I’m a client-facing tech support agent for a software company. In a nutshell, my job consists of going to client’s offices, diagnosing problems, solving the problem, and moving on to the next client. However, my job entails so much more than that. It’s a dynamic, fantastic career, and it’s not just comprised of answering phones and installing de-bug software. To give you a picture of how interactive my job is, I’ll break down a typical day for you.
8:00 a.m.
At 8:00, I’m generally leaving my house and driving to the office. My first task is to check in with my team, see the day’s schedule, and get briefed on any developments that may have occurred since the day before. In high-tech software, bugs can pop-up overnight, so our team always has to be prepared.
9:30 a.m.
After meeting with my team and getting briefed, I’m on the road to my first assignment. Today’s task is to help a client who recently purchased our software and is having trouble loading all of the advanced features. This particular client is short-tempered. Fortunately, I’ve had lots of customer support training that has taught me how to listen empathetically, offer solutions, and ultimately, make sure the customer is happy. My approach works. The client learns how the system works, is happy, and I’m off to my next task.
10:45 a.m.
My supervisor alerts me to a case that wasn’t originally scheduled, but it needs to be tackled right away. I drive across town. This particular client is one of our biggest customers, and they just had a server outage. They’re afraid they’ve lost critical data. I rush over, and I spend the next two hours digging into their system, finding the original files (which our programs automatically back up), moving the files to a secure computer, and reassuring our client that their data has not been lost or compromised. It’s a high-stress situation, but I’ve had a lot of diagnostic troubleshooting training that allows me to systematically go through each step in the process to find the actual problem and solve it. Client is happy. I’m ready for lunch!
1:30 p.m.
Lunch break! I’m hungry and grab a sandwich at a local deli. My office supervisor calls me in. The afternoon appointment got cancelled, and he would like me to spend the downtime working on some training for a new product we’ve developed. I spend the next two hours working through the program’s features on our online training program. It’s easy to use, and it even incorporates some gamification features, making it interactive and fun. I love this job.
3:45 p.m.
After I wrap up my training, my boss asks me to take an appointment that a fellow team member can’t respond to because she’s still at a jobsite. We have a fantastic, field service real-time scheduling module that allows us to handle these kinds of mid-day switches and emergencies. Our office is more organized, as a result, with little downtime and the ability to dispatch tech support agents on short-notice.
5:00 p.m.
The client that I’ve been sent to work with is a total newbie when it comes to computers. They need a very basic tutorial on how our systems work. I sit down and patiently go through the basics of our program so that the client feels comfortable using the system. I enjoy these types of tasks – it’s rewarding watching people learn new skills and gain confidence.
6:30 p.m.
The day is done, and it was a long one! I check through my work emails to see if there are any critical things I need to respond to before I check out for the night. One of our clients sent my supervisor a note about how pleased she was with my working style. Another reward of the job.
And that’s a day in the life of a customer-facing tech support agent! I work for a company that values training – and we get a lot of it. We have customer support training, frequent tech training courses, and even training on how to advance our careers. As a result, I have confidence in my skillset, I feel like I’m constantly improving, and the turnover in our office is low. I’m fortunate to have picked the career I did!