply to the majority of the job roles available in IT Support. Working in IT Support means that you will be providing a service, whether this is internally or externally of the business. So you need to take into account the tech skills required, as well as the service skills.
If you are looking to get into IT Support then it’s essential that you have majority of these skills if not all. Here are the top 10 skills needed to work in IT Support.
1. Customer service skills
As an IT Support person you will be providing support to people, whether this internally to your colleagues or externally to customers/clients, you will need to have excellent customer service skills. You will need to make sure to listen and understand the customer needs and help them fix the issue/problem that they are dealing with this. Whilst dealing with customers you need to be able to be polite and professional.
2. Problem-solving skills
When you are providing support, you are essentially solving problems. So, you will need to have great problem-solving skills to help your customers. This includes being able to think and act quickly to help you figure out the issue, so you can solve it.
3. Communication skills
You will need excellent communication skills to be able to understand the customer’s problem so you can help them. Therefore, listening skills are incredibly important. You will also need to be able to explain any complex tech issues to the customers in simple wording. If you work in IT Support, you will be familiar with all the tech terms, however, someone working in HR will not have the same knowledge as you do. Being able to communicate, so the customer can understand you is vital.
4. Prioritisation of workload
You will have many queries and customer issues to deal with simultaneously, therefore you will need good prioritisation skills to prioritise your workload. A good way of doing this is ordering the queries in a list in terms of importance and urgency so you are able to work through your list.
5. Attention to detail
When it comes to solving problems attention to detail is important. If you don’t take a look into the details you might not be able to spot the issue. Attention to detail will help you consider all possible issues that can be causing problems for your customers.
6. Up to date knowledge of the latest trends in technology
As someone who is working in tech and providing IT Support you will need to have up to date knowledge of the latest technology trends. The tech industry is constantly changing and evolving, so your knowledge needs to evolve with the trends, as it will be expected of you in your line of work.
7. Patience
When it comes to dealing with customers and problems, you will need to have patience. It can get frustrating when you are not able to solve a problem right away, however, you will need to be patient and stay calm and collected. Sometimes it can even be beneficial to move away from a problem and come back to it later with a fresh perspective, allowing you to spot the issues.
8. In-depth knowledge of hardware and software
Having in-depth knowledge of hardware and software is essential because if you don’t have the sufficient knowledge you won’t be able to help anyone. However, this is something you will either be trained for on the job or gain an understanding of as you gain experience in the field.
9. Team working skills
Unless you are working for a small business, you will likely be working in teams. Being able to work well with others and be a team player is required for most job roles. This means providing support to a team member if they are falling behind or need your expertise.
10. Willingness to always be learning
As previously mentioned, the tech world is constantly evolving so you need to make sure you are always willing to learn and increase your knowledge as technology grows. You should also consider getting relevant IT training and making sure to keep your skills and qualifications up to date.
These are the top 10 skills required for anyone looking at getting into IT Support and will be necessary to succeed in IT Support roles.
More on getting into IT Support and IT Support Jobs.